Of course it starts with an apology. Two Newsletters in a year. Oh dear.
Despite the ongoing enthusiasm of all P.W.B. users my time this year has been very limited since the summer, and all good intentions came to little. I am sorry that all those who have been generously sending in articles that it has been so long to get them into print. Also that this Xmas edition lacks those wacky competition entries of previous years. But all is not lost. And thanks to all who contributed.
There have been important developments this year, although I was not able to be part of them myself. Firstly May Belt gave an important talk to a small group of P.W.B. users, and the results can be seen thanks to video. Read about it later this issue.
Secondly, a more impromptu gathering occurred at the Hi-Fi News show in September, where I understand Jimmy Hughes amongst others (including Mr Dymond) chatted with May Belt. It sounded like the high spot of the show, and certainly showed all that P.W.B. had not gone away. May also had some interesting Photograph developments to reveal to certain figures, but of course they were as receptive as brick walls, only less attractive.
Whilst it is difficult to imagine ways forward with such figures when the Digital obsession has spread everywhere, and the chaos of the late '90s reduces even the limited abilities of man to step back and reconsider, it is not all hopeless. Progress at P.W.B. has been steady, yet evermore complex. This year has not seen new products – except the marvellous Clip Tweezers – but improvements to all previous devices. It has been a year for consolidation rather than revolution, though the revolutionary nature of even the most innocent device remains.
I hope in the New Year we can arrange a gathering of Southerner's for May Belt to speak to, and to keep the enthusiasm going. My sense from this Newsletter is that P.W.B. users are enjoying the products, quietly listening to music, or watching TV, in a manner that is miles away from the 'listening for transient attack' bunch who continue to make a fuss because they cannot listen to good music. Michael Leach gives a moving account of such an odyssey in these very pages.
As ever I would like to wish Peter, May, Graham and Susan a Very Merry Xmas, and to thank them for offering us all something better, something to take us away from the harsh distortions of current living.
And my New Years Resolution is to carry on with more Newsletters – so get writing!
Merry Christmas to all Newsletter Readers
Richard Graham
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
Earlier this year May Belt gave a talk to a small group of P.W.B. enthusiasts, in the North of England, and fortunately for the rest of us, the talk was video taped. Whilst the quality of the recording is imperfect, it is of sufficient quality to show the value of such a talk. Indeed, it is a valuable document of the work of P.W.B. It may be possible to organise something similar( further down South I would hope), to address some further points, and clearly a tape of such an event makes it available to a much wider and distant audience. Here are some of the comments, and for those interested in 'renting' the tape, you know who to contact.
RG
***
Just a note to say that I found your video talk spellbinding – in fact when it finished I was very frustrated that there was no Vol. II to watch. A good performance always leaves people shouting for more! You mention in the notes with the video that there are some who think lots on the subject and others who do not. Well, I am one of those who hardly let a day go by without pondering on the implications of your work, not least on Hi-Fi and video. For sure I cannot put on paper in an articulate manner how exciting I find it all, frustrated also that I have not the influence, or am in a position of influence to excite others to the possibilities of P.W.B. products. I have written to the Hi-Fi magazines with no results – one letter in particular in response to a Jimmy Hughes article in which he questioned whether outside influences such as RF could have an effect on how we hear music replayed (indeed there are influences and P.W.B. has been working upon them for years) was the basis of the letter.
I do have a few friends who have read some of Sheldrake's books and might find the Video interesting from that point of view.
Kevin Kehoe
Very many thanks for the loan of the tape of your talk, which I watched and enjoyed. In spite of poor sound in the earlier part of the tape, we could follow what you were saying and the second part was much clearer.
The history of how the P.W.B. discoveries were made was extremely fascinating and the elucidation of the principles which followed shows how the explanation is as startling and important as the P.W.B. sound – improvements in themselves.
I thought that the story of the hearing-aid technician reflected a deep reluctance among the practitioners of Science and Technology to be open to revolutionary ideas. It also seems a great shadow over the world that so many thousands of hearing aid users could be benefiting from these discoveries and are not being given the chance. I myself have heard a pair of cheap headphones go from scratchy sounding to expansive and mellow, by applying a sequence of P.W.B. Foils.
