Acceleration of one's experience of the passing of time appears not to be that unusual an occurrence nowadays, and it sure seems a mere hairsbreadth ago that we were celebrating last Christmas. What is extraordinary is that so much has happened, both in the world, and with P.W.B. Yet here we are again.
It is traditional to celebrate what has been achieved over the year at this time, and reflecting upon the P.W.B. output this year, one cannot fail to be impressed. Starting with the AC Power Corrector, then later the Real Foil, New Tweezers, and finally the Purple Products, it has been quite extraordinary. There have been the parallel developments in communication, with a (sometimes?) lively Discussion Group on the Yahoo Site, with the usual sniping and mockery on other sites. It is dreary work to have to keep responding to such infantile taunts, but worthwhile if only to prove using P.W.B. devices is not the same as being an idiot.
Peter's work though has been much more interesting. I have struggled, rather poorly, later in this Newsletter to capture something of my own experience with this years products. I feel we have turned a corner, and are now into something quite new, as the quality of perceived sound for myself is quite different from that before. I find this particularly hard to describe as P.W.B. devices have, on the whole, all improved detail, range, naturalness of the sound. Yet the Real Foil, Tweezers and Purple Products do all of this, only more so, and in quite a different way. How can one describe the even further improved naturalness, of voices tones so honeyed and liquid that one could almost drink them. And what has happened, or more exactly what has underpinned these changes that one perceives.
For myself, these products have challenged afresh both my understanding of Peter's developments and of nature itself. I won't repeat myself here, as you can wrestle with my fumblings later. We are certainly in the realms of science speculation here (and hopefully not science fiction) and I have not thought so clearly for some time how we may have to be the Newtons, or perhaps more so, the da Vincis of our time describing something that may not be fully realised until later. This may seem grand, and is certainly not much solace to those that hope for immediate change, but I think it captures the enormity of the task. How could da Vinci have described the helicopter to his Renaissance chums, and how could Newton have truly known the gravity of his discoveries! This is the difficulty of not being conventional, of pushing the envelope. The problem of not having the language or appropriate framework to understand the phenomena. I hope others, as they frequently do in these pages, or in the discussion forum, continue to struggle with the uselessness of words in trying to capture just what we experience.
I suggest this repeatedly, not just to fill these pages – a worthwhile goal admittedly – but to reaffirm the importance of registering all observations. The P.W.B. users are clearly not a bunch of mindless conformists, and are capable of independent thought; I deduce this simply because you have read so far! But we must also be cautious that in a world largely hostile to invention, we do not feel the urge to conform to some monolithic body of ideas (or experiences that everyone must agree to) because others are so hostile to them. A group has strength if it can tolerate diversity, but also the very real differences of opinion. Let us celebrate them. If a product doesn't work for you, let us explore why. What does it mean? Is it an individual issue, or an aspect of the product? There have been diverse responses to the AC Power Corrector, yet the Real Foil seems to be a unanimous success (so far). What can we make of this? We might assume Peter has had an off day and later a very good day. But without feedback, we can't even speculate with the skill of a Roman soothsayer.
As I have indicated, this has been a sad, frightening and extraordinary year. One in which despair and hope have marched together, and one in which we can scarcely know what can happen in 2002. Peter has certainly shaken our preconceptions, and we might wonder what next year will bring. When there is so much change, we might need to keep ties (and not the Ring-type ones) more alive, and perhaps we can all make more effort with the Discussion Forum. I write this because no matter how positive the experience, using Peter's products can be a lonely business – and were it not for the extraordinary support of his wife and family, one might feel quite sad for Peter himself – if we are hitting something truly new, we may need to check out that madness has not finally set in.
Yet at this festive time, we must also appreciate the very great contributions that have generously been offered over the past year. A special place I think must be offered for Kevin's endlessly witty cartoon's, and vibrant tales of his musical explorations. But there are not just stalwart, regular contributors who have enriched the Newsletter this year, but fresh, new contributors, offering their very informative thoughts from near and far. The reports of their experiments, and what worked, and what didn't, are always informative.
