With $105,000 turntables and $16,000 cartridges that price for a tonearm seems consistent. Say, isn’t that the tonearm Michael Fremer owns? If low weight and stiffness are prime tonearm attributes how about a graphene coated balsa wood tonearm?
What’s your vote for the most ridiculous, overpriced, and useless tweak?
My vote: Furutech Outlet Cover 105 NCF $220, with “special crystalline material that has two “active” properties.” https://www.thecableco.com/outlet-cover-105-ncf.html
503 responses Add your response
| Post removed |
Here’s two tweaks that might surprise you. SONEX foam panels and lead shot. Two of the worst materials ever foisted on gullible and easily influenced audiophiles. Lead seems like such a great material for audio - massive and dense but not too hard, not too soft! 😬 As for SONEX who could doubt that recording engineers know all about sound? 😩 |
Schumann Generator update: Well I dont think that the S.G. is ridiculous useless pricey tweaks... It is my fourth one, cheap chineese one with an atrocious power supply that is garbage, then I put a cheap one but better and the improvement is across the board...This fourth one is the cherry on the cake...I am happy that I bought these little marvels, and if you want an upgrade this is one... Total cost 70 bucks for the 4 S.G. and the effect in the listening room cannot be overestimated at all... The most ridiculous and useless tweaks I know of today it seems are only those I dont experiment with in the first place...The problems of the tweaks are the companies that often sell them a price that are way too much...Experiment yourself and dont read reviews anymore... |
danvignau Directional fuses in an alternating current circuit. >>>>>Software emergency! Data Buffer overload limit exceeded! Learning function routine disabled. |
Update: the added benefit of a third usb Schumann Generator (S.G.) modified for 13 bucks surprisingly is evident after a few notes...I cannot wait for my fourth and last (a bigger one power supply included 23 bucks) I modify all with proper stones and crystals to clean the source power and use some antenna with a great success... |
I have already experimented with the sonic effect of around 20 kind of stones and crystals... They all induce different sonic effects like tubes in an amplifier but greater sometimes... It is very easy to correct all degradation to gain the better with any of them because they collectively correct themselves in a synergetic collective action after the first experiments...At the end the effect is astounding and compare musically to nothing else...Variation of ALL particularities of sound can be gained...Imaging, dynamic, timbre modification, body, transparency, 3-d sound effect, with speakers or headphones etc...No upgrade of gear will give you that at a relatively low cost...The S.G. is like an amplifier for stones effects...I will never need to upgrade my very good but modest in price audio system... Before all these experiments with tweaks, with exactly the same dac, amp, amplifier and speakers, I never knew what my pieces of gear was able to deliver...I was not satisfied, even if my basic gear is good for all reviewers and people who already owned them... Most people dont have a clue about their audio system potential by lack of cleanliness of source, power supply, conditioner, lack of room treatment, lack of vibrations controls, lack of cleanliness in the house electrical grid, lack of a minimalistic controls of RFI. or EMI....I know that I was one of them no more than 2 years ago... |
| Post removed |
Schumann generator update: I dont use the S.G. like most people do... Not only it generate some frequencies, the Schumann one, but he S.G. is really an apparatus to improve the effect of stones and crystals... I use Shungite mainly with other stones that are there to compensate one another effects they produce to gain what you want to hear with your particular speakers and gear.... For the beginners try a piece of shungite under the S.G. or on top of it but without contact with 4 improvised feet I cut myself, it will greatly enhance the effect of the S.G. to the point in my audio system to put it on another plane of details...remember when I speak about the effects of something that all my audio system is tweaked with a connected grid of multiple kind of crystals and stones... |
Let’s get back on track for a second, shall we? Look, I’ve seen a lot of outrageous preposterous tweaks come and go. And of all the outrageous, crazy, ridiculous tweaks I’ve run across I put the photos-in-the-freezer tweak right at top of my long list. I haven’t mentioned this to anyone before, so this is very hush hush, but we had the photos-in-the-freezer tweak in the Golden Sound room at CES back in ‘05. That was the year we had the Intelligent Chip, another mind blower. 🤯 We also had Clocks and Pebbles. In fact, gentle readers, it’s the only time a room was ever extensively treated with PWB Electronics products in the history of CES. |
flapjack, As geoffkait likes to point out, serious companies take care of directionality from the beginning so maybe all those circuits are done in whatever direction was preferred. My only issue with all of that, Walkman conductor directionality, is in its moving nature. Once you tweak it right and then walk and turn the corner, it gets misaligned in respect to all the magnetic forces acting in the Universe. Not to mention seismic vibrations. Then you tweak it until the next corner, I guess. |
