The P.W.B. Internet Discussion Group can be accessed via:-
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PWB/
1st August 2006 From Paul Rowan.
Subject: Greetings to the Group.
Hi everybody,
this is my first post to the forum just to introduce myself as a new member, so please be gentle with me! Although I've just joined, I'm a long time P.W.B enthusiast. My name is Paul Rowan and I live in Northeast London, about a five minute bus- ride from Richard Graham, although we have never met.
I've been reading the posts to the forum for a while and hope I'll be able to contribute something positive to the discussions.
Regards, Paul.........
1st August 2006 From Bill Hunt.
Subject: RE: Greetings to the Group.
Hello Paul,
Welcome to the Group!... All are likely to benefit from shared experiences, so don't be backward in relating your own!... Bill.
1st August 2006 From PS Gary.
Subject: Welcome, Paul.
It's always encouraging to have a new member. The more the merrier in spreading the Gospel of Belt. Gary
2nd August 2006 From Ken.
Subject: "iPod" improvement pack .
Hello All.
I have been very impressed indeed with the MP3 improvement pack. It brings together a set of P.W.B. foils and cream derived from years of research at a very reasonable price. It is enough to treat three devices.
I treated my Creative Audio Zen Vision. The interesting thing is that I was already very pleased with this miniature music/photo library. The sound was good and the pictures too.
I simply wasn't prepared for what happens when you use the improvement pack.
1. The instrument separation increased.
2. The volume was louder at the same setting.
3. The lyrics were much more intelligible.
4. Johnny Cash on Orange Blossom Special was in the peak of his form. I could hear the slight squeak when he touched the bridge of his guitar without yet playing a note, then the notes themselves.
I think the most important overall impression is that the experience of listening was 10 times more enjoyable. This last point is hard to analyse or put into words.
These improvement packs could not have come along at a better time with the ever-increasing popularity of the little music libraries we take everywhere with us.
Kind regards Ken.
4th August 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi News.
Tom,
I also saw the article in the 'new look' HFN. The lady in question is new to the magazine and I have no idea of her hi-fi pedigree. I don't know where the impetus for her experiment with P.W.B ideas came from, but we can only hope that she is unbiased in her findings.
P.W.B got a mention (page 62) in last months HFN, it's 50th Anniversary edition. It was in a jocular paragraph entitled 'Smelly socks', the substance of which was that Peter Belt was involved in an experiment with four rooms at the HFN Show. One of the rooms had been Belted and there was some sort of attempt to identify which room was the one that had been treated. Essentially, the experiment failed, as the findings were coloured by the fact that one of the rooms was found to be 'contaminated' by the presence of a pair of very smelly socks, which had been left in the bottom of the wardrobe by the previous occupant! All very funny in the scheme of things but the opening sentence of the paragraph seemed, to me, rather scathing. I quote.' All the really big lies are founded on a grain of truth….'
I don't know whether or not Peter or May recollect the incident. I haven't seen any mention of it on the forum.
On the subject of the forum, may I take the opportunity to welcome Paul. Come on in, the water is warm, the fish are inquisitive and friendly.
Regards to all, Brian
3rd August 2006 From Michael Barham.
Subject: first post...
Hello everyone,
This is my first posting to this group although, like Paul, I have been using P.W.B.'s foils, creams and devices for a number of years. I have been reading the messages posted to this forum for a long time and up until now didn't have anything specific to say. Now I have....
Have recently extended my house and so had massive disruption from builders. They have finally gone and we are slowly getting the house how we want it. So today I have been putting yellow Magnadiscs in all the door frames and have started putting green discs on ceilings, windows and mirrors. I haven't seen many posts about the Magnadiscs and my question is what have other P.W.B users found to be the most effective place for sticking them on mirrors? Does it have to be on the glass - where they are very obvious? Or could it be on the back of the mirror for example, or on the edge of the frame - where they would be less obvious?
Be very grateful for any advice.
Many thanks, Michael
4th August 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: "iPod" improvement pack.
Ken,
I, too, am impressed that P.W.B have come out with this pack. I will get one just to have the foils for use on places that I've missed. However, the Quantum Foil and Cream takes priority in up and coming purchases.
To date I have shied clear of the MP3 players, but may get one in the near future. I am glad to see that you have the Zen instead of the iPod. After doing a bit of reading up, that would be my choice, too.
Your mention of Johnny Cash reminded me that it's funny how one's tastes in music changes and broadens with age and experience. Johnny and Dino and Nat were all artistes that my parents liked. When I was younger, if it wasn't The Beatles, Stones or anything prog, it wasn't any good. Ah, the arrogance of youth!
I picked up a double CD of Johnny Cash in Fopp a while ago, for the princely sum of £3, having heard some of his more up-to date, Rick Rubin produced, stuff over at Big Rob's. There's some cracking stuff on it .( NB I do draw the line at The Carpenters, though!)
Oh, before I go, I need to mention that I have tried copying an original frozen and treated disc using a frozen and treated blank and then re-freezing and defrosting the copy. An A/B session showed that the copy was very good, but not quite as detailed as the original and very slightly lacking in control. Not a huge difference, but one nevertheless.
A question for those of you with cameras. My Canon EOS350D camera is foiled and creamed. I keep an 81B filter on my lenses, firstly to protect the front element from scratches ( it's cheaper to replace a scratched filter...) and secondly, it helps to slightly warm up the images. Has anyone tried using Morphic Liquid on their cameras? What I'm worried about is whether or not there may be any residue left, even after wiping. I'd be grateful for any comments.
Regards to all, Brian.
5th August 2006 From Bill Hunt.
Subject: Re: "iPod" improvement pack.
Hello Brian,
Whilst I evidently do not share your approach re photography (my favourite camera - I have 18 - is one of my three 1970s Konica Auto S2s) in that I not only still favour the old-fashioned 35mm film format, but vastly prefer the handling characteristics of traditional "range-finder" cameras), your query prompted the reaction that I personally would not put any avoidable coating on any surface directly affecting the image seen by the lens...
This leaves the observation that surely there is very large scope for applying Morphic cream or other treatments to just about every other area of your camera... As with the "photo in freezer" scenario, applications apparently have a large physical area where the effects of application are experienced, so with your camera the few inches that would be the largest space between the active camera components and treated areas should surely not present much of a problem?... As always, if others disagree I would welcome hearing their views...
Have happy times, enjoy good music, and take good photographs!...
Bill.
5th August 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi News.
Brian,
I will try to tell the story (to the best of my recollection) of the four room experiment in the next Newsletter. It was an interesting time in the history of audio. Nowadays, it seems that it is very much like a 'dog worrying at a bone' - the people involved in audio appear to have to mention Peter's name (cannot ignore him) but can only now mention him in terms of dismissing him or ridiculing him.
Yes, it will be interesting to see just how Janine Elliot approaches the subject of P.W.B. techniques and, more importantly, how Hi-Fi News handles what she might have to say if her reaction is positive. It took many months for Jimmy Hughes to get HIS article on Peter's freezing technique published in the Audiophile magazine back in 1993 !!
Regards, May
5th August 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: "iPod" improvement pack.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for your reply. I won't be doing anything to my filters. Better safe than sorry, I suppose.
I note what you say about cameras. I have owned 35mm cameras in the past but have usually sold/traded them in when upgrading and also when I crossed over to digital . I have seen quite a lot of range-finder images in the various mags and they are usually superb.
The digital versus film debate rolls ever on, but that's for another time and place. As an aside, I usually check out photo. net for examples and ideas. There's also The Luminous Landscape.
Happy listening and clicking, Brian
5th August 2006 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: first post....