Our thanks must ultimately end with Peter, May and Graham. What a year! Their death-defying pursuit of the phenomena that have gripped us for many years remains as awesome as ever. This sort of dedication is unfashionable now, when the quick return, the fast buck are often the most valued approaches to living, and this dedication can only deepen our gratitude. At this time of years, banal phrases, almost devoid of all sincerity, take over, which leads me to suggest that the P.W.B. team 'Keep Up the Good Work'.
I look forward to communicating with you again in the discussion forum over the next months, otherwise whilst waiting for Spring, I can but wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and some great musical experiences.
Richard Graham
Address for correspondence
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The Colour Purple
What is it with certain colours that indicates to us something special? Purple haze, purple rain, and the 'purple patch' distinguish the colour purple as something special. It is the colour of nobility, or royalty, of something extraordinary. P.W.B. has used this colour for some time, for example in the pen that marks the outer edges of discs and tapes etc.. But we have recently entered a new phase, and the colour purple appears to have got even more special. Here's the story…
Purple Ties and Purple Magnadiscs
Few, apart from the Belt family themselves know how much I persecute Peter with crazy requests and demands. I continue to beg for an upgrade for the Electret Disc or Photo Wallet (see, I don't miss an opportunity!), but more recently I became obsessed with freezing.
Like Kevin, I am in the process of moving, and the idea of moving into a non-treated flat fills me with horror. Kevin has described the unpleasantness of this situation, and I have been planning strategies to ensure that I am not flooded with bad sound, poor vision, and general awfulness! (And of course it is at this juncture I am fully aware of how advantageous a new Photo Wallet would be, as it almost inoculates one from such nastiness. Dear Santa…). And so I ring Peter to ask if it is worth me re-freezing everything – cables and amps etc. – in an attempt to nullify the effects of moving somewhat. Of course I am armed with Morphic Liquid and Electret Cream, and the Tweezers, but I did consider re-freezing in my fully treated freezer the way forward.
Peter suggested I hold on as he was working on something that may obviate the need to freeze equipment. This was an exciting thought as it is always a worry that putting electronics in the freezer might damage them in some way. I asked what was brewing, and he talked of perhaps a Ring Tie. I was therefore beside myself with excitement.
After much pestering, Peter informed that some Purple Ring Ties were finished, and that they did indeed get around the problem of freezing cables. But these Ties did more; they not only obtained the same effect as freezing, but went much further with it. Attached to a piece of equipment, they imparted to that piece, similar benefits. Further, the effect of the Purple Ring Tie was enhanced by applying the Quantum Clip to it when it was in situ. I could hardly wait.
With the sample Tie, as is often the case, Peter sent down a Tie attached to a crocodile clip, so that one could apply the Tie, in a manner of speaking, and then remove it. The Tie is indeed purple, and in some ways reminiscent of the Missing Link Ties, as there are a number of washers glued to the end. When one holds it, no sparks fly, and nothing else happens. It doesn't even make you feel very much when it is held. This may be related to the fact that this Tie works very effectively in relation to the issue of having so much copper in the home. But, as often the case, when beholding the device, we're hardly in the world of Harry Potter. So what was Peter on about?
Well applying the Tie/clip to the mains lead of my pre-amp processor, after listening to a piece of music, it truly defied understanding that this Tie changed the perception of the sound so much. The effect was somewhat reminiscent of the Real Foil, only the effect went much much further. The sound opened up in a very natural manner, with subtle details emerging in an impressive, yet unobtrusive manner. The level of detail really was special, but so was the smoothness. We were worlds away from such things as digital glare, or analogue fuzz. The sound was naturally there, with nothing to take one away from it; just like a good performance in fact. What was interesting was that this effect is similar in some ways to the effect of a good freezing, but it truly went further. Indeed the processor had been frozen relatively recently, and it was still much better for the Tie.
Applying a Tie permanently helped a great deal more, as did applying the Quantum Clip to the Tie when attached properly to the cable. Very pleasing.
Happy with this, yet strangely demanding, I asked Peter about something else – probably freezing, as I had attached a Purple Tie to the freezer AC power cable (wow!) – and he informed me that something else was on the cards. After a severe grilling – 'What like?' – Peter revealed to me the legend of the Purple Magnadisc. This was a new Magnadisc that took the effect of the Purple Tie further, when directly applied to the piece of equipment. Again, applying the Quantum Clip to it when in situ would bring further advances.
