I suppose the four months or so that it has taken to get this Newsletter into the world is now so very long, but it may seem so to those who responded with enthusiasm to the idea of a Newsletter. I can only apologies for this delay, and can state that it will not be as long until the next one. The birth of anything new is invariably suffused with various anxieties, and certain anxieties have delayed the birth of this Newsletter. Content has been the greatest, and I hope any reader finds at least one thing of interest in the Newsletter, and will feel able to respond to anything they like or dislike. There is plenty of scope for development, and I hope those interested in the P.W.B. phenomenon contribute to this development.
Anyone who read my preliminary communication will have some idea of my views on P.W.B. (and other things), and the need for a Newsletter, but for those that didn’t, I will summarise my views here. The initial enthusiasm of magazines to discuss P.W.B. products, and ideas quickly gave way to sparse references, until finally these infrequent references all but disappeared. Whilst the threat to the establishment was always apparent, simply because of the very existence of P.W.B. ideas, the media silence, I think, has not only harmed those who may not have come across P.W.B. products, but also those of us who use the products extensively. I suspect the media view would be that it is protecting innocent, vulnerable individuals from a vile entrepreneur who preys upon naïve audiophiles, but of course it is the established magazines and manufacturers that have most to fear from P.W.B., not the individual with the open enough mind to try the products. I certainly missed hearing about the products from others, even though Peter and May Belt have been extraordinary in their capacity to keep their work alive in the hostile climate of closed ears and minds. I had thought some time ago that a Newsletter might be of value on a number of levels (e.g. hearing how others used the products) and it was a combination of further media silence, plus hearing from May what some other customers were doing that I decided to go ahead. In the process I think I have been trying to deal with what is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the P.W.B. phenomenon. It is almost impossible to genuinely underestimate the impact of the P.W.B. ‘New ideas’ upon the world and indeed upon oneself. I think once one recognizes the effect one’s self will never be the same again, and that has certain attendant problems, notably a distancing from those that do not (? Will not) hear the effect. The fact that the effects fit no readily understandable and accepted theory further burdens the individual, who can only trust in his/her common sense – something that is likely to feel battered by experiencing the effect in the first place. If one can survive the bruising of the new experience, there is then that awful dawning that one is somehow isolated from those that deny its existence. I hope this Newsletter, at least, lessens this sense of isolation that I certainly felt – was anyone else using the products?
Enclosed within the pages of the Newsletter are a variety of articles (sadly, far too many from myself – I expect this will change however) varying from practical ones concerning application of products (P.W.B. approved) to ones concerning other aspects of experience. Central is a fundamental belief that access to the emotional truth of the musical experience is the aim of P.W.B. developments. Better sound is peripheral, auxiliary to the processes of deepening contact with musicians and composer. There are wider issues, and I hope these prove to be of interest to the reader, and that there is fruitful discussion following some articles.
I will close this introduction now with warm thanks to all those who kindly submitted articles for this Newsletter. Greatest thanks must be extended to May and Peter for their tireless and perhaps thankless endeavour. I hope this Newsletter marks a new era in the acceptance of their work. A big thank you also to Sandra Masterson for typing the contents.
The next Newsletter will be sent out on 15th September and quarterly thereafter. Any special event will be communicated in-between Newsletters. The closing date for new articles (please) will be 15th August 1993.
Address for correspondence
P.W.B. Newsletter
P.W.B Electronics
18. Pasture Crescent
Leeds LS7 3QB
Or for you sophisticates
E-mail – to Newsletter@belt.demon.co.uk
If you haven't heard of them or tried them, I suggest you contact Peter and May post haste regarding the following new developments:
The treatment of photographs and handwriting
The newly improved resistors
Most of those who read this newsletter, one supposes, are users and ‘believers in’ the reality of the Belt Effect; but there may be some who are reading it from curiosity almost like that which is attracted by a strange religion: Who are these people who feel the necessity to get up to curious rituals, convinced that they have a profound effect upon the sound the are hearing? What led them to such a belief? Some will like the idea of possessing a secret which is denied to the majority; some will seek constantly expanding novelty … In fact, I think most Belt followers arrived at that position from quite different experiences and motives, as did I.
I had heard about Peter Belt, and wondered what he got up to; but I was not sufficiently interested to find out for myself: P.W.B. was probably a gifted exploiter of the audio freak, who was able to convince enough of the less hard-headed, of whom there are plenty amongst the Hi-Fi fraternity, to make a nice little living for himself. Then came the issue of the lamented Hi-Fi Answers which contained a free sheet of black foil, which had to be cut up into pieces resembling arrow-heads, and attached to various parts of an audio system. One was invited to do this, and then write in an account of the result, if any.
“Answers” had been moving steadily towards out-and-out support for P.W.B. and his work – a fact which may not be unconnected with editorial changes to that journal which may will regret as much as I. Be that as it may, the response was naturally not unanimous; and I could myself hear absolutely no change in the sound of my system. The editor of “Answers” supplied me with a further and larger supply of the foils, and I set to work and really spread them around. Still nothing: there was no Belt Effect.
I then had a happy time making jokes about Beltism and its ramifications and absurdities: audio people talk endlessly about their obsession, and rubbishing P.W.B. became an addition to the subject. But there remained a niggle in my mind: when I tried treating the water-pipes in the house, I had a feeling that there was a difference in the sound: very difficult to pin down, and possibly not even an improvement. By this time I had some of the later foils, which came in the two colours red and black. These foils, when cut to shape (a process of near-intolerable tedium for the unconvinced) had to be attached to the pipes in a certain way; and re-reading the instructions, I found that I had them attached the wrong way round. I told myself firmly that which way they were round could not possibly make the slightest difference, especially as the whole thing was an illusion; but I could not avoid the feeling that I owed it to P.W.B. to see what effect swapping the wretched things over might have. All right; but this is THE END.
