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

Seriously, a triangular, three dimensional device, cnc manufactured or alternately 3D printed, aluminum luminary lattice pattern prosthetic placed at the pustular apex of the cortical cray layered cranium facilitates mass efficiency air transfer of photons, electrons and skin particle pollution but with perennially positive db sensitivity resulting in way improved fidelity. No way, yes way.... dude.

I like waffles, myself...good maple syrup, butter....

What?  Oh, yeah....yes, I can see there's some confusion going on here...I'm drawn to it like a moth faced with a strong source of light....not that I can offer any pithy commentary on basalt as a cure or copper bracelets or high-end cables.  I just like reading this stuff...;)
geoffkait,

You make an good point: "Electromagnetic waves are comprised of photons."

Herman,

You make a good point: " ... it is interesting to see how some twist the science to suit their needs."

There are a number of things going on here. Yes, photons are the carrier for the electromagnetic wave. But the wave is indeed affected by strong magnetic fields. Note the Faraday effect and the MOKE effect (Magneto Optical Kerr Effect ). The effect of a strong magnetic field on electromagnetic waves is enough to create discernibly positive sonic effects on the sound produced by audio systems. The signal is indeed affected by magnets, and in a very good way, as one can hear when experimenting with this directly. I believe these effects are the result of polarization. In my opinion, there is a lot more going on in the photon/particle stream than has already been explained here -- or, possibly, than has even been explained by modern theory. But, in the end, this is not an intellectual or a scientific pursuit for me. My bottom line is improvement in the sound.
toddverrone,

Just would like to say thank you, I put 1/2" thick Closed-Cell Neoprene foam into bottom of two-way monitors and have been rewarded with better sound top to bottom...

geoffkait,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation

Electromagnetic waves are produced whenever charged particles are accelerated, and these waves can subsequently interact with other charged particles. EM waves carry energy, momentum and angular momentum away from their source particle and can impart those quantities to matter with which they interact. Quanta of EM waves are called photons, whose rest mass is zero, but whose energy, or equivalent total (relativistic) mass, is not zero so they are still affected by gravity.

A photon is a single quantum of light or of any other form of electromagnetic radiation has a zero rest mass and is always moving at the speed of light.
But the energy or work from photons , RF or audio cables, can take on only discrete values.