They are joking ....?

[brendon]

An Australian HiFi retailer recently posted this link for the amusement of its patrons.One hopes its an elaborate hoax... http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina27.htm
Brendon

[Paul H]

I see the 30 disc version is cheaper per disc at $1.33, making it a real bargain .... :rofl:

Paul

[brendon]

If only all upgrades were that easy!
Brendon
Ps check out rest of site it got some "great enhancements on it"

[Burke Strickland]

This device was actually "demonstrated" at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year. One of our local HT group members saw/heard the "demo" (which probably WAS an elaborate hoax) and brought back literature to see what the rest of us might think about it. When the laughter subsided, and after people asked if they had also used green markers on the discs, he decided not to order one. :>)

Burke

[brendon]

Green markers?
Brendon

[Stoney]

:E :E :E I'll take 10 of each!!!!! :rofl:

[Kevin P]

How many pictures can I store on that thing if I stick it in my digital camera? Will it "upgrade" the resolution? :lol:

[BarcoII]

Yeah Brendon, that thing makes green markers, rubber CD rings and special acoustic stones look like legit products! :B

[brendon]

The "acoustic stones" are on this site .Check out the brilliant pebbles section .Apparently placing a glass jar full of specially prepped minerals and pebbles on top of your various components and speakers does all matter of good.
Brendon

[Stoney]

I liked the "magic ring" that is designed to run the power cords through; or if that is inconvenient, you can just run the cord accross them; or you can place them anywhere near your equipment and they will improve the sound. It also suggests that you could buy 3 @ $300 each and set up an equilateral triangle around your compenents.
Check out the "staff" link.
Oh..... I think I need 7 of those giga hz tweeters at $400 ea. What a hoot.
Does anyone know if the site is a joke or if he is serious about that stuff?

[David Meek]

Crickets.

I hear crickets. :B

[OakIris]

Yeah, but, what if it really works?!? :roll: By the way, I have some beach front property in Colorado that I'd be willing to sell to you for a bargain price....

[ThomasW]

Funny thing is that the green markers (or the old Navcom rings) actually do work.

I keep identical burned copies of a CD around for demoing this. One plain one, one painted with a green maker.

Even our oldest tweak skeptic (and Ludite) JonMarsh, acknowledges the effects of the CD's painted with the marker.

[billz260]

So what kind of marker and where do you paint? Seems odd but I guess it could 'filter' stuff out or maybe enhance or focus the laser a bit better or something? Hmm.

[ThomasW]

The official markers are water based opaque green. Occasionally I just grab a black Sharpie. The solvents in the Sharpie may not be a good thing, but I've never had a disc damaged by them.

Paint the outer edge and the depression near the hole in the disc, Note that some discs don't have this depression ( I'm sure that makes them happy ... :wink: )

[Brandon B]

Since it is not April 1, gotta ask Thomas. What's your theory for why it helps? Stray beam absorption and resulting jitter reduction?

BB

[Race Car Driver]

All i have to say is WOW, you learn something new every day.......

[JazzGuyy]

Things like this actually do work if you believe they do. If you don't believe in them they don't work. It's all based on suggestibility. The interesting thing is that the more this stuff costs the more likely people are to believe in it. There is always a market for snake oil.

[David Meek]

JazzGuyy, you need to check up on the persons you comment about before using derogatory terms like "snake oil". Thomas is one of the most scientifically grounded and technically savvy members of this forum. I strongly suggest you rethink that.

[JazzGuyy]

I wasn't directing my remark at Thomas but to the other stuff. I am very familiar with the pluses and minuses of green pens and all of this other stuff. There may have been some basis to green pens in early players that leaked light badly but again there might not have been.

There has never been any rational explanation of why a lot of this stuff works except suggestibility. If you want to believe in it, fine. Read about Peter Belt some time and see how strange things can get. Belt's magic foils and secret liquids were weirder than anything the Australian site referred to. A lot of the British audio press believed it worked. I do think this stuff works but only because you believe it. It is more religion than science.

If you can show me some physics or chemistry that accounts for magic stones, CD improvements by placing them near a chip, etc., I'll believe too. Until then I am a skeptic.

[ThomasW]

What's your theory for why it helps? Stray beam absorption and resulting jitter reduction

Nope not jitter since the results are audible with a Benchmark DAC 1 in the loop.

Also years back Stereophile did a study and looked at the effects of various tweaks, none had any impact on jitter

So must be stray beam absorption or something similar.