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Topic: Auric Illuminator and snake oil... (Read 11745 times) previous topic - next topic
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Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #25 –
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I may be naive, but are they allowed to use those graphs?

All the rubbish about how much better people imagine the content looks and sounds after treatment is one thing; but to plot two graphs that are of completely different waveforms is another.

It's not a subjective, wishy washy, "well it might be right" kind of thing. It's objectively and scientifically wrong. The graphs are wrong.


Tell me - should I use one of these demagnetisers on my PC Hard Disc Drive to make my mp3s sound better?

Cheers,
David.

I agree - those two waveforms are clearly from different sources. This is just plain fraud with a capital F.

Where are the lawyers?

:x

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #26 –
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Tell me - should I use one of these demagnetisers on my PC Hard Disc Drive to make my mp3s sound better?

Oh, definitely. Not only will your MP3s sound better, but your hard drive will suddenly have much more room to store additional files too! lol 

As for the bogus graphs, this doesn't surprise me a bit. Snake Oil salesmen are banking on the fact that most people are ignorant, gullable, uninformed, or too lazy to research their claims. They're vultures preying on people's trust (and wallets).

James Randi (www.randi.org) did an expose recently on a company selling a piece of electronics, that when opened to see the circuit inside, it could be seen that many of the parts didn't work and some of the wiring wasn't even connected.

If a company's claims for a product (any product, not just audio tweaks) set off your "BS Detector" they may well be scam artists. Buyer beware!

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #27 –
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These people lose sight of the fact that the signal retrieved from CD or DVD is an analog signal, not digital.

wtf?   

Well, yes the data on your CD is represented in an analog fashion. Simplified, different levels of reflection represent 0s and 1s. When you would plot the measured reflected energy you would get a somewhat rounded, noisy and wobbly "square" wave which usually remains on a high or a low level. It is now the task of your CD drive electronics to interpret this signal and determine wether it is reading a 0 or a 1.

Even your PC is working analog on a very basic scale. 0s and 1s are represented by different voltages which fluctuate as well.

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #28 –
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You see?! You see?! I knew something like this would come along. Thank you Gecko for releasing your wonderful product to the world. Where can I buy one? I want to see if it works synergystically with the Bedini Ultra Clarifier!

Thank you for having an open mind! It has become hard to find people like you these days. (Nah, I lie, actually I feel the amount of brainless dimwits.. errr.. open minded people isn't decreasing at all.) Well anyway, I will shortly be opening an online shop which will deliver worldwide. The starter kit will cost you a mere 2499.95€ ($2849.95); compare this to what other people need to invest to get amazing sound!

I urge you NOT to combine our product with the Bedini Ultra Clarifier! The Ultra Clarifier uses LASER technology which only cleans a very small portion of the spectrum. Our product uses a number of advanced electromagnetic wave emitting devices that cover the whole neccessary spectrum range. If you paired the Bedini device with ours, you would create an unbalance in the harmonic structure which would lead to edgy and harsh sound!

@ all you people criticizing the two waveforms: of course they look so different! They have to! How else can you explain the huge leap in quality? Of course it is objectively measurable! We license our technology to the biggest mastering studios in the world who use it as the last step in mastering adding more punch and air to the whole mix!

OK, enough of this. Chris Granger, you are of course NOT a "brainless dimwit"! I suppose the manufacturers know very well that their products don't work as advertised (to put it lightly).

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #30 –
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And, of course, I musn't forget to mention the revolutionary CD Blacklight...

http://www.fullswing.com/audioprism/blacklight.html

Oh my goodness, it just keeps getting better. A glow-in-the-dark CD improver? Record labels should just manufacture their discs out of this "proprietary phosphorescence" (that's fancy schmancy talk for "that green glowy stuff") complete with AudioPrism's green marker covering the outer edge of the disc. Wouldn't that be marvellous! Bleh. 

Oh, and Gecko, I agree completely that these manufacturers know full well that their products don't work. Five minutes of testing could prove that. Instead of spending time researching ways to improve audio quality, their goal is to come up with new and original schemes targetting the gullible tweakers and wishful thinkers, things that with the right marketing could seem like they might work.

"Hmm, we've done the green marker, stabilizer rings, what's next?"
"Well, how about a glow-in-the-dark disc? Nobody's done that yet, have they?"
"Great idea! Suckers, errr, I mean customers will love them!"

etc.