One of the difficulties of writing about such a device is how to convey its benefits without hyperbole or its converse. This time a rather circular disc of magnetic material, with a purple/violet top arrived , and again it is not much to behold. Applying this device to the processor, whilst listening to a CD, really took the breath away. What hit me most was an expansion of the recorded ambience. The sound that I heard just opened up in a quite fabulous way. Recordings that had previously seemed dry and studio-based, now seemed more three-dimensional, with that lovely quality of 'airiness' entering. These details make the difference between listening to a 'recording' and listening to an event. Again, the effect echoes the freezing process, but is much much greater.
So very good, and better when the Clip is rested against it, and squeezed, when stuck to the product.
One detail which I have found odd, and you can read about this further later in the Newsletter, is that I found the effect of these products pretty immediate, and they did not 'grow' in effect. I have no explanation for this except that some of us respond to some devices better than others, and perhaps these products really suit me. I imagine though they'll be good for everyone, and give you that rich, room-filling sound that makes it all worthwhile.
There's only one way to find out!
Next Newsletter, the new Electret Disc…..
R.G.
After my enthusiastic endorsement in the last issue of the film 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' I'm delighted to report that the latest Coen Brother's film is currently doing the rounds. This time, set in the forties, it's a thriller, shot in black and white (which is as effective in setting the mood as the music was in the previous movie) and it has a wicked streak of humour running though it, and is every bit as entertaining as 'O Brother'.
As it happens it is also P.W.B. relevant. At one point a defence lawyer, in an attempt to inject a little contemporary science into his dialogue, makes a reference to the new thinking on the nature of Quantum Particles; 'The more you look the less you see' – a reference to the dual nature of light; is it a particle or is it a wave? And what does the latest P.W.B. device purport to demonstrate? Yes! The workings of Quantum Particles.
About two months ago I received from P.W.B. an experimental kit. It consists of two plastic bags each containing various pieces of paper upon which are various symbols and printed words. I assume others have received similar kits so I won't go into full details. The idea is to test the Belt effect at a distance or, to be more accurate, demonstrate the actions of Quantum Particles. It is unfortunate that the last few months have caught me in work overload, along with a few other problems to sort out, so I've barely had a moment to play a CD let alone conduct a worthy test of such a potentially awesome device.
The test requires that one of the bags remains within the listening room whilst the other is removed to a place outside the listening room – upstairs for example. After listening to some music, another person with the bag upstairs removes one of the printed papers from within the bag and signals me to replay the music. A downturn in sound quality should have taken place. Initial tests within the house, with me not knowing the status of the bag upstairs seems to indicate this is exactly what happens! I'm about to start a test which involves my brother taking a bag with him on his travels around the country. We've yet to work out the details such as whether to operate the experiment in day long periods – 9am-10pm for example – and for me to play some music at a time between and note my reactions. We would then compare notes after the passing of, say, seven days. The other possibility would be to consider the tests each evening with a run of about ten listenings per evening over two or three days. Either way I propose to send the results to Richard Graham in the near future.
(I am convinced about this action-at-a-distance, as I am often aware of the knock-on effects of positive changes occurring in Leeds regularly. If anyone is planning a similar test to Kevin I would suggest trying to limit the time frame, as Peter may be changing things in Leeds which would confound things R.G.)
I've always loved music recorded with a minimum of fuss. Some of the most pleasing sounds off records I own were recorded on four track tape or DAT machines. Minimum line up bands I also find very exciting. Guitar, bass and drums are the usual bare essential. But! I've just come across a band with one instrument less than even this sparsity. If anyone had watched 'Later with Jools Holland' on the evening of 9th November 2001, they could not have ignored one of the bands featured. An American brother and sister on guitars and drums respectively, called 'The White Stripes'. The CD is called 'White Blood Cells' and it is a wonderfully raucous blues based album of songs that reaffirms for me why I buy music. At least hear it if you can.
Finally as a follow-up to what I said about the 'O Brother' film in the last issue.
The musicians featured in the film soundtrack recorded a live concert at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. The documentarian D.A. Pennebaker put out a film of the event along with a CD. The CD has been available for some time now, but the film is just released on DVD and video. Both Film and CD are called 'Down From The Mountain.'
Again the recipe is simple; people playing lovely music with no added extras.
