Share Your Snake Oil Story...

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...

Mine comes from Lyric HiFi here in New York, when they tried to sell me
little coin size metallic stickers. At $250.00 each, they supposedly
improved the sound by "dampening the field-effect resonance" on your
individual components. What??? I could hardly contain my laughter!

Then there was the afternoon at Sound by Singer (a more appropriate
name for this rug merchant would be 'Sound by Swindler'), where he had
a customer convinced his prospective $500,000.00 system was so precise,
that one could actually distinguish between two identically titled CD's
- by the subtle differences on the pitted surface of the disk.

I'm not even going to start sharing what salesmen have said while
trying to sell me cables...

A_C

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"Dave Kowalski" <daveski@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga

> How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
> surface------

They can do a number on fine finshed floors. Oh, I get it - you need some
sort of magical thing to put under them for only $95.00 each or $395 for a
set of 4.

> I've watched proponents wax on and on about which direction to put the
> point-speaker or surface...

Yeah, some say that the pointy tip-toes under components act like mechanical
rectifiers. I would think that would be a bad thing - generates nonlinear
distortion.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

Agent_C <Agent-C-hates-spam@nyc.rr.com> wrote:
>
>Then there was the afternoon at Sound by Singer (a more appropriate
>name for this rug merchant would be 'Sound by Swindler'), where he had
>a customer convinced his prospective $500,000.00 system was so precise,
>that one could actually distinguish between two identically titled CD's
>- by the subtle differences on the pitted surface of the disk.

But that's the case with nearly any playback system.

The pitted surface of the disk contains the data. You play back an early
pressing of an album mastered flat, then you play back a later pressing
that is compressed to hell, and there will sure be substantial audible
differences on the same title.

And those differences is because the data on the disc is different... on
the pitted surfaces. Okay, they aren't maybe subtle differences. In the
case of some albums they are anything BUT subtle....
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"Arny Krueger" <arnyk@hotpop.com> wrote in message
news:k42dndrOeqmch7rfRVn-sA@comcast.com...
> "Dave Kowalski" <daveski@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news:BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga
>
> > How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
> > surface------
>
> They can do a number on fine finshed floors. Oh, I get it - you need some
> sort of magical thing to put under them for only $95.00 each or $395 for a
> set of 4.
>
> > I've watched proponents wax on and on about which direction to put the
> > point-speaker or surface...
>
> Yeah, some say that the pointy tip-toes under components act like
mechanical
> rectifiers. I would think that would be a bad thing - generates nonlinear
> distortion.
>

ever hear if the "lunar gravity compensator" for tone arms? this cam comes
with a tide chart and is used to adjust tracking force to compensate for the
slight gravitational pull of the moon.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

On 3/3/05 8:51 AM, in article BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga, "Dave Kowalski"
<daveski@optonline.net> wrote:

> How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
> surface------
> I've watched proponents wax on and on about which direction to put the
> point-speaker or surface...
>
>
>
> "Agent_C" <Agent-C-hates-spam@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:1109857384.838439.189850@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
>>
>> Mine comes from Lyric HiFi here in New York, when they tried to sell me
>> little coin size metallic stickers. At $250.00 each, they supposedly
>> improved the sound by "dampening the field-effect resonance" on your
>> individual components. What??? I could hardly contain my laughter!
>>
>> Then there was the afternoon at Sound by Singer (a more appropriate
>> name for this rug merchant would be 'Sound by Swindler'), where he had
>> a customer convinced his prospective $500,000.00 system was so precise,
>> that one could actually distinguish between two identically titled CD's
>> - by the subtle differences on the pitted surface of the disk.
>>
>> I'm not even going to start sharing what salesmen have said while
>> trying to sell me cables...