Oh, and only $2849.95? I'll take two! 

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #31 –
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Record labels should just manufacture their discs out of this "proprietary phosphorescence" (that's fancy schmancy talk for "that green glowy stuff") complete with AudioPrism's green marker covering the outer edge of the disc. Wouldn't that be marvellous! Bleh. 

Heh, if actually these green marker tricks had any effect worth mentioning, it would probably be a cinch for CD manufacturers to put green paint on every blank spot and charge a few bucks more. Them not doing it can be interpreted as a sign that there simply is no improvement.

PS: plz PM me your credit card number so I can bill you. Once the money is on my bank account, I'll even take the time to program something that flashes the burner LED.. err... I mean... We will send you our revolutionary software ASAP! If you order two we'll even send it to you twice!

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #32 –
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And, of course, I musn't forget to mention the revolutionary CD Blacklight...

http://www.fullswing.com/audioprism/blacklight.html

Oh wow - who cares if it works or not - glow-in-the-dark CDs - how cool would that look on a vertical player at a party!!! ;-)

Though IIRC that green glow-in-the-dark stuff emits low-ish level (but certainly very measurable levels) of radiation. I can't help feeling that, if there is any effect, it's not going to be to help the working of my CD player in the long term!

Cheers,
David.

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #33 –
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I may be naive, but are they allowed to use those graphs?

...

Cheers,
David.

I agree - those two waveforms are clearly from different sources. This is just plain fraud with a capital F.

Where are the lawyers?


- <speculation mode>Both waveforms are from the same source. The upper graph is from the left channel and the lower ... </speculation mode>
- It is not from Mike Oldfields Portmouth. This music has a complety different kind of envelope.
- I don't found a piece of music with this or a similar shape. It must be a highly percussive solo piece. Note the deep notches between the peaks of the envelope.
Diocletian

Time Travel Agency
Book a journey to the Diocletian Palace. Not today!

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #34 –
Hey, I'm a Swede and I don't see what you guys are complaining about. I bought the Auric Illuminator and used it on a data cd - an old backup from 1996.

The results shocked me:
* My images became a lot sharper.
* My texts were better written.
* And moreover; the software were suddenly bug-free!

Cheers to the crowd of mass psychosis and the "I-refuse-to-admit-that-I-have-a-worse-equipment/hearing-than-my-neighbour"-people

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #35 –
This thread is insane. I was checking on the Bedini site (what a stupid name) and saw they even have a Quadri Beam version of the same crap for those who have more money to waste. And there're also the reviews. What I don't understand is how come all those audiophile magazines support these snake oil methods. I can see they probably benefit from that ignorance but isn't there one single reputable magazine that we can follow? I remember once taking seriously these RF stoppers because I had power cables running in the vicinity of my audio cables. Then when I googled and checked the reviews I saw so many complaints about them, they actually crippled the sound !

Sometimes even the scientific methods like bi-amping makes me think whether it provides any audible difference. I did not bi-amp but biwired my speakers because they came with biwireable posts and Infinity encouraged such sort of connection (also biwiring makes lots of sense to me). I am also a happy owner of Acoustic Research TDS-202 Sound Enhancer Device (Check this for more info) which I got for $25 and like its effect. I wish there was some reliable source that separate snake oil methods from actually working ones. I wouldn't mind spending $20 as an addition to my equipment for something that is really working...
The object of mankind lies in its highest individuals.
One must have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #36 –
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isn't there one single reputable magazine that we can follow?


Stereo Review was and perhaps still is an extremely reputable source - the BS quotient is almost zero, or was last time I picked up an issue. Heavy on measurements, light on florid metaphors.

Auric Illuminator and snake oil...

Reply #37 –
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isn't there one single reputable magazine that we can follow?


Stereo Review was and perhaps still is an extremely reputable source - the BS quotient is almost zero, or was last time I picked up an issue. Heavy on measurements, light on florid metaphors.

I'm beginning to think the only solution is to buy things on sale or return, and to test them yourself.

However, this prevents you from taking advantage of the much cheaper prices over the internet compared to a local shop.


It's really tempting just to build the stuff yourself - but the one-off cost of components for some things can be more than the complete unit price in a shop! However, I'm sure building your own speakers and amps would be fun - must try it one day!

Cheers,
David.