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Topic: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles (Read 2094 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #1 –
Their entire website reads like the most scientifically illiterate science-fiction I've seen in over 10 years.

Among other things, they sell cable risers for 100 USD per piece (they come in a pack of four for $399): https://www.synergisticresearch.com/accessories/cable-risers/
Quote
they also dramatically improve fundamental aspects of system performance, including low-frequency weight and control, mid-range clarity, and high-frequency extension.
and
Quote
Ultimately aluminum was chosen for its musicality, neutral tonal balance, low-frequency weight, and high-frequency air.

They also sell Ethernet cables for $2995 per meter: https://www.synergisticresearch.com/cables/galileo-sx/galileo-sx-digital/galileo-sx-ethernet/

They also sell "HFT"s, which are little metallic buttons you stick to various objects like speakers, amps and your 100 USD cable risers, to make your room disappear: https://www.synergisticresearch.com/acoustics/passive/hft/
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With HFT’s your speakers and room disappear leaving you with nothing but a live holographic musical event in your listening room, or living room.

I'm sortof amazed this shit still flies in 2021, but then again, we have an active flat-earther subculture on the internet, too. I guess I shouldn't be that baffled.

They literally tick all the boxes of audiofoolery scam. I kinda wanna salute to them, it's not their fault there's enough idiots throwing money at them. The only thing that might top that, is if they had a licenses audio magician come to your room and bless it for some improved audio or something. They already are down the esoteric bullshit rabbit hole, might as well go down the "audio gods" hole, too…

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #3 –
The misconstruency of words is mind boggling:
Quote
The Quantum Ground Lifter takes a standard ground lifter and treats it with 1,000,000 volts of electricity in a process we call Quantum Tunneling for an amazing transformation in sound quality from this modest plug.
https://www.synergisticresearch.com/power/accessories/ground-lifter/

They take a regular $2 Ground tap and simply resell it. the "1000000 Volts Quantum Tunneling" is probably a static electricity charge test. "Quantum Tunneling" in this case makes as much sense as saying they have been "treated" with a high-intensity neutrino field (by simply placing it literally anywhere for a while, as neutrinos pass through almost all matter unhindered. Even through earth).

Most of what they're selling is actually just passive crap. I'd be not surprised if inside the Ethernet switch they're selling is just a regular TP-Link switch with a power supply in one box. I'd love to examine those devices, actually.

I'm almost amazed they don't delve into vacuum tube stuff. Their Schuko power strips are just regular re-badged power strips. I have one myself, cost me 35 Euros. They sell them for a couple hundred dollars.

Their "Power Cell" is particularly interesting. They have a picture in the banner: https://www.synergisticresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/GalileoPCSXFEQ2020.jpg
I spy with my little eye an Atmel micro controller. However the AX1201728SG is interesting: it's a Switec motor driver IC, normally for automotive applications. It's usually used to drive the little needles in the instrument panel of a car cockpit, like tachometer, speedometer, etc. Of the four drivers in it, they're probably just using one to drive the display thing they have on the front panel.
Here's the datasheet: https://guy.carpenter.id.au/gaugette/resources/switec/X12_017.pdf If you like to do some digging yourself, search for "AX1201728SG quad driver PDF datasheet" or similar.
I happen to know this, because I also did one of the (quite old by now) introductory Arduino projects, which use one of them to make a little dial display: https://guy.carpenter.id.au/gaugette/2017/04/29/switecx25-quad-driver-tests/
The other socketed chip (the 8pin DIP package) right next to the 10-turn pot labeled "Gain Control) is probably a NE555 timer, or something.
Gotta say, their pictures are very strategically taken, such that not much details of the circuit can be seen.
At best it's a 50/60Hz LFO if it's what they're claiming it is - with a bunch of visually pleasing items sprinkled around the box: nice gold-colored crimped ferrules, some carbon-fiber plastic in there for good measure, and a bunch of polished metal parts.
At least they put some of their own labels on the larger caps, that makes it look at least "different". But they couldn't help themselves at skimping at the smaller electrolytic caps, those are still the cheapo little caps we all know and love/hate.
At worst it's just a power strip with a nonsensical dial at the front.

This item seems to be the only one they make that has any electronics in it that they (attempted) to make themselves. Everything else seems to be just re-badged, re-housed, or passive.