With the foils reversed, I returned to the music. For the first time I heard to Belt Effect: there was no possible doubt about it: the sound changed, and very much for the better.
Why had I not heard it before? I do not know; but I have a friend with whom I try out all sorts of experiments, and he could not hear it either, although we had been over his room extensively. Right, Dennis should be the arbiter. I took down to his house a couple of treated pins, and attached one to a curtain hanging behind one of the speakers. We then listened to the same music we had had on before. At first, nothing. Then, gradually, the effect with which I was already familiar. I took the pin away, and the sound gradually collapsed back to what it had been before the pin was inserted. Replace the pin, and the effect came back. We both heard it. I tried another pin on the curtain behind us, which increased the effect. Those pins are still there, years later.
So what was the effect? To my mind, it is a mistake to try, initially, to analyse it in terms of the usual audio jargon about frequency extension, mid-range clarity, stereo separation and all the rest of it: those things are true enough, but they are not the important things: what matters is the way that the music invites one in, communicates with one, makes the experience more involving and enjoyable, reduces the effort to get beyond sound to music. One ceases to be concerned with apparatus and its tendency to take the place of the music and become an end in itself.
Up to this point I had been a dedicated upgrader, usually having in my mind the next step I wanted to take, and then, for a short time, revelling in the increased clarity and all the rest of it. What I have since felt is rather the need to stick with what I have, wondering how far it is possible to improve the sound from it. That phrase needs watching: one does not improve the equipment in the slightest by sticking foils on it: what P.W.B. is doing is to enable us to hear, removing environmental obstacles which get in the way. Those people who rant on about the impossibility that a few foils can do anything have point: in their terms foils do nothing in the usual meaning of the term. But that is not what P.W.B. set out to do: he had spent years “improving” electronics and speakers, but he had not done what he was trying to do. Now he is making steady progress, and waiting for the world to catch up with him, which it is showing little inclination to do, at the moment. Nevertheless, an increasing number of heard-headed, non-visionary hi-fi buffs appreciates the work of P.W.B.
Peter Turner
Main Plugs
Whilst the treatment of 13 amp plugs has always been an important part of P.W.B. treatments, I personally feel treatment with Smart metal is by far the most effective approach. Before starting how I treat plugs, I feel I should say something about the soldering iron.
Ideally one needs 2 soldering irons, so that one can treat the plug and lead of a second soldering iron with the first iron. The second iron can then be used to apply Smart metal to the first iron lead/plug. This cycle can be repeated, with increasing application of Smart metal to the other iron. I also have White Spiratube, a Blue Soldering Iron crocodile clip, and the new white and blue ring ties attached to the lead of the iron, plus a marked Barcode label attached to the cool plastic part of the iron, when applying Smart metal. The irons are also sprayed regularly with Morphic liquid, and have been frozen in the past with the lead devices on. It is surprising how often Morphic liquid improves items that are already highly treated; as ones home environment improves, so does the Morphic liquid.
With a treated soldering iron ready, I first treat the ends of the fuse barrel, covering the entire circle with a thin layer of Smart metal. Next I usually apply small amounts of Smart metal to the metal (usually copper) that holds the fuse. One part of the fuse holder invariably takes the live wire, and I apply a small amount of Smart metal to the block part that takes the wire, plus the top of the small screw. Next, I apply Smart metal to the tops of the other 2 screws that secure the Neutral and Earth Wires, plus a very small amount to the screws that secure the whole cable, and the central screw that holds the plug together. I finally apply small amounts of Smart metal to the tips of the 3 pins. As treatment of the pins necessitates a cooling off period, I then return to the fuse and spray it with Morphic liquid in the presence of a treated lamp. The ends of the fuse, where the Smart metal was applied are then coloured in with Violet ink from the Violet Barcode pen, and the ends are then tapped with both ends of the Barcode pen. By this time the rest of the plug is usually about ready for a liberal spray of Morphic liquid. The different parts are then dried, and the plug reassembled. It is then subjected to the freezing process – 2 cycles.
Leads and Cables
Treatment essentially consists of applying Smart metal, with a treated soldering iron, to the ends of the leads, and if possible, to the plugs if the cable is a signal interconnect, or aerial cable. The lead should then have a strip of White Spiratube fitted, and a White and Blue ring tie. At this point I would spray the lead or cable with Morphic liquid, and after drying, subject the cable/lead to the freezing process.
Experiences with Cables
CABLES: Though I have not ‘Belted’ any internal cables, either in speakers or ‘front-end’ components, I will attempt to describe the changes which have occurred on interconnect, alternating current mains leads, frequency dividers, (cross-over networks) speaker cables and how these were achieved.
First, the interconnect between my Naim NAP 160 and NAC 12S. This was changed from the type supplied, on magazine information circa 1987, that individual strands of thin solid-core cable such as R.S. Components, sounded better. This was substituted for the original and was indeed found to be the case.
After familiarisation with this sound, (over three weeks) the cable was then ‘Belted’ by using and attaching the ‘releasable’ Black Electret Ring Tie. This application seemed to ‘smooth’ an already improved sound. This effect was most noticeable on vocal sibilants where the vocal took on a more ‘human’ aspect in its portrayal and cymbal strikes, either on rock or classical music, there was an apparent increase in bass quality which was felt (literally) as well as heard. Next tried were the Electret Clips (treated crocodile clips) on first, the C.D. player’s mains lead and second, the mains lead to the record player. This, in turn seemed to free the system of many previous ‘constraints’ and allowed the system an increased headroom at both frequency extremes.
Second, the crossover networks (external to the speakers and less than 1 metre from the power amplifier) were then rewired using a thicker type of solid-core cable from the amplifier to the crossovers. Solid-core was also used to then take the amplifier output to the speakers.