Michael,
It was Magnadiscs and Ring Ties that first alerted me to how important it is to treat the environment as well as the equipment producing the sound and vision. I have many of those Discs in use but, I have not had the courage to attach them in quite such a prominent position as the main mirrors about the house. I have so far managed to get away with attaching various Foils to the extreme corners of double glazed windows and even to the margin around the TV screen – ours is still the glass tube type – I would not attempt this kind of thing on the new plasma type screens or the PC flat screen monitor. Except for the bathroom mirror, where it was possible to attach a disc directly to the back (perfectly acceptable I Believe), I content myself with a treatment of Electret Cream as well as a tiny dab of Green Cream. I have also took on the responsibility of keeping all the mirrors and the TV screen clean, which I do with Morphic Liquid and P.W.B pen marked tissues followed by use of the Clip. I too would be interested to know if there is anything further that can be done regarding mirrors and glass in general.
The Green discs attached to the ceilings can be improved (and disguised) by attaching a White disc over the top and all hand held remote control units have Red discs attached as well as Black ones (The black ones should always be attached to a separate area and not in contact with any other device). I also have a Red disc attached to an unobtrusive area of all the hot water radiators.
When we moved to our present house almost six years ago, the sound compared to what it was in the previous house (with quite a lot of treatments) seemed thin and diluted with quite a loss of impact. It all came back to normality (and more so) over time as treatments such as those described were carried out.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
6th August 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Magnadiscs.
Michael,
I would suggest that you place the Green Magnadisc on the face of the mirror, or if that is not acceptable then on the rear of the mirror rather than on the frame.
Regards, May
7th August 2006 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Foil application.
Hi All-
What do you find to be the most effective place to attach the Inside foil? I was planning on using it on my CD/DVD player's tray- but should I place the foil on the tray where the disc sits or underneath the tray? Also, in treating a photograph with Real foil, do the foil strips need to be on the image part of the photo or can it be on the blank spaces near the edge?
BTW, by far the best area I've tried the Safe Hole foil was on the inside of the main electrical circuit breaker box cover- great 3-dimensionality and spaciousness to the sound, and vivid, eye-popping images on video (which actually had to be toned-down by treating other surfaces with Cream Electret). The house's breaker box is located outside the home, at the farthest corner from my listening room.
Thanks, James Takamatsu
7th August 2006 From: John
Subject: Re: Foil application.
James,
I have placed the foil on the tray where the disc fits as I figured that then the spinning disc gets the benefit as well as the player -my sound is improved so.....
I tend not to get too hung up about absolute positioning of foils, IMO its more important that the foil is attached to an object thus treating it, rather than where on that object it is attached. The exception to this is of course when I am covering the compact disc or dvd logos on discs with foils.
John
31st August 2006 From Richard Graham
Subject: Hi-Fi News Column.
Well, much to my surprise, we have another reference to Peter's work in Janine Elliot's column. Janine seems to have a significantly lighter touch than many writers, and she clearly displays a knowledge and authority that would be hard to equal.
I think it might be helpful for as many of us as possible to send Hi-Fi News an e-mail, praising the changes, enthusing about Janine's column, and asking for more from her. Given that her witty style is undoubtedly aimed at bypassing censorship, we perhaps shouldn't just focus on the P.W.B references, but on her openness to the quirky aspects of the audio industry. Hi-Fi News must know that this is of interest to many readers.
Any mails from outside the United Kingdom would be especially welcome.
The nicest reference to Peter since the great days of Hi-Fi Answers under Keith Howard's editorship?
Richard
11th September 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Fuses.
For those of you with the new Newsletter, you will have read about my escapades with a soldering iron, and Green Cream. I have now had a chance to fully evaluate my super-light bulbs in more depth, and frankly, they're not bad. But fuses!!!
I destroy the glass ones every time with Smart Metal, but I will not give up. And so I am looking at some ceramic options e.g. Hi-Fi Tuning ones, in lovely silver and gold. Anyone have any experience of the smaller fuses and Smart Metal.
Richard
12th September 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Newsletter.
The last week or so has provided me with two very welcome events. One was the receipt of the Newsletter and the other was a supply of the Morphic Green Cream. Now, the conspiracy theorist in me suspects that Richard's article in the Newsletter may have had something to do with the supply of the Cream, or vice versa. Hmmm.
Nevertheless, trying out the cream in the suggested positions has led to great results. There has been greater presence in the vocal range and a deeper, tighter bottom end. Also, small finger cymbals in one of my test tracks took on a greater clarity. Everything seemed to flow so easily. I'm not sure about the soundstage yet , it will need some more listening
I had smeared a small amount on the TV screen and on the living room mirror and the picture on the TV is far better than before. I don't know if anyone in the UK has noticed, but the early morning BBC News picture is so pin-sharp and the colours are very well saturated. I don't know if they are mucking around with trailing HD broadcasts, as I do not have an HD ready TV. I have read somewhere that HD pictures can be transmitted and non-HD ready TVs just down-sample them.
The car did not escape my efforts, as I used some cream on the fascia and on the auto-changer, which lives under the passenger seat. In fact, the car system was the first area to be listened to, as I had no real time to listen to my system the night before. I am pleased to report that the sound was far better than before and took on a greater three-dimensionality. I was listening to Procol Harum 'An Anthology' and, when Gary Brooker sang ' All hands on deck, the Captain cried', you could almost smell the spray and hear the mutterings of the crew. 'Watch out for that seagull, it's right above you' Splatt!! 'Whoops, too late!'
I, for one, will be sending for the Portable Pack, not to treat a portable but to get my hands on more of that nice Green Cream. It will also enable me to try some new foils. If I can keep a steady hand, I should be able to get four bits out of each strip, one each for pre-amp, CD player and the two main speakers.
Regards to all, Brian
September 2006 From Paul Rowan.
Subject: RE: Fuses.
Hi Richard,
I've also found those little internal fuses a bugger to treat. For things like plug pins and wires, I use a 30 watt soldering iron; for small delicate fuses - a 15 watt iron. When I need to smart solder the small fuses I buy a couple of spares first, just in case.
I roughen the ends first with either sandpaper or emery paper or a small file. I then try to keep the hot iron on the fuse for as short a time as possible, maybe a second or two.
With plug pins I roughen them first as well.
If you get some spare fuses, you need to get the same type as well as power.
Some fuses are slow blow, others are long blow. Most electrical shops will have a supply of different types and voltages.
Best Wishes, Paul Rowan
13th September 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi News Column.
Thank you Arkie for providing a link to the Hi-Fi News article. As some of you will have seen when you link to it, unfortunately the article is white lettering on a black background - extremely difficult to read !!
I have therefore given below some relevant quotes from Janine's two articles.
In the August 2006 issue of Hi-Fi News, under her "Hi-Fi Confidential " column, Janine Elliot wrote :-
"Now, as I said from the start, I won't judge anything until I have tried it.
So, following the lead of Peter Belt from P.W.B (famous for unconventional and debatable methods of perceived sound improvement) who suggests that CDs and equipment benefit from being kept overnight in the freezer, I now plan to place my amplifier in a plastic bag in said freezer and, following their freezing/slow defrost procedure and coating it in their Cream-Electret, will see how it sounds. I'll tell you the results next month."
Then, in this month's (September 2006) issue, under her "Hi-Fi Confidential" column, Janine Elliot has written :-
"Last month I discussed Peter Belt's (P.W.B) freezing process. I tried it on a NAD phono-stage (couldn't fit my Krell inside the freezer compartment !) And found slightly more control and bass, though I need to do substantial tests before I'll believe it."
The Hi-Fi News e-mail address is :-
hi-finews@ipcmedia.com
Kind Regards, May
16th September 2006 From "cico_buff"
Subject: The ups and downs of labels and messages
Just when I think I can no longer be surprised by these Beltist experiments, it happens again.... I've recently been experimenting with, among many other things, equipment labels and impromptu 'morphic' messages. The labels themselves are fascinating to experiment with, because you have to completely abandon all rules of known logic, and feel your way in the dark (sort of like a trip to the fun house at the amusement park, except you get better sound by the time you get out of it). So far, I've deduced that "the universe" (as I like to think of it...) doesn't like Compact Disc logos. Okay, that one was obvious, we already know this from foiling CD's.
