Some HOT Science From Synergistic Research

[Uncle00Jesse]

This thread is clearly tainted now, but for the non-conspiracy theorists out there here are a few pictures. I just got it today. If anyone without malicious intent wants to hear some impressions I can do that. I haven't posted on head-fi in a while, I've just been peacefully listening to my setup behind the scenes. Pleasure to be back. One thing that really pisses me off is snake oil and I'd be the first one in line to point it out when I see it. 
 

 

[bigshot]

  So what is that whole thing around the socket? It is a socket alone? Does anyone actually know what it is supposed to actually do to the signal?

 
Yes, it's just a socket. It doesn't do anything to the signal. The packaging is designed to make people think it is doing something to the signal.
 
I jumped the gun on mocking it, I guess. My friend *did* buy one so we could see what it is, and I've posted our photos of what is inside it now... There is *nothing* inside. I think it's time to mock it now, right?

 

[bigshot]

  This thread is clearly tainted now, but for the non-conspiracy theorists out there here are a few pictures.
 

 
Keep your eye on the return window! Don't let 30 days slide by. I'm afraid my buddy and I are stuck with the one we so kindly ripped apart to show you that there is nothing inside there but wires connecting one jack directly to another. It's in pieces now so we can't return it. We took a $300 fall so you don't have to. You are very welcome.
 
I would suggest being very careful about doing business with the manufacturer of this boondoggle and any retailers who stock it. They clearly don't have your best interests at heart.
 
Caveat emptor.

 

[bigshot]

By the way, I posted a link to this thread on the Synergistic Research Facebook page so they could respond to our questions, but I'm afraid they deleted my offer and link and banned me from their Facebook page. So much for their willingness to respond to someone who bought their product and has a question about the effectiveness of the product he was charged for!
 
Feel free to visit their Facebook page yourself, but for heaven's sake, don't mention the fact that this product is just a plain old plug!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Synergistic-Research/292108336578

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

I appreciate your bravery. Did you guys listen to it first before you tore it apart? I hope you didn't jump the gun like that, just for kicks at least. Well I'm no electrical engineer so those tear-downs don't do much for me, although at first glace it looked a little, um, sparse? Anyways I hope you're wrong. I can confirm it works, there is sound coming out of my headphones! That's a solid sign, right? Just breaking her in right now. We'll see how it goes when I fire up Kicking Television - Live at Chicago in a few minutes and switch back and fourth with and without it. Fingers crossed.

 

[bigshot]

  I appreciate your bravery. Did you guys listen to it first before you tore it apart?

 
Not surprisingly, it sounded like a dummy plug- which is what it is. No difference with or without.
 
You don't have to be an electrical engineer to see that there is a stock male jack on one end, connected by three wires (Positive Right, Postive Left and Ground) to a stock female jack. It's basically a straight wire in and out again. Look closely. You'll see how it's made.

 

[Steve Eddy]

Well I'm no electrical engineer so those tear-downs don't do much for me, although at first glace it looked a little, um, sparse? Anyways I hope you're wrong.

The only things in this thing, aside from the male/female plug/jack and the wires that connect the two is just some adhesive, ground up bits of rock (possibly quartz), three little strips of foil (each soldered to the tip, ring and sleeve terminals of the jack), tape, and heatshrink. How that adds up to "...dramatically improves the sense that you are listening to an actual sound stage as opposed to music played in-between your ears..." (direct quote from SR) is beyond me.

se

 

[Steve Eddy]

Personally, I suspect that the HOT is an offshoot of this uh... "technology."

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina31.htm



se

 

[castleofargh]

Personally, I suspect that the HOT is an offshoot of this uh... "technology."

http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina31.htm



se

ah yes! the "gems". the same kind that keeps computer monitors from sending you bad waves when you put some on your table. I didn't think about that possibility.

 

[bigshot]

The only things in this thing, aside from the male/female plug/jack and the wires that connect the two is just some adhesive, ground up bits of rock (possibly quartz), three little strips of foil (each soldered to the tip, ring and sleeve terminals of the jack), tape, and heatshrink. How that adds up to "...dramatically improves the sense that you are listening to an actual sound stage as opposed to music played in-between your ears..." (direct quote from SR) is beyond me.

 
Do you think it adds up to any audible difference at all? I think the folks here would appreciate the basic truth more than dotted is and crossed ts.

 

[Steve Eddy]

Do you think it adds up to any audible difference at all?

I don't see that it adds up to anything more than a jack and a plug wired together, so i wouldn't expect its effect to be anything more than adding some extra contacts to the mix compared to just plugging your cable straight into the amp.

se

 

[Currawong]

I think we're due for impressions from owners. It does seem to be more than just a straight-through plug-to-socket from the pictures, even if we don't know what the "more" is. I agree though that they should explain more about what it does and they are shooting themselves in the foot by not doing so.

 

[Music Alchemist]

I'm just glad it's not available for XLR. Gives me one less thing to worry about.
 
For what it's worth, in case everyone didn't notice, there is a customer review at the bottom of the official link.
 
One alternative (at half the price and with strong user feedback) is the Out Of Your Head software. In addition to a free trial, there are pre-rendered demo files.

 

[Steve Eddy]

I think we're due for impressions from owners.

Fine, though those impressions can't speak to whether or not this thing is actually doing anything more than a simple jack/plug would do. Because we're all human beings, you can literally dream up anything you want and you're pretty much guaranteed to find some number of people who will profess to its benefits. That's how quacks and charlatans can make money, even today. And I'm not talking about just audio, but medicine and other areas as well. There are people making millions even today in the 21st century selling what amounts to snake oil.

It does seem to be more than just a straight-through plug-to-socket from the pictures, even if we don't know what the "more" is.

But we do know what the "more" is. It's some glue, some crushed up rock, some small metal foils, some heatshrink and some tape. But they just don't add up to anything meaningful.

se

 

[Currawong]

 

I think we're due for impressions from owners.

Fine, though those impressions can't speak to whether or not this thing is actually doing anything more than a simple jack/plug would do. Because we're all human beings, you can literally dream up anything you want and you're pretty much guaranteed to find some number of people who will profess to its benefits. That's how quacks and charlatans can make money, even today. And I'm not talking about just audio, but medicine and other areas as well. There are people making millions even today in the 21st century selling what amounts to snake oil.
 

It does seem to be more than just a straight-through plug-to-socket from the pictures, even if we don't know what the "more" is.

But we do know what the "more" is. It's some glue, some crushed up rock, some small metal foils, some heatshrink and some tape. But they just don't add up to anything meaningful.

se

 
Not disagreeing, but if you took apart a capacitor, not knowing anything about what it was or how one worked, what would you make of what you found inside? What I am saying is: Just because we don't know what exactly is inside it, doesn't mean it doesn't do anything significant.