No foolin’ - this gear is for real

[CraigV]

Well, I was going to make a post (as a joke) about the new speaker cable made from metals found in meteorites & insulated with yak hair farmed by Tibetan monks, but like they say, truth is stranger than fiction.

It’s no secret I am one of “those” who hear a difference in amplifiers, but even I have my limits. And so on this April fools day, I thought it might be fun to see some of the foolish things people spend money on related to A/V gear, like porcelain cable holders:

Said to reduce floor vibrations which can interfere with the electrical signal going through your speaker wire.




And of course, there’s the ubiquitous $500 glorified clock radio:

Ugh.


So, what are some of the crazy things you’ve seen in the realm of A/V gear?

 

[trnqk7]

Seeing as I work for a distribution electric cooperative, I think I should take our "retired" insulators and sell them to crazy audiophiles everywhere for supplemental income

 

[zhimbo]

It's hard to beat Machina Dynamica for lunacy, and the Teleportation Tweak is clearly the king of the hill.

I can't show you a picture...because it's...nothing.

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina60.htm

You pay them money, then they play some sounds over your phone line that you let your AV equipment listen to. And it gives both greater frequency extension on your speakers, AND better flesh tones on your TV! And that's just the beginning!

 

[Hipnotic4]

4' HDMI A/V Cable-$170

​

And the professional review..

"I had my reservations about sinking $170 into a cable. What is the difference between the high end offering by other brands that run around $80 or so and this cable which is twice as much? Well, let me tell you that this cable does what it says. If you own an LCD with the 120MHz motion processor and Directv HD than this is a MUST HAVE. There is noticeable difference in picture response, no blur, pixilation or distortion Improved sharpness and sound. Most noticeable is the depth of color. My wife even noticed this (not an A/V geek like me) and said that the picture looks more life like and the kids cartoons (the CG ones not the Hanna Barberra we grew up with) looked 3D. Over all I am VERY happy. I will be replacing the Sony Blu-Ray cable next to take full advantage of all this great product has to offer."

 

[cwall99]

Notice that the demo model price is marked down from $2999

How about a 2 meter power cord for $3000?

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/84591

 

[tomd51]

Dakom "stabilizers" are pretty humorous, I see them on AudiogoN every now and then trying to peddle this garbage. Looks like $130 worth of equipment, doesn't it?

http://www.dakiom.com/products.htm

 

[zhimbo]

4' HDMI A/V Cable-$170
And the professional review..

[I]"...My wife even noticed this..."
[/I][/QUOTE]


Wow that 'review' really does hit all the cliches, doesn't it?​

 

[aberkowitz]

How about a 2 meter power cord for $3000?

http://www.musicdirect.com/product/84591

For that much money it should come with a naked woman...

 

[j_garcia]

"Even my wife noticed it, because I was using a potato connected by string previously and the picture quality wasn't as good."

 

[Shock]

"Even my wife noticed it, because I was using a potato connected by string previously and the picture quality wasn't as good."

You raggin' on my string brah!!?!!?

 

[MatthewB.]

I present to you two "Golden Oldies"

The Tice Clock: http://www.regonaudio.com/Tice%20Clock.html

and although I don't have a link (cause I'm just too lazy to search it out) I also bring about.....Moon Rocks.

 

[Now Slappy]

You raggin' on my string brah!!?!!?

I don't think he was ragging on you....


It all depends where his wife was putting the potato.

 

[highfigh]

Dakom "stabilizers" are pretty humorous, I see them on AudiogoN every now and then trying to peddle this garbage. Looks like $130 worth of equipment, doesn't it?

http://www.dakiom.com/products.htm

That Dakiom is some real crap. Did you see the feedback stabilizers for amplifiers? In the description, it said "Insulation displacement connectors are provided for use with car stereos or powered subwoofers upon request."

'Insulation displacement connectors', eh? Sounds like a fancy name for Scotch Locks.

 

[j_garcia]

Not as good as THIS:

I first dabbed our silver-saturated, hyperconductive contact lube on the AC plug of my $99 boom box. Then I dabbed it on every plug and lug of a $100,000 dream system. Stunning results on both! For 3 cents a plug, violins gained a gloriously sweet sheen. Delicate acoustic guitar overtones stood unveiled. The scream of over-driven electric guitars cut through with extra edge and punch. Floor beams shivered with the new impact of contrabass, organ, and tympani. Equally amazing results for video.

SilClear is the first-ever silver contact lube optimized for good sound, not thermal conductivity. The secret is microscopically thin silver platelets (a millionth inch thin; 8 square feet of surface per gram!) to enhance beneficial skin effect. The unique binder for these platelets is an ultra-pure, low dielectric absorption, food-grade grease to minimize signal loss/smearing. The thinnest possible coating lasts 10 to 20 unpluggings. Comes in a 14-gram jar (with applicator) that treats 1000+ connectors.

http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/silclear.php

 

[wyllisx1]

Not as good as THIS:




http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/silclear.php

Astroglide???? or is that Asstroglide, I can never remember...

 

[j_garcia]

Cures all your "ails" too!!

 

[Hipnotic4]

Wow that 'review' really does hit all the cliches, doesn't it?

"Even my wife noticed it, because I was using a potato connected by string previously and the picture quality wasn't as good."

Yeapp..thats why i dont completely dislike Monster..they have people willing to pay for this their stuff..might as well sell it to them...

 

[murl]

One of the absolute best that I have heard lately is sevice stations marketing to put Nitrogen in your tires, increases your gas mileage, make the tire last longer. The bad part is that people that have no knowledge of chemistry may actually find this plausible. Everyone should also never use Dihydrogen monoxide, worse stuff on the planet.

 

[MatthewB.]

murl, I was at my dealership last month and saw that Nitrogen in tires ad and I literrally busted out laughing in front of the service tech. I actually own many Monster products, but only because I got them on such great deals that it actually beat the price of similar items (I got to Monster AVS2000 Signature series voltage regulators) for 299.00/ea and Monster speaker and component cables on closeout when CC was going under for 95% off. Otherwise I would be buying other gear. Monster makes good products just waaaaay overpriced.

 

[murl]

murl, I was at my dealership last month and saw that Nitrogen in tires ad and I literrally busted out laughing in front of the service tech. I actually own many Monster products, but only because I got them on such great deals that it actually beat the price of similar items (I got to Monster AVS2000 Signature series voltage regulators) for 299.00/ea and Monster speaker and component cables on closeout when CC was going under for 95% off. Otherwise I would be buying other gear. Monster makes good products just waaaaay overpriced.

Haha that's great, I hear ads on the radio all of the time about Nitrogen and it's crazy. I can't wait until someone tries to sell me some, they will probably get more than they bargained for. That is one bad thing about weird knowledge like chemistry you never really get to show it off.

I myself am not opposed to monster stuff if I can pay a reasonable price for it, which I think is like you said about 95% off. I just hate to pay for things that people charge so much more money for just because.