Audiophile Madness

[AdrianMills]

I was browsing around and came across A Tweak Too Far and I thought you guys may be interested... uh okay, amused by it. The article, and I use the term lightly, has such gems as this;

After the cords came the clock. While basking in an AC-cable-induced state of bliss, I received Geoff Kait’s announcement of a new magic accessory. As one who has purchased and been moderately impressed with Kait’s Nimbus Isolation Platform and Intelligent Chip, I was predisposed to like the hype he’s lavished on his Clever Little Clock ($200). My first Clock arrived a week later.

After unwrapping the nondescript plastic timepiece and placing it on a side table, I noticed that the system’s midrange performance had become more emphatic. It was as if the Cyber-800 had sprouted a brace of 845 triode tubes in place of its little 6CA7 power tubes. I was so impressed with the Clever Little Clock (CLC) that I ordered another one, which yielded additional midrange power and realism.

It took me a few minutes before I realized that there wasn’t going to be a punch line.

 

[mtrycrafts]

I was browsing around and came across A Tweak Too Far and I thought you guys may be interested... uh okay, amused by it. The article, and I use the term lightly, has such gems as this;

It took me a few minutes before I realized that there wasn’t going to be a punch line.

Yes, madness is the right title

But that clock, it will allow the music to be right on time, every time

 

[hemiram]

Between the clock, the pebbles, and the other whacked out stuff that people buy, it just proves that the power of suggestion is alive and well.

And then there's what I call "Cable Madness" where people spend 4 figures for a pair of shielded wires with very nice RCA plugs on them, and claim that they make an "amazing difference". They really believe that 6 foot long cable is going to make a huge difference connecting two devices together that both contain dozens of feet of plain old cheap copper hook up wire, and bare copper traces on a PC board. I know someone who spent about 10K on cables recently. I just hope I can keep a straight face when I see him next time I see him in person.

 

[vlad335]

Wow!

I found the site for the Clever Little Clock.
http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina41.htm

The Clever Little Clock is a small, battery-powered alarm clock that has been extensively modified using a number of highly-specialized techniques. The Clever Little Clock does not plug into the wall and has no direct or indirect influence on the audio signal -- not on house wiring, audio components, cables, interconnects, power cords or acoustic waves. Yet the Clock has a pronounced affect on the sound produced by all digital and analog playback systems. In addition, all video systems/formats in the house will be improved by placing one or two clocks in the listening room; the video picture will be clearer, with better contrast and color saturation -- TV, cable TV, DVD, etc.

I'm sorry...This is completely insane!

 

[vlad335]

My favorite testimonial fron the above site.

"The darn thing worked inside the cardboard box with all the shipping peanuts around it. Really! COOL!" - Regards, C. Kloidt, April 2006

 

[porziob]

What this whacko`s system needs is a jar of Magic Toe Nail Clippings.

 

[Audioholics]

What is insane is that:

a) there is always a dramatic difference, and
b) that difference is ALWAYS beneficial

This makes the snake oil very easy to discern and kind of blows the theory that any of this stuff might actually work.

People have the right to buy what they want, and honestly users you are the type to get into this stuff are not going to listen to reason and will likely be very happy with their purchases.

 

[BostonMark]

I myself purchased a clever little clock

and I must say it DID indeed radically improve my whole home theater experience.

It was callled an ALARM CLOCK. By setting it the night before, it would magically awaken me the following morning, allowing me to go to work on time every day and allowed me to earn enough money to buy a nice receiver, amplifier, projector, movie screen, Universal DVD player and lots of DVDs and DVD Audios!

THANK YOU CLEVER LITTLE CLOCK!!

 

[MDS]

A really clever alarm clock would have a 12 volt trigger output to power on your home theater system so you could awaken to high-fidelity music instead of static filled FM radio from a 2 inch speaker.

 

[mtrycrafts]

My favorite testimonial fron the above site.

Remember that 'Airborne' pill? It works for me just being in the drawer and no pills after the first test

 

[mtrycrafts]

What this whacko`s system needs is a jar of Magic Toe Nail Clippings.

