MD Brilliant Pebbles = Pet Rock for Audiophiles?


Serioulsy. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is up with this?
Please tell me, who among us has "splurged" for the girly rocks? Is our wretched condition in such a dismal state that suggestive marketing about some stupid shiny pebbles might actually sway us? This falls in the camp as the original rat shack tice digi clock with a happy sticker on it: bewilderment. Am I curious? Yes I am. About what? That grown men and women will place pet squirrely rocks in the listening room in a vein attempt to improve the sound...just imagine, did they use Machina Dynamica pet rock flubby dust during the mixing session? Oh i forgot it's just audiophiles that care more about the last 10 inches than any aerosmith fan. Give me a break. Once again this sheds light on the notion that there is an arse for every seat...
sigh.
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Showing 13 responses by tbg

Albert, since yesterday I decided to put my Brilliant Pebbles on my amp and line stage. They had previously been in the corners of my room and largely forgotten. Not only was I shocked at the improvement, but I found that where they were positioned mattered greatly.

To use your words, I guess I got my rocks on.
Dpac996 and Newbee, I will only say that I had had the Acapella Big Block on top of the amp having found it the best of the myriad of dampening devices I had tried. I knew I would gain some mockery with such a post, but some may benefit from my sharing my experience.

I had heard a demonstration of the Brilliant Pebbles at CES along with the Intelligent Chip. I bought the IC on the spot after the demonstration as they were quite convincing. Later I bought a used pair of the large Brilliant Pebbles. As I said, again I got a very small improvement when used in the corners of my room and forgot about them.

I don't have any real idea why they work, especially in this application more than in the corners. It may be the resonant frequencies that they dampen just being those needed where they were placed on the amp and line stage, but they are staying where they are.

Wipe the smirk off your faces guys; it is no more becoming on you than it is on W. It merely suggests that you too are a pole turtle.
Elizabeth, humor me. I don't have the time to spend selecting the right type of rocks or their size and variation. I don't know whether or not they are coated with something either. Your DIY approach might cost me several thousands of dollars.

I grant that people have put many things on top of their amps over time including cats. I too have experimented with a multitude of them as I have mentioned. I have been doing this for 45 years! Why do you so begrudge someone who has invested the time to find a combination that works so return on his investment. Were I to have done so, I might be inclined also to seek to get a return.

Newbee, a pole turtle is where you find a turtle on the top of a pole. You know immediately that he wasn't responsible for getting there, that he hasn't a clue what to do, and that the only solution is to get him out of the unfortunate position in which he has found himself. I guess it is a Texas thing.
I think I explained that in my post. Hint: it has to do with my time in experimenting to find what works. My time, at least, is worth something. Maybe I would find something as good or maybe even better.

I just wanted to post so that people would not be misinformed by those who haven't a clue about all that is involved in audio reproduction who apparently think "fools" (your word) have to be saved from themselves.
I am sorry why is it that audio reproduction has nothing to do with vibrations? And precisely how do you and some limited others know this?

Fools said that man would never fly; fools said the Earth was the center of the Universe; fools said you would fall off the Earth were you to sail to the horizon; etc.

I did not post to engage in a discussion with you, Newbee, and Elizabeth as I know you are too expert ever to be taken in. Please ignore what I said and don't report me to the scam police.
I know you did not say vibrations were involved, but what you actually said was nonsense. I tried to make your statement at least reasonable..

I doubt that any mass has the same vibration characteristic, namely what vibrations it might absorbed. This is a hypothesis on your part which is undemonstrated.

Belief is a powerful force. Some don't want somethings to matter and will not check to see if they do. A demonstration is a powerful influence in persuading people. Live in peace with your belief which I know to be wrong. Die in peace.
And, as always, I once again say I don't have to prove anything to you. Nor does someone who buys an expensive Porsche have to prove to you that a $150,000 car is worth it.

Sorry, I am just tired of this nonsense. I know it all as you and I have been here before. If someone wants to pay no heed to my experiences, I am fine with that. I did not say die quickly in peace. You know that I have not bought some tweaks either because they are too expensive or because I have heard a demonstration that was not persuasive. I have also discarded some tweak as not working. Indeed, I had just put the Brilliant Pebbles in the corners and forgotten about them felling they did little for my sound.

I trust my ears and don't feel I am deluded into buying hype. I resent the insinuation you and others make.
Mrtennis, there must be a reason why you characterize this as a thread on pet rocks, when it is not. Simply put the thread is about whether the Brilliant Pebbles are an overpriced scam or whether they are a viable audio tweak. In terms of science, there should be a falsifiable hypothesis here, but many feel that this is not peer-reviewed research but rather a simple buying decision.

I don't see much here that would suggest abnormality in behavior. Having engaged in other passions, sailboat racing and gourmet cooking, I can tell you that there are controversies that rage around most passions.
Saddle1, I had the same experience with the Hallographs and have two pair also. One pair, however, are now outside my room. I originally heard a demonstration of them at CES.

I noticed no benefit with the Pebbles on my Esoteric X-01 sacd player.

Tvad, I said all of this in my original post. Enough!
Mrtennis, I agree. I guess I stirred it up when I had the audacity to suggest that they worked in at least one application.
There are not the same fights when you cannot do it yourself or think you can't. I think many think that you can just gather up some rocks, go to Home Depot and buy cheap wire, or just not use the Intellegent Chip and avoid being taken in by the hype.

What I have never understood is why they feel those who use these items need to prove to them that there is a benefit from them. Saying that you find benefit in a tweak is not to say that everyone has to buy them.
More confusion about Brilliant Pebbles. While they did wonders for my solid state amp, this weekend I put my tube amp on and tried the Brilliant Pebbles. They hurt the sound. I then put the Big Block from Acapella on the tube amp as I had always done. The bass got more defined. I then added the BPs which now at least did not hurt the sound.

I am sure this is all about resonances and that the amps are benefitted by controlling different resonances, but it sure is all atheoretical and depends on trying it to see if you like it.
I know I will get some abuse, but hey life is more interesting with verbal abuse. I bought some more Large Brilliant Pebbles and thought some might be interested in my experiences with them. Results are not all positive. On my speakers it was necessary to lay the BPs down between the woofer cabinet and the horn cabinets. It is not possible to put the BPs on top as the LaCampanellas have a ridge down the top. I found no benefit with the BPs on either side. In fact I thought the bass was adversely affected.

On the Exemplar dac using the three 4x4" ceramic tiles with three cones under them and the BPs on top, I got a dramatic expansion of the width and depth of the sound-stage. On the H-Cat phono stage, I got a modest improvement and no benefit on the transformer that precedes it. But a single BP on the turntable had dramatic benefits again in the width and depth of the sound-stage and also in the quiet surrounding the music. On the Esoteric X-01 even with the tile platform, I got a very modest improvement.

I also compared the DH cones versus the Walker1.5" Valid Points that are no longer available. The Valid Points were clearly superior here, primarily in the bass. I have them also under the platform on my H-Cat line stage, but have done no comparison there.

The bottom line is that the BPs work in some circumstances and that the magnitude of the improvement in the best circumstances is the equivalent to substituting the best interconnects for very poor ones. My strong advice is to try the BPs. I am not affiliated in any way with this company.