This was done using single-strand solid-core low-loss co-axial (t.v.) downlead without the outer braided wire and external p.v.c. sleeving, which, from past experience were known to pick up static and radio frequency interference. Again improvements were heard, little things being noticed on very familiar tracks and recordings, again voice becoming just that little bit more ‘human’. One other prominent aspect being a perceived increase in power handling and dynamic range available with almost negligible distortion even at full volume.
Third, these crossovers are discretely wired to the speakers, i.e. the bass section only goes to the bass driver, mid to mid, tweeter to tweeter and ultra high to super tweeter, with the negative return line form each until back to the crossover. If you have difficulty imagining all this, it simply means that for a 4 unit speaker (like mine) I have 8 cables running to each speaker, 16 cables in all for the two channels.
As stated in the fourth paragraph, the crossover networks are external to the speakers and are less than 1 metre from the rear of the power amplifier. This simple expedient provides an instant improvement in the sound from any end every system I have heard where this procedure has been undertaken. (This excludes any MIDI or unitised stacking system, as I have not tried this out on any such system).
With the crossovers thus, the cables between the amplifier and the actual crossover network boards were then ‘Belted’ using Rainbow Foil round the cluster of cables, which if nothing else helped to tidy them up!. Round the foil was then wrapped a Yellow Electret Ring Tie with blue washer applied and affixed as per instructions supplied. Acclimatising to the sound, it took only three minutes perhaps before what was happening could be described. Which was, that the soundstage depth had been enlarged, as had the width of sound, offering a much greater insight into the music and its strands and last but not least was the increased clarity in which one could ‘view’ who was playing what, where and how.
Edward Bennett
It was the introduction of Smart Metal that led to these exciting little devices, which I believe are one of Peter’s most potent and cost-effective discoveries. I have suggested the name Morphic Magnets, so they are easily discriminated from the ever more effective coloured Magnadiscs.
Using small (approx. 1cm diameter) round magnets, I first of all attach a Tile Spacer (available from any DIY store) with a small piece of Sol-Electret treated Blu-Tack to the magnet, to ease the process of applying Smart Metal accurately at 90° intervals. With the Tile Spacer attached, I apply approximately 3mm of Smart metal to the periphery of the Magnet, guided by the limbs of the tile spacer. I place the spacer/magnet in a crocodile clip/holder, that I suspect was designed for Jewellers.
After applying Smart metal, I spray the magnet both sides, with Morphic liquid in the presence of an illuminated treated light.
A small Violet dot is then placed on the back of the Magnet, centrally, using the Violet Barcode Pen. The dot is then tapped with both ends of the Barcode pen.
The magnets treated are then subjected to two cycles of the freezing process.
I have attached Magnets, following the above treatments, to almost everything I can, that is iron or steel, to very positive effect. The water system (including all radiators, water tanks, central heating motors, emersion heater elements)is the best place to start, but also try the fridge/freezer, boiler, cooker, microwave, fire, bath, loudspeaker stands, equipment stands, supports/brackets on/in furniture etc! They can also be applied to the car to excellent effect. The effect for myself, is to make the sound richer, more life-like, with more detail – especially detail relating to acoustics.
I am not certain at what point I started to think about using P.W.B. devices in the setting of a live musical event; what is more certain is my increasing conviction that the devices are more appropriate to such a setting, than almost anywhere else. Again, I do not know how much P.W.B. have influenced this thought, but I regard the ‘snap-shot’ reduction of a live musical panorama to a recording more and more difficult to tolerate. Peter has certainly clarified repeatedly the inherent dangers and problems of reproducing music using discs and tapes, and has helped enormously with these same problems. Despite this it became a tantalising idea to think of how the devices might be applied to the concert hall, opera house or theatre. Would the benefits be the same?
Over the past year I have conducted a number of trials (experiment would be too grand a term for the work I have done) and have come to the conclusion that P.W.B. devices can make a breathtaking contribution to the experience of a live musical event. I do not use the word breathtaking lightly, as it is simply shocking to have the musical genius of a composer or performer communicated so directly when P.W.B. devices are used in the concert hall. All the effects that I had associated with P.W.B. devices on audio equipment and discs etc were apparent in the live setting. For myself, the overall P.W.B. effect is one of increasing naturalness or ‘realness’, with concomitant reduction of harshness, increased beauty of tone (with instruments or voices), increased tunefulness and better awareness of spatial relationships. Ultimately, one feels closer to the original, recorded experience. In the live setting, voices and instruments leap forward in terms of beauty of tone and richness. The melodic lines and rhythms take on a surprising ‘meaningfulness’, such that one feels the composer has used or developed a clear, albeit non-lexical, form for communicating his ideas. The sound is often louder, clearer, and oddly enough free from what might have been called distortion. The resultant emotional experience can be devastating, as the music seems to speak directly to ones self.
I suspect I first noticed some of the above changes some years ago when wearing one type of garment pin at concert performances. The effects were enough for me to want to explore further. Luck led me to a group of students at London’s Guildhall School of Music, and approximately one year ago I attempted to conduct some listening tests in the Guildhall School. I had hoped to conduct some blind-tests, using sufficient numbers of students to yield statistically significant results. Various events conspired at this point, and such formal tests never occurred. Peter had supplied a variation of the Quantum System at this time, which was attached to the wall to ease the process of assessment. There was no doubt that those students I could lure from exams or recitals did acknowledge improvements in instrumental sound, but this was not to the degree where it changed their behaviour. I might add that, somewhat to my surprise, the students were less interested in sound that I would have thought. This is slightly inaccurate as they were less preoccupied with the mechanics of transforming acoustics than myself. I should also be stated here that the Guildhall School is one of the most horrid environments – in P.W.B. terms – and I think that even the Room Quantum System was not sufficiently powerful enough to make major improvements. I might also add that I had used the system at home to excellent effect, and even smuggled the large device into the Royal Opera House (terrified that someone would think it was a bomb – it certainly would have taken some explaining) for a performance of ‘I Puritani’ to excellent effect again.
