SiriuslyCold Posted February 7, 2007 Posted February 7, 2007 Positive Feedback online, the previously high-end audio review website recently gave a Brutus Award to the CLC and has sparked huge controversy at audio websites... one thread at AVS got nixed, there's a mass of threads being shunted about in AA (no one knows where to put the discussions... LOL) the best one of which is (currently) here fun times, and I sometimes wonder if PFO didn't derive their awards name from the Latin meaning ;D
hotbird Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Most of the noise generated by armchair skeptics who are more narrow-minded than open-minded, and in most cases haven't heard or tested what they are criticizing. The power of media assassination by the peer masses... :) A more fair and balanced view on this is the following thread http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/tweaks/messages/141383.html
rahul Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 !! Was pretty confused initially.... what this post is about read http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina41.htm Makes sense now. Place this 200$ clock anywhere in your room and the sound improves ! No wonder people are having a laugh ;D
Quest88 Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 just buy a stock version (timex clock) to try. :P wonder what mods they did to the clock to get it to make a difference to the sound.
dbchoong Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 The secret to my HT.... I got 2 clocks... ;D
kzone Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Dont have any clock at my home :'( The closest thing is the time display on SH's smart box... hmm...I think I do have an old timex wristwatch somewhere... anyone interested to try?
SiriuslyCold Posted February 8, 2007 Author Posted February 8, 2007 just buy a stock version (timex clock) to try. :P wonder what mods they did to the clock to get it to make a difference to the sound. don't forget the orange sticker!! rahul, not helped obviously, by the fact that the Timex clock is a $3 item... dbchoong, won't 2 clocks produce a cancellation effect?
Spunky Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 The secret to my HT.... I got 2 clocks... ;D clever! one for analog source and the other for digital!
rahul Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Think all these gadgets also involve a lot of mind games. You read up so much about a particular accessory making a difference. Then you end up paying a lot of money to own it. When you plug it in( or leave it about as in case of this clever clock)...you start hearing things. Your brain tells you that you arent an idiot having spent all this money, all those other "audiophile reviewers" can hear the difference so must I. Suddenly sound stage opens up, there is better separation, music envelops you with its warmth.....you are headed towards musical nirvana. You eagerly log on to your favourite forum and post your "life changing" musical experience Its worse than bird flu ;D
hotbird Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Spoken like an authority, but doubt you ever try one. Another armchair skeptic :P I quote from another gadget site whose tweaks has been ridiculed the same way the following. "I am in the process of writing the Peter Belt story as a parallel to the Joseph Lister story of 100 years ago. Even though Joseph Lister was a doctor and surgeon he was attacked by contemporary members of the medical profession for his concept that "the germs were in the air" and he was ridiculed by other doctors and surgeons for his antiseptic techniques. In the Peter Belt story, I have many contenders from current members of the audio industry for the role of D. Campbell Black of Glasgow in the Joseph Lister story who called Lister's antiseptic technique "The latest toy in medical science - the carbolic mania" and for the role of Dr. J. Hughes Bennett, who said "Where are the germs?, Show them to us and we will believe. Has anybody seen these germs ?" You have to carry out experiments for yourself and make your own judgements as to whether the sound has improved or not and not rely wholly on what the journalists say or, alternatively, do not say ! Again, the parallel to the Joseph Lister story is if 100 years ago, members of the medical profession refused to carry out any experiments using the antiseptic techniques suggested by Joseph Lister. What does that say about the professionalism of those doctors and surgeons ? Also, if certain doctors and surgeons successfully used Joseph Lister's antiseptic techniques but kept silent out of fear of being ridiculed. What does that say about their integrity ?" Think all these gadgets also involve a lot of mind games. You read up so much about a particular accessory making a difference. Then you end up paying a lot of money to own it. When you plug it in( or leave it about as in case of this clever clock)...you start hearing things. Your brain tells you that you arent an idiot having spent all this money, all those other "audiophile reviewers" can hear the difference so must I. Suddenly sound stage opens up, there is better separation, music envelops you with its warmth.....you are headed towards musical nirvana. You eagerly log on to your favourite forum and post your "life changing" musical experience Its worse than bird flu ;D
SiriuslyCold Posted February 8, 2007 Author Posted February 8, 2007 Arthur C Clarke said "technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic" HOWEVER I'm willing to bet that Joseph Lister observed, observed, and observed some more, and then made some (at the time, far fetched) deductions about what was happening, and to him that explained a lot about the environment or circumstances he was observing. At least he had an explanation that some people could ridicule at the time. I'm struggling to find a parallel between Lister's observations and subsequent deductions - call it a methodology if you will and these people who are selling the clocks. Lister published and made known his guesses, he didn't package his method and sell clean air for $200 a pop.
hotbird Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Just because it costs S$200, you are dismissing it as ridiculous. So cheap tweaks are ok, expensive ones are fraud. Hope you are not wearing expensive watches, it's too fraudulent you know+ ;D Using the same principles, I guess the people who own 100K hifi systems are big lunatics too ;D Btw, I have not tried the clock, but always keep an open mind to tweaks. But for people who have never tried, but attempt to brush all audio tweaks as placebo effect is way too narrow minded and arrogant. Lister may not have commercialised his findings, but the last time I checked, the antiseptic handwashes, gel, gloves and masks I bought during the SARS period costs me $$$ and it's lying there collecting dust now ;D Arthur C Clarke said "technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic" HOWEVER I'm willing to bet that Joseph Lister observed, observed, and observed some more, and then made some (at the time, far fetched) deductions about what was happening, and to him that explained a lot about the environment or circumstances he was observing. At least he had an explanation that some people could ridicule at the time. I'm struggling to find a parallel between Lister's observations and subsequent deductions - call it a methodology if you will and these people who are selling the clocks. Lister published and made known his guesses, he didn't package his method and sell clean air for $200 a pop.
hotbird Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 Latest PFO editorial on the clocks and what-nots http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue29/ramblings.htm
SiriuslyCold Posted February 8, 2007 Author Posted February 8, 2007 the original intent of this thread is only to highlight the punny thread... lets not get into pricing. everyone knows that beyond a certain price point the improvements on anything appeal to something other than purely performance. I'm not that particular about absolutes and I've personally seen some things that physically defy scientific explanation (with traditional medicine, bomohs and stuff). These things happen and the paranormal is only something that current scientific methodology cannot yet explain. Some of it however is psychological, for example, digital music is bound by Nyquist, but SACDs and DVD-As which have a FR beyond that of human hearing do sound better
Recommended Posts