Kevin Kehoe
U.K.
Dear Editor,
It is obvious that language has an effect on our senses, as the Belts use printed messages on some of their devices. What I have been wondering, is if it matters what national language is being used. Would I, as a Swede, get more out of P.W.B. products if the messages were translated into their equivalencies in Swedish? Or, is it the content that is important, and the choice of national language is of no importance? Have the Belts perhaps already experimented with different languages, and found that English is the best choice? After all, it is the world language.
For those with a Red 'x' pen, this could be tried out very easily. Customers with any other native tongue than English, could try A-B tests with the messages that can be written with this pen. Just try to find a translation that equals the content in what you normally would have written in English. (I know that your own name and brand names does not apply in this case, but I believe that there have been customers experimenting with their own messages. Such messages could be translated.) English customers could also try this. They could compare their original messages with a translation into some other language that they are familiar with.
God jul och gott nytt år!
(Swedish for Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year)
Mats Lindberg
Sweden
Many people writing in the discussion forum noted a somewhat strange experience of the effects of the Real Foil growing over time. This is an experience that could be put down to other things, as through a combination of new processes and Morphic Resonance, the foils are always getting better. But this seemed too fast, even for P.W.B.
Then I noticed with some of the live experiments that I undertook that whilst just pushing the closed end of the New, Improved Tweezers against seats led to an improvement, the effect seemed greater thirty minutes later.
It has certainly been the case with past products that one had to take time to adapt to the new patterns, no matter how beneficial, and through taking the device off and reapplying repeatedly, the brain could adapt. Again this seems different, as the recent effect just seems to keep growing, and I am relatively used to the benefits of the Real Foil and Tweezers already. Very interesting, but what is happening?
P.W.B. will tell us, were we to ask, that his products interact, or perhaps enhance each other. The clearest example is perhaps that of the Room Device, written of earlier this year, as this enhances the effect of all the P.W.B. devices in the room treated. No mean thing. Now given the enormity of this change, perhaps we are in a situation where an interaction is occurring – at least in terms of how it impacts upon our senses – and perhaps it takes much longer for it to register. But therein lies a puzzle. How can these different devices interact?
It is very difficult to avoid anthropomorphising this process, yet the links to nature cannot be avoided. Sheldrake's work on Morphic Fields suggests to us processes in the universe which really seem to be beyond particles whizzing through the universe. If patterns are transmitted, there is information, or perhaps a sort of intelligence that is transmitted, and this is in relation to living elements in the environment. What is the nature of this? How can we understand it?
I cannot offer much in the way of answers but would emphasise again that there are certain beliefs about our world that may not match the true reality. Matter is casually defined as inorganic (or lifeless) or organic. Yet matter we know is comprised of energy and information, and is far from dead, in the sense of it being static and non-interactive. Is there a level of interaction which is akin to, but distinct from, animal or plant life?
When one experiences the sort of changes that come with products like the new tweezers or Real Foil one is experiencing a complex world of interactions, between devices and observers, and all of these interactions have consequences. It is possible to consider at one level that P.W.B.'s devices are 'consciousness-raising' and that we learn to listen better. Yet it still feels like the devices themselves are getting up to things! If a device is linked through a Morphic Field to other ones, and a change in one leads to a change in another what is that called – is it just resonance, since resonance doesn't appear to lead to permanent change? Should there be a term 'Morphic Communication'? Sheldrake has certainly been absorbed by such phenomena, as evinced by his interest in telepathy. Yet does this occur at particular levels? Would that account for the increase in effect over time? We are then only left with the question of why such changes are beneficial to our senses. Peter tries repeatedly to make sense of this, but it remains difficult to really take in why the products 'work'.
As I have written in the Discussion Forum, we appear at times to be confronted by a brave new universe, perhaps with new energies emerging and new processes. Man's arrogance is to assume that we simply discover what has always been there, and there is nothing much beyond ourselves that evolves. But 'evolution' remains rooted in Darwin, and whilst his towering achievement remains one of the peaks of scientific enquiry, there may be even more to evolution that even his genius could deduce.