I think it has taken the development of the various ‘Morphic’ products to really start to significantly improve the sound in a concert or recital hall. I recently worked on a hall in Highgate, where 3 students were giving a lieder recital, to extraordinary effect. Using a combination of Barcode labels, magnets, jars and lamp (all treated of course) the acoustic shifted from harsh and unfriendly, to sumptuous and inviting – an excellent showcase for the musicians. They had complained initially that the piano sounded rather thin and harsh in tone. Applying treated magnets to the frame, and by placing a jar inside the lid transformed the sound to a rich, musical one, to the relief of the performers. I had attached Barcode labels to a telephone, the structure of the building and instruments and placed jars in many rooms, and magnets on all radiators. The performers also ‘marked’ some of these items, after treating their own photographs. For young students, the resultant acoustic was much easier to perform in. For myself and other members of the audience, the sound was rich, and stunningly direct, all of which resulted in a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
One might then ask, what would the experience be with world class musicians? This is more difficult, because as yet, I have not been able to treat extensively any official venue. However using some of the more recent devices, I think one can make a substantial change fairly easily. At a recital in the Wigmore Hall, I recently had one of the most exciting and satisfying musical experiences of my life. The pianist Mikhail Rudy was giving a Chopin and Mussorgsky recital, and whatever Rudy’s talents, I would not underestimate the contribution of P.W.B. to this experience. I had simply taken along a ‘Super Jar’, a few magnets (for radiators and chairs) and had one of the exciting new Red Magnadiscs attached to my watch. I also had, of course, the obligatory garment pin, with attached Smart metal. The combination of these devices in this setting led to a startingly emotive piano sound, which I can only struggle to describe. Again I was struck by the ‘musical language’, which seemed as clear as words. The only relevant analogy I can use to describe this experience is almost an anecdote; it put me in the mind of childhood memories of listening to music, and of having felt then that the music spoke clearly to me. Whilst this may sound irrelevant or even crazy, I suspect that in recent years, the proliferation of various products or energies has clouded our abilities to ‘read’ music, and my childhood experiences of music may not be replicable now, simply because so much clouds my perception. The environment of those times past would have had interfered less with my experience. As ones state of mind also colours experience like nothing else. I should clarify that my trilling experience at Wigmore Hall was not just related to high spirits. I have had, more recently, a similarly exciting experience at the Royal Opera House during a performance of ‘Pelleas et Melisande’ under Abbado.
I am aware that all of the above raises many issues. The ‘fidelity to what?’ aspect of ‘high fidelity’ is significantly challenged by P.W.B., if live music is taken as ideal. More excitingly, what would a thoroughly treated Wigmore Hall, or opera house be like? My own limited work suggests that imagination cannot construe what the experience might be. On a somewhat different level, the acoustics that performers, particularly singers, have to perform in may account for some of the difficulties we now see in young singers. For example did pre-war singers develop their voices more naturally because they didn’t have to push them through acres of ‘smog’? I propose that someone starts not so much an ‘authentic instrument movement, as an ‘authentic environment’ movement. This would be as relevant to Elvis or Ella Fitzgerald as Beethoven.
It would be valuable to hear if anyone else has tried P.W.B. devices in a live setting. I presume the devices would work just as well with electronic instruments, but have not tested this myself. Let’s hope this avenue is explored further, and more extensively. One sad, yet joyous aspect remains – live music will always stay ahead of reproduced sound.
There is also scope for the discussion of recording processes – try taping something in your new P.W.B. environment.
Compact Discs
After initially playing the disc through once, to check for faults, I apply two narrow strips of Silver Rainbow foil to the label side of the disc, with one of the strips being placed over the ‘Compact Disc’ logo. I then attach a strip of Yellow Rainbow foil at some suitable position, and also a strip of the new Keyboard Black foil. I place the disc somewhere safe at this moment, as I attach Red, Green and Orange Rainbow foil to the case. I place one strip of Red foil on the tray that holds the disc, and another on the back of the booklet (such that it will face the disc). I then attach a strip of Green foil to the front of the case (usually towards the edge) and the back of the case. I also attach one strip of Orange foil to the front of the case, in a similar position to the Green foil, but usually further down that edge. If there are pictures of instruments in the booklet, I would attach a strip of Black Keyboard foil to one of them (especially if it is a piano) and also attach a strip to the back of the case.
At this point using a Marked Green pen, I place small crosses on the tray that holds the disc, and on a transparent semi-circle that hold the booklet in place. I then either put my initials on the back of the case, or draw a green line through the barcode (red may be used for females).
Returning to the disc, I write my initials using the Green pen, in very small letters, close to the hold. I then spray the case and booklet with Morphic liquid in the presence of a lamp treated with Super Rainbow foil and Smart metal etc.
I return to the disc and add four 4cm lines of Violet ink, from the Violet Barcode Pen, to the edge of the disc, orientating the lines, so that they are at 90 degrees to each other. The writing on the disc helps with this orientation (i.e., looking at the disc, with the writing on the label positioned horizontally, one line is placed at the top, and one at the bottom – both parallel with the writing – and two to the edges perpendicular to the writing). I then spray both sides of the disc with Morphic liquid, in the presence of the illuminated, treated lamp, and dry the disc carefully with a tissue. I then tap the 4 Violet lines on the discs edge with both ends of the Violet Barcode pen.
The final stage of treatment is then to freeze the disc, in its case, in a manner that has been described elsewhere – most recently Jimmy Hughes’ article in Audiophile gave a good account of the process.
Whilst this full process seems lengthy and fiddly, I find it increasingly intolerable to play discs that have not had this full treatment.
