Why Do Schumann Resonators Work?


Schumann Resonators are little boxes you plug into the wall that produce electromagnetic radiation tuned to 7.83 Hz. This is the frequency that the earth/atmosphere system “rings” at when the Earth is struck by lightning. It is also a common frequency your brain “ticks” at.

When employed in the listening room, many people claim it makes their audio sound better. If this is true, then what is the mechanism of action?

-Is it a matter of the resonator producing a more relaxed mental state?
-Does it help block or alter electromagnetic interference?
-Does it add its own electromagnetic interference to your system that just so happens to be pleasing?

I experimented with one recently and what I noticed is that it seemed to remove some of the high frequency nasties or what some might call “digital glare” (although digital glare can also show up in analog systems). When I made this observation, the resonator was placed right next to my power strip that my CD player, preamp and some other devices are plugged into.

My “proof” of the effect is that I could turn the volume up louder than usual without it sounding “too loud.” The sound levels of the system weren’t any quieter, it’s just that the digital glare was reduced so that I could go louder before thinking “this is too loud,” which usually isn’t a sound level thing per se but the point as which some frequency (often the highs) become irritating.

So who here has experience with these devices? Do you like them? Does anyone know why they work?
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Showing 8 responses by mapman

I thought these things were supposed to make ones life better?  aneurisms sound like a step in the wrong direction. 

Ah the old “50 bucks is beggar change on this site so don’t sweat it” pitch.  Works every time!  
Here we go again with another fun round of everyone’s favorite game show: "Audiophiles Can Never Agree?#$*@!". This one is way more cosmic than usual.
Does the flashing light mean it is working or it is trying to work?  Big difference.


There is nothing wrong with reaching conclusions by conjecture if that is all there is. Just be aware of how the conclusion was reached.

con·jec·ture/kənˈjekCHər/
  1. an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
So the way it works is you cite references that help support the things you say if you want them to carry more weight.

Being a rebel and not caring is fine too, just don’t expect to get to play by one’s own rules alone and expect your opinions to carry much weight with others.

There may well be something to this Schumann audiophile thing. Music is after all just a bunch of resonances at various frequencies and no doubt it has a psychological effect on people. Why not frequencies that are a part of our natural environment? Who knows?

Question: How do you know that the resonator device is working properly? Everything breaks eventually. Some devices are defective and do not work as they should.  Is there some sensor or detector provided to test? How else would you know?




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schumann_resonances

Interesting thread but it seems that any relationship between Schumann resonance and better sound is pure conjecture.