But it also doesn't like caution and warning labels (scary, scary stuff to our primitive minds...). That's also obvious, isn't it? With "safe holes" and all... Anyone care to guess at power specifications?
Usually, this can be eradicated (or crossed out or covered up) as well, to good benefit. What about model no.'s? I'm currently leaning towards not covering them up. Covering them up produced a tighter, brighter, thinner, more laid back sound, with good timbre, but nevertheless, not quite as "musical" to my taste as leaving it uncovered. And serial no.'s? Undecided! Brand names? Definitely don't like being covered or removed! There's other text that you find at the back of equipment, which to me is (currently) on a case by case (or line by line!) basis.
In the same vein as the labels, its always fascinating the first time you experiment with messages, and see how the power of words can change the listening experience. Once you get over the idea that your words can have a direct correlation to the reproduction of music, and that each message has its own particular sound (even the same message written slightly differently!), then the fun is to see which messages have the most powerful positive effect on the sound. One that I found worked better than the more common x-coordinates or "sound has priority", was "This (brand name) (machine; i.e... "player") produces excellent sound > O.K.". My ears told me reinforcing the brand is good. But I wanted to see if I could do better! So I came up with:
"THIS (brand name, model no.) PLAYER HAS INCREDIBLY GOOD SOUND! > O.K."
I thought the exclamation point and the phrase "incredibly good" would emphasize things just that much better (I later used 3 exclamation points in subsequent tries!!! <--). I also made sure the brand and model were larger and more emphasized than other words. Before I applied the label, I even imagined how the sound might improve. After I applied the label, the improvement was perhaps more than I imagined! Well, it was at least different than I imagined, but definitely a major improvement over version 1.0 of this morphic message.
I applied one to each tray of a 12-cd changer (which uses 2 cassettes), determining the best location was clearly just below the centre opening, on the south side of the underside of the tray. With each application, the sound improved, but after I'd done all 12 trays, I knew something had gone astray somewhere, because I had better sound before. Reversing my procedure, I determined 7 labels was just enough, because more was overkill.
Now knowing that x-coordinates work well on cables, I later applied my lengthy message to the centre of various bundles of wires within the CD player, to good effect (wrapping it around and having it join at the ends). But things only got -really- interesting when I moved the label up toward the input end of the bundle (which was going into the display unit on the front of the player, with the other end connected to the pcb). What really seemed to make the difference, was when I pointed the tail end of this label loop down toward the floor of the unit.
That changed everything! It created a very dark, rich, beguiling sound, that totally did away with the need to analyze things like bass, treble, depth, soundstaging, timbre... even musicality. You just knew it was 'right' by how natural it sounded, and free of Hi-Fi artifacts. Problem is, it halted all further experiments on the player. Yes, I continued fixing labels to many known "good areas", and whatnot, but after this last change, everything I did, even if it increased detail or resolution or musicality, was a return to the common "Hi-Fi sound". So I stopped work on the unit so as not to destroy the magic. Because I couldn't be sure if pointing the label downward was responsible for the positive change, I tried it again with another label and indeed, it was! Fascinating stuff...
cico_buff
18th September 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Fuses.
Thanks Paul.
I had another go, and just kept destroying the fuses. I could order a 15 watt iron, but am very impressed with the results of my treated iron on other bulbs and fuses, and can't really justify treating another iron to such a level just now.
So, I thought I'd try one of those HiFi-Tuning Fuses just to see if it can be done. It could turn out to be a very expensive mistake, but then if it works....
I would also add that for those that only think of fuses in plugs or equipment, I think you will find others in switch boxes for lighting etc.. My treated 13 amp fuses are wonderful in these settings too.
I just keep think that there must be other applications for Smart Metal.
Richard
17th September 2006 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Treatments to the home environment.
Dear All,
A few weeks ago, we decided to take up the carpet in the lounge and replace it with laminate flooring. The carpet was as new when we moved in and had been fitted by the previous owners. Although we did not care much for the colour, we put up with it until now. Last weekend, we stripped out the carpet and underlay and removed it to the local tip. I then removed the skirting boards and at the same time, took the opportunity to re locate some power sockets. In each socket cavity I placed an Inside Foil and a Silver Rainbow Foil and, at the same time, whilst the power was off, treated the grey outside insulated sheath of the twin and earth power cable with a tiny dab of Green Cream and Clipped. I then treated all the floorboards in the room to a dab of Cream Electret and a Clipping. Before putting down the levelling and insulating underlay, I treated each of those to a dab of Cream Electret and a Clipping. When It came to the laminate flooring itself, I used the Red 'X' Pen on the down facing surface of every laminate strip fitted. On to each I wrote 'x 26 'x and on many of the them I also added 'X = Present Time. I also added a dab of Cream Electret to each before Clipping. The skirting boards got the pen and cream treatment too – and a Clipping. One week later and with everything back in its proper place, we finally got the TV back on. And this is where the fun starts! I had fully expected to hear some sound changes if only because the floor would now be more sound 'reflective' and perhaps a more reverb enhanced sound would emerge. But not a bit of it. First off though, the picture was remarkable for it's extra colour saturation and sheer brilliance of light and darks – reflections off nearby objects was now much more noticeable on the faces of actors for instance. But the sound was a revelation. I am nearly always left groping for the correct term to describe sound lifts but, quite simply, clarity and perceived extra loudness would go some way to fit the bill. The background sound level seems to have pushed upward so that detail such as the clinking of glasses and general hubbub in soaps and plays takes on an extraordinary reality. But the best bit came when I played a CD on the hi-fi in the adjoining room! Quite simply, it is the best sound lift I have ever achieved 'off my own bat' as it were. It equates to the sort of thing I have heard in the past when I have received a new P.W.B product. Once again, it goes to show just how much the whole home environment affects our ability to perceive sound and vision. Not only that, I am very, very pleased with myself right now and off to play some more discs!
Regards to all, Kevin Kehoe.
18th September 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Re: Fuses.
Richard ,
I had good results when I did all the radiators with Smart-Metalled magnets. If anyone has a garage ( I seem to remember you saying that you live in a flat), then treated magnets on any metal doors, and the runners, is of benefit. The same goes for Dexion or any other metal racking.
Would the car battery terminals take a treatment? (You'd probably have to take off and re-apply the gunk that is on most car battery terminals.) What about any reachable wiring in the car?
Regards, Brian
20th September 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Fuses.
Thanks Brian,
I already have loads of them little magnets, and although I suspect I could now make better ones, the current ones are very good, especially with a dab of Green cream. You may also know that Smart Metal works just as well on the magnets of speakers, though I tend to open them up less these days to do such things.
As for the car, I just applied Foils to the battery and other parts e.g. the doors, though you can also apply magnets to the metal panels where they won't get dislodged and cause damage (i.e.. not near the engine).
A special silver fuse is coming....
Richard
20th September 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Treatments to the home environment.
Kevin,
I am not surprised by this, and recently had a similar moment. I was putting some holiday stuff in the loft, and noticed the exposed cables for the lighting circuit, plus the labels and foils stuck on the water tank. I put a dab of Green Cream on each cable and on the labels and foils on the water tank, Clipped them all, and then re- Clipped as many wooden beams as I could. Result - well, the colours on the TV seemed like HD, such was the richness and subtle shading.
Richard
8th October 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Holiday experience.
Dear All,
Peter and I are back from a late summer holiday - and, on reading Kevin's recent posting, when he described how the TV picture had improved after his latest P.W.B treatments, I was reminded of something which happened during our holiday.
