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Sound Reinforcement - Forums for Live Sound Professionals - Your Displayed Name Must Be Your Real Full Name To Post In The Live Sound Forums => The Basement => Topic started by: Dave Garoutte on September 07, 2022, 04:45:02 PM

Title: CD improver
Post by: Dave Garoutte on September 07, 2022, 04:45:02 PM
Ran across this debunking video.  Very satisfying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-QxLAxwxkM
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: John L Nobile on September 08, 2022, 11:06:39 AM
Ran that in the background while working. I got the idea but you know how it's going to end.

Seems like the biggest industry in the world is scamming other people. Con, grift etc. Sad.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Chris Grimshaw on September 08, 2022, 12:59:39 PM
Having spent a little over a year working for a company that makes very expensive HiFi speakers, I agree with John.

Chris
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Bob Faulkner on September 10, 2022, 12:14:07 AM
I love crap like this! 

It's interesting what scams people come up with to peddle their crap.  There's certainly a predator / prey mentality with the scammers.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Noah D Mitchell on September 10, 2022, 02:43:23 AM
Ran across this debunking video.  Very satisfying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-QxLAxwxkM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-QxLAxwxkM)


TechMoan is just a great channel all around. Long time subscriber.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Paul Johnson on September 10, 2022, 12:23:03 PM
I'm in two minds - sure, they're using warped physics to flog idiots stuff that does nothing, but equally the hifi brigade are daft for believe the rubbish they get peddled!
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: brian maddox on September 10, 2022, 01:59:30 PM
I'm in two minds - sure, they're using warped physics to flog idiots stuff that does nothing, but equally the hifi brigade are daft for believe the rubbish they get peddled!

Over time I've come to believe that the HiFi brigade are no more daft than we "audio professionals" are, though their daftness shows itself in different ways perhaps. Confirmation Bias [among other biases involved in this] can literally make something sound better to a person, because our perceptions ARE our reality and so that thing you changed does actually make it sound better. To you. But...  If you happen to be in a position to have your opinion be valued by others, Their Confirmation Bias that "Maddox is a pro and he's pretty smart and I bet he knows what he's talking about" will make it actually sound better to them as well. And then, because several Audio Professionals hear something "Sound Better", the Confirmation Bias teams up with The Bandwagon Effect and suddenly an opinion that was wildly flawed by inherent biases to begin with becomes Established Fact.

And make no mistake, we as Audio Pros are no more immune to Confirmation Bias than any other human. We hear with our Brains, not our ears. And our Brains are MASTERS at lying to us. Of course we don't have much choice but to do our jobs based on what we hear, so in that regard we're a little stuck with our Hearing Brains whether we like it or not.

All that being said, cutting angles into CDs to make them "sound better" is stupid and should be regarded as such...
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: John Roberts {JR} on September 10, 2022, 02:51:17 PM
Fools have been separated from their money since before there were phools.

It is all part of the human condition.

JR
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: brian maddox on September 10, 2022, 06:18:57 PM
Fools have been separated from their money since before there were phools.

It is all part of the human condition.

JR

Wait, I feel a startling original never before heard genius Maddox Quote coming on...

Wait for it.... 

Here we go...

"A Fool and his Money are Soon Parted"TM

Bam! Nailed It! And you can quote me on that Proper Attribution Required of course...
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: John L Nobile on September 12, 2022, 10:57:35 AM
Then there's the real story behind "There's a sucker born every minute" and that we may be suckers for believing PT Barnum said it

https://medium.com/skeptikai/the-real-story-behind-the-quote-theres-a-sucker-born-every-minute-1db9a7220d34

Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: drew gandy on September 15, 2022, 10:14:07 AM
Over time I've come to believe that the HiFi brigade are no more daft than we "audio professionals" are, though their daftness shows itself in different ways perhaps. Confirmation Bias [among other biases involved in this] can literally make something sound better to a person, because our perceptions ARE our reality and so that thing you changed does actually make it sound better. To you. But...  If you happen to be in a position to have your opinion be valued by others, Their Confirmation Bias that "Maddox is a pro and he's pretty smart and I bet he knows what he's talking about" will make it actually sound better to them as well. And then, because several Audio Professionals hear something "Sound Better", the Confirmation Bias teams up with The Bandwagon Effect and suddenly an opinion that was wildly flawed by inherent biases to begin with becomes Established Fact.

And make no mistake, we as Audio Pros are no more immune to Confirmation Bias than any other human. We hear with our Brains, not our ears. And our Brains are MASTERS at lying to us. Of course we don't have much choice but to do our jobs based on what we hear, so in that regard we're a little stuck with our Hearing Brains whether we like it or not.

Like Button!!

I've been using the term "audio lore" to describe much of what you outlined here. We do things the ways we do because we somehow think it's the right way to do it. Very little has been empirically analyzed to prove things out. And even if it were [empirically analyzed], our brains have ways of getting around it.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Stephen Beatty on September 19, 2022, 11:49:32 AM
I had forgotten the Sharpie thing. Was it red or green that gave a better definition? And remember the CD stabilizer "The Mat"?

And the sales person at Circuit City telling me those speakers were not digital ready....

