I dont know for sure and in all cases what "snake oil" is or what a hoax is in audio....
What people called by these names are sometimes ALSO costly devices that are ready made solutions to ready made problems ...
Some reviews anyway must praise them, generally, if not with no positive publicity no one will buy them.
Most work at least minimally with positive results...It is difficult to make money with something totally useless...
Because I could not afford them anyway, i decided to figure out the problem which this "snake oil" OR very good products were supposed to adress ...
There is generally 3 very simple one that are always coming to the fore:
-Vibrations,
-Electrical noise floor controls,
-Acoustic treatment AND controls,
But because i could not afford the costly solutions to these 3 main problems, i tried to replicate some of them , or modified some of them or create completely new one...
It is possible at no cost....
The success in audio is linked to the ratio sound quality/ price...
The goal is not and never was to own the best system in the world, only the one that will be optimal for us...
You can buy external ready made products to improve your system and gain something very positive or not so much, or not at all....
It is related often to the actual STATE and quality level not only of your gear as such, but also it is related to your personal controls over your system and listening experience and experiments...It is linked to your ability to use the right device at the right time with the right gear...
There is so much factors playing in the evaluation of a product and calling it "snake oil" or a miraculous product or only a good one is very related to each different situation...
Some few products for sure are "snake oils" for everybody with a brain....I dont want to speak about that namely here because my own judgement could be wrong and detrimental for someone and i dont want to speak about these evident hoaxes and mix them with other product that can be relatively useful.... Useful if they are not too costly.... Sometimes the audible effect is there but the price so high for me that " for me" it is "almost" a snake oil" product in a sense even if it work...
I say so because i replicate some at no cost my own way....
Then my point is simple: be creative, create some listening experiments and adress these 3 fundamentals problems i spoke about which plague any system and before buying anything, try by yourself.... You will be surprized...
Let others decide which is a hoax for them and which is not...
Water cannot flow up hill in a river, but it can in a tunnel. :-)
Very wise observation....likewise,
«The most important pipe is the silent one»- -a mechanic friend