And what will that do? Minimize nail growth? Less cutting?

 

[AdrianMills]

Hm, I realized after I posted that I wasn't in the General forum. Oh well.

I've been talking to a friend of mine and maybe we'll go into business producing wacko stuff to rip off... uh, I mean, to satisfy the audio fetishes of insanely wealthy audiophiles. Or should I say the wealthy audiophiles that are insane?

 

[highfihoney]

i loved my clever little clock,i kept it on top of the insignia cd player i bought from best buy that never worked worth a damm,it didnt do much for the sound but it was great for bashing the cd player with when the drawer wouldnt open.

 

[f0am]

lol did anyone look further in that site?

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina17.htm

Brilliant Pebbles!

"Over a period of time, Machina Dynamica developed three sizes of Brilliant Pebbles, each addressing specific problems in the room and system: The 3-inch Large Brilliant Pebbles is intended for speaker cabinets, tube traps, room corners, satellite TV receivers, tube amps and solid state amps. The 1 1/2 inch "Mini" Brilliant Pebbles is intended for the top of CD/DVD/SACD players and proximity to electron tubes. The "Mikro" BP (about 1/3 the volume of the "Mini") is intended for proximity to electron tubes and DACs and on Quantum Electroclear & Symphony field effects devices. "

Just wow.

 

[sploo]

lol did anyone look further in that site?

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina17.htm

Brilliant Pebbles!

Been there, insulted that

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?p=99443&postcount=8

 

[hemiram]

Are they (whatever company "made" them) still making those bricks they used to sell? The ones that were supposed to "dampen vibration"?

I can't remember the exact name...and it's not the one someone sells now, the one with the actual parts in it, I'm talking about the one that was the actual brick, as in a brick wall. That one killed me. I went to someone's house, they had a pretty high end set up, and there was a black brick on each component, sitting on it's own little holder thing. I started laughing, he got very red faced.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Wine magnets

I was browsing around and came across A Tweak Too Far and I thought you guys may be interested... uh okay, amused by it. The article, and I use the term lightly, has such gems as this;

It took me a few minutes before I realized that there wasn’t going to be a punch line.

Audio is not the only mad hobby anymore.
Recently my attention was brought to a wine magnet a master wine taster is making to improve the taste of cheap wine. Let me emphasize that this is an intelligent magnet as it only works on the cheap stuff, less than $10. The makers makes this claim

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Must be some cable. My PSB Platinums aren't even "night&day" different from my Paradigm Atoms! (especially for movies, where enough 'splosions will even distract me from Bose speakers).

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Let me emphasize that this is an intelligent magnet as it only works on the cheap stuff, less than $10. The makers makes this claim

Your $6 Red Cat will taste even better if you use a $250 Riedel decanter and $25 glasses. (I like the 'O' line).

 

[audiofox]

lol did anyone look further in that site?

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina17.htm

Brilliant Pebbles!

"Over a period of time, Machina Dynamica developed three sizes of Brilliant Pebbles, each addressing specific problems in the room and system: The 3-inch Large Brilliant Pebbles is intended for speaker cabinets, tube traps, room corners, satellite TV receivers, tube amps and solid state amps. The 1 1/2 inch "Mini" Brilliant Pebbles is intended for the top of CD/DVD/SACD players and proximity to electron tubes. The "Mikro" BP (about 1/3 the volume of the "Mini") is intended for proximity to electron tubes and DACs and on Quantum Electroclear & Symphony field effects devices. "

Just wow.

I scooped out several brilliant pebbles from my cat's litter box this morning-do you think there is a market for them? How's this for a marketing pitch: "If you place them directly behind the primary listening position, they have the effect of moving the soundstage closer to the listener" (or the listener closer to the soundstage, to be more precise!). They even come in several custom sizes and textures for optimum placement and decorating applications. The best part is that there is an inexhaustible supply, and the overhead and manufacturing costs are ultra low-maybe I could offer franchises! Operators are standing by....