Sucker Alert!!!

I am constantly amazed at this sort of thing. Also wonder why I am not in the snake oil business gezzzzz.

Guy is a bit wordy eh? Whew! :thumbsdn:
 
This bottle comes to mind:


snakeoil.jpg


:lmao:

Chris
 
I do agree to have clean power coming to the system is a good thing, it extends the life of components eliminating large voltage variations.

For that to have an effect over the actual sound coming out is another issue.

Then again a 3000 dollar CABLE, that's another issue, hype. About as bas as the unidirecional cables.

Chris
 
I agree with Chris - there's snake oil, and then there's good common sense.

Power conditioners make sense if you live in an area susceptible to voltage spikes ... good quality cables make sense if you have long runs.

When you start to get into 3 figures for i/c's, then that's entering snake oil territory for me - but hey, if someone wants to use them and they believe they make a difference, then who am I to argue?
 
Some one deleted my post about mikes cables :mad:


Anyway ...I emailed the seller. Here's his response.


I'm just usually showing these to people who already have typically well
over $40k in their system, the difference the cables make is so radical that
they seem like a bargain. If you don't have a system like that don't sweat
it as you are obviously not a customer. All I can say is when guys hear the
difference they are willing to spend what they have always thought was way
out of perspective for a power cord. Don't knock something you haven't heard
as it would be a definite indication of both how open minded you are to
something that works and your intelligence quotient (IQ), typically close
minded individuals are dealing in double digits, actually that's not quite
true as there are many close minded electrical engineers that can't bring
themselves to believe a power cord makes a difference. Don't make judgements
on a cord you haven't heard as it would make you look like too big of an
idiot when you do hear it.
Please refrain from wasting the time of people dealing in products far
beyond what you will ever know as a reality in your life, what's the point?
By the way I have sold two of these in the last week and the people who
bought them are very happy with the change in dynamics in their $70,000
systems, do you think maybe they are looking at things with a different
perspective than you who have different priorities?
Keith
 
Don

That guy is a JOKE! And a rather tasteless joke too - to say one isn't "intelligent" enough or "rich" enough... :puke:

That email message you quoted really deserves not much more comment.

Here is my opinion on those overpriced cables: :butt2:

Chris
 
Boy we're really trying to steer clear of any friction on this site aren't we?

That's it I'm leaving! This place is too sterile! :D


Here's my reply ... of course you're usually showing those rediculously high priced cables to people with more that $40K in their current systems. Who else would even consider them??? You know that if they already spent that much in the elusive search for high quality sound you can probably convince them to spend another measly $3500 for a powercord and they'll notice a huge difference.

Bull !!!


PS how exactly do you break in a power cord?
 
Originally posted by Don
Boy we're really trying to steer clear of any friction on this site aren't we?

That's it I'm leaving! This place is too sterile! :D

Remember, Don.....the guy who founded this site uses a Pioneer SX-1250 and Sansui SP-2000 speakers homebrewed into Cee Jay cabinets as his main system with regular 14 gauge double strand clear lamp cord going to his speakers.

Sounds good to me! :D
 
I drew the limit at a Shunyata Cobra that I got used.........

along with two Black Mambas. All three were $1440 delivered a couple of years back. I sleep better at night, knowing they're slithering around, protecting my stereo from the AC nasties.

Chris
 
Heads up Chris

In case you've not nagvigated the Forum much, this site is Vintage-driven, most of the members do not adhere to after-market cables, cords, PLCs and many of the more esoteric components other enthusiasts have found to deliver audible benefits. No, they are nothing like the reception you'd receive on AR but you get my drift. I'm just running some interference BEFOREHAND to deflect any misunderstanding. Did you see the pictures of MY system in the Tube Forum? Guys have been on me for some time about my "mystery system" and we just got a digital camera so I'm just now getting around to delivering on my word.

MikE
 
Chris, not ALL of us are vintage owners. It's good to expose the boys here to other stuff. The oldest component in my system is a Classe CA300 mfg'd in '96. There I said it. IT's OUT :D I feel better now, doc.

I'd admire the members that have the technical expertise and passion to own the stuff made in the 70's. I just have the passion and tend to stick to more recent gear.

That being said, there is NO WAY on GOD's green earth (except in the case of Moonie where it is frozen white from what I hear and from his last avatar, it's looks mighty COLD too! ;) ) that I would EVER be sucker enough to pay that kind of money for a bloody power cord.
What's worse for me it that jerk's cavalier attitude.
WHAT AN :butt2: now, HE is what I call the epitome of arrogance.

-angela
 
"I'd admire the members that have the technical expertise and passion to own the stuff made in the 70's. "

"Technical Expertise" "Passion"

Wow you described me to a "T" :D
 
Actually it has to do with cleaning up the pops, crackles, RF, and digital noise that comes from any industrial use on your grid and the noises picked up from your household circuit. The last six feet of line before the power goes into the amp actually attracts the "noise" and shunts it off to ground (simplisticly speaking it's acting as a filter), the power is then much cleaner which keeps the amp from amplifying a noise threshold that you can't typically hear until you take it away, then you notice the difference of a much blacker background that makes things much sharper and clearer, the detail and definition are improved dramatically.