The factor of 'el-cheapo' equipment being made to sound very good indeed is what impresses from your talk, and the explanation that one might go from 20% to 80% of information perceived!
Of course most of these ideas and concepts were already familiar, but hearing your presentation brought them into much sharper focus!
The type of questions that would interest me in a future talk are :-
Once again, thank you for the opportunity of being able to view the tape. I hope that others will see it soon.
Kenneth Hyam
I had an excellent 3 ½ hours on Sunday last listening and watching the lecture given by May Belt of P.W.B.
The information contained within the various stories (true and hypothesised) was absolutely involving, informative and filling out a lot of details about P.W.B. and especially Peter Belt.
As stated, a lot of information was given and was well worth close attention in order to follow and fully understand what proved to be a most enjoyable experience for P.W.B. fans, and also for those unfortunates who do not know a great deal about this wonderful phenomenon.
Don't miss it if at all possible: I mean it!!
Dougie Swann
p.s. Well done May ….and Susan!!
I have just watched through a most entertaining video. It consists of a 3 hour talk by May Belt, in Leeds a few months ago, to a group of Music/Belt enthusiasts. In the notes received with the tape May Belt explained that one of the purposes of the talk was to fill in some of the background of P.W.B. electronics, its formation , and also to get across an overview of what their work is all about. She succeeded on all counts by me. When the tape rolled to its finish, she was still talking, and my only complaint was that the tape was not 5 hours long, as towards the end, a fascinating question and answer session was developing.
I have, over the years, read many of the papers issued by P.W.B. on the various aspects of P.W.B. products, and always found them thought provoking and challenging reading. However, for the purpose of getting a grip on what P.W.B. is all about, this video has advanced me a great deal. Mind you, I don't think that any amount of Belt education will dispel my sense of wonder at the lift in sound quality that comes from, say attaching a small piece of Foil to a water tank – the gap between cause and effect is still too big for my mind to take in.
Something else was made startlingly apparent to me as well. During the talk, May Belt makes mention of Electret Cream. Even though I own a Q Clip and other recent P.W.B. products, I had not tried this fairly early device and so asked May to send some. It was out of curiosity that I wanted to give it a go, and had no big expectations, thinking along the lines that the new devices would have taken the sound to its present level of excellence, with little room for improvement from older products. Wrong!!!
After a few applications to items such as speakers, amplifier covers and various bits of furniture, a further significant improvement occurred. Are new P.W.B. products enhancing the old ones? Are all P.W.B. products individual parts of a whole evolving process?
One thing is for sure, it beats the hell out of other Hi-Fi manufacturers claims of their products future upgradeability.
Can't wait for Vol. II.
Kevin Kehoe
This autumn has brought us something new in TV: Digital chaos. Whilst
having the new Sky service installed was an incredible pain, the quality of the
new service is worth having – but only if you are prepared to treat the
box! It is then that you may get to see truly great pictures…sometimes.
RG
I admit to being a little out of touch with P.W.B. in the last two or three months. My interest in music has been ticking over though and my system seems to be getting better and better. I can only put this down to the continued benefits of the Dome and associated bags that I have been using since late Winter/early Spring. It is particularly noticeable when I have not listened for a while.
For example, I purchased a very good second hand 'Into the Purple Valley' by Ry Cooder. Every time that I play it – and I have been playing it every day – it sounds better.
Is it partly the stylus digging the dust out of the grooves? Whatever it is it appears to be a typical P.W.B. effect. The record just sounds great. There's loads of information coming out and the crispness of the multiguitarist is hypnotic.
Ever since he hit the imaginative hot-spot with his rattlesnake-ambient soundtrack to 'Paris Texas', Ry Cooder has been one of the illusive geniuses of Rock. I think he had a head start over the others because of his name; was it a person or was it a group, one mused, not really bothered, as either would be cool. Either way, Ry Cooder sounded not only like an almost illegal alcoholic drink, but it was a name which became synonymous with 'the best guitarist in the west'.
