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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
asvjerry's avatar
asvjerry
4,710 posts
 
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...;)
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
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.
jeffrey75's avatar
jeffrey75
110 posts
 
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.
sabai OP
2,027 posts
 
There are more implications in the scientific domain, as I have been alluding to:

http://www.iflscience.com/physics/magnetic-fields-can-control-heat-and-sound/

Acoustic phonons have magnetic properties:

https://phys.org/news/2015-03-landmark-magnets.html
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Good one Sabai, temperature and sound. Here's a scientific trick involving temperature and sound anyone can do at home and it's FREE. It doesn't get any cheaper than that!  All you need is plain old tap water. Everyone should be familiar with the relationship of heat and sound, that sound travels faster through warm air than it does through cold air. So you can easily control how sound waves travel through the air in your room by placing bowls of very cold water out in front of the speakers in a row, let's say 3 or 4 bowls depending on how big the room is and how big the bowls are. Thus when you listen to your favorite track you'll notice it's clearer, more open and more realistic. Because the sound waves are bending downwards due to the slowing up of the waves close to the bowls of cold water more sound reaches the listener's ears. Tell your friends.
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