As I described a couple of years ago, when on holiday we rent a seaside apartment or house. These holiday rental properties usually have just the basic TV and video recorder/player and the house we rented this time was no exception. But, Peter can never go away on holiday without a few devices to 'treat' where we are going to live !! - even for a short time !!
This holiday one of our sons and his wife decided to join us for an extended weekend and, one evening, quite unexpectedly, his wife suddenly asked if we had noticed just how good the TV picture was from the old Samsung TV in the house. Our daughter in law pointed out to us that, in her opinion, the quality of the TV picture was as good as (or might even be better) than the much newer flat screen TV they had at home. Peter and I looked at each other and laughed. Our daughter in law had not realised that she was actually watching TV in a P.W.B 'treated' room !!!
So, even our own family can be taken by surprise.
May.
17th October 2006 From Michael.
Subject: Disappointing Upgrade Audition.
As regular readers will know, I have been getting my audio kicks from an extremely cheap ,heavily belted system. Do we become accustomed to our superior sound?, I think maybe we do-Anyway of late, I have been seriously considering a major Amp upgrade-Perhaps haunted by Richard Graham's comment about a treated, cheap system sounding great, but a treated, High end system sounding sublime. Anyway, to the gist of my post-Last Sat. I visited a Hi-Fi dealer ,armed with 3 of my fav. treated CD's to audition a Musical Fidelity A5 Amp-250 Watts per ch., rave reviews from Hi-Fi press, and happy owners. The A5 was hooked up to an A5 CD player, and voiced thru a pair of Focal JM lab speakers-All in all ,close to a UK 6,000 pound system.
Was I blown away?
Did I quickly take out my chequebook to buy said Amp?
No, No, I didn't, in fact I was completely UNDER whelmed by the sound.
Obviously, it did sound better than my el cheapo system, but by the smallest margin, certainly not the obviously brilliant sound I had expected, judging by the reviews I had read. I still intend to upgrade the Amp, perhaps something classy like a Primare I30, but I shall also be contacting May for a few items to bring the new amp up to my P.W.B inspired expectations.
Michael...
18th October 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: I have given up.
What have I given up, you may ask? Well, it's looking on the Forum and the Newsletters for the kind person who wrote suggesting the use of white 2.5mm twin and earth cable in lieu of Spiratube on wide bore pipes. I can't find it mentioned anywhere. Whoever you are, thank you very much.
Please don't get me wrong., if there was a proprietary P.W.B device I'd use it. However, the 12mm Spiratube doesn't go anywhere near the 22mm pipes going into and out of my Combi-boiler. I didn't have any spare electrical cable at home but I managed to blag some from a pal at work. I foiled, creamed and red-penned the cable and wrapped it round the pipes (about 18in gives you 5 or 6 turns). It was then left to 'bed in' overnight.
Next day and the system is fired up. Changes? You bet! You can see into the soundstage much more and, on a track from The Transatlantic Sessions, you had a real idea of what player was playing where. It appeared that the flat steel guitar was being played at an angle to the front of stage and not flat on, as heard before.
What was most evident was what I would call 'speed'. There was more attack on plucked guitar on the John Martyn 'Solid Air' track and on EC's 'I don't want to go to Chelsea' the drums fairly rattled along, lending the track much more urgency. In fact, I left that CD on right to the end.
The low bass notes on Massive Attack's 'Inertia creeps' were lower and tighter than before. They also stayed in place, rather than wafting out as they had done many moons ago, pre Belt. What I'm trying to say is that the concrete floor, and myself, still vibrates but there is more of a sense of precision.
What surprised me was 'Keep on Chooglin' a live track on the John Fogerty/CCR disc. It starts out with crowd noise and then, after a bit of guitar noodling, explodes into the music. What was noticeable from the start was that there was a real sense of the hall acoustic. If that sort of thing carries on I may have to listen to some Classical stuff!! (Seriously, though, any recommends on a good CD recording of Faure's Requiem? I've lost my Penguin Guide. No, I'm not standing on an ice floe looking for a small black and white bird…)
Great, I thought, I'll tackle that pipe in the garage that looks like a gas pipe ( it goes into the gas meter, there's a clue). I'd used up all the donated cable on three pipes, so had to try to get some more. At the local lighting shop the lady tells me that the EEC regulations have been changed and that you can't get white cable any more, it's got to be grey with markings on. (The thought of that running along on surface runs does not appeal!). Luckily, I spotted an odd bit of white cooker cable lying at the back of the counter and bought that. At home it was creamed, foiled, red- penned and frozen, then applied to the pipe. I left things to bed in overnight and next day, another listening session. I could sense a small improvement, but not as significant as before. Hmm. I think that water pipes respond much more to treatment than gas ones. Why? I don't know, but they do. It's probably still worth treating both, as they are both part of your environment.
Normally, I would give it all a bit more time but I've just received my order for the Portable Pack and some Quantum Foils and Cream and I am champing at the bit to get going again.
Regards to all, Brian
19th October 2006 From A. Martherus.
Subject: Re: I have given up.
That was me and you are welcome.
An extra advice: if you buy any cable, you should take a piece of sand- paper to "wipe" away all the printing on that cable.
Kind regards Arkie Martherus. The Netherlands
21st October 2006 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: I have given up.
Brian,
I have a recording of the Faure and Durufle Requiems by the Choir of New College Oxford with Capricorn and David Burchel,organ Directed by Edward Higginbottom. CRD 3466.
I purchased it on recommendation many years back and was one of the discs I have used as a sort of control listen (as well as for pleasure) following Belt treatments. I now play it for pure pleasure on a regular basis – as I do all the other discs that I had originally intended to use to keep track of how the sound was improving. This particular disc has opened up over the years and revealed a wealth of sound detail that had previously seemed masked. Separation of the individual groups of male singers from the orchestra and the beautiful and delicate voice of the boy soloist Jerome Finnis in Pie Jesu is now far more easily discerned. As I am not that well informed on classical music, I do not have any idea how this recording stands in relation to the many currently available. I have now got so used to this particular recording that I could hardly imagine enjoying any other version.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
23rd October 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: YMMV.
Curious thing... I was treating my turntable today in 'Beltist ways', and really digging how far I had taken it, sound wise. Very musical, very captivating. I was apprehensive about continuing further, because good sound can be like a house of cards. I didn't want to ruin it with anything unproven or hard to reverse. So I took out the Cream Electret, and started applying it in small dose with my pinky finger to what I believed were safe places (aka "hot spots"); the pickup housing, the headshell & its screws, the back of the tonearm base, a part of the underside of the tonearm, and over the two labels I applied. I remembered to touch the cap to most of the parts I had creamed. After this, I rubbed my pinky on a bit of the plinth, such as on the silk screening, although there was probably nothing left at this point.
Put the record on, sound was worse. So not what I expected. I thought maybe this was a "more is better" thing, where it would all click in if I continued a bit further. With a tiny bit more cream, I rubbed it over other potential secondary hotspots; the label at the back, the power cord (where it goes into the turntable), a tiny bit on the outside connector housing at the end of the phono cables, rubbing off any possible residue on the silkscreening (i.e... 45/33 rpm).
Sound got worse still. Now I wasn't so captivated by it any longer (loss of musicality), and surface noise was a bit more prominent. Now I know the Cream Electret is a product that works and works well, at least it did on my speaker drivers. But this isn't the first time I've used it on cartridges and other tt parts without good results.
I'm not sure if it might be me applying it wrong or if I'm applying it to the wrong parts, or if it isn't that suitable for turntables for some reason (doubtful...). Any clues?
cico_buff.