So what do we do? Well, as Sheldrake indicates, we need to keep reporting our observations, however absurd, and not one finding, whether good or bad should be ignored. There are pockets within the scientific community – as evinced by those working within the field of Chaos – that affirm how we need to acknowledge the aberrations as well as the corroborations, more especially in this quirky world of P.W.B. Phenomena.
This Newsletter is clearly a place where many – and I have fond memories of the late, great Peter Turner's twists and turns of his views – have put forward all their feelings, and for those that can, the Discussion Forum is that bit more immediate. This is all the more important when we appear to be dealing with phenomena that are even strange for the hardened P.W.B. user. And this of course takes us back to the strange effects of the Real Foil.
Many of us report very positive effects with this Foil, and of it's effect being more noticeable with time, but is its effect different from other products?
Well I would contest that it is, and that its effect may be influencing us, and perhaps other P.W.B. products in an extraordinary way. It has felt to me so different in effect that it really seems like we haven't so much tapped into a new process as a new energy. That feeling this foil gives me is of extraordinary freshness and lightness, and of an amazing naturalness. And of something new. You will read of other new products in the Newsletter that go even further in this direction. Curiously, they don't seem to 'grow' in quite the same way!
This process of speculation may seem mad to some, and if anyone wishes to assess my mental state they are very welcome. But we really must be able to report such experiences without fear or ridicule. The 'engineers/measurers' have parted company with us some time ago, and there cannot be much more to fear. Perhaps we have to use our imaginations and our intuitions, like the Nobel Prize winners that found their solutions in their dreams. We may be right, we may be wrong, but we'll certainly be thinking. So read this as not just an invitation to enjoy the benefits of P.W.B. devices, but as an offer to report your speculations in this ever more complex world.
R.G.
Well, I have been in from the beginning with P.W.B. products. Starting with the initial Black foil that was cut into triangle shapes, and the notorious brush for stroking the cones of loudspeakers. So over the years I have had considerable experience of some extraordinary foils and devices from the P.W.B. stable. However, hardened 'Beltist' that I am, I was unprepared for the experience over last weekend when I first applied the new 'Real' foil.
The test disc I chose was the Karajan recording of 'The Planets'. This disc was released in the mid 80's and has been played many times and of course over the years it has become heavily plastered with foils as P.W.B. introduced new types. In fact, you could say this disc represents a physical record of the evolution of P.W.B. technology in foil production. Nowadays there isn't much space left on the disc but I do find a gap for a strip of the new foil. You will therefore appreciate that I know the sound on this disc and, unlike LPs, over the years the sound has got better rather than depreciated. To say it has got better really is a massive understatement – believe me.
I chose track 3 – Mercury (I always do) played it through a couple of times to give me a reference; then attached the foil strip and pressed play again; then stood back to listen for any subtle differences.
Looking back I still shake my head in disbelief that a small strip of plastic placed on a CD can have such a profound effect on the perceived sound coming from the Loudspeakers.
Before the music even started I knew this was something special since I could feel the atmosphere in the Philharmonie – where the recording took place. Then as the music commenced I was aware of a richness, warmth and vitality to the sound that made previous listening vapid by comparison. Part way through there is a solo violin which now came into sharp relief and sounded so exquisitely sweet as never before, leaving me with the feeling of please let it carry on. Massive orchestral passages were much easier on the ears with the ability to differentiate the various sections of the orchestra like never before.
Towards the end of the piece when the drum comes in I noticed how the modulations seemed to last longer as the sound died away and the final light tapping of the drum was lifted from the background.
In my youth, to describe something of outstanding quality, we would say 'it's a Belter'. The goal that David Beckham scored against Greece in the World Cup was, of course, 'a Belter'.
The new 'Real' foil, and now you are well ahead of me; is, without question, 'A BELTER'.
Happy 'Belting' to everyone.
Tom Marsden
UK
********************
Note from P.W.B.
We have decided to continue the advantageous price for the "Real" Foil for a further three months, i.e. until 31st March 2002.
I don't actually know how many people who write of the 'Gold Standard' of live music often experience it. This may even be a little out of date, as in the world of home cinema, the degree of fidelity to intergalactic space war is more difficult to assess. However, since the reported advances of SACD/DVD-A are related to more detail, especially ambient detail, one would think some awareness of the concert hall would be valuable.
If you haven't been to a live concert for some time, and have more than a few P.W.B. devices in your home, you may be in for a shock when you do go.