Oh and while you guys are shopping at SynergisticResearch.com, might as well get a cheap, plastic wall socket, with disconnected protected earth: https://www.synergisticresearch.com/accessories/power/uef-orange-duplex/
Good thing it comes with an extra fuse inside, I suppose...
It's only 285 bucks, why the hell not, am I right...?

Quote from: The Irish Man on
Glad you pointed me to them, Must be the most I laughed for in the last year & half. ;D
Honestly, I find their little magnetic dot turdlets the most laughable. You can see them in most of their pictures on their website.
They even stuck some of them onto some Sennheiser HD800S for good measure, I suppose: https://www.synergisticresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/ECTonSen800.jpg
And if that isn't enough, for some extra hilarity, check out their "HFT placement manuals" (right below the buying options): https://www.synergisticresearch.com/acoustics/passive/hft/
They're also pretty heavy on the audiofoolspeek bullshit:
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HFTs are tiny high-frequency transducers that clean up high-frequency harmonics in your listening room. You see, harmonics are interconnected, so when you affect harmonics -even those beyond the limits of human hearing – you also affect lower frequency harmonics you can hear. HFTs literally cancel harmonic noise on any surface they are placed.
Not only do they misuse the word "transducer" because it's not a transducer, it's a friggin piece of shit - I mean metal or more accurately, just mass, to dampen resonances. That's all it is. It's a little metal button, they tell you to stick to a wall so it'll change the resonance characteristics. These people are... somethin' else when it comes to slinging bullshit lingo into the breathable atmospheric layers of ours...

Compared to the Audiophile's M.2 SSD this is beyond egregious. The SSD is at least a functional 1TB SSD. Overpriced and with nonsense power treatment, yes, but at least it's a functional SSD. Sure, it can't do nothing to the audio that comes off of it, as storage devices don't do anything to sound processing, so the sale speak is obviously false. However, the crap synergisticresearch is selling, is Sound Pebbles levels of a scam.

I'm kinda of a little jealous tbh, that I didn't come up with crap like this. Just like with esoteric crystals, it's based on belief and hope. Talk about a good-running get-rich-quick scheme...

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #5 –

I remember years ago, maybe 10 years ago, people on this site I think
discussing Acoustic Dots, They must be a market for them.

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #8 –
I just read through the forum thread, where they discuss the NVMe SSD which is designed for audiophiles...

They discuss among other things, "burning in" a friggin SSD. It already uses pSLC via thirding the capacity from 1TB to 333GB. And yet they burn-in their SSDs?

They believe they can hear differences in tone from the SSD:
Quote
Summary:

There is great improvement in transparency and realness to the sound. The improvement is shockingly large. There will be no going back to the regular Optane at this point.
The sound is more transparent and detailed without fatigue.
The presentation is even more effortless
Noise floor has dropped to some degree
Timing and PRAT are fantastic and a bit more "real" sounding
Greater sense of being there for the performance.
Decay of notes, especially in some Jazz piano recordings, is so much more realistic sounding than before
Larger and more precise soundstage
I'll just conclude this by saying the drive was an improvement to my system across the board. Without the external power, there were no notable negatives to the sound (although the sound was a bit subdued and polite at first), and obvious improvements to vocal detail. With external power it really is something special. This bodes well for the power supply and the drive itself I suppose.

 Context:

The above feedback pertains to the Femto NVME drive vs my memory of the Optane. Many of the above benefits were obtained by simply switching to the Femto NVME without dedicated power, but, to a lesser degree.  The major benefits came after adding external power.
I have no words. Makes me wonder how they put their files onto the drives, as it obviously changes "the data" as it goes in and out. I wonder how that logic flies.

The SSD as such is not to blame, it's a regular ol' SSD with an extra power treatment (which doesn't make any difference to the SSD, as long as the power is up to spec). Also they seem to be unaware, that ICs usually contain power components on-die.

The only thing I'd accept is a difference in audible interference from the device, if it was in the vicinity of the DSP/DAC. The developer stated, that they didn't focus on speed and latency with the device (the developer/designer is in the forums, too) - this makes sense, because audio is comparatively a slow application in terms of data transfer, there's no need for massive transfer speeds, etc. Even a janky old SSD has transfer speeds far beyond of what a DSP could ingest.