I confess to having a set of these ceramic doodads for my little Tannoys,
bought soley because the Tannoy tech folks said they indeed were worth
having. At $5 a set I wasn;t worried for the experiment.
I'm still not sure if the black ones sound darker than the brown ones.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

Agent_C wrote:
> I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
>
> Mine comes from Lyric HiFi here in New York, when they tried to sell
me
> little coin size metallic stickers. At $250.00 each, they supposedly
> improved the sound by "dampening the field-effect resonance" on your
> individual components. What??? I could hardly contain my laughter!
>
> Then there was the afternoon at Sound by Singer (a more appropriate
> name for this rug merchant would be 'Sound by Swindler'), where he
had
> a customer convinced his prospective $500,000.00 system was so
precise,
> that one could actually distinguish between two identically titled
CD's
> - by the subtle differences on the pitted surface of the disk.
>
> I'm not even going to start sharing what salesmen have said while
> trying to sell me cables...
>
> A_C


My favorites are those little teflon sticks being sold to audiofools to
support speaker cables up off and away from the lossy dielectric
plastic fibers in your carpet.

Mark

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech (More info?)

The most outrageous and shameless
snake-oil site I've been pointed to recently is:

http://www.machinadynamica.com/

the home of
BRILLIANT PEBBLES
basically, a jar of rocks
"It's no exaggeration to say that with the Pebbles in place
regular CDs now sound better than SACDs did before." -- Gabriel G., PhD

the INTELLIGENT CHIP:
"Machina Dynamica now carries the amazing Intelligent Chip, an emerging technology device that improves CD sound quality
in the blink of an eye. The Intelligent Chip is a thin, 1-inch square orange wafer that automatically upgrades any
CD/DVD/SACD disc when the Chip is placed momentarily on the top surface of the player while the disc is playing."


and the MAGIC RING
"Description/Theory: The Magic Ring (Standard size) is a 1 3/4-lb, dark metallic-gray, thick-walled cylinder with OD =
2.5 inch, L = 2.5 inches and H = 2.75 inches (including flat base). The Large Magic Ring weighs 2 1/4 lb and is slightly
larger than the standard size Ring. The Magic Ring and Large Magic Ring are intended to be used with speaker cables,
power cords and interconnects, as well as in proximity to electronic components. The Magic Ring operates on the
principle of "energy organization" in materials that conduct "signal" or electricity, as opposed to magnetism or
vibration control. The Magic Ring illuminates and expands the soundstage, lowers distortion and improves dynamics,
especially microdynamics. Surprisingly, bass performance is also improved quite a bit. "





--

-S
It's not my business to do intelligent work. -- D. Rumsfeld, testifying
before the House Armed Services Committee

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On Thu, 3 Mar 2005 09:06:57 -0500, "Arny Krueger" <arnyk@hotpop.com>
wrote:

>"Dave Kowalski" <daveski@optonline.net> wrote in message
>news:BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga
>
>> How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
>> surface------
>
>They can do a number on fine finshed floors. Oh, I get it - you need some
>sort of magical thing to put under them for only $95.00 each or $395 for a
>set of 4.

Kruger Rands would surely be the best? :-)
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech (More info?)

In rec.audio.tech Steven Sullivan <ssully@panix.com> wrote:
> The most outrageous and shameless
> snake-oil site I've been pointed to recently is:
>
> http://www.machinadynamica.com/

Damn, you beat me to it!

I particularly like the fact that the magic chip is a consumable item.
"Fool you once, shame on me. Fool you twice, and I'll start a business."

I figure that someone with an equal mix of cynicism and ethics decided to
get into the tweaker market, but decided to come up with something so utterly
outrageous that they couldn't feel guilty about fooling anyone incredulous
enough to believe them.

Colin

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech (More info?)

Some of you may be old enough to remember the "deltoid test" flap. In the
early days of digital recording, a clinical psychologist (was his name
Diamond?) claimed that digital recordings agitated his patients, while
analog recordings calmed them. He proved that by employing the "deltoid
test", borrowed from chiropractic.

In that test, the subject stands with arms outstretched; the experimenter
suddenly presses downward. Whether or not the subject can resist tells the
experimenter something about his/her muscle tone, and presumably other
things like stress level. The good doctor found that when subjects listened
to digital recordings, they showed much lower muscle tone than when they
listened to analog recordings.

Now, it's not entirely outside of the realm of possibility that digital
recordings might have subtle physiological effects. And it's certainly
possible that the deltoid test might be detecting real physiological
effects, whether or not they might be connected to what the subject was
listening to.