But where was he going and what was he doing with such amazing talent?
Ryland Peter Cooder was born in Los Angeles on 15th March 1947. He was brought up on a diet of American Roots Music by his guitarist parents, and picked up lessons first hand from blues legend, the Reverend Gary Davis. He worked with Captain Beefheart(Magic Band albums) and the Rolling Stones ('Let It Bleed' and 'Sticky Fingers')before entering into a brilliant solo phase with the Reprise label starting in 1970.
I think it is with these and his subsequent World Music Collaborations that his true legacy lies, even though his fame was spurred on by the ubiquitous soundtrack albums.
Another key influence and collaborator was the blues/world music man Taj Mahal. Both he and Ry Cooder have dug deep into the folk roots of R&B and come up with something that sounds small and intimate rather than mainstream. Their early and late albums conjure up to perfection the back-road chicken-shack America that makes the megalopolis look tame. 'Boomer's Story' was Cooder's second '70s album. On the first track on side two of 'Boomer's Story', Ry Cooder and his musicians create an amazing mix of elemental sounds, but it is the effect of the guitar solos by Cooder himself which is so masterful. It is an original and unforgettable sound wholly appropriate to the theme of the album; poverty and the footloose Railroad life of the 1930s. This is the downside of the American Dream; too raw to be Hollywood, yet with a sweetness of delivery which prevents it from tipping into nightmare or gloom. It is this down-home/upbeat quality that makes this music a joy to listen to.
'Into the Purple Valley' seems to be entirely acoustic, and contains music by Leadbelly, Johnny Cash and Woody Guthrie. There is also a Cooder arranged traditional folksong. 'Boomer's Story' on the other hand is electrically and acoustically conceived. The title song is another traditional song about a man who jumps freights, falls in love, and the abandons his sweetheart because of the call of the wild. As the end of his youth approaches, he realises that he has nothing and makes a plea to be buried beside the railroad so that he can, after his death, 'hear' the trains going by.
It is worth getting these two albums alone if you are not already into Ry Cooder. They work as music to get seriously into because they are thematically sound, but they will also get you onto your feet, at least to dance, or maybe to paint a wall, or place a new Magnadisc or two.
It is worth tracking down 'Into the Purple valley' on vinyl, because of the textured gatefold sleeve. Treated with Morphic Liquid this shines as one of the best album covers that I've ever seen. The front is of an image of an open cream-coloured car being driven by 'Ry Cooder'? And besides him, a woman in a fancy hat. The car is driving ahead into a rainstorm, but the hood (or do I mean the bonnet?) is still down and raindrops are pouring off of the bonnet (or do I mean hood?).
Inside the gatefold, the same car is parked outside of a 1930s hotel, with various period signs and other automobiles. You can see that the cream-coloured car is in fact a cream Cadillac, with white-walled tyres (one of which is flat). It is a luxurious car in a prosperous place. The depth-of-field of this colour photograph reveals trees and high-rise buildings in the background. The image of the smiling man and his girl, booth snazzily dressed, somehow suggests a flight away from security into the great unknown. How long, one wonders, will their money last? Have they already gone past the point of no return? The images on the cover, of course, do not match the songs which are rough and ready in their authentic roots imagery. But the images on the cover complement the songs perfectly. It is almost as if Cooder has turned the tables on those movie directors who used his visionary guitar and mandolin to supplement the visions of their films: he has made a filmic artform out of a handful of deep country songs.
The corollary to these trawlings of his 70s albums is the reassuring discovery that Cooder is still venturing into the musically little-known-but-seminal. He has come up currently with an album called 'Buena Vista Social Club' on World Circuit.
This is a collaboration on CD with the top traditional Cuban folk musicians. It comes with a 44 page booklet outlining the history of the tradition with lyrics of all the songs in Spanish and English. Again, this is a must for anyone who likes the sound of the people filtered through the consciousness of a master.
