[wildmonkeysects]

In a brief moment of seriousness, lemme tell you about solar.

I am one of about 2 audiophile households on solar, as in PV cells feeding an inverter, and hoo boy, a power conditioner is not optional.

The highish source "impedance" stairstep waveform that is put out by the Trace inverter is nasty, and the PSaudio P600 makes a big difference. Less glare, better space, tighter bottom end; not subtle like some differences.

Might not be noticed on a Bose(tm) system, though...

What makes up for it all is that certain feeling of glee watching the power meter run backwards on a sunny day. There's also that altruistic factor, as in doing the right thing and living in a more sustainable way...but I think both greed *and* altruism are important in balance with each other.

 

[Calanctus]

Quote:

Originally posted by HD-5000 The scary lives of audiophiles and their magic tweaks. Place vibration damping material under everything. Treat all contacts with progold and claiming they make a huge difference. Open up your equipment and coat the resistor legs with a formula claiming to dramatically change the sound of your equipment. Change the IEC outlet with an "audiophile grade outlet" and claiming that they make huge difference in "balance", "timbre", and "musicality". Claiming "cryo-treated" connections have impoved "detail", "speed", and "macrodynamics". Claiming that you can hear the difference between gold plated connections and "hyper-purified super-duper gold plate". Claiming that "Gyroscopic hyper-purified Teflon with Q-ray geometry, a proprietary new outer covering that drastically reduces harmonic vibrations and ultra-pure silver with traces of ********" makes cables sound a lot better. Enough of this rant, for now.

hd5000
What kind of evidence would it take to 'convince' you of the merits of the various tweaks you describe?

 

[TimSchirmer]

cables do make a difference...

I just upgraded from cheap ratshack speaker cables to tributaries, and the difference is definetly there.

 

[HD-5000]

Quote:

What kind of evidence would it take to 'convince' you of the merits of the various tweaks you describe?

I'm not saying that these various tweak will not improve sound, because they may indeed do, but I AM pissed off at companies ripping people off. I'm merely pointing out the ridiculousness of some of the statements that some people claim.

 

[Squalish]

Quote:

Originally posted by HD-5000 Claiming that "Gyroscopic hyper-purified Teflon with Q-ray geometry, a proprietary new outer covering that drastically reduces harmonic vibrations and ultra-pure silver with traces of ********" makes cables sound a lot better.

Hey, don't diss Q-ray geometry. Not only does it drastically reduce harmonic vibrations, it cured my back pain!

 

[Daemoth]

Quote:

I'm not saying that these various tweak will not improve sound, because they may indeed do, but I AM pissed off at companies ripping people off. I'm merely pointing out the ridiculousness of some of the statements that some people claim.

I agree. What I do wish to know is why the tweaks that do work, well work. Like I've been comparing my stock cable and cardas, and I know there is a difference between the two. I want to listen to the cardas, I just don't like the fact I paid one hundred some dollars for a piece of wire. So I want to figure out why it changes the sound so, hopefully, someday I can make my own wire and pay 1/5 the cost for it. I mean if changing parts of an amp affects the sound, then it makes sense wires would to, but why does each part do what it does. Until people are informed of the science behind these things, we can't root out the charlatans. I personally do not have enough education to make judgements on some things, but I'm hoping while I sit here at college, I'll be able to take some course to help me understand these things (beyond my normal electrical engineering courses). Then I'll be able to explain why some things really do work and then bypass the middle man and make my own amps and cables.

 

[wallijonn]

what's the capacitance per foot of the cardas, and the same for the Radio Shacks?