Why Do Schumann Resonators Work?


Schumann Resonators are little boxes you plug into the wall that produce electromagnetic radiation tuned to 7.83 Hz. This is the frequency that the earth/atmosphere system “rings” at when the Earth is struck by lightning. It is also a common frequency your brain “ticks” at.

When employed in the listening room, many people claim it makes their audio sound better. If this is true, then what is the mechanism of action?

-Is it a matter of the resonator producing a more relaxed mental state?
-Does it help block or alter electromagnetic interference?
-Does it add its own electromagnetic interference to your system that just so happens to be pleasing?

I experimented with one recently and what I noticed is that it seemed to remove some of the high frequency nasties or what some might call “digital glare” (although digital glare can also show up in analog systems). When I made this observation, the resonator was placed right next to my power strip that my CD player, preamp and some other devices are plugged into.

My “proof” of the effect is that I could turn the volume up louder than usual without it sounding “too loud.” The sound levels of the system weren’t any quieter, it’s just that the digital glare was reduced so that I could go louder before thinking “this is too loud,” which usually isn’t a sound level thing per se but the point as which some frequency (often the highs) become irritating.

So who here has experience with these devices? Do you like them? Does anyone know why they work?
128x128mkgus
Pop quiz, win a prize. How does a Schumann resonator generate a 7.83 Hz signal in the room given that the antenna size required would be in the order of 25,000 miles? Set of 3 Flying Saucers on Afterburners for Windows to the first correct answer.
I place my Schumann resonator on my back deck facing due West (I'm on the East coast) the wave takes less than 2 minutes to reach around the world and come back to me but boy does my steaks taste so good!
Hi Geoff,
I too worked on the "you know what" project in Wisconsin.
I don't want you to feel lonely with no answers to your question so I will take a pure guess based on little to no knowledge.
I would venture that the commercial Schumann resonator (i.e., magnetic pulse generator) is basically an electromagnet tuned to the Schumann resonance of 7.83Hz by using an oscillating charge.  Again a pure guess but I would venture the frequency could be determined by some combination of the length of the winding around a core and the electrical current provided, while the generally prescribed area of influence (usually about 5 feet +/-) might be limited by the diameter of the core and/or the energy output.
Refute and correct as needed.
Merry Christmas

Hi, thanks for playing, but let me remind you “that project” in Wisconsin transmitted a wave of about 76 Hz which required 84 miles of above ground antennae. The original system would have had 6,000 miles of buried antennae. So, to transmit 7.83 Hz wave the antenna size would have to be much much longer, no? I was on the project circa 1980-82, right after they had a big problem when capacitors the size of VWs in the 1M Watts Class A amplifier kept exploding.
The Wisconsin project was designed to transmit a LF wave that could be detected virtually anywhere on earth, including (clue) deep into the seas.  The commercial Schumann resonator is good for about 5 feet so maybe not the same purpose?  Again a guess but aren't electromagnetic waves the result of vibrating electric and magnetic fields?  Cannot the resulting frequency of the electromagnetic wave (not an audio frequency) be varied?  BTW, the Wisconsin project was designed to use an antenna covering most of the state but since the good tree-hugging folks in Wisconsin sniffed that out and protested, the Wisconsin facility was linked with another transmitter in Michigan.  Also BTW, the bears in Wisconsin scratched the heck out of the poles that antenna was connected to.  Maybe they were Russian bears?