2. misc-audio
  3. 1124842620

The Night Air

Most of us have noticed that our system sounds better during certain days, and most often always sounds better at night. I always wondered whether this was an illusion created by eliminating the "visual distortion" easier in the dark, or whether the negatively charged atmosphere really had an effect on sound. After all, AM radio frequencies travel farther at night due to atmospheric changes.

This also brings questions as to barometric pressure, humidity, and elevation and their effect on components and sound quality. I have even wondered if reviews should contain at least sea level/elevation figures and whether you could draw any parallels from this information.

Could a room air ionizer have a positive effect on sound?
Do I need to move to Denver to get my equipment to sound its best?

Got to go....men in white suits are coming to take me away HAHA HEHE HOHO
128x128tgun5
sksos1
395 posts
 
Yes I'd like to revisit this thread 7 years later. A friend told me he's been experimenting with purifiers that ionize the air, this after reading some reviews of the Stein Harmonizers. Well he brought over a commercial ionizer and low and behold the sound in my listening studio became more relaxed and the soundstage expanded.....this after about 30 minutes once the unit was turned on. Wow....
Go on-line and you can get these ionizers for $50 - $300 try it out if you don't hear anything return it. It's the same principle as the Stein Harmonizers at a fraction of the cost.

(Dealer disclaimer)
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Unfortunately for that argument the SteinMusic Harmonizer is not an ionizer. Not that there's anything wrong with ionizers.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
11,020 posts
 
I've used an air ionizer for many years now and can't really say whether it's had a positive effect or not. I know it helps keep the air cleaner as I have to clean it once a week (it's truly amazing just how much icky stuff it grabs reminding me just how bad the air quality is in LA).

As for moisture in the air, this has been discussed for many a year now and there seems to be some validity to slightly denser, moister air sounding a bit better than drier air. Too much moisture and the drivers can be adversely affected. No real happy medium that I'm aware of.

I'm just not ready to subject myself to some trials for the moment but would like to hear what others have experienced.

All the best,
Nonoise
donjr
1,335 posts
 
The Stein Harmonizer is amazing by the way. I wish I could justify the steep price. Not sure what they're doing but they're doing.
minorl
1,018 posts
 
Peak generation and load is during the day. Therefore, most base loaded generators are operated during the day and not the evening. Therefore, more distortions, noise, voltage and frequency variations during the day. So yes, it is better at night in countries that have stable electrical systems.

enjoy
More to discover