But when the doctor cautioned that it was well-known in the world of
chiropractic that the effects of the deltoid test would be skewed if there
was refined sugar anywhere in the room, that's when it was time for the
horselaugh.

Peace,
Paul

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"John" <ssconmag1@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:BE4CB07D.215B%ssconmag1@verizon.net...
> On 3/3/05 8:51 AM, in article BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga, "Dave Kowalski"
> <daveski@optonline.net> wrote:
>
> > How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
> > surface------
> > I've watched proponents wax on and on about which direction to put the
> > point-speaker or surface...
> >
> >
> >
> > "Agent_C" <Agent-C-hates-spam@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
> > news:1109857384.838439.189850@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> >> I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
> >>
> >> Mine comes from Lyric HiFi here in New York, when they tried to sell me
> >> little coin size metallic stickers. At $250.00 each, they supposedly
> >> improved the sound by "dampening the field-effect resonance" on your
> >> individual components. What??? I could hardly contain my laughter!
> >>
> >> Then there was the afternoon at Sound by Singer (a more appropriate
> >> name for this rug merchant would be 'Sound by Swindler'), where he had
> >> a customer convinced his prospective $500,000.00 system was so precise,
> >> that one could actually distinguish between two identically titled CD's
> >> - by the subtle differences on the pitted surface of the disk.
> >>
> >> I'm not even going to start sharing what salesmen have said while
> >> trying to sell me cables...
>
> I confess to having a set of these ceramic doodads for my little Tannoys,
> bought soley because the Tannoy tech folks said they indeed were worth
> having. At $5 a set I wasn;t worried for the experiment.
> I'm still not sure if the black ones sound darker than the brown ones.
>

they probably sound "warmer" as the black exterior absorbs more heat and as
we all know a warmer objects molecules move faster. ... maybe nickel plated
ones are needed for heavy metal music?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"TimPerry" <timperry@noaspamadelphia.net> wrote in message
news:zvadnZi5B4KR_brfRVn-iQ@adelphia.com...
>
> "Codifus" <codifus@optonline.net> wrote in message
> news07h63$q2$1@news.interpublic.com...
>> TimPerry wrote:
>> > "Arny Krueger" <arnyk@hotpop.com> wrote in message
>> > news:k42dndrOeqmch7rfRVn-sA@comcast.com...
>> >
>> >>"Dave Kowalski" <daveski@optonline.net> wrote in message
>> >>news:BIEVd.5929$qL.2107@fe12.lga
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>>How about those pyramid cones to isolate speakers from the mounting
>> >>>surface------
>> >>
>> >>They can do a number on fine finshed floors. Oh, I get it - you need
> some
>> >>sort of magical thing to put under them for only $95.00 each or $395
>> >>for
> a
>> >>set of 4.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>>I've watched proponents wax on and on about which direction to put the
>> >>>point-speaker or surface...
>> >>
>> >>Yeah, some say that the pointy tip-toes under components act like
>> >
>> > mechanical
>> >
>> >>rectifiers. I would think that would be a bad thing - generates
> nonlinear
>> >>distortion.
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> > ever hear if the "lunar gravity compensator" for tone arms? this cam
> comes
>> > with a tide chart and is used to adjust tracking force to compensate
>> > for
> the
>> > slight gravitational pull of the moon.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> So THAT's why my turntable sounds funny when I'm playing it on the
>> beach, and it always co-incided with high tide
>>
>> Oh, and the sand inside my motor bearings, do they have something for
>> that, too?
>>
>> CD
>
> remember the "ZeroStat" gun for records?
>
> all you need is the Megastat Cannon (tm) to create an instant static
> repulsion field for ANY electronic device. perfect for drunken beach
> parties. as an added feature the Megastat Cannon (tm) actually attracts
> topless babes.
>
>

Yeeeeaaaah baby! I have a stat cannon in my pile-o-laughter here in my
office!!!

Chad

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech (More info?)

"Steven Sullivan" <ssully@panix.com> wrote in message
news07hqs$gu$7@reader2.panix.com...
> The most outrageous and shameless
> snake-oil site I've been pointed to recently is:
>
> http://www.machinadynamica.com/

Good God. I kept hoping it was all some sort of bizarre joke...

