[Bengkia369]

I seriously wonder how will Birgir aka Spritzer or Prof Kevin Gilmore of the Stax Mafia would comment if someone were to open their amps and apply those stickers and oil on the components.....

It would really be interesting for such experts and well known figures in the audio industry to chime in on this .

Most probably, this is their replies...

 

[Rei87]

Of course not! The only people that have maybe done that are the handful of guys in this thread crazy enough to buy stickers for their super expensive DAPs

So your conclusion of your well organised, blind A/B testing was that stickers improved the sound beyond any reasonable doubt? That's amazing! It will change Hifi as we know it!

Oh, so do pray, share how you managed to draw a conclusion that it had no noticeable effect without actually testing it yourself? Do share, I would love to know. Maybe I would then one day be able to purchase my next DAP, speaker, IEM and so on without having to 'give it a shot'.

But anyway, its funny that you mentioned HiFI, as this particular mod was originally intended for, and originated from the HiFI realm. But heys, they have products designed to reduce up ambient EMI waves by resonating some frequency in the room, port plugs that increase clarity, analog cable jitter cleaners, anti-magnetism cable sprays that do fly off the shelves, so yea, HiFi indeed 'changed' a long time ago. Its just head-fi that is still glaring furrowed brows at these mods with suspicion. I'll continue looking through HiFi stuff to see what mods I can bring in to enhance my enjoyment and have fun while at it, because walling myself in with a narrowed view aint exactly my idea of fun.

But anyway, to the few people who did indeed PM me, and met up to test the players that day. It was rather surprising eye-opener wasnt it 

 

[H20Fidelity]

Kind of off-topic but you should enjoy it.
 
There was a member who is banned from here (for what reason I don't know), he used to have a website selling 'tweaks' and other various audio products. He also supported his products with utube videos which seem to be removed now. He was actually quite a funny guy and I enjoyed his utube subscription for the laughs. Around the time those videos were removed he had a big giveaway and sent me a tweak.
 
I still have it here, you sit it on your audio components to enhance and channel better sound quality and even had its own promotion video. I don't use it for that purpose as I find the concept rather amusing (while still holding an open mind).
 
The name is on the packet, its called a "Proximity Stone"
 

 

[Bengkia369]

Kind of off-topic but you should enjoy it.

There was a member who is banned from here (for what reason I don't know), he used to have a website selling 'tweaks' and other various audio products. He also supported his products with utube videos which seem to be removed now. He was actually quite a funny guy and I enjoyed his utube subscription for the laughs. Around the time those videos were removed he had a big giveaway and sent me a tweak.

I still have it here, you sit it on your audio components to enhance and channel better sound quality and even had its own promotion video. I don't use it for that purpose as I find the concept rather amusing (while still holding an open mind).

The name is on the packet, its called a "Proximity Stone"

Ha, some audiophile also believe in putting those crystal magic stones on top of their speakers and amp, not sure if "some" headfi members here will put those magic stones on their DAPs to improve the sound?!

 

[H20Fidelity]

Ha, some audiophile also believe in putting those crystal magic stones on top of their speakers and amp, not sure if "some" headfi members here will put those magic stones on their DAPs to improve the sound?!

 
Its more a sentimental piece for me.
 
I feel when we delve into these realms of tweaks the chances of placebo are multiplied quite a bit.
 
Maybe on one occasion I've strapped the stone to one of my players though... O_o

 

[Bengkia369]

Its more a sentimental piece for me.

I feel when we delve into these realms of tweaks the chances of placebo are multiplied quite a bit.

Maybe on one occasion I've strapped the stone to one of my players though... O_o

I still have the "coin hack" on my Power Supplies and top of my desktop tube headphone amp.

 

[bflat]

So anyone pony up the dollars for the SS version?

 

[AnakChan]

Of course not! The only people that have maybe done that are the handful of guys in this thread crazy enough to buy stickers for their super expensive DAPs

So your conclusion of your well organised, blind A/B testing was that stickers improved the sound beyond any reasonable doubt? That's amazing! It will change Hifi as we know it!