"Actually, unless I miss my guess, which is highly unlikely, there are no wires inside a Sony Walkman."There are. Depending on the model and your acceptance of the word "wire", easily all of them have it. Just a quick look at some of the models... http://www.hembrow.eu/personal/sonywmd6c.html and... https://www.eevblog.com/2015/06/10/eevblog-752-original-sony-walkman-tps-l2-teardown/ and, for those who were not present at our most recent lecture,... https://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1z |
I have been on a tweaking mission. Some work better than others Probably the biggest was changing Quad 11L to ATC SCM19v2. Not a tweak as such. SR Black fuses Chokes USB to coaxial reclocker - Halide Bridge Akiko Triple AC Power Enhancer Audio Prism Ground Control spades Akiko Audio Fuse Box Tuning Chip Audioquest Jitterbug Russ Andrews 'The Silencer' Akiko Audio RCA Tuning Caps Audience AU24SX RCAs iFi AC iPurifier Akiko Universal Tuning Sticks Mad Scientist Nitro power cables Eichmann Power Strip RCA Shorting Plugs for amp inputs XLR Noise Stopper Caps Shumann Resonator Chatres SE4 with Teradak DC-30W PSU Schumann Resonator Chatres Mk3 LOA audio tweak chip Supercapped Power Supply feeding: Beresford SEG Dac - supercaps, new clock, new RCA inputs on RCA and coaxial, SR Red fuse Bybee iQSE Signal Ground Solutions SGS-1 grounding box Still to come: iFi AC ground cable Applying Graphene Contact Enhancer HFC MC-0.5 Black Ravioli pads |
Actually, unless I miss my guess, which is highly unlikely, there are no wires inside a Sony Walkman. That’s one of the advantages of the Walkmen - you can’t have directionality issues if you don’t have wires. Hel-loo! You don’t have issues with transformers, big ol’ capacitors, digital cables, interconnects, or fuses, either. |
OK, here’s a “ridiculous tweak” you might not have heard of. You know those drain pipes on the outside of buildings that channel rain overflow to the ground? Every building usually has at least three or four. Well, here’s the tweak. Buy a pack of 14” long black cable ties at Home Depot or eBay or wherever. Wrap one black cable tie around the bottom section of each drain pipe, one foot from the bottom. If a drain pipe circumference is very large connect two cable ties together for each drain pipe. |
If someone speak about a useless, ridiculous, costly tweak, I presume he purchase it and try it.... If not, then it is only children’s gossip in a schoolyard ... If you think it is not that, what is the value of an "opinion" about something you dont know, neither use, nor try ? Useful or useless tweaks are an interesting and useful matter for reflexion.... Ridiculous and costly are way too relative and subjective opinions, and completely useless opinion without experiment and experience... I apologize to the OP of this thread ,I only give my opinion, and I thank the OP because it is an interesting thread where to debate and fun to read...But I will wait for a more serious thread about useful or useless tweaks... |
I connect the second Shumann generator,the small usb one, with a thin ( like a hair) copper used and useless telephone cable to my stones grid …. the result is like with my first S.G. now more dynamic,more clarity, better imaging...I am in heaven with my music... My experiment is proof for me of the value of this tweak: Schumann Generator is a must,but without control of vibration, without the stones, the antenna, the connection with a cable to the other connected stones, the result would be good ,audible but not spectacular for me....For the price paid nothing compared, it is like probably buying a very costly and TOTL piece of gear, it is what I think of all that....My best to you... You may eliminate S.G. of the costly, ridiculous and useless tweaks list... |
Link not working. Too many http’s 😬 This link is working, https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/which-way-to-run-a-cable/ I commented on this Positive Feedback article over on the Directional Cable thread this morning, https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/directional-cables-what-does-that-really-mean |
An interesting article about cable directionality http://https//positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/which-way-to-run-a-cable/ You are not alone Geoff... |
If my wife were not near my shoulder I would have bought it....I buy domestic peace... But the results I get even with the 10 bucks usb one are astounding, then the frequency was near accurate I suppose...Someday I will buy a better S.G. for sure... And yes I think that also about resonance...It is the only explanation I can think of about my stones grid when you speak to me about piezo electric effects etc... |
It has been reported many times that isolating the Acoustic Revive Schumann frequency generator from vibration improves performance. Also using a better power cord. The performance in audio applications appears to be related to how accurately the 7.83 Hz is generated. That’s why I decided to get the Black Schumann USB device which, at twice the price of the Blue, generates a more accurate signal. Since crystals generally act as resonance control devices it’s possible they improve the generation of the 7.83 Hz signal. In a similar fashion crystals on top of Tube Traps improve their performance. Or crystals on a power cord plug improves audio performance. |
Another important thing: The Schumann generator act like a measure apparatus, a magnifying glass, for the ears because it magnifies the particular effect of each stones or crystals in an audio system at a more evident and audible level than when the stones are only used in a grid connected or not... You see I am more nuts than you for most of the people...Nevermind! Crowd lack imagination... (|)) ( : (o) |