23rd October 2006 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Re: YMMV
Since receiving my P.W.B portable Improvement Pack I started treating some of my friends' systems- most notably iPod and car systems. For one car system the P.W.B treatments were just one level of improvement building upon another. With each successive application of foils and cream the system sounded better- cleaner, airier, more three dimensional. The last round of treatment incorporated rainbow foil inside the door jambs of the four doors- the result was bigger, bolder sound and an increase in dynamics.
In another car, however, the results were more "hit or miss". Some things improving and some getting worse. I believe, in general, the application of other P.W.B treatments (rather than just using cream Electret, try rainbow or morphic foils) to restore balance and improve on the good sound you had before. The sound of this car- after 3 rounds of treatments, is very open and unforced. The car's owner is quite pleased (although there is still room for improvement).
On a turntable (as a passive device, not as a source), I've tried freezing components of the turntable- platter, hinges, etc.- don't know if I would freeze a fragile phono cartridge though- foil and cream many other parts, smart metal on the ends of the plugs. I would try different P.W.B products instead of just one- as I E-mailed May Belt recently, I think standard rainbow foil is way underrated- fantastic on bar codes- and Safe Hole and Inside morphic foils are among my favorites.
Sincerely, James Takamatsu
23rd October 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: YMMV
Cico,
I've experienced 'set backs' a couple of times before and have found that placing a Silver Rainbow Foil in an untreated area worked. It may have something to do with the odd/even thing.
Most times , when I do a lot of Belting, I let things settle, usually until the next day. I reason (rightly or wrongly) that there are some things that are not immediate and that they take time to work through the system.
Some things are pretty immediate though. For instance I had a 'Wow' moment when I pinned back one corner of the living room curtains. I fairly raced round the house doing the other ones after that!
Another weird one is that the TV upstairs has benefited more from treatments done elsewhere than the one in the living room.
Regards, Brian
24th October 2006 From A Martherus
Subject: Re: YMMV
Cico, have you tried to "tap your telephone?".
Phone yourself and when the beeping starts, tap the microphone in the telephone horn with your Red 'X pen.
This "aligns" all P.W.B.-treatments.
A. Martherus.
24th October 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: YMMV
Brian,
When I used the cream in the past, on things like my tweeter, the area near the input jacks on a CD player or an empty CD case (!), it always worked to great effect, and the improvements were immediately noticeable. I understand that a SRF in an untreated area will improve things, but the question is, is it improving things as it normally would, or going far beyond because of the presence of the cream (even though the cream didn't work before the SRF). When something doesn't work or doesn't work well for me, I know its not due to the product itself, but to where I've applied it. This is how I learn about where the "hot spots" are on a given piece of equipment. But curiously, in this case, I was applying CE on at least some of the hot spots that worked for other treatments. So I was wondering if someone had used the cream successfully on a turntable, and if so, what locations worked well. The pickup seemed a natural place to start, but perhaps it isn't. And I can't say I've had much success with the lid, either.
I tried forming a cross on the inside centre with SRF, but didn't find a real improvement there.
I removed the CE with a wet rag, best I could, and although it restored some of the original good sound, it was never quite what I had originally achieved. (It didn't help that I further degraded the sound by playing around with the tightening of the screws on the tonearm mounting base... after I learned the thread shaft is made of plastic, and apparently, wasn't designed to have its screws removed). However, I soldiered on with other treatments and despite the setbacks, got the table to a very nice level of sound quality, beautiful and emotional, and quite acceptable to my ears. I sold it yesterday eve, and despite the presence of a budget pickup that was nearing 25 years old, the buyer was very surprised at how good it sounded.
Some things are pretty immediate though. For instance I had a 'Wow' moment when I pinned back one corner of the living room curtains. I fairly raced round the house doing the other ones after that!
Yeah, I also had that 'wow' moment pinning back a corner of the curtains (did you know the effect can be increased, the larger you make the corner?). Had another one when I removed the videotapes from the room.
cico_buff.
24th October 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: YMMV
"Cico, have you tried to "tap your telephone?. Phone yourself and when the beeping starts, tap the microphone in the > telephone horn with your Red 'X pen. This "aligns" all P.W.B.-treatments."
Interesting... that I didn't really know (although I seem to remember reading something about this telephone trick in the archives). I'll try it sometime, but as the turntable is already gone, I'll have to try it after other treatments.
I can't imagine how Peter would have discovered that.. Which reminds me... I may have discovered a new trick with the pen, while working on this tt yesterday. I used my red pen to mark one of the blades of the turntable's plug (at the end of the AC cord, 110v type) for correct polarity. Since this plug had two blades of equal size, it can be inserted either way into a standard NA electrical outlet, which means only one way yields correct polarity and proper sound.
So in order to identify the correct polarity, after listening to both ways, I marked what should be the "wide plug" on the outside of the plug blade with the word "WIDE" and an arrow ">" at the tip that is inserted into the outlet, using the red pen. To my surprise, the marking of the blade also made a terrific improvement to the sound. (I'm going to try it on other equipment to confirm it was the marking that improved the sound).
cico_buff.
25th October 2006 From: P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: New Article - MUSICWEB International.
Dear All
For your interest, there has just been published a surprise article on the Internet magazine MUSICWEB International.
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/Oct06/Brain_Cramp.htm
Kind Regards, May
25th October 2006 From Graham.
Subject: Re: Disappointing Upgrade Audition.
Michael,
Two comments regarding your experience at the Hi-Fi dealers.
1. In the past I have always taken the main parts of my system with me (Speakers, CD Player etc..)
2. Ask the dealer if you can borrow the equipment to listen in your home environment. I bought speakers and amps that way.
I think you will always be disappointed auditioning in an untreated (P.W.B) environment.
Graham
26th October 2006 From Michael.
Subject: Update on upgrade
Hello All, first off, what an encouraging article by Bill Kenny-on a funny note, on first glance at the article, I thought the author's name was Brian Cramp!!! - I must be doing too many 12 hour shifts saving for the new amp!
Thanks for the comments, Graham. I think I had it in the back of my mind that I was listening to a beltless sound and tried to adjust my perception of what the A5 amp would sound like based of what I had read about it. The sound I heard, while not at all offensive, just wasn't any where near as exciting as I expected. On a brighter note, I did get a Primare A30.1 100 watt int. amp for the weekend. As others here have done ,I decided against applying any belting to the loan unit, although I did use a belted and frozen power cord. The sound was quite incredible without belting-I had several Belt like revelations about familiar tunes-suddenly finding yourself inside the music and hearing ghost notes etc. that made more sense of the tune. Needless to say I have settled on a Primare I30( the newer model) and shall order one shortly. Interestingly, the Primare only has three feet.............
Michael.
30th October 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: By the pricking of my thumbs.
Something wicked this way comes?
Well, it's black.
After months of careful experimentation, something comes. More later...
Richard
30th October 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: More Red Pen Fun.
I mentioned the last time about using the red pen to write the word "WIDE" on the wide plug blade of a standard NA 110v/120v plug, plus drawing an arrow at the tip was something that I observed having improved the sound (but I did not write this with the intention of improving the sound). Further experiments showed me that it was the word "WIDE" that was doing it, and the arrow was not really helping (I was more inclined to believe it was the arrow, because I couldn't see how the word "wide" was anything special or particularly positive).
I knew it was probably the red ink more than anything, so instead of a word, I simply drew a squiggly stripe down the centre of the blade (across the hole at the tip to the end of the blade). That really wasn't bad, so I decided to try drawing the same red line down the centre of both plug blades, both sides of the blades, and even across the end where the two sides meet. I only did quick comparisons, but my quick comparison said this was superior to the word "WIDE".
So taking the experiment further, I decided to do other plugs as well, and to make it interesting, I started /upstairs/, on another level of the house! I first did the plug of the portable heater. Indeed, it changed the sound. Then I did the toaster, the microwave oven, and a whole mess of cables going to a computer system, all on the upper level; again they affected the sound of the stereo downstairs. I even did a plug that wasn't plugged in (but I never confirmed if that worked). Then I striped the rest of the plugs the stereo (but I did not do the round ground pin, although I imagine the stripe would work on round pins as well).
