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A Big DIY Bang for Your Buck?

I believe in getting the biggest bang out of my audio buck that I can. I don't know about you but my audio budget is actually limited. I find it interesting when I hear about folks spending a zillion on the best magnetic cables and then someone comes along with some new cable technology like new liquid-infused cables that equal or best the magnetic cables at a fraction of the price. Some makers of magnetic and other cables may want you to believe that a patent pending means there must be something there that ordinary Joe Audio could never make himself. My experience leads me to say -- don't believe it.

I have been using neodymium magnets for years in my cables and around my system to improve SQ -- at a fraction of the cost that makers of magnet-containing products charge. OK, mine may not be at the very top of the performance chain when compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I have managed to get stunning returns for a pittance. It would have cost thousands, or tens of thousands, to obtain similar results from various makers.

The same applies to audio makers with a patent pending (or an actual patent) who market little aluminum audio resonators the size of pimples. I make my own resonator pimples for about a buck apiece -- with stunning results. I saved over $4,000 making 70 of my own. Maybe they are not at the very top of the performance chain compared to those expensive products, but who cares? I am very happy with results that are far beyond what I expected when I started out.

I am having a lot of fun doing DIY projects at home that reap wonderful results at a small fraction of the cost charged by audio makers for their similar products. Have others had similar experiences making their own audio products at home? Can you share your DIY experiences with us?
sabai
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
herman,

For me this is not an intellectual or scientific pursuit. It is strictly a pursuit of the best possible sound. My ears have been tested to 18000Hz. I trust my ears.
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
Another important point for me is that you do not have to buy expensive magnetic cables to get a really big improvement in sound. You can spend a few dollars on magnets and experiment. It takes a lot of time and patience. But since this is a labor of love for me that's not a problem. If my audio budget were unlimited I might go ahead and spend thousands of dollars on a single cable. But, at this point in time, my audio budget is not unlimited. So, I am relying on intuition, imagination and creativity to get me where I want to go. So far, so good.
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
Look, it cost me $70 to make $70 HFTs (I call my version HFRs -- High Frequency resonators). It would have cost me $4,200 to buy them from SR. So what if they're not the same as Ted's? They are doing a great job in my system. I looked up his patent. He uses crystals under the small screen at the bottom of his HFTs. OK, I have some chunks of quartz crystal at home. I'll see that I can do to add crystals to my HFRs and then give a listen to hear if they improve the sound even more.
herman
2,256 posts
 


For me this is not an intellectual or scientific pursuit. It is strictly a pursuit of the best possible sound. My ears have been tested to 18000Hz. I trust my ears.

Brilliant!
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 

sabai OP
geoffkait,

It improves the sound by affecting the signal.

You've been hoodwinked, Sabai. When magnets are used around the room, on chassis, on walls, on wood shelves, on mirrors, on glass, they have no bearing whatsoever on the signal.  Now, somebody might find some rare instance where magnet affect the signal in a positive way, but usually magnetic fields hurt the sound, which I've stated pointed out. You know, the magnetic field from transformers and the induced field from current traveling down wire. The latter is why the magnetic conduction cables sound so good, or so it would appear from all the hoopla. But not because magnets affect the signal like your thinking. In fact you yourself use magnets in the connector not on the wire. Do you think the magnets are attracting electrons or photons? give me a break! The magnetic conduction cables address the induced magnetic field in at least two ways I can see.

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