Bob M.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"Jim Gilliland" <usemylastname@cheerful.com> wrote in message...

> And here's their latest innovation:
>
> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/hallograph.htm


Oh my.... :-\

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

I think someone needs to collect all this stuff and put it on one
website... www.audiofraud.org or something. It would be a public
service.

Al

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 14:54:38 -0500, Jim Gilliland
<usemylastname@cheerful.com> wrote:

>Agent_C wrote:
>> I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
>>
>
>Some of my favorite snake oil products have come from the Shakti company:
>
>http://www.shakti-innovations.com/audiovideo.htm
>
>They not only improve your audio, but the same technology will make your
>car run better!
>
>http://www.shakti-innovations.com/automotive.htm
>
>And here's their latest innovation:
>
>http://www.shakti-innovations.com/hallograph.htm

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

Jim Gilliland wrote:
> Agent_C wrote:
> > I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
> >
>
> Some of my favorite snake oil products have come from the Shakti
company:
>
> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/audiovideo.htm
>
> They not only improve your audio, but the same technology will make
your
> car run better!
>
> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/automotive.htm
>
> And here's their latest innovation:
>
> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/hallograph.htm

Those things improve the sound in the room so much that they make it
*look* like there's a violin in the room with you! Amazing.

Karl Winkler
Lectrsonics, Inc.
http://www.lectrsonics.com

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On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 20:21:09 GMT, "David Morgan \(MAMS\)"
<mams@NOSPAm-a-m-s.com> wrote:

>
>"Jim Gilliland" <usemylastname@cheerful.com> wrote in message...
>
>> And here's their latest innovation:
>>
>> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/hallograph.htm
>
>
>Oh my.... :-\
>
>
>

They say they have a patent pending for that... wonder if it's true.
What are the patent regulations, does the patented invention actually
have to work, or can any crazy thing be patented?

Al

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

>They say they have a patent pending for that... wonder if it's true.
>What are the patent regulations, does the patented invention actually
>have to work, or can any crazy thing be patented?

In theory, a patented invention must be "useful", "novel", and
"non-obvious". Most would say that "useful" requires that it actually
work, at least to some extent. It used to be the case, long ago, that
you had to actually build at least a working model and be able to
demonstrate that the device worked.

However, in practice, the rules have changed. Many patent claims are
allowed based solely on a description (which must, again in principle,
be sufficiently detailed to allow someone skilled in the art to
reproduce the invention as described) and no working model is ever
presented. It's also clear that many patent examiners are content to
accept the filer's explanation about how and why the invention works,
and that they're sometimes woefully ignorant of the actual state of
the art and of the existence of relevant prior art.

On the other hand, "patent pending" simply means that they've filed.
It doesn't mean that the patent has been issued, or has even been
allowed and is on the way to being issued. It's entirely possible
that most or all of their claims have been, or will be laughed out of
court by the patent examiner.

Even if they do have a valid patent claim in the works, there's
nothing definite to say that their flowery public description about
how their product is supposed to work, corresponds at all closely to
the wording in the patent claims. They might have filed a patent
claim for some narrowly-worded aspect of the design of this specific
product (e.g. a specific size and shape of the ripples), without
trying to claim wider coverage via a "utility" patent and its
description and claims.

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

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"Jim Gilliland" <usemylastname@cheerful.com> wrote in message news:42277f5e$0$444$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
> David Morgan (MAMS) wrote:
> > "Jim Gilliland" <usemylastname@cheerful.com> wrote in message...
> >
> >>And here's their latest innovation:
> >>
> >> http://www.shakti-innovations.com/hallograph.htm
> >
> > Oh my.... :-\
>
> They've been in business for over a decade!


No wonder the political situation is like it is....

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"Dave Platt" <dplatt@radagast.org> wrote in message
news:112f2ofhos1mmcc@corp.supernews.com...
> >They say they have a patent pending for that... wonder if it's true.
> >What are the patent regulations, does the patented invention actually
> >have to work, or can any crazy thing be patented?
>
> In theory, a patented invention must be "useful", "novel", and
> "non-obvious". Most would say that "useful" requires that it actually
> work, at least to some extent. It used to be the case, long ago, that
> you had to actually build at least a working model and be able to
> demonstrate that the device worked.