The effect was of course, accumulative, so it had a lot of potential to 'uplift' the sound of the stereo. But what was most intriguing to me was that for the first time, I observed this "odd/even rule" that was mentioned to me here recently. Twice I noticed when going back to listen to the effect of the striping that the sound got "better & worse at the same time". More specifically, while resolution might improve, timbre deteriorated to where the mids/highs sounded "zippy" and the sound wasn't natural and effortless. But every time I striped one more plug after hearing this type of sound, it would all click together. The natural timbre would return, with the sound becoming deliciously musical. I tried to keep track of how many I was doing to see how the rule applies, but lost track. I believe that its the odd number of treatments that favours the sound, and an even number that breaks the good sound.
This odd/even rule is fascinating to me, because after seeing that it really exists, I knew that it immediately trashes any number of theories about how this all works. Including the one my friend told me about "ionization". And I believe it also defies Richard's supposition about the brain dealing with too many things at once. Because it isn't a case where things start to get worse after a certain number of treatments, rather its worse/better/worse/better...
It doesn't necessarily negate the theory about the treatments minimizing energy patterns in the environment that have an adverse affect on our senses. Because since this is the quantum world we're talking about, it's a very mysterious world indeed that defies traditional logic (hence the reason most audiophiles think this stuff is hogwash, because they apply traditional means of logic to understand their world, and can't accept the logic behind the truth that there are phenomenon in the universe not yet understandable to us). I wish there were more discussion about the theory so I could hope to understand it better, if only to understand no more than the personal perceptions of others on the phenomenon. It's all good.
cico_buff.
31st October 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Fright Night.
I have read with interest many of the recent postings on attempts to treat the environment, and of the enormous benefits that resulted. Strangely, I have been working in a different direction. I've been thinking about a P.W.B 'Lifestyle' range. A 'fit and forget' approach was my desire, and so found myself quite obsessed with fuses.
Now, I will post more of my adventures with some exotic fuses at some point soon, but on discussing the issue with the powers that be in Leeds, whilst bearing not an inconsiderable amount of scorn for dabbling in the area of electrical equipment, I learnt of something new.
Many of you will know that I become almost psychotic with enthusiasm, earlier this year, about Morphic Green Cream. New Order may have sung in the early '80s 'Everything's Gone Green', but in our case it was true. I just wish it was edible.
But now we're into the black: I find out there is a Black Cream that can be applied to the body of a fuse. I, of course, beg for a sample. A tiny bag arrives, so small that my huge fingers are barely able to retrieve the trace of the new Black Cream. I apply a trace to the barrel of a fuse and sit back....
If there had been a supernatural reason for the improvement in sound, I would have gone for it. The improvement from one treated fuse was frightening, and trounced my efforts with special silver fuses and Smart Metal. The amount of cream applied to achieve this effect seemed unnatural, given the scale of the change. I was also informed that the cream worked well on the electrical insulation covering wires. More improvement, though the shock from the fuse remained.
Many of Peter's critics always think 'trick' rather than 'treat'. Even if a benefit is perceived, the assault on their vanity, on their pride in believing they know their science, cannot tolerate the 'treat'. It is converted into a 'trick'. It is ever tedious. But for the first time in a long while, I was really shaken.
And so my 'foiling-friends', on this night of nights, turn your back on the Green, and beg for some Black. Cream that is.
Richard.
1st November 2006 From Michael.
Hello All
I suspect Richard has been devilishly uninformative. As one who is (or was?) about to order a fresh vat of Morphic Green Cream, I now wonder if I should hold off until this new Black Cream is commercially available.
Is it a replacement for the Green?
Is it the same price as the Green?
Is it available now?
Answers please!!!
Michael...
3rd November 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Black or Green, that is the ?estion!.
Michael, please be assured that the Morphic Green Cream is not being replaced or superseded. The Morphic Green Cream is by far the most effective and most versatile all round Cream.
As many of our customers will already know, if ever any of our products are anticipated to be replaced or superseded, they would be told before or when ordering. We would never supply anything knowing it was due to be replaced or superseded !!
The new Special Black Cream has been specifically designed to 'treat' fuses and the outer insulation of interconnects and cables. At this moment, there are no other areas where it should be used. The Special Black Cream will be supplied in the same small 5 ml jar and at the same price as the Morphic Green Cream.
With your next order, we will supply you with a small sample of the new Special Black Cream.
Kind Regards, May
3rd November 2006 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Black or Green, that is the ?estion!.
May,
I'm going to be really cheeky here but...
I am just about to order some more SR Foil and another PA Pack( mostly to get some more of that very lovely Green Cream). Does the same offer apply to me?
Kind regards ( in a very grovelling style)
Brian
4th November 2006 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: Black or Green that is the ?uestion!.
Dear All,
I have just had a practice Grovell and I think that I will be as good as Brian by the time I am ready to place my next order. I have even started to sharpen up my Pleading technique! How about that Mr Hannen!
........Thinks he can Grovell better than me does he? We'll see about that!
Regards to All......... and you, Brian.
Kevin Kehoe.
4th November 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Black or Green, that is the ?estion.
Of course the same offer applies. Brian, and Kevin, and ?? and ?? and ?? And ??
Although I rather like the idea of a bit of 'grovelling' from time to time.
With affection, May
8th November 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: More on the Black Cream, More on Fuses.
With the excitement of 'all hallows' over, and with the Houses of Parliament still intact, I thought some more description was necessary.
Although grovelling is a pastime I can indulge in, there are times when the parallel art of criticism takes over. Much as I depend upon their efficacy, I don't really like Foils. I prefer labels, ties, creams etc., mainly because they are less fiddley, and less likely to fall off. Saying this, I have yet to find an alternative to the use of Foils on CDs, and see their role as near essential. But I wanted some simpler items to give that longed-for lift to the sound and vision, and became, as you will know, preoccupied with fuses. The small 20mm ones were the challenge, and I wondered whether the silver ones from Hi-Fi Tuning might be easier to apply Smart Metal to. And indeed they were, but as I still managed to damage two 1.6A fuses, I thought about whether there might be another way.
I would say that the application of Purple Ink to the barrel ends, plus Electret and Green Cream, a little Red pen, and freezing, significantly enhanced any fuse, but there was a nagging feeling that more could be done. I tried a 13 amp silver fuse, which confirmed the superiority of silver compared with ordinary fuses (a sweeter sound) but really thought I should consult the oracle.
This is always a fraught business, because the principles by which Peter develops his ideas and products remains obscure (for good reasons) and so I am often asking for things that may be impossible. I mentioned fuses, and there was no immediate 'ah yes!', but then suddenly, out of the blue, Black Cream arrived.
I won't echo my astonishment at this product, but will just describe some further implications. I believe I now appreciate much more the effect of Black Cream on the electrical insulation on cables. As a tiny trace makes a huge difference, I opened up not just equipment, but also the odd wall electrical socket, and put the tiniest trace on the mains circuit cables. Just one trace seems to work on vast lengths. The implications are...
So much to my pleasure, this is a fairly easy product to apply to your headphones' cable, your kettle lead, your TV aerial etc..
I still have more to do, but so far, the sound has become really beautifully transparent. Period instruments have a bite, but also a sweet tunefulness that makes baroque music angelic and pungent and rhythmic.
It's just quite, quite marvellous. No trick.
Richard
8th November 2006 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: Black Cream.
