Miracles in Audio, by luck, by good choices,by design or by tweaking...

I can’t think of any reason or scenario where crystals would have a positive effect. Mucking with a signal is usually a bad thing unless mucked with in a very specific way for a very specific reason.

One might perceive a positive effect due to expectation bias in any case no matter what the change. Crystals for example are cool and interesting (to a geologist anyway) so one wants to hear positive results?

That’s not to say it can’t have some effect whenever new electric fields are present or teh material affects those already present. Any of the minerals mentioned might be capable of this in some cases, crystals due to piezo electricity and the mineral composed mostly of carbon in proximity MIGHT have some effect on the existing electromagnetic fields.

Same true with external magnetic fields. We know what they can do to signals and its always bad ie add noise and distortion. Less noise/distortion is typically the desired outcome, not more. Noise/distortion is always public enemy #1 when it comes to good sound quality. Not to say in some cases adding noise/distortion might produce some perceived positive effect. An example would be adding random dither but that again is a very specific addition added in a very specific way for a very specific purpose.

So the experiments are interesting but I personally do not see a clear scenario where the effects would be clearly positive.

Interesting stuff though.

Congratulations! You are the first to verify this simple experiment I propose to test the audible impact of stones and crystals...

Tourmaline is piezoelectric under the stress of heat, shungite is a carbon based minerals non piezoelectric...

I will return with more...My best to you...

One possibility for a definite improvement, as opposed to just a change or nothing, is if the carbon or crystals provided some kind of shielding effect. That’s possible I suppose but if so there may be other more practical ways to achieve similar effect, mu metal for example. I use that with my low-level phono step-up transformer. Hum and noise induced from nearby appliance motors or other devices nearby is readily apparent otherwise.

Mapman I think you are right... Shielding is one aspect that explain certainly in part the audible effect but not all I think... Remember my stones are connected in a grid, if i disconnect some cables the effect is audible for each stones and connection with a degree of impact that is variable but observable...My best to you...

Mapman I understand your point but you forget one important thing :

The process of using crystals is not simple indecomposable one act or gesture....It is a set of experiments each time conducted with the feed back of your ears...Each crystals and stones had his proper effect very different of one another... The experiment consist in trying each stone to improve the sound and when, imaging is better, soundstage is better, instrumental timbre better etc etc Bingo it is it...But sometimes we must try a few because one stone or crystal can accentuate a set of frequencies at the expanse of other frequencies in an individuated particular audio system embedded in a particular electrical grid... The idea to connect with cables my stones comes after I observed that certain stones act better if I located them together, because one compensate for the action of the other with positive results...( I even go further adding not only batteries but Shumann Generator that enhance the stones grid being connected to it) 

After that I decide to connect with a very thin hair-like cable some duos of stones, located at different spots in my audio system and that was great, because they all compensate for one another...I added batteries that enhance the stones grid...

Then your objection is only valid virtually, in reality and concretely i use different stones to correct exaggerated effects...The final results is not distorsions "per se" but better music...

A stone is like a tube inserted in an audio system, the distorsion introduced can be favorable or detrimental...We must choose each tubes correctly... Samething with stones that act collectively if connected...


Tourmaline , Chrysocolla or malachite, jade or nephrite, lava beads, kambaba jasper, Madagascar agate, varieties of quartz (lemurian or pink etc) ataxite, shungite, and many others all had a proper effect that you can pinpoint...

For example I recommend to the gentleman MKGUS that observe the effect on his electrical central panel 2 stones to begin with at this spot :

It is not an accident if I say so...Tourmaline added always like a filtering effect, some clarification of the sound frequencies... And shungite gives body to the sound among others effects and act always good in connector or power strip etc... Shungite is a powerful shielding stone that act synergetically with crystals... The 2 together must generally at this spot act positively...

Like MKGUS said : «For one, the imaging seemed all over the place so much so that it sounded like a new track I’m not familiar with »

This seems to me the beginning of a positive effect... The rest of the story is only refinement with trials and errors...Like I myself play with, experimenting many dozen of stones for the last years...My system dont only "distort" the signals like a bad tube amplifier but makes music better like a good tube amplifier, in one case the distortion is perveived like a noise, in another case the distortion is perceived like music... … This is a fact...