I have a bridge with built-in Sharpie stations for sale.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Scott Helmke on September 19, 2022, 01:07:47 PM
I had forgotten the Sharpie thing. Was it red or green that gave a better definition?

Green, so as to not reflect the red laser.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Chris Hindle on September 20, 2022, 12:55:06 PM
Green, so as to not reflect the red laser.
Wouldn't red ABSORB the red laser? Isn't absorption a better solution than reflection in this case?
Chris.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Stephen Beatty on September 20, 2022, 04:04:36 PM
 I actually prefer the purple Sharpie which gives the audio a fine infusion of a gentle burgundy grape tint with hints of bologna.

 I am sure there might be a explanation behind this science but it is over my head. As is most of the "science" behind the magic world of audiophile stuff.

You know my buddy has a lot of cedar trees on his place. Hmmm, organic, sun ripened, locally sourced, hand harvested by indignant native employee's hand carved Native Cedar Focusing Bowels.
Your sound will sound more natural and flowing.

edited for: Special price for SW members only, $2,500.00 per bowl, 2 for $5,500.

 
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Scott Helmke on September 21, 2022, 02:23:54 PM
Wouldn't red ABSORB the red laser? Isn't absorption a better solution than reflection in this case?
Chris.

Red would reflect red light - just as a white surface will reflect any color of light.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: drew gandy on September 22, 2022, 08:54:19 PM
edited for: Special price for SW members only, $2,500.00 per bowl, 2 for $5,500. 

I take it that the pair is indignantly focused to within 0.1dB?
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Russell Ault on October 01, 2022, 01:44:38 PM
Ran across this debunking video.  Very satisfying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-QxLAxwxkM

Don't forget to demagnetize the disc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH4v8b1tGSQ) after you've fixed the reflection issues. :o

-Russ
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Steve-White on October 02, 2022, 01:44:34 AM
Don't forget to demagnetize the disc (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH4v8b1tGSQ) after you've fixed the reflection issues. :o

-Russ

DeGauss  Sounds better, must be worth more $  :)
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Tim McCulloch on October 02, 2022, 11:16:13 AM
DeGauss  Sounds better, must be worth more $  :)
"Gaussian magnetic neutralization" is worth another 50%!
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Stephen Beatty on October 02, 2022, 01:56:30 PM
Better get those Gaussian CD reamplifiers sold quick. We are actually now not installing a Bluray/DVD/CD player in the classrooms going forward to the future.

And so for the future, invest now in my WIFI signal purifier with 10G waveicle recylifing focuser. It may look like a coat hanger bent in a circle but at $1000 USD you know it is what you need for clarified sound. Two needed for Stereo reproduction.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Helge A Bentsen on October 02, 2022, 02:32:02 PM
Better get those Gaussian CD reamplifiers sold quick. We are actually now not installing a Bluray/DVD/CD player in the classrooms going forward to the future.

And so for the future, invest now in my WIFI signal purifier with 10G waveicle recylifing focuser. It may look like a coat hanger bent in a circle but at $1000 USD you know it is what you need for clarified sound. Two needed for Stereo reproduction.

Remember, you'll need a pair of these as well to clean the network connections.

https://jcat.eu/product/net-isolator-gigabit-network-isolator/
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Russell Ault on October 02, 2022, 03:26:48 PM
Remember, you'll need a pair of these as well to clean the network connections.

https://jcat.eu/product/net-isolator-gigabit-network-isolator/

Strangely, I can almost see a use for this: I wonder if this would work as a ground lift on an X/M32 AES50 signal line (without re-introducing all the usual ESD issues, that is)?

If nothing else, at least this product does something that is actually supported by physics (even if, for most applications, switching to UTP would do the same thing for less money). The price does seem like a bit much, though.

-Russ
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Helge A Bentsen on October 02, 2022, 04:44:33 PM
Strangely, I can almost see a use for this: I wonder if this would work as a ground lift on an X/M32 AES50 signal line (without re-introducing all the usual ESD issues, that is)?

If nothing else, at least this product does something that is actually supported by physics (even if, for most applications, switching to UTP would do the same thing for less money). The price does seem like a bit much, though.

-Russ

Don't know about the AES50 ports, but the fun part with this kind of device is that every network switch has a 1:1 isolation transformer on the input.
So, you're isolating a transformer using a transformer  ::)
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Tim Weaver on October 02, 2022, 09:45:56 PM
Techmoan is a great channel.
Title: Re: CD improver
Post by: Russell Ault on October 03, 2022, 02:38:02 PM
Don't know about the AES50 ports, but the fun part with this kind of device is that every network switch has a 1:1 isolation transformer on the input.
So, you're isolating a transformer using a transformer  ::)

In theory all Ethernet-over-twisted-pair devices (not just switches) should have galvanic isolation (although IIRC at least one iteration of Raspberry Pi forgot to include it), but I've never seen an Ethernet device with a ground lift switch (although you're right that an extra set of transformers shouldn't be needed to lift ground, assuming your endpoints are behaving properly).

I suppose (for the truly adventurous) it's been suggested that DiGiCo's MADI-over-Cat5 implementation (or at least the SD9's version of it) lacks galvanic isolation; perhaps this is the "solution" for that. :D

-Russ