Vinyl Records
Much of the above is applied to vinyl records. However the Silver, Yellow and Keyboard Black foils are attached to both sides of the label, with one strip of Rainbow foil being placed over a ‘33rpm’ logo if present. The label can be signed both sides with a Green pen. The Red foil is attached to the inner faces of the sleeve, so that they lie opposite the disc. The Green and Keyboard Black strips are placed on the back (the latter preferably on an instrument) and then one Green and one Orange strip are placed on the front cover. Everything is sprayed with Morphic liquid again – under a lamp – and finally the Violet lines are added using the Side One label as reference. After tapping the Violet lines, one can consider the freezing technique, but there is a small risk – in my experience – of inducing a warp with Vinyl Records, and this step seems less critical than with Compact Discs.
My ‘test’ disc on EMI is Elizabeth Schwarzkopf Sings ‘Romantic Opera Arias’ with the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Walter Susskind. Using the track ‘Dich Teuere Halle’ from Wagner’s Tannhauser. This has always been a favourite recording – recorded 1959 – lovely orchestral introduction followed by beautiful singing. With Belt treatment over the years a lovely oboe solo emerges in the introduction and the violin playing is more intense, but the most noticeable difference is in the singing. At ‘Froh’ (gladly) it always seemed to get louder, but now she obviously takes a step forward and is smiling.
George Moscrop
25.2.93
It has come to my attention relatively recently that the process of auditioning P.W.B. devices is of vital importance in assessing their efficacy. The reader may have experienced or read about the increasing effect that the product seem to have after installation with the full effect being recognised some hours or days after installation. This seems related to a learning process whereby the brain responds to the altered pattern that the device generates, usually to good effect. This process can be bridged more speedily by applying and removing the devices 3 times. This procedure appears to facilitate the learning process and possibly maximises the efficacy of the products. It also is useful in demonstrating the products to others.
Is Peter Belt an electronics healer? Do his devices have something in common with the gold ornaments of the Kogi in their paradisical mountain in the High Sierra? Are May and Peter Belt perhaps working with universal energy fields akin to the research of Wilhelm Reich and his orgone experiments?
I think the answers to all these questions are interesting but must remain hypothetical and speculative. So for the time being let’s look at and listen to precisely what is knowable and veriable by obtaining P.W.B. kit and using it.
The many letters and circulated papers from May and Peter have given a framework of thinking in which to account for the results of their work. The writings of Rupert Sheldrake are clearly an important key. The third Law of Thermodynamics will also help for intellectual clarification on these questions.
Here then is a short record or extract from my P.W.B. diary: findings, observations peculiar as they may sound; not theories.
White Spiratube
This white springy plastic spiral was attached to the hot and cold water pipes in the bathroom.
Expectation: Some improvement in Hi-Fi sound in Living Room.
Result: Improved sound.
Observation: The water from the cold tap tasted instantly fresh whereas before it had a musty taste for about 20 seconds until the pressure forced new water through.
Explanation: Some change in the energy field of the pipe prevented the water in the pipe from going stale overnight.
Public reaction to my account of above: Polite amusement.
When same spiratube was attached to central heating pipes in living room the sound improved and painting pipes white also worked.
The above is one of many experiences with P.W.B. Devices.
The gradual but unmistakable improvement in Hi-Fi sound has resulted in a living space in which music reproduced by humble but highly acclaimed separates sounds astoundingly good. One frequent visitor to the flat remarked that he liked my “new” amplifier. Admittedly I had stuck some Yellow circles on the front, but appearance aside, for the first time our visitor was impressed by the sound. (Of course it was the same amp). FM broadcasts sound at times uncanny in their sense of immediacy and precision.
Don’t get me wrong; my equipment sounds like my equipment and I fully realise that someone with a pair of Yamaha NS1000s will hear things which I cannot hear. So, what would happen if the Yamaha NS1000s were Belted?
Last but not least what can be conclude from this repeated experience of improved and improving sound?
Improved sound is a meter for and also a contributor to much more far-reaching changes that are taking place in our environments.
The Morphic Message Gold foil appears to be instrumental in opening up “Nature’s Pathways” and so removing damaging sources of tension and the feeling of being threatened. I would not like to predict the limit to this technology. There could be a sense in which not just the feeling but the threat itself is being neutralised.
As I implied earlier there are avenues of thought which could and will eventually, I believe, lead to a satisfactory framework into which to fit these factual accounts. For the present then, P.W.B.. That is the answer.
Kenneth Hyam
28.3.93
Light Bulbs
Using ordinary light bulbs, I begin the treatment process by applying Smart metal (with a treated soldering iron, of course) to the solder connections at the base of the bulb. Approximately 3-4mm of Smart metal are applied to each connection. After the solder has cooled, I spray the bulb with Morphic liquid, and dry it thoroughly. Using the Violet Barcode pen, I then put a dot on each of the solder connections, and then tap them with both ends of the Barcode pen. I now, having treated many bulbs am able to have any treated lights switched on during this process, which can enhance the process considerably. When the bulb has been treated, it can be inserted into a lamp, which then provides an even better environment for improving a previously treated bulb, using the above processes.
Fluorescent lights remain a difficult problem. Here, I put a small amount of Smart metal on each of the 4 connecting pins. I then spray the entire tube with Morphic liquid. After drying the tube, 4 dots of Violet ink, from the Violet Barcode pen, are placed on the end of each connecting pin, and each dot is tapped with both ends of the Violet Barcode pen. After returning the tube to its fitting – I place them on the outside of the female / socket part of the fitting i.e., over the connecting pins. The new red tie / green disc assembly can usefully be attached to the light bulb.
Lamps and Light Fittings
Each light should have attached the 4 different coloured strips of Super Rainbow foil, for Controlled Photon Activity. The Yellow, Orange and Violet foils are cut into strips, whereas the Blue foil is cut into a small triangle. I usually attach them to the inner aspect of the lamp shade, but have placed them, with success, on the inner aspect of a light switch. After applying foil to that area should be covered with Morphic liquid. If possible, a Barcode label should be attached somewhere to the lamp or light, and subsequently marked with saliva. White Spiratube and Blue and White ring ties should be attached to the lamp or light mains cable, and any free-standing lamp should have a fully treated 13 amp mains plug attached. If the lamp has any steel parts (e.g. base of reading lamp) a treated Magnet can be usefully attached.
