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Do you believe in Magic?

Audio Magic, that is.

Let's say that Magic is any effect not explainable by known physical laws. Every audiophile is familiar with debates about Audio Magic, as evidenced by endless threads about power cables.

I recently had an experience that made me question my long held skepticism about Magic. On a whim, I bought some Stillpoints ERS Fabric. I installed it in my preamp (which is filled with noisy digital circuitry) and a reclocker (also noisy) and...

Something happened. I don't know what exactly, but something. Two things in particular seemed to change... the decay of notes, and instrument timbres. Both changed for the better. But where did this change occur? In my listening room? Or in my mind?

If the change was in my listening room, then Magic exists. If the change was in my mind, then Magic does not exist.

One of the great Ideological Divides in audio is the divide between Believers and Skeptics. I honestly don't know if I'm a Believer or a Skeptic.

Do you believe in Magic?

Bryon
bryoncunningham
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,089 posts
 
One has to keep an open mind and Byron and Al do so in such a refreshingly open manner. Thanks to the both of you for your keen insights and wordsmith.

To the naysayers out there that theorize that engineers 'know' what they build and what we hear is what they intended doesn't cover all the bases. Isn't there a predictive theory that can be proven over and over without having all the facts and yet it can be demonstrated over and over again? Associated responses can be accurately predicted leading to that accompanying something else that yet has to be proven but is there, nonetheless. We just don't know how to measure it with what we now have. Not only can we predict it, but we can eliminate it by changing the associated responses and we don't have the answer or the ability to identify it. But it is there, lying in wait. mocking us until we know its name.
frogman
7,494 posts
 
****and we don't have the answer or the ability to identify it. But it is there, lying in wait. mocking us until we know its name.****

Excellent!
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
"When it comes to this hobby, I have always
found more value in giving the observer of a particular unexplainable
effect the benefit of the doubt, than in assuming that because there is no
"scientific" explanation it must be a figment of his imagination.
We continually underestimate the complexity and fragility of the sound of
music, and the processes needed to record and play it back faithfully." I find it heartening that there are others, on these forums, so enlightened. There are SO MANY instances of contemporary science's conceptions, or those bound to it's limitations, having to catch up with reality. ie: the Bumblebee (http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=105&article=1366)
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
i think that i have found a concise definition of magic:

any phenomenon for which there is no rational explanation.

i reserve judgment of the effectiveness of a tweak after i have experienced it several times, because the placebo effect is alive and well.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
I hear you about the placebo effect Mr. Tennis, easy to succomb to if you allow it. This is why when evaluating anything it really takes time and extensive listening to determine that the effect of anything added is real or that what you initially think you hear you are consistently hearing upon repeated listening. On the other hand there some of these "magic" devices per Bryon's definition that have an initial significant perceived change that remains and can clearly be heard when removed. I used to be a hard core skeptic of many of these tweeks and am always skeptical of devices that don't add up to their claims, at least the ones where change/improvement can't be discerned with my less than "golden" hearing.
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