Head-Fi Posting Guidelines :-
 

1. ☞ Treat others with the same respect and dignity that you would expect back.

2. Similarly, please avoid trashing equipment you haven't used or aren't familiar with.

    Having doubts about something you see in a design is fair enough, but to quote Robert Pirsig: "

   The test of the machine is the satisfaction it gives you. There isn't any other test. If the machine produces tranquility, it's right. If it disturbs you it's wrong until either the machine or your mind is changed."

    It is quite possible to derive satisfaction from listening with any audio gear as much from your appreciation of the design (whether how it looks or how it measures) as much as how it reproduces music. No method of appreciation is "wrong".

 
"equipment" include components, etc. 
 
I don't know anything about these stickers and am skeptical myself however I've never felt the need to trash it nor the person reporting it.

P.S. I've met Rei87. He has so far appeared to be a very normal human being.

 

[Rei87]

I should first and foremost state that, I am in no way affiliated to any business or am in the business of selling any of the mods I've mentioned. Heck, I dont even get a reviewer price for these stuff. However, what I do share with you all is a similar interest in seeing just how much squeeze out of these small little devices.
 
Now, unlike hifi speaker sets up, the headfi portable ecosystem is pretty much dominated by a few brands. The unfortunate side effect, is that because these brands have a stranglehold on the upper tier products, we have seen an snoball escalation of prices. The CU is one such product, now we will probably see the same for the next 4XX series. 

But, what does that leave us? While I may be able to afford the next player and upgrade, that doesnt mean that I part willingly with my money. I am most certainly not keen to part with the probable 6kUSD for the next flagship which is probably just around the corner. Hence, I, and few of my friends, have turned to these mods in an attempt to keep our players relevant in an ecosystem that sees rapidly inflating prices should you wish to stay at the forefront of the hobby. This leaves us with two options; full out mods like the Redwine, mezzo or Ryzhou Musashi mods (which arent cheap btw, coming in at 1.9kUSD depending on the currency exchange mods), or these psuedo science mods. 
 
Now, I would most certainly encourage anyone who can afford those full on mods to go for it, if they can afford the charges. I hope to send my CU for the Musashi mod at the end of the year when I visit Japan again, but that leaves me with much time to play around with stuff, which led me to these sticker and contact enhancer mods. I of course, had my initial skepticism about these mods, but I have the time, its reversible, relatively more affordable that the full-on mods, and can do no harm, so I went in with an open mind, and of course found myself rather rewarded with the results.  My friends and I work on a similar mindset; one of us will stumble on a new mod, test it out, and if a change is perceived, introduce it to the rest of the group and see if said results are replicated.

Which, is what led to me posting here. This is after all, a community of 380 owners, and as such a great platform to discuss and pool knowledge together, regardless of how implausible it sounds. It is rather a sad state of affairs that the moment something contrary to your personal beliefs surfaces, naysayers will quickly swarm over to stone the dissident voice into submission. I just wonder how many other possible mods have never reached the pages on these forums, because its users have been too put off to share their experiences. I was most certainly going to share another project that I am working on in its relevant page, but at this rate, I think I'll just keep my silence.

 

[Sound Eq]

  I should first and foremost state that, I am in no way affiliated to any business or am in the business of selling any of the mods I've mentioned. Heck, I dont even get a reviewer price for these stuff. However, what I do share with you all is a similar interest in seeing just how much squeeze out of these small little devices.
 
Now, unlike hifi speaker sets up, the headfi portable ecosystem is pretty much dominated by a few brands. The unfortunate side effect, is that because these brands have a stranglehold on the upper tier products, we have seen an snoball escalation of prices. The CU is one such product, now we will probably see the same for the next 4XX series. 