I do not think that any of the above would have become clear to me unless I had been applying P.W.B. techniques environmentally, and on the discs and records themselves. I also think that my ability to appreciate and discriminate in music has expanded per se, through P.W.B.. As time passes, this becomes more ingrained in me as a person.
Albums: 'Boomer's Story' Ry Cooder REP44224
'Into the Purple Valley' Ry Cooder REP2052
CD: 'Buena Vista Social Club' Produced by Ry Cooder WCD050
Kenneth Hyam
Readers will know that for many a year I debated with the much missed Peter Turner over the pros and cons of upgrading equipment in the conventional way within the pages of this Newsletter. I don't think that we ever reached a conclusion, although there was always a part of me that wished to believe that expensive equipment would be much better. After all, the design and build of some products must count for something?
This year, my financial position has been such that I have been able to explore this matter again, and perhaps have some sense of an answer for myself, although it is far from satisfactory. Readers may remember that in recent years I was obtaining excellent sound from a budget Pioneer Amplifier (A400) with a Marantz budget CD Player. The Marantz was eventually replaced, because the transport was not tracking properly, with a Pioneer CD Player. With Domes atop of everything, all was good. However, the facilities on the Amplifier were limited, and the build whilst satisfactory, lacked a sense of solidity – something I associated with good British amplifiers; this was purely a physical complaint, not a sonic one. I also wondered what a Domed 'better' product might sound like.
I explored what I wanted, and thought a bit more power and flexibility of inputs would be good. I had a couple of Demonstrations at Hi-Fi Experience on Tottenham Court Road, and whilst they were far from satisfactory in many ways, I was taken with the build and features of the Audiolab range. Although now no longer with us in their then guise, I decided to go ahead and purchase a Pre/Power set-up and matching CD Player. These purchases were staggered which gave me something of a chance to think about the different introductions into the system.
It would be true to say that straight out of the boxes, the equipment was not as good as the budget products that had been treated. They weren't that bad either. They were certainly well made, and reassuringly heavy, but that was it. Matters of power and tunefulness were irrelevant; the more expensive Audiolab items appeared to have little to offer.
I suspected that this would be the case, having been distressed in the past by new pieces of equipment that sounded shocking compared with the supposedly inferior yet treated products. I knew that work was needed however, and part of my budget included much P.W.B. devices, including Domes. Of course one of the biggest problems of buying separates is that they require even more devices than integrated items, and one experiment that would be well worth trying would be to see if a fully Belted, say, Yamaha Home Cinema Receiver has advantages in cost and performance over separate items. I digress.
Bit by bit the work occurred, carefully applying Foils, Magnadiscs, Ferrites and Slave Labels to the insides of the boxes, with the Dome device to sit on top. I have given up on any soldering activity, and the related use of Contracaps, since we know that suitable patterns can get into products by virtue of a pair of Tweezers and a crocodile Clip. I thought the above should be enough. The end result was interesting, but it was also coloured by such things as the Yellow Clip Tweezers, and any other progress at P.W.B. Central, which of course improves all previous products.
So what was I left with. Well, a very nice sound, but not one that was commensurate with all the monies involved. It was a step froward in some areas – noticeably resolution - but hardly worth jumping up and down about. However, I wasn't disappointed as the changes allowed me some other developments, by virtue of increased inputs etc. But I am now a seasoned P.W.B.ian, and I wasn't expecting much. So where does it leave us? These are my current thoughts.
It is clear to me that certain developments in science do give rise to better results. Since the introduction of CDs, we have seen advances in their mastering, and in recording that are easily detectable, and clearly beyond the influence of P.W.B. – unless by Morphic Resonance, others are unconsciously incorporating his ideas. HDCD recordings do sound that bit better. Perhaps DVD will be better still. However, the difference between such advances is small compared to that of a treated vs. untreated disc. Much the same applies to equipment. Equipment might evolve in some ways, but the improvements brought about by P.W.B. products, to my mind, are more significant. They are not the only way up the mountain, but the surest way of reaching the top. Indeed, it remains that treating peripheral items i.e. items not directly connected with equipment can have a more significant effect than changing the equipment. I found this out, by treating some old cassettes and LPs with the Tweezers and Clip. Quite, quite staggering.