They say one of the simplest patents ever granted was for the number 1.65.
It was granted to Phillip H. Smith as the optimum diameter ratio for a
coaxial transmission line.

Not often I get to use that bit of trivia.

dtk

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

In article <LOGdnfY9IYzkPLrfRVn-vw@comcast.com>,
dt king <fake@ddress.com> wrote:

>> In theory, a patented invention must be "useful", "novel", and
>> "non-obvious". Most would say that "useful" requires that it actually
>> work, at least to some extent. It used to be the case, long ago, that
>> you had to actually build at least a working model and be able to
>> demonstrate that the device worked.
>
>They say one of the simplest patents ever granted was for the number 1.65.
>It was granted to Phillip H. Smith as the optimum diameter ratio for a
>coaxial transmission line.

Neat - that's the ratio which gives the lowest loss per weight/cost
of materials given standard (WW II) dielectrics, right?

--
Dave Platt <dplatt@radagast.org> AE6EO
Hosting the Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech (More info?)

In article <0k3f21t7h3cchn9gikn7b3aipsm02dorr6@4ax.com>,
Agent_C <Agent-C-hates-spam@nyc.rr.com> wrote:

>OK, this is the MOST ridiculous thing I've ever heard...

I assume this means you haven't discovered the Time Cube guy?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 05:43:04 -0800, Agent_C wrote:

> I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
>

When I was a kid back in the early 70's, I went with a fellow audiophile
friend of mine to BrandsMart which was a place where you needed a
membership card to get in.
We went to the audio section and they had quite a selection of equipment
there at all price ranges.

Anyway, my friend wanted to buy some speakers so we were audtioning all
the ones on this giant wall of speakers with this remote control thing
that allowed us to switch between various models.

He like the sound of some mid-line BOSE speakers, not the 901's, but some
box model like 601 or 301 or something like that.
We commented to the salesman who happened to be this black guy who looked
exactly like Nipsey Russel or Dr. J of the Nets that the sound seemed to
be coming from everywhere when we switched to the Bose speakers.

He blurted out in this 1970's ghetto accent "Maaaannnnnn THAT'S da TRICK
of Da BOSE"!!!!!

We quickly figured out that the "trick of the Bose" was having another 10
speakers playing at the same time!!!!!

I'll never forget it!!!

BTW he bought a set of Advents and the guy gave him a great deal on them,
but it was very funny at the time!



--
Glenn O'Toole

"Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire
and
master of the bagpipes"

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

On 3 Mar 2005 05:43:04 -0800, "Agent_C" <Agent-C-hates-spam@nyc.rr.com>
wrote:

>I'm sure we all have our favorite snake oil story...
>
Here is my partial collection. About 0.01% of what is out there.

http://www.amusicdirect.com/produc [...] sku=AAQEV8
http://gallery.consumerreview.com/ [...] pus-mm.asp
http://www.bybeetech.com/
http://www.amusicdirect.com/produc [...] &sku=AELEV
http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina27.htm
http://www.altmann.haan.de/tubeolator/default.htm
http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina28.htm
http://www.scamshield.com/Feature.asp?id=1



Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro,rec.audio.tech,rec.audio.marketplace (More info?)

"David Morgan (MAMS)" <mams@NOSPAm-a-m-s.com> wrote in message
news:esOVd.20090$QQ3.18031@trnddc02...
>
> "TimPerry" <timperry@noaspamadelphia.net> wrote in message
> news:rO6dnW68McohMrrfRVn-sA@adelphia.com...
>>
>> "Mike Diack" <moby@kcbbs.gen.middleearth> wrote in message
>> news:Xns960F869B1E143mobykcbbsgennz@203.96.92.12...
>> >
>> > And the winner is.....
>> > http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/ [...] chant.mvc?
>> > Screen=PROD&Product_Code=NOB_C37_C&Category_Code=VOLUME&Product_Count=2
>>
>> oh yes... i wonder what a "Audio Consulting AC Isolation Transformer
>> ($340 Installed)" is?
>
>
> And honestly... I haven't tried listening to many power conditioners
> lately, either.

What's the best-sounding power conditioner for under... (oh never mind).

Neil Henderson