But, what does that leave us? While I may be able to afford the next player and upgrade, that doesnt mean that I part willingly with my money. I am most certainly not keen to part with the probable 6kUSD for the next flagship which is probably just around the corner. Hence, I, and few of my friends, have turned to these mods in an attempt to keep our players relevant in an ecosystem that sees rapidly inflating prices should you wish to stay at the forefront of the hobby. This leaves us with two options; full out mods like the Redwine, mezzo or Ryzhou Musashi mods (which arent cheap btw, coming in at 1.9kUSD depending on the currency exchange mods), or these psuedo science mods. 
 
Now, I would most certainly encourage anyone who can afford those full on mods to go for it, if they can afford the charges. I hope to send my CU for the Musashi mod at the end of the year when I visit Japan again, but that leaves me with much time to play around with stuff, which led me to these sticker and contact enhancer mods. I of course, had my initial skepticism about these mods, but I have the time, its reversible, relatively more affordable that the full-on mods, and can do no harm, so I went in with an open mind, and of course found myself rather rewarded with the results.  My friends and I work on a similar mindset; one of us will stumble on a new mod, test it out, and if a change is perceived, introduce it to the rest of the group and see if said results are replicated.

Which, is what led to me posting here. This is after all, a community of 380 owners, and as such a great platform to discuss and pool knowledge together, regardless of how implausible it sounds. It is rather a sad state of affairs that the moment something contrary to your personal beliefs surfaces, naysayers will quickly swarm over to stone the dissident voice into submission. I just wonder how many other possible mods have never reached the pages on these forums, because its users have been too put off to share their experiences. I was most certainly going to share another project that I am working on in its relevant page, but at this rate, I think I'll just keep my silence.

Mod away my friend and do not let anyone annoy you. If you found that they change things for better that is a great find for you. I would care less what others would say 
 
What are those stickers, and where to buy them, and how to apply them on other daps than AK

 

[Bengkia369]

Anyone place those crystal stone on top of your DAP?!

 

[etteoh]

I had been tied up with project closures of late and did not get the chance to share my thoughts. Personally, I feel some of the bashing and sarcasm towards Rei are uncalled for. We all share the same hobby where we can accept that measurements don't translate to how / what we hear. So even if Telos gives us data that proves their stickers make a difference, there's bound to be naysayers and that's fine. What is not fine is us, as a community, making uncalled for remarks and sarcasm towards others that share these ideas. If we behave this way, eventually everybody will stop sharing wild, radical ideas and let us not forget that it is usually the crazy ideas that sparks something new.
 
We should not dismiss any sharing unless we have personally tried them. Even if that particular something didn't work out for us, would it kill us if we be nice and just say something like "I've tried this but it didn't work out for me unfortunately." There is no reason to behave like a smart, sarcastic ass. How would you feel if you genuinely wanted to share a discovery only to get shot down in that fashion? Come on guys, we're civilized people and we have the same bloody gear. If there is any form of potential improvement that can be had for very little money, why not try it? We are already willing to pay big bucks for small improvements and that we don't kick up a fuss.
 
I'm no moderator but I've come to expect some level of maturity from the AK380 community and I don't think I'm expecting a lot from saying that.   

 

[ThomasHK]

Sorry guys, I won't interfere with your modding exercises anymore 

. I never intended to insult anyone and honestly was just using that pop culture reference as a joke!
 
You need to understand that as an audio engineer working on mass volume audio products, the concept of these stickers seems... well... unbelievable? (that's the most PC way of saying it I could think off).
 
But really, if you can guys can hear differences in a controlled blind ABX test, maybe I'm the retard!

 

 

[Sound Eq]

 

totally agree, and honestly, what should be appreciated is that some do try to get into modding to get a better sound, and if that has been achieved by a sticker or a 1000 usd mod, good for both, I for one really dislike to see people calling out others who try to share some of their findings.
 
what do others offer, just press play button and that is it, where is the fun in that. I applaud people who try to share their mods and tell us how that worked for them
 
well i am sad to see some people show this negative attitude to others simply because they shared their findings.

 

[Bengkia369]

Can you please give more information about those stickers and where to buy?