I was a nuclear missile technician in the military so I have plenty of background knowledge that causes me to say bull as well, I know that the power supply should negate this noise as should the current reserve capacitance. When I told Dave Belles who designs amplifiers he had to hear the power cords on his amps he told me a power cord shouldn't make any difference, but he was willing to listen to a couple of different ones JPS sent to him and loves them. When he is tuning a new design for it's sound character he uses them because he can hear so much more detail but then he has to put the stock cord on to make sure it's allright with that.

The great bang for the buck on the amplifier comes with the $500 cord, it makes quite a difference, then the $1500 is enough better that it seems to make that $500 cord seem to do about 15 to 20% of what it does which makes it seem even more in perspective for the price, then the $3500 cord is even smoother but gives a little less bang for the extra money than does the one before it. In a super high resolution system if you have one weak link anywhere it can make the system sound hard and edgy, the Aluminata can tame a huge degree of that edginess which is why it seems so to be so much worth the money. A lot of people find their mega-buck systems to be too hard edged to enjoy and cable can make huge difference in that respect.

I would have about a $10,000 system if I weren't selling this stuff, but I have to keep all of my manufacturers equipment on hand for people to hear. I definitely have my favorites which are not necessarily the most expensive models, I can set up a $70k system but the one I seem to like best is about $35k and uses a $3500 Belles 350A amp over other amps I have that are almost $20k a pair. I also tend to show what I feel is the better product even if the person is interested in the more expensive models.

I had three aerospace engineers over a few months back that came in loaded for bear with all their pompery about the hundreds of thousands worth of test equipment they had at work and how lampcord is as good as any cable costing thousands of dollars etc. They wouldn't buy what they were hearing until they heard it again in their own systems so I had to loan them quite an array of wire but they all bought different grades of wire according to what they could afford. They're still trying to figure out how wire can make any difference let alone how much it does. They had Levinson and McCormack caliber gear with Monster wire so they are pretty thrilled with the improvements they got.
 
Don,

So you are basically saying that many of the new 'so called hi-end' amplifiers that cost $10K-$30K and more have inadequate power supply filtering.

That isn't much of a recommendation for these really 'allegedly' hi-end components if a $50 worth of custom spun power cord (which acts as a filter) relabelled and sold for $3500.00 will fix their shortcomings. Thank you I am sure from many of us who appreciate to learn such insight into overpriced equipment.

Give me a $3 chunk-0-12/3 and a 20 amp Corcom line filter ($2.00 at a hamfest) and the rest of my $3,495.00 will buy me a new set of wheels for another 5 years.

I'm not an aerospace engineer but I have made a long part of my career building radio telescopes and as a radio astronomer receiving minute electromagnetic photons from the depths of space from distant galaxies and quasars that are billions of light years away. If one took all the microwave energy that falls from outer space on a 100 foot telescope dish and stored it for the the 60 some years since radio astronomy was invented it wouldn't have the power to light a 25 watt lamp for more than a fraction of a second. I am familiar with sources of terrestrial noise which interfere with such observations of such incredibly weak signals and how to deal with them effectively. Hi-Fi by comparison isn't exactly rocket science. I wouldn't have blown the whistle starting this thread if I didn't have a firm engineering background from which to cry 'foul'.

BTW, for the benefit of those not aware, I was not discussing power conditioners and UPS systems. Those are completely separate pieces of technology which may represent a legitimate place to spend hundreds of $$$ for a hi-fi system depending on the local power anomaly histogram.

All of the above is of course just my opinion. To be smart consumers we should all try to learn the facts from as many sources as possible, filter out the bulls**t and make our buying decisions based on the best information we can glean. I feel that forums like this one should fill part of that need for education.

Rob
 
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Mike---Vintage driven???

I saw the list of pics that people posted and I was wondering where all of the gear made after 1970 went, LOL! How 'bout that fellow with all the SAE gear? Do you think he bought the company at one point, or what? He has like 50 pieces!

Well, I can relate. I have a nicely restored Dynaco FM-1 with STEREO board installed and I enjoy it a lot. Kind of connects me with the not too distant past, like my record collection.

Chris
 
First a disclaimer, I have built a set of Cat-5 speaker cables, yep they help. However, I think it is more likely the Golly,Gee-whizz I built them myself factor that makes me think so :)
I think there are so many other factors that make my system sound worse or better at any time, Head alignment,Tracking force, dust,clogged sinuses, even the stinking plants my wife decides look great right in front of the speaks :rolleyes:
However, I really,really do think if I spent 3,500 bucks on a set of power cords or speaker cables it would definetly improve the sound of my system. The reason I feel this is because; If I spent 3,500 bucks on a set of power cords or speaker cables, I would have smoked soooooooo much CRACK before hand that everything would sound better :D
Of course this seller sounds like he has plenty to spare, maybe I'll just ask him:p:
Too bad there isn't a "what a schmuck" smiley:D
 
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