One of my musical loves is good opera. I don't just mean Verdi rather than, say Andrew Lloyd Webber, but well performed opera (no mean feat). Consequently I drag my wife to the Royal Opera House on a fairly regular basis, and the season usually starts in September.
Well this season, the sound in the Opera House seemed relatively poor, and this didn't seem to be connected with the quality of the performances. I was aware that I had recently received the new Tweezers, and my expectations had therefore been raised, ultimately leading to disappointment at live performances.
I had been impressed with some reports in the discussion forum on this matter, and thought I would return to this matter experimentally, having explored the area many years before. The thrust of what had been presented was that even small changes, using the Clip for example, had a very beneficial effect. I was curious about this as I couldn't grasp how such a small change in such a vast arena could be perceptible. But perhaps that butterfly really could beat its wings.
It was perhaps fortuitous that the opera where I could really try things out was Janacek's powerful 'Jenufa', and this provided a number of opportunities. Firstly using the new Tweezers or Clip, I could treat the seats around me discretely, a few moments into the opening prelude. Secondly, I could try to treat more objects during each interval, using the Tweezers.
The soaring water mill theme of the prelude sounded rather flat, but during a violin solo, I was able to push the Tweezers against a few seats, and the whole sound lifted, and almost clicked into place. I managed to treat a few more later in the first act – during a choral section – and again the sound improved. But it was the treating of other seats in the row, and doors and railings during the intervals that led to fabulous sound.
As stated above, we were helped by an extraordinary performance, although I wonder whether we helped the performance too. The sound had improved in exactly the way the Tweezers would help the sound at home. Bizarrely, the appreciation of the halls acoustic improved, but also string tone, richness of voices, fullness of bass improved all in equal measure. By the time we reached the shattering third act we were swept away by sound, music and drama.
I had always believed that an enormous room device would be necessary to treat such a venue, but I was very wrong. It really is possible to make a huge difference.
Interestingly, the performance was broadcast on the radio, and so there may be documentary confirmation of this improvement somewhere at the BBC, and if anyone did hear it/record it, it would be good to hear their views. And if you are a regular concert goer, take your Tweezers…
Those butterflies really do know something!
R.G.
A Postscript to Richard's observations.
Many years ago, May and I had a similar startling experience. Whilst visiting a London theatre for a performance of "South Pacific", we found the sound to be atrocious. I experimented by removing the garment pin from my clothing and attaching it to the foam padded arm rest of my seat. The effect on the sound was quite profound.
Peter Belt.
MANY, many years ago lived an emperor, who thought so much of Hi-Fi that he spent all his money in order to obtain more and better equipment; his only ambition was to always have the very best and latest equipment. He did not care for his soldiers, and the theatre did not amuse him; the only thing, in fact, he thought anything of was to listen to and demonstrate his new audio equipment. One would say of a king "He is in his cabinet," so one could say of him, "The emperor is in his listening-room."
The great city where he resided was very active; every day many strangers from all parts of the globe arrived. One day two unscrupulous Hi-Fi equipment designers came to this city; they made people believe that they were technically superior, and declared they could manufacture the finest Hi-Fi equipment to be imagined. Their equipment's sound stage and musicality, they said, were not only exceptional, but possessed the wonderful quality of being silent to any man who was unfit for his office or unpardonably stupid.
"That must be wonderful sounding stuff," thought the emperor. "If I were to have this Hi-Fi equipment I should be able to find out which men in my empire were unfit for their places, and I could distinguish the clever from the stupid. I must have this equipment made for me without delay." And he gave a large sum of money to the clever fellows, in advance, that they should set to work without any loss of time. They set up a studio, and pretended to be very hard at work, but they did nothing whatever in the studios. They asked for the finest resistors and capacitors, the most stunning cable jacks and wire; all they got they did away with, and worked in the empty studio till late at night.
"I should very much like to know how they are getting on with the audio equipment," thought the emperor. But he felt rather uneasy when he remembered that he who was not fit for his office could not hear it. Personally, he was of the opinion that he had nothing to fear, yet he thought it advisable to send somebody else first to see how matters stood. Everybody in the town knew what a remarkable quality the stuff possessed, and all were anxious to learn how bad or stupid their neighbors were.