One sometimes has to tolerate the imperfections and frustrations of the world whilst pursuing something better. Until there can be a real synthesis of P.W.B. ideas with available equipment we will have to carry on, buying the unsatisfactory, and then improve it. Whilst this burden remains, the results of this approach are ever sweeter.
Try re-Clipping your light bulbs for a winter treat(ment)!!
Richard Graham
Creating the right atmosphere for Xmas is always a challenge, but don't forget how P.W.B. products can help bring peace and feelings of well being. Give a friend some Rainbow Foil, or treat their Christmas Tree lights with your Clip and Yellow Tweezers. If there is any suggestion of laughter, share a few choice Morphic Messages! Take your Morphic Hammer to any party or event and tap any or every drink to increase the party spirit(s).
If all else fails, go home and Clip everything you can before Xmas Eve, it will make the Yuletide really groovy! RG
I have been a user of P.W.B. products for a number of years (since Paul Benson was advocating 'Screw Alignment' as Editor of 'Hi-Fi Review'!) and recently purchased The Clip. The profound improvement in the dynamics and clarity of my music system was, to say the least, surprising.
I have been receiving copies of the Newsletter from May Belt and have found it very interesting and informative as to what products are available.
The main purpose of my letter is to express my interest in a get-together of P.W.B. enthusiasts, and having retired recently, would probably have little difficulty (holidays excepted) in fitting in with any dates which may be suggested.
Graham Mountford
During the years 1986/1992, I underwent a major crisis in my life. Come to think of it, I first encountered Peter Belt and his wacky work in 1986, so he most likely played a part in it all (have you noticed his mischievous twinkly eyes?!)
During those years, I was 'in the business' running, amongst other things, the Parabolic Stylus Co., promoting the work of the Garrott Bros. in Australia; so of course I was able to indulge myself legitimately with up-market gear.
My first taste of P.W.B. Electret foils was to bring a halt to the hitherto unquenchable quest of upgrading. At last, here was another way of doing things – of improving what was already there. This experience also brought another benefit for my tired soul – a small sense of excitement in disturbing the status quo – granted, only for a selected few.
Nevertheless, every little helps.
In 1992, My crisis intensified. By that time most of my business world had dissolved, but then we went the whole hog; my wife and I sold just about everything that we had – house, furniture, fittings, Hi-Fi, large record collection etc., and for quite a few quite blissful months we rented a small furnished cottage deep in the Devon Countryside, where we began to take stock of our lives. We soon noticed how much lighter we felt.
Looking back it seems that having shed so much stuff, we were in a good place to continue "to improve what was already there" – shades of my first P.W.B. experience.
Until recently, my only source of listening was via an old Roberts radio – heavily Belted of course, and I used it as a sort of yardstick to check our environment in using P.W.B. devices.
A few months ago I noticed an advert for the tiny Bose Acoustic Wave Music System, the whole thing in one unit just 18"x10"x6½". I was intrigued by the blurb and offer of a 14 days free trial. So we went for it, and got hooked. It is amazing, considering the size.
Then I began to discover how far behind I had become in P.W.B. Matters. I checked through my old Newsletters and am now earnestly trying to get the utmost I can from this intriguing little system.
So far I haven't dared enough to get fully inside. I'm trying to track down a service manual. I know from past experience that once I can safely get inside and apply Contracaps, Magnadiscs and Foils, it should really sparkle. Anyone know their way around?
Michael Leach
Dear Sir,
Can one of your Technical reviewers or readers explain how the lettering on a Compact Disc affects the perceived sound quality from that disc when it is played, or is this another of life's' sweet little mysteries. I ask because some time ago I accidentally spilled Methylated Spirits over a favourite C.D. (Decca 411 932-2 THE BLUE DANUBE.,V.P.O./Boskovsky). Bought in the early days of C.D. and played many times, I know the sound well. Wiping off the spillage caused some of the lettering to be smeared, the playing side being untouched .