I must be one of Peter’s earliest clients, and like many of the more interesting facets of my life, happened seemingly by chance … but, I don’t believe in random chance.
In October 1986 I was making an endeavour to promote a network of Hi-Fi agents to handle the Garrott P77 cartridge.
One of the potential agents was Harrogate Hi-Fi, and when I called upon the two young men who ran the business, they were highly excited because a certain Peter Belt had just left a few minutes earlier and had produced some astounding improvements to their demo room in a most unorthodox way by sticking little black square foils in certain places. I can recall their amusement when Peter had asked them questions such as “Where is the vacuum cleaner?”. “Oh that’s right at the other end of the shop” they said. “Never mind” said Peter, “It needs to be treated”. The two lads swore they could detect an improvement the moment Peter treated the vac.
Well, that is how I became introduced to Peter’s work.
Soon after that I received my first sample pack of black squares, and I decided I wouldn’t mess about trying to detect improvements gradually. I set about the work and used them all up; then I switched on. I was totally convinced. I already had an excellent set-up, and the result was as though I had spent a couple of thousand on an up-grade.
Since then, Peter and May have kept me up to date with developments. Looking back, one of the most intriguing (you see, I love unorthodoxy!) devices was the water clip. In those days I began to develop a little Contract work using P.W.B. products. On two such occasions the clients concerned were very familiar with the quality of their mains water supply. They were amazed that such a simple passive device could improve their drinking water as well as their Hi-Fi.
Gradually I became more interested in the value of P.W.B. products to my environment, and Audio was simply a means to detect that something subtle was changing for the better.
As of now, my view of the world (and attitudes) has changed, and continues to develop at such a rate that I do not feel able to push or fix any particular idea. I don’t want to. To me, in a way, Peter’s work is just one manifestation of the dawning new age. He is manipulating pollution. This is a vast subject, and the whole of our existence (I won’t call it way of life) is tangled in the web of pollution. Every time we turn on a piece of electrical apparatus, use the ‘phone’, or start a motor etc., we are causing pollution. Just mediate if you can on what this means, the scale of it is huge. But all that will surely change. A new day is dawning.
Michael Leach.
For a whole range of reasons, the telephone and telephone number bear upon our senses in a most profound manner. Such problems as with many P.W.B. processes, can be minimised or turned to advantage. I will describe all the different things that can or could be done to a telephone, and many of my statements apply to my application of devices to a telephone with combined answering machine.
i) If access can be readily gained to the inside, a blue Magnadisc should be attached to any printed circuit board (PCB) and a Green one placed above the main PCB, so that it faces the main board with attached Blue Magnadisc. All PCB’s should be initialled using a Green / Red Marked pen, and I also put small crosses in the same ink on as many components as I can. A Yellow Magnadisc should be attached to the rear of the Magnet of the answering machine speaker.
The entire innards should be sprayed with Morphic liquid, and then allowed to dry (I usually place a lamp over such areas to facilitate evaporation).
NB. ANY TELEPHONE ATTACHED TO THE MAINS SUPPLY, MUST BE DISCONNECTED PRIOR TO THE ABOVE WORK.
If it is deemed of aesthetic importance the appliance of Gold foil and Morphic message, Barcode labels etc can be attached to the inner aspects of the telephone.
ii) I would threat the cables at this juncture with White Spiratube, plus Blue and White cable ties. This is applied to Mains and telephone cables, and both are sprayed with Morphic liquid when the devices are attached. The mains plug for the answering machine should be treated as fully as possible.
iii) Following treatment of the cables, I attach a number of benign messages written onto Gold foil – including messages written onto Gold foil – including Anti-Spin for the cassette. A Barcode label, plus the Special Telephone Barcode label are attached, and I also attach a strip of Signed Silver foil. When the Telephone Barcode label is attached, and the telephone re-connected, the telephone numbers of Manila and San Francisco are dialled, and the receiver tapped with the Violet Barcode pen.
iv) The answering machine cassette is treated by attaching a strip of Silver, Red and Orange Rainbow foil. Two Violet lines are drawn along the edges ‘opposite’ the opening where the tape passes along the tape head, and each line is tapped with both ends of the Violet Barcode pen. The cassette is then sprayed with Morphic liquid, as is the outside of the telephone.
v) The telephone thus assembled, may be usefully subjected to 2 freezing cycles, with due care taken with ample time for drying.
vi) The Manila and San Francisco numbers should be redialled etc., when the telephone is reconnected after freezing.
I have written elsewhere that P.W.B. ideas fulfil the criteria of the ‘new idea’ generated by the ‘genius’ or ‘mystic’, but such theoretical formulations scarcely touch the experience of hearing the products for the first time. I hope this personal odyssey echoes that of others, as I think further thought on how one could demonstrate P.W.B. products would be a fruitful avenue of exploration.
I think it was late 1987, or perhaps early 1988, just after Jimmy Hughes’ articles in Hi-Fi Answers that I heard the P.W.B. effect. I had read the articles, and was very interested in hearing the effects of the products – I respected JMH’s views, and had converted to solid core cable with good results around this time I think. Some friends were having an expensive system installed by K.J. Leisuresound, and on a day when a trial system was being installed, I happened to be visiting. The system was being installed by Roy Gregory, who had some P.W.B. devices with him. Excited at the prospect of hearing the notorious P.W.B. brush in action, I sat back to hear what the effect was. I don’t know what I expected, or even what the effect at that point was, but I remember feeling shocked that it occurred. Further A-B testing confirmed the changes induced by the brush on records, and it was heard by all present. Things started to get uncomfortable as light bulbs were treated with fluid, and everything polarised with an early version of the polariser. My certainty that the effect was significant was confirmed when Roy offered to polarise a glass of water, which I could then drink. I refused this, feeling that something akin to witchcraft was going on. The analogy to witchcraft I think is useful, as it may be at some point in the future that the nature of the effect is fully understood, in a comprehensive theoretical framework. AT that point I didn’t know whether I thought Peter should be thanked or immediately chained into a ducking-stool.