I know that Geoff, I read your site years ago (and some others sites about crystals use but your price were right and not over the roof) and decide to experiment myself a bit beyond ( I dont have money to buy gear or tweaks)...For example a cabled connected, battery powered stones grid + magnets...After that I read about your comment about Helmhotlz resonator, I go with my own simple cheaper design after with bottles,carafe, plastic and glass containers in my already treated room with great results etc... I know that you know about Schumann generator, but not about Shungite connected antenna... By the way it is important to controls vibrations with the generator I am sure you know that...But Acoustic Revive and other companies that sold generators sold them with linear power supply, that are costlier in general...It is possible to use an ordinary cheap power supply and treat it against vibrations but also clean some of the noise with specific crystals and stones... This is one of the main reason that my cheap generators are very efficient and compare probably to the costly one with results that are audible and spectacular for me... The power supply is very important then must be treated...The S.G. must also be treated against vibrations... I am not a physicist like you but certainly a maverick for the common eye of the crowds, like you...My best... |
mahgister, my Brilliant Pebbles, the world’s first comprehensive crystal based tweak, was officially introduced at the HiFi Show in London in 2003. Currently Brilliant Pebbles employs various pure crystals including - but not limited to - agate, quartz, sapphire, ruby, aquamarine and onyx. Power to the Pebble! 🤗 |
geoffkait, "Glubson, I’m afraid that’s not even close."You may be right. I got the idea, or maybe they did, from the fact that SONY upcharges $1000 for a Walkman with better wiring. It is not wires only, they also have a different chassis material, but wires are prominently marketed. Looking at the picture, they may not be more than 2cm long. Note the "advanced cable design" statement... https://www.sony.com/electronics/walkman/nw-wm1z I also hope it would make you proud that they do say it takes 200 hours for capacitors to start working at their best. |
ok I understand, but this is the same kind of cable they delivered free with the usb generator.... http://https//www.google.com/search?q=Black+USB+from+Ufeel&client=firefox-b-d&channel=trow&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx= |
Now saying that experimenting in the last hour with stones near the Schumann usb generator I try a big jasper of kambaba piece of stone with impressing results about imaging, I am sure to qualify for the most ridiculous tweak for many here.... I accept the qualification of ridiculous for this tweak,but not useless, absolutely not...To gives an example of the nature of this change I will say that the improvement is like the days I use tubes in my tube amplifier, the changes is very audible ... This is an example demonstrating that the amalgamation of these three adjectives in the same sentence about tweaks is an error.... /)) ( : (o) |
I remove the blutak at the center after your remark and after less than hour experiment.... i try to attach the antenna with blutak because i try to suspend vertically on a wall the small usb generator.... i I never put blutak in the first bigger generator....In the second one I remove it afteryour remark and make the antenna stand on a piece of shungite at the center but not glued on it like with my first generator and it is better...Your remark about shorting the antenna make sense to me... By the way the specific kind of stone you place near the generator under it or at the center change the sound... It is not the same effect if the stone is an herkimer, agate, shungite or tourmaline... For the basis of my antenna the shungite is better and it is the shungite I try in my first attempt... |
Geoff I know that an antenna need to be connected electrically to the gear...Mine is only connected to the shungite stone or the tourmaline stone at the center spot of the printed connected original antenna and perpendicular to it...I cannot explain why my perception of the sound is better with....you are the physicist...Some would say placebo, it is possible ….I dont know... |
"Pop Quiz. Win a free prize! 🤗It is hard to narrow errors to only four. Would they be called "technical" or "just errors" is less important. It reads like someone from the Department of Transportation tried to make a joke. Electrons making screeching noises when jumping curbs or colliding with other vehicles. Some of them carrying heavier loads, some lighter, which makes braking performance different. I wonder how far would this go, how much would it cost, if someone approached the company and asked for upgraded cables in a Walkman. Let’s say, whatever little wire is there to be upgraded. Maybe, while they are at that, even ask them to design a better headphone jack. What number would it be for that custom project? $10 000? $117 000? |
The effect of this 2 generators audible from my speakers is more clarity and a less congested sound between the speakers ...After all my other tweaks this is a cherry on the cake and very audible in near listening field and at a normal distance listening in the room also... I put few days ago the first generator near a speaker... adding a second one nearer to the second speakers changed the relation between the 2 speakers for the best...One of my speakers is near a wall the other near a door, the relation between the 2 is special and not ideal... This peculiarity makes it easier to spot changes in the imaging and soundstage for the worst or for the better... |