Richard, after reading your very enthusiastic introduction of Black Cream I asked May for a sample. After applying it to a few interconnects I was convinced enough and ordered a jar which has now arrived. I fully endorse your findings for this extraordinary product which defies belief that the smallest smear on a fuse or cable insulation can have such a profound improvement in perceived sound quality. With the introduction of a new P.W.B product my thoughts always return to the same question. How can it possibly happen ? and since it does - what is going on in this world that P.W.B have opened up and what other discoveries are out there? My listening these days tends towards CDs of piano music. Listening last night to a Beethoven sonata that I had played only a few nights ago was a wonderful experience that had every note given an extra special significance. I'm sure everyone who tries the cream will be similarly impressed. The cream is expensive but value wise it is a bargain! Richard in your last posting you mentioned Hi-Fi Tuning silver fuses. I haven't come across these fuses and I'd be grateful if you give me their telephone number.
Regards to all, Tom.
8th November 2006 From Geoff Kait.
Subject: Re: Black Cream.
Q - Can someone please confirm/deny whether the new Black Cream is similar to, the same as, or different from the Black Cream that was supplied along with Red Cream to upgrade the Quantum Clip a while ago? The reason I ask is I still have a wee bit of the "Black Cream" intended for the clip and wonder if I can use that for fuses & cable insulation...
Thanks in Advance - Geoff Kait
9th November 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Black Cream.
Hi Geoff,
I believe it is different from any previous Black Cream, and Peter has clarified that this new one must not be applied to the Tweezers or Clip. Perhaps May can add something?
Richard
9th November 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Black Cream.
Hi Tom,
Yup, I ain't making it up. It really works.
As for the silver fuses, I have found Angelsound Audio the best source for the Hi-Fi Tuning fuses, though they can be found elsewhere.
I'd be interested in your views of them. Still, you would not be able to buy many of them for the price of a pot of Black Cream, which would go much further, and on much more. Expensive it might seem, until compared to other products.
Richard
10th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: On Plug Polarity (LONG)
It all started when I decided to "red stripe" all the plugs in my listening room (as I described in a previous message, "More Red Pen Fun"). I listened throughout the process, and it was all progressing as expected, as it did the first time I tried this. I listened again after finishing the job, and although some things had improved, the sound just wasn't right, so not satisfactory (it was more involving before the strip). This was despite me having made sure that the sound wasn't off because of the odd/even rule (you do this by treating one more object). Well I knew the striping thing worked, and from what I heard, I didn't feel this was contributing to the bad sound. So I tried to think of what else I might have done to change the sound negatively.
OK, take plug out, mark plug, put plug in... what else could have changed? How about the polarity, could that be it? I wasn't trying to be careful about putting the plugs back exactly as they came out.
However, living on the 120v system in North America means most new equipment has a wide ("polarized") plug blade, which rules out a polarity problem for most of the plugs in my sound equipment. But what about the other plugs? You know, I've always known that polarity is important in an audio system (audio equipment sounds "right" only when a non-polarized plug is plugged in the right way round). But since I marked ALL the plugs in the listening room, which includes plugs not belonging to audio equipment, does their polarity have an effect on the sound?
Yup, turns it out does! Testing plug after plug showed a consistent change in the characteristic of the sound perceived. The only problem was deciding which was "right". Perhaps the fake Beatle music from the "I Am Sam" soundtrack wasn't the best test record for this, but after I while, I determined that "right" was when the vocals had more of that "in the room" characteristic, even though (much) less subjective detail in the highs, and otherwise more "recessed" in general. And I knew that the polarity in the non-audio plugs was a "Belt effect", because I could sometimes tell that the polarity of the plug was correctly oriented, before even pressing Play on the CD changer. Eventually, each plug was turned (if necessary) to the position that yielded the proper sonic characteristic. But how to ensure it stays that way? That meant I had to mark the plug, and any marking I knew, would affect the sound.
I tried a line going across the middle of the (imaginary) "wide" blade (it made sense to mark the correct orientation by marking the blade that would go into the wide blade of an outlet or extension cord). But that didn't do good things for the sound, and neither did marking the wide blade with two stripes from the red pen. So then I removed the red stripe and put the word "OK" on the (wide) blade (initially, I did not use periods after the letters). Now THAT was a go! It improved the sound from the previous standard to my delighted satisfaction, as well as enabling me to mark the plug blade in a special manner. The marking of orientation on all other non-polarized plugs was done with the word "O.K." (with periods).
Now the only problem was, as my progressive listening showed, the marking of "O.K." on the blades also followed the odd/even rule. Which meant I had to have the right amount of non-polarized plugs in order for the sound to "gel" in the end (or mark one plug from outside the room). During this portion of the experiments, I thought I might be observing another phenomenon. Which is that the "odd/even rule" may not be dependent upon the treatment of objects themselves, but treatments themselves. Meaning that instead of the sound becoming correct only after each other object you treat, it seemed it also applied even if you were treating the same object many times over.
(This is what "appeared" may be happening, from my having switched between the words "O.K." and "GOOD" several times, on the same blade). But there may have been some other reason for the degradation of sound after I applied the word "OK" at one point, so I'm not making any new conclusions about the odd/even rule without at least further experimentation.
Now I had a listening room in which all plugs, belonging to all types of electrical items, had their polarity correctly oriented and the word "OK" on the (non-polarized) "wide" blades. Listening to the system after this project had been completed was an exciting experience. Mind you, the stereo was sounding great before this experiment. So the primary before & after difference was that listening to the stereo after the plug work, only the music mattered. There was no desire to fragment the music in terms of mids/bass/detail etc.. Instead, I found myself head banging to the MOR strains of Katie Melua ("Shy Boy"). After that, switching over to the next disc in the CD changer (Norah Jones, "Dont Know Why"), I got that tingling in the throat and head, that you get when you "feel" the musician's emotional message being transmitted in the music. The change was profound, but superficially, it appeared that detail and openness was better before the project. But when the change produces a deep involvement with even the "boring" tracks on a CD, you know its a good thing. So I have no doubt my little plug project took this system up another level. And it occurred to me of course, if the word "OK" was on all the plug blades, it would probably be far superior to the red stripe that is currently there. But if so, then that still leaves the problem of how to specially identify the correct non-polarized blades, without worsening the sound...
cico_buff
12th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: When O.K. is not O.K. (More on marking)
This is a continuation of my experiments marking (flat 110v type) AC (power) plug blades ("On Plug Polarity"). Which is to say the plugs of all electrical equipment in the household.
This time, it isn't about the polarity of the plug, but simply finding out what "morphic message" worked best on the blades. I knew it had to be short! I felt the original "red stripe" idea could be bettered. I first compared these 3 short & sweet messages: "'x 26 'x", "GOOD", "O.K.". "GOOD" was deemed second best, and "O.K.", if written thickly, sounded best (Peter is of course right about "O.K." needing to be emphasized, for best sound - when written more thinly, the sound was thinner). It may be that all messages sound better written thickly, but I haven't gotten around to this.
"O.K." was more than "O.K." soundwise, but I tried coming up with something even shorter and perhaps even better. So I used a kind of shorthand for "O.K.", the common checkmark. On the plus side, its a symbol so transcends language (almost like saying "OK" in every language). On the negative side, it was close to a right angle, so I didn't think it stood much chance of being "better than OK". But nevertheless, I drew a thick checkmark on the side of the blade, and the initial listening test was very promising for my little checkmark.
Another advantage of this symbol is its compactness, which meant I could fit up to 3 checkmarks on a single blade. Which is exactly what I tried next. Instead of adhering to the odd/even rule, each checkmark made the sound better than the last. Now there was no contest, the 3 thick checkmarks outperformed the sound of the single thick "O.K.". After applying 3 such checkmarks to all four plug blade sides, this really made a significant impact on the sound! (can't wait to hear what it does when all the plugs in the house are marked this way).