I soon purchased the P.W.B. kit of Sol-Electret Black foil, and Brush / fluid. I don’t think I was too outraged by the price then – a detail which forces me to the conclusion that P.W.B. products are increasingly cost-effective, as they are so much more potent now. I had great fun installing them, whilst carefully listening. The sound became clearer, richer, and so much more involving. Details such as the harp on the ‘Presentation of the Rose’ scene from Solti’s recording of ‘Der Rosenkavalier’ were so much clearer. I simply had not heard it (the harp) before. This was with a reasonable system (I thought) – Marantz CD65, Tresham amps, and Linn Kans – but P.W.B. drew out the music and detail in an unforced natural way.
I progressed in time to the Red / Black foils, polarizer, Spiratube – all effective and very necessary. The resistors, and Rainbow foils I think come soon after, with the Violet pen, and everything was smothered in Electret Cream. The Quantum Systems then emerged, and were a significant breakthrough, with the use of Magnastrip and Ring ties proliferating soon after.
Last year was definitely the most exciting from my perspective. Whilst feeling yet more daft at wiping my saliva over various devices, and writing florid messages on foil, I felt closer to the heart of the musical experience than before. My favourite products remain Smart Metal and Morphic Liquid, with the new Rainbow foils on lamps and discs coming close second. As I feel a further list of products that have recently emerged is merely to extend a tedious catalogue, I can only suggest that those that haven’t tried them, enquire about Magnadiscs, Barcode labels, the Barcode Violet pen, New Marked Morphic Liquid, the Red and White Ring Ties for pipes and fluorescent tubes, and Black foil.
After five years of using the products, I think it would be valuable to discuss now what I think the overall effect is. It is tempting to think that shifts in one’s receptivity (or ability to listen) are as much related to the growth in one’s mind that has resulted from using the products at all. In other words, the very novelty of the products liberates one from constraints that interfered with musical appreciation. I do not agree with this, as I have all too readily suffered bad sound – in concert hall or from Hi-Fi and this suggests that I cannot listen to everything in the facilitating fashion that I am accustomed to in my own home. When I have treated the homes and equipment that belongs to others, I have corrected some of the disturbances, which suggests to me that the devices are central to the experience. There is no argument against those that will suggest unconscious dynamics or suggestibility colour such encounters. I can detect the changes blind, but find the anxieties that suffuse blind testing colour the experience rather more than I would like. Referring back to my initial sense that I was experiencing ‘witchcraft’, I ultimately feel that an individual has to have the ability to tolerate the odd or crazy, unthought parts of the self (akin to being able to remember dreams) to tolerate hearing change. As there has never been a substantial or powerful group of P.W.B. advocates publicly acknowledged, the theories of suggestibility might predict that suggestible individuals identify more with the orthodox establishment.
The effect that I have invariably experienced from P.W.B. devices is one that cannot be distanced from the mind or personality, as it ultimately relates to aesthetic experience. Whether the original artist is Pink Floyd, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Artur Rubinstein, or Wilhelm Furtwangler matters not one bit – P.W.B. devices simply bring one closer to the core of the emotional experience that the artist and composer wished to communicate. Whilst sound in sensual terms does improve, the greatest riches are mined from the sense that one has greater access to the emotional truth of a work. Of course greater detail, richness of tone (voice or instrument) and better awareness of time and spatial relationships all add into the experience, but such rewards can also lead to surprising disturbance. The turbulence in a work can suddenly become apparent as the sensuous gloss of Hi-Fi sound clears to reveal musical argument, or fragmentation.
I occasionally have doubts as to whether P.W.B. devices can ever be truly accepted because of the risks of being in contact with disturbing emotional experiences. The ‘fast-food’ nature of our current society, with the emphasis on quantity and speed greatest, may mean increasing in quality – as provided by P.W.B. devices – is simply too challenging. We do however see time and again that necessity truly is the mother of invention, and remedies for the present ills are developed. Elsewhere in the Newsletter some others will write of other aspects of the P.W.B. experience. I would like to leave it for discussion here that Hi-Fi may well have been developed to cloud or nullify the experience of music – people can sit comfortably at home, listening to sanitized sound, without feeling the urge to hear it live – and whilst the reasons for this may be complex, Peter Belt has some formidable cures.
I have borrowed the title of this piece from a distinguished psychoanalyst, Wilfred Bion, who wrote on the dynamics of change with great insight. He particularly emphasised the difficulties of bearing the ‘New Idea’, and the difficulties that both group and individual experience in the presence of the truly new. I hope this piece facilitates more discussion on the problems of P.W.B. ideas, and products, in the world, as well as what might be achieved if they gained wider acceptance. To do this I must draw on my own background and influences, and so if this article is initially apparently irrelevant, it will hopefully snap into focus later.
Wilfred Bion was an extraordinary man, who was no stranger to the difficulties of introducing something new, often to the most difficult individuals (psychotic patients). After an early childhood in India, Bion distinguished himself during World War I, and obtained the DSO. Following an arts degree, he trained as a Doctor, and after qualifying, trained as a psychiatrist. Similarly distinguished in this field he was appointed during World War II to not only organise an effective selection procedure for selecting officers, but also deal with the difficulties of those mentally unfit for work at the Northfield Military Hospital. These two sets of experiences virtually layed down the foundation for group psychotherapy as we now know it, but the reader may also like to register at this point at Bion was effectively sacked from the Northfield Hospital, despite excellent results. Following the war, Bion trained as a psychoanalyst with the revolutionary Melanie Klein, and later applied her ideas to the psychoanalysis of those with severe mental illness e.g., schizophrenia. The ideas that emerged from this work remain revolutionary and astonishingly insightful, and it is from this phase of Bion’s work that I wish to draw some ideas that are pertinent to the P.W.B. phenomenon.