"I shall send my honest old advisor to the technical gurus," thought the emperor. "He can judge best how the stuff looks, for he is intelligent, and nobody understands his office better than he."
The good old advisor went into the studio where the technical designers sat in the room near the open but empty equipment chassis. "Heaven preserve us!" he thought, and opened his eyes wide, "I cannot see anything in there at all," but he did not say so. Both designers requested him to come near, and asked him if he did not admire the exquisite layout boards, pointing to the empty chassis. The poor old advisor tried his very best, but he could see nothing, for there was nothing to be seen. "Oh dear," he thought, "can I be so stupid? I should never have thought so, and nobody must know it! Is it possible that I am not fit for my office? No, no, I cannot say that I was unable to see the exquisitely crafted equipment."
"Now, have you got nothing to say?" said one of the clever designers, while he pretended to be busily wiring. "Oh, it is very pretty, exceedingly beautiful," replied the old advisor, looking through his glasses. "What a beautiful chassis, what brilliant design! I shall tell the emperor that I like the equipment very much."
"We are pleased to hear that," said the two technicians, and described to him the layout and explained the curious design. The old advisor listened attentively, that he might relate to the emperor what they said; and so he did.
Now the designers asked for more money, high grade components and special wire, which they required for fabrication. They kept everything for themselves, and not a single resistor or capacitor or any special wire came near the chassis, but they continued, as hitherto, to work on the empty chassis.
The advisor praised the equipment, which he did not see, and expressed his joy at the beautiful panels, high grade of components and fine design. "It is very excellent," he said to the emperor. Everybody in the whole town talked about the precious equipment. At last the emperor wished to see it himself, while it was still in the studio. With a number of courtiers, including the adviser, he went to the clever but unscrupulous designers, who now worked as hard as they could, but without using any components or wire.
"Is it not magnificent?" said the old advisor who had been there before. "Your Majesty must admire the panels and the gold color of the chassis and the high grade components." And then he pointed to the empty chassis, for he imagined the others could see the equipment innards. "What is this?" thought the emperor, "I do not see anything at all. That is terrible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be emperor? That would indeed be the most dreadful thing that could happen to me."
"Really," he said, turning to the technicians, "your equipment has our most gracious approval;" and nodding contentedly he looked at the empty chassis, for he did not like to say that he saw nothing. All his attendants, who were with him, looked and looked, and although they could not see anything more than the others, they said, like the emperor, "It is very beautiful." And all advised him to take the magnificent Hi-Fi equipment to a great show which was soon to take place. "It is magnificent, beautiful, excellent," one heard them say; everybody seemed to be delighted, and the emperor appointed the two unscrupulous designers "Imperial Court Technical Gurus."
The whole night previous to the day on which the show was to take place, the technical gurus pretended to work, and burned more than sixteen candles. People should see that they were busy to finish the emperor's new Hi-Fi equipment. They pretended to work and said at last: "The emperor's new Hi-Fi system is ready now."
The emperor and all his barons then came to the hall; the designers held their arms up as if they held something in their hands and said: "These are the amps!" "This is the pre amp!" and "Here are the power cords!" and so on. "Indeed!" said all the courtiers; but they could not see anything, for there was nothing to be seen.
"Does it please your Majesty now to graciously turn the Hi-Fi system on," said the designers, "that we may assist your Majesty in auditioning the new equipment?" The emperor sat in the center seat, and the designers pretended to turn the system on. And the emperor listened from every angle to the sound stage that did not exist.
"How focused! What tone!" said all. "What a beautiful, wide sound stage! What amazing detail! That is a magnificent sounding system!"
"Indeed, the emperor's new Hi-Fi system is incomparable!" Nobody wished to let others know he heard nothing, for then he would have been unfit for his office or too stupid. Never was an emperor's new Hi-Fi system more admired.
"But there is no sound at all," said a little child at last. "Good heavens! Listen to the voice of an innocent child," said the father, and one whispered to the other what the child had said. "But there is no sound at all," cried at last the whole people. That made a deep impression upon the emperor, for it seemed to him that they were right; but he thought to himself, "Now I must bear up to the end." And the chamberlains listened with still greater dignity, as if they heard the wonderful sound that did not exist.
Geoff Kait
USA
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