Also, are they aware that their data gets handles in RAM? Or is that also "shaping the sound" I suppose?
And by the same logic, I suppose all binary data (which is all the data) leaves two different SSDs slightly different, such that some values are different?
Or perhaps are they under the impression the SSD has some sort of analog output and the audio is leaving the SSD as some sort of audio waveform?
Some of them keep banging on about the crystal oscillator (CRYSTEK OCHD-957X-25, 25MHz). It's certainly a good one, costs 25 bucks on Mouser. Bus control is s still down to NVMe/M.2 clock speeds, though.
The markings on the MLC chip are difficult to read, but other users on the forum and on a chinese website ( https://ptthito.com/headphone/m-1634364047-a-7e7/ ) have posted better pictures: https://i.imgur.com/Abn5XM1.jpg
I couldn't find any datasheet for the WT04TEBCDCS though.

Another gem is this:
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If the NVME M.2 is a 100watt Solid State Amp then the Samsung 860 is like a 150 watt Tube Amp

meaning the 860 is
1. Slightly louder
2. Warmer in tone
3. Holographic in Sound Stage especially outside of Speaker and HP sonic images
4. More depth to Sound Stage

The Femto M.2

I believe will outclass the 860 within the next 1 week once it fully run in with the Femto clock running on power for at least 24 hours non stop. I think it will change into a good 100 watt Class A amp once it is fully powered up and femto clock at steady temps. Steady solid bass, clean mids and highs with no dryness or sibilance.

The 860 will remain as a good 150 watt Tube Amp = slightly louder, a bit more fuzzy but nice and warm sound
Oh boy.

I mean, to be fair the article on Tom's Hardware isn't written very well, it kinda seems it's kinda slapped on there. It's however, just a regular SSD in pSLC mode with an external power input.
But I really wonder how they think data goes onto the drive, and if it's different every time you put a file on there or something.
I gotta give it to them, though: it looks really nice. I'm a hardware designer, and I rarely try to make PCBs look "beautifyl" I mainly concern myself with cost, airflow, vibration resistance, maintenance access, ease of manufacture. The dark blue soldermask with the gold ENIG, and those golden caps, look quite nice. If you go to their website, you can see the heatsink they use for it: http://zzyzxphile.com/eng/products/revelation_audio_ssd/ looks really nice! From a distance it looks at least somewhat competently designed, a bunch of unpopulated pads, probably a slight overengineering at first, and then dialed back once testing confirmed good results; and what seems to be a JTAG connector pad, right next to one of the caps. Next to the DC is what seems to be holes for hardwired external power and perhaps I²C or SPI (the 3-pin header pads)


Also, some day someone might explain to me what they mean with "Holographic" in terms of sound stage. Do they mean a pressure tensor field or something else? The only sound-related Holography I know is used in things like object measurement where a pressure tensor field is recorded and later examined. It's used in things architecture, to predict and avoid concentrating noise such that people can't hear announcements over the PA or talk to each other, etc.

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #9 –
No use trying to see logic in it. The expensive figures and bullet points of bullshit make them feel all warm and fuzzy, and that's all that matters.

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #10 –
Well, the levels of believe are kinda baffling though. They really seem to believe they hear lots of difference, and try to present it as blatantly obvious.
Also, the extent of Dunning-Kruger is on another level.

But, it provides me with a source to have a chuckle, which is alright - like a tiny pre-Christmas present! ¦D

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #11 –
Linus from Linus Tech Tips got the product hinted to him:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5CCwQ8-3cs

It's so funny to see them cringe at the same thing we were discussing just a couple days ago.
If things go good, he might actually acquire one of those said products, and test them out, even blind test with some audiophiles. I'd watch that drama in Technicolor!

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #12 –
Yes, and I also heard from the WAN Show stream that came from, that he has a very hard time trying to get ahold of this snake oil garbage to review it, even when using his employees or other people to do the ordering. The snake oil peddlers get wind of it somehow and simply ghost them.

Re: More Snake Oil hardware for Audiophiles

Reply #13 –
In my opinion, this has nothing to do with audiophiles, but everything to do with placebophiles, and look, who really cares what other overly affluent people do to waste their ill-gotten gains, the real problem here is all the foolish people wasting money that they shouldn't have in the first place, all while poor people starve from being undercapitalized. Just saying.

"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. ~ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiophile

Most people here fit this definition, so what I see is a lot of contempt and dismissiveness, perhaps we should try to remain objective and avoid the same trap the subjectivists and polemicists have fallen into?
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?  ;~)