Bion uses the term ‘mystic’ for his descriptions of the harhinger of the new, although he states it is interchangeable with the word ‘genius’ – he felt genius had too many associations for his formulations to be useful. The ‘mystic’ will always have a difficult relationship with the group, as the group will with the mystic. In Bion’s view the “mystics is both creative and destructive” (Bion 1970) but also “The group and mystics are essential to each other; it is therefore important to consider how or why the group can destroy the mystic on whom its future depends and how or why the mystic may destroy the group. “As the mystic makes known his / her new ideas (public-action) the threat to established thought, or rules, or dogma (depending on group type) threatens establishment, the function of which Bion suggests “is to take up and absorb the consequences so that the group is not destroyed”. New ideas potentially destroy vast areas of previous thought, and consequently can be experienced as explosive, and destructive to the society that developed or developed from such thought. To ease the problems of thinking about new ideas, one can look at a number of figures to realize that the relationship of P.W.B. to the group is congruent with the model of mystic and group. May and Peter have used Lister as a model with great success, and it is possible to find other examples in medicine and science (the resistances to Darwin or Freud), art (almost every significant artist) or religion (Jesus, and the heretics of all ages). As it seems likely that everyone will have some knowledge of a religious figure who had a difficult relationship to establishment, I will use this as a model to illuminate matters further.
In the religious model a figure will claim to have access to the deity in some form or other, and this experience will lead to the formulation of the new ideas e.g., Christ’s transformation of Old Testament views to ones of forgiveness, loving thy neighbour etc. The response of established religious group is invariably a variation of the blasphemy or heresy type, and the group resists the new ideas, and condemns them as morally corrupt. There is then often a split within the group of those that follow the mystics (disciples) and create an orthodoxy, and those that persecute the mystic and cry out for the elimination of the mystics. Both are examples of how the group try to deal with the explosiveness of the new ideas that the mystic generates. The role of disciples might initially appear supportive, but close examination will reveal this means of dealing with the mystic creates as many problems. The impact of the ideas is cushioned and perhaps nullified by institutionalisation (e.g., formation of a Church) until the ideas are encased in dogma. The mystic is then enclosed in the establishment, and the disciples argue about who can be a member of the Church, who is qualified, and what the steps required for qualification are. It should be noted in the case of Christ that the disciples questioned Him concerning those who performed miracles in His name.
I think one can see parallels between this schematic description and the impact of P.W.B. on the world. There is the problem of access to an experience that not all acknowledge – adding considerably to ‘mystical’ component. The originality of the P.W.B. formulations painfully opposes conventional wisdom, and the Hi-Fi world has responded largely as the Pharisees did to Christ. The responses have varied from savage attack (e.g., Paul Miller) to overwhelming idealisation (sometime I personally feel guilty of, but I guess could also be attributed to JMH). The ‘unqualified’ public however, have been able to gain access to this ‘mystical’ experience when the ‘qualified’ audio journalists claim not to. The power of the establishment – manufacturers, magazine owners – remains indimmed, although the effective siege of P.W.B. – presumably an attempt to induce financial starvation – by media censorship and falsity confirms discomfort in the group.
This description I hope is helpful in not only opening up the area of how one thinks of the P.W.B. phenomenon in current society / market place, but also in terms of possible actions that might be helpful or problematical in communicating the ideas. Idealisation or deification of the mystic can be as problematical as elimination, as rigid rules proliferate to contain the creativity, and the disciple might alienate the unqualified individual who is receptive to the ideas. The problem then becomes one of how one communicates the extra-ordinary using ordinary means, whilst also overcoming the resistance of the establishment. Bion has indicated that the problem is often one of “the new idea ‘exploding’, the formulation designed to express it”. One soon realizes this when one tries to describe the experience, devices used or (most painful of all) the ideas that led to the devices. The experience is very real, but the form for communicating this less tangible. I do not think that should worry us – science is always developing, and one can scarcely criticize on the grounds that the theory is not yet extensive or indeed comprehensible. I have frequently found it startling that others feel able to criticise Peter’s ideas – who can say that they understand the phenomena well enough to criticise associated theoretical formulations? It may be that I am incapable of truly grasping the fullness of the ideas, as I am incapable of understanding much of Quantum Physics, Cosmology etc. This matters not – I regularly turn on equipment that I have little understanding of – as genius often makes available for general consumption the complex. This should not be taken as grounds for attacking those that generated the ideas or products. It is a crying shame that many manufacturers that Peter has been in contact with over the years fall at this point of understanding, and deprive us of products Belted during manufacture.
Where does all of this take us? I think it should lead us to points where activity is recognised as important, and a range of activities such as campaigning or lobbying considered, if the individual sees value in the wider communication of P.W.B. ideas. The dangers are generation of extreme, dogmatic views on the one hand, and diluted, sanitized communications acceptable to the establishment on the other. Perhaps regular letters to magazines questioning the coverage of P.W.B. might be a start. It is an interesting thought to consider what impact it might have if all the readers of this Newsletter wrote to say Linn or Naim or Quad and asked if they would make a P.W.B. ‘customized’ whatever. Clearly much of this is akin to the processes of Civil Rights groups. If the New Idea is considered a new born child capable of great potential, I think we might find such approaches useful. If not, the smack from the Audio Industry midwife that P.W.B. has already received is likely to be followed by a longer period of being imprisoned in the workhouse.
I would value the views of others on these matters, and in the meantime suggest that everyone rediscovers their pen, which after all is mightier than uncommunicated thought.
References: W. Bion ‘Attention and Interpretation’ Tavistock Publications, 1970.
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