When the C.D. was next played, a few hours later, the sound quality now seemed noticeably improved. I just couldn't believe the spillage was the possible cause, so, being a sensible Lad from up North I did ,in the circumstances, what any sensible Lad from up North would do , I put it down to my imagination. However, I couldn't get away from the fact that each time I played the disc during the following weeks; I had no doubts the sound was now something special .Curiosity eventually became to much ,I decided if a few blurred words had caused the good effect then more blurred words or even removing words should be better still. I set to work with Artists Paintbrush and Methylated Spirits and incredibly my hopes were confirmed. The more the lettering was removed the better the sound until virtually all wording had been cleaned off.
Now for a second C.D. and the same result. This was wonderful, I had discovered a method of upgrading my entire C.D. collection and at no cost. I couldn't wait to get to work on the rest of them. The bad news is; the Meths would only work on early Decca discs that are printed with a Light Blue lacquer. Later Decca discs, which are printed in Dark Blue, and all other manufacturer's labels have a hard enamel that I found to be impervious to Meths, Paint Thinners, Lighter Fuel and even Brush Cleaner. Finally I succeeded by using Industrial Paint Stripper. Now, using Industrial Paint Stripper to clean off the lettering from CDs is a dodgy business ( not to mention a very messy business ) so I will not go into details of the technique I perfected; I learned the hard way at the cost of several discs. Oh, and don't think you can do it the easy way by obliterating the letters by painting over them with Black paint. I have tried that one, the sound changes alright but not for the better - to my ears. The good news is; I later learned that P.W.B. Electronics in Leeds, supply a clear self adhesive film that one cuts into 2mm strips that are placed over the C.D. label lettering. I found six strips to give such excellent results that my entire C.D. collection (over 350 ) have now had the clear film treatment. The more clear film strips the better of course.
Referring now to Readers Letters August'98 - Jim Kennedy and his Asthmatic dog. I doubt the Ioniser made ha'porth o' difference to his Hi-Fi equipment. I suggest, while the Ioniser was improving Jim's dog it was also improving Jim and sharpened his perception. The sound from his Hi-Fi equipment therefore seemed to have improved .I believe it is in a similar way why P.W.B. clear film is also effective. Which reminds me, when the atmospheric pressure is high and the temperature is cool, then is when Hi-Fi sounds best to me. However I do not study the Weather Forecasts to forward plan my listening pleasure but given the insight you might like to listen for yourself to discover whether you hear a difference.
Yours faithfully.
Tom Marsden
This letter although clearly addressed to a less sophisticated thinker it reminds us again of the many and subtle erosions into our listening pleasure. Given the state of the audio industry currently, I suspect that Hi-Fi News is currently managed by the figures below?
RG
Since my last letter I am now using the Clip plus Tweezers. The brilliant results obtained from the Dome plus Bag spurred me on, together with the reports recommending it in the Spring Newsletter.
I can only say that my first few applications of the Clip have come up with simply astonishing results. An LP which sounded dull and compressed came to life after full treatments, involving the Purple Pen, Red 'X' Pen, Foils, and then the Clip. The interesting thing about it was that it did not sound like the same record, so dramatic was the improvement.
I had purchased this 'new' LP from a record shop the same day; Pablo Casals and Rudolph Serkin recorded in the early '50s playing Beethoven's Cello Sonatas. When I played it without treatment I thought the poor sound was due to poor live recording techniques of the '50s. But after treatment the sound would give most modern recordings a run for their money.
The Cello was now rich and deep in tone and clear, whereas before it had been muffled; the piano came in as an emotional partner, not as a tinkling background. If someone had told me that it was a new expensive amplifier producing this sound, I would have believed them, I would have thought it worthwhile to replace my old amp. With this brilliant new one. As it was, the ONLY difference was in the treatment of the record.
The combination of Dome and Clip technology is the best thing since sliced bread. But in this case you get the whole loaf whenever you want to help yourself to a slice.
Is there any news of the Talk? It may be that only a handful of people might be interested , but there must be some Hi-Fi Journalists out there who are still silently using P.W.B. techniques.
Kenneth Hyam
August 1998
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