@millercarbon Yeah, geoffkait is an interesting dude for sure but I will give him this. He turned me on to springs at a time when the whole world laughed. Then I tried them, and posted about them. And then you tried them. And we spread the good news. Rock on, Mr. Kait.
Biggest audio hoaxes
Often when people discuss audio, they talk about "snake oil" or "hoaxes."
It's pretty typical to use the term hoax as a tactic against another who disagrees with one, or holds an unusual opinion or vouches for something which has not been verified. That's not what I mean by a "hoax."
By "hoax" I mean an audio product or claim which has been pretty definitively disproved. Maybe not to everyone's satisfaction, but to common consensus.
So -- with that definition of hoax in mind, what are some of the biggest audiophile hoaxes you've heard of?
It's pretty typical to use the term hoax as a tactic against another who disagrees with one, or holds an unusual opinion or vouches for something which has not been verified. That's not what I mean by a "hoax."
By "hoax" I mean an audio product or claim which has been pretty definitively disproved. Maybe not to everyone's satisfaction, but to common consensus.
So -- with that definition of hoax in mind, what are some of the biggest audiophile hoaxes you've heard of?
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So many great responses! Loving this! I hear folks here about "one persons hoax is another person's tweak," with the CD pen being a good example. But this one seems, so to speak, a genuine hoax: "The Lexicon BD30 CD player that had Oppo BDP-83 guts, including the chassis!"And @philbarone5 does a great job of pointing out the exact marketing/advertising machine that modern life has perfected "lots of people in the business do all kinds of gimmicky type things and back it with heavy advertising and musicians that need press so they endorse it then lots of inexperienced kids and players believe the hype and buy into it then post on forums about how great it is then the business takes off but usually eventually it dies off but in the meantime they make a lot of money." Take a gimmick, hype it to rubes, take the money, and run. For old timers, this is the PT Barnum "sucker born every minute" thing; for younger timers, it's the monorail episode. |
Oh, one other thought. Folks here have brought out an important distinction I overlooked. A hoax can either be a completely useless device or technique that actually does nothing, or it can be hyperbole about something. This distinction is important insofar as it helps show that some hoaxes are illusions proffered as reality, and others are exaggerations of the degree of something real. |
Check this out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreadnought_hoax By this definition, inexpensive "Cardas" cables from China would be hoaxes. |
Graphene solutions.I agree that new super materials are used for gimmicks, but there are practical applications for graphene in audio. I'm just about to order a pair of these drivers from Seas... I'm interested in seeing whether the 20-2000Hz claim for an 8" driver delivers in reality, could make for the basis of a great 2 way. In my experience Seas specs are quite down to earth so I'm hopeful. |
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