Since the checkmark seemed to outperform the O.K. on the plug blade, I decided to test if I should be using it with label messages. So I wrote a test message for my int. amp, which looked like:
SANSUI > O.K.
and compared it with:
SANSUI (Checkmark)
Well, I preferred the sound of the checkmark to the O.K. Checkmark sounded more natural, liquid, and captivating, with somewhat higher resolution (whereas OK sounded a bit thinner and brighter). I tried to write both "SANSUI"'s exactly the same size and thickness. But just in case this wasn't so, I did the same comparison, except using the word "HI-FI > O.K." vs. "HI-FI (Checkmark). Same results! So for me, the checkmark wins out over the "> O.K.", whether on message labels or directly on the plug. I also dug the idea that every grammar school teacher that was busy giving positive grades to a pupil was helping improve the sound of my stereo system.
Further fun experiments:
I happened to have an old issue of Hi-Fi Answers from '91 on the coffee table/test bench, that asked on the front cover, "Can socks affect the sound?" (a Beltism). I never tried this, so since I already had one sock off, I listened, then listened again with both socks on. Not being sure which was supposed to better, one sock off or two socks on, I found after a couple of repeated tests, the sound was definitely preferable with two socks on (then I checked the magazine and that was the preferred sock set-up). The same issue had a reference to making V signs in your listening room (another "Beltism"), and it was said to make the sound worse. I thought it doesn't get any sillier than this, so of course I had to test this theory out. I tried holding up a good, solid V-sign in the air. Then listened. At first, the sound seemed to be better. But when I tried the V-sign again, I could definitely see it was getting progressively worse (muddier).
Peter was right again!
cico_buff
14th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: "COMMUNICATION Is King": Exploring the new theory of evolution via morphic msgs.
As I have received word that the details of my recent experiments are of some interest to members, I'll finish the description of the messaging experiments I did recently.
None of this lot has to do with power plugs, these were label messages, but an extension of my previous experiments. As such, all the words end with a checkmark instead of an "O.K.", because I found that preferable. For simplicity's sake, when I initially started doing these tests, it was by sticking part of each label on the transformer. After I couldn't get a satisfactory result from anything, I was going to give up on all the messages I came up with, until I remembered that transformers are not ideal places to "Belt" for most of these types of treatments. More suited to message tags, in my experience, are the input ends of wires. Since I usually do tests using headphones, when I applied those same messages to the end of the headphone wire, there was a world of difference.
Now its not easy trying to compare a dozen different messages at once. So to save time & resources, I suggest using the method I did, which entails writing the message on a plain white (non adhesive) piece of paper. Then using an alligator clip, you clip the paper to the end of the headphone cable (or AC power cable of your amp or source equipment), just -before- the moulding for the jack. The clip itself will contribute to the sound, but all tags will be under clip, so the test is still fair (even though the labels will sound better without any clip). Keep in mind my example above, that if an appropriate place for a label isn't chosen, you may find as I did, none are suitable. I also like to put labels on top of "bad words" on equipment labels (such as warnings). Kind of kills two birds with one stone.
It should also be reiterated that the practice of tapping the cap of the pen on the message after its written, really does benefit (puts the resolution a bit higher). But if you're not always going to remember to do that during your tests, then its best not to do it at all, to ensure all tests have an equal platform, with the only variable being the word. As for writing the word, I find it should be done slowly, uniformly and legible. I'd suggest as small as you can make it while maintaining clarity, uniformity and legibility. Because I tested the same word in 2 different sizes once, and found unexpectedly, that the larger size wasn't better, but worse. (However, I always make the checkmark the end of the word a little larger than the text, and a little heavier).
In the end, any "winning label" should also be compared to the sound without a label, which in this case means leaving the clip in place, but not with a label in it. I find there's always a set of tradeoffs to be had; with new changes improving some things, while taking some things away. These days I try to be careful before leaving something in permanently, to be sure I'm not missing too much by doing so. I say this because all the labels I tried change the sound in many ways, improving on the original sound for certain, but in some ways not. So I feel any label chosen should be chosen on the basis of being good enough to do more good than bad.
Many of those I attempt to explain the P.W.B theory behind Beltism, even if they have heard and recognized its effects, tend not to believe the theory. Sometimes they give me their own hypotheses for why they might have heard what they think they heard. None are quite as convincing or well thought out as the P.W.B "new theory of evolution". So just for fun, to pretend I was testing this "new theory of evolution", I tried to come up with words related to the theory, that might help make the energy patterns friendlier to our senses. These words, mostly culled from these pages, were: RELAX, SANCTUARY, COMFORT, SENTINEL, FRIEND, REASSURANCE, COMMUNICATION.
Well, I may not have definitively proved anything tonight about the new theory of evolution, but I note that none of the above words were really "stinkers" (unlike "GIFT" or "WATER", for example). I used the track "Le Ballade", which is a piano track on the Sheffield Drum & Track test CD for many of the labels under test. (N.B. Although I generally don't like complicating things like this, you can combine labels which combines their sonic effect).
Didn't quite make the grade:
----------------------------------
RELAX (check): Slow (as opposed to a "fast" sound), but thick (body) and dark. Might be useful to balance out a fast, thin sound? Don't know...
WATER (check): Bright, sharp sound, lacking in musicality.
HOLY (check): Not exemplary. Tonally, halfway between thin and rich enough.
GIFT (check): Lacks body, smallish sound.
SANCTUARY (check): Body is almost "good" (but a bit on the thin side). But otherwise, good depth, resolution, separation & clarity.
COMFORT (check): Appeared to be close to SANCTUARY at first, but later listenings revealed it was sharper & faster, but a bit slow in general (as compared to some of the others). I would hesitate to completely rule out "COMFORT", because in previous trials with the word on a sticky label, it came second out of that (smaller) group. I'd say its not best but not bad.
More interesting lot:
------------------------
SENTINEL (check): Good, but not great, or special. Somewhat muted on the drum track. "RELAX" was better, re: tonal balance.
FRIEND (check): Perfect balance (tonally)! It seemed closest tonally to the original sound, than all the rest. Had body without sounding too slow. Carries the rhythm better than "REASSURANCE". Compared to "COMMUNICATION", it sounds more forward, more body and less definition.
REASSURANCE (check): Very good, very open, less well defined than "FRIEND", but more open & detailed. Veiled mids (midrange).
COMMUNICATION (check): "COMMUNICATION" is King! It had something really special as soon as I heard it (a full day before most of the others in this group). Up until "PURE", it had the best resolution, it is a forward sound with a great tonal balance. "PURE" may better it on most aspects but not all. Plus, it doesn't have that weird "PURE" mix (i.e... bass drum on Ron Tutt is in the center, where it seems it should be).
PURE (check): Waves of detail came at me as soon the song (Amuseum) started. I was disoriented, no longer sure it was the same recording! That's because, as I found out later, it presented the mix -very- differently than any of the other messages I tried. Things were not were I expected them to be, and I wasn't sure they were where they were supposed to be. What I was sure was the music had an effortless quality, tonally neutral, and a definition that easily surpassed everything else, including "COMMUNICATION". But it wasn't perfect. Although it wasn't particularly lacking in the bass, it didn't have the same richness or body some of the others had. As such, it could sound a bit hard, but not necessarily harsh. I'd say "PURE" is the hardest to describe, without hearing it.
My TOP favorite morphic message words of all those from this round are: FRIEND, COMMUNICATION and PURE (the two main contenders here are COMMUNICATION and PURE). I hope my experiences inspires others to seek out their own top morphic messages or "message words". And if you find good ones, don't forget to post them so I can try them out!
cico_buff
14th November 2006 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: "COMMUNICATION Is King
Cico_buff,
I hope I will be one of many to post congratulations on your "COMMUNICATION Is King" message experiments. Immediately after reading your last posting, I felt I had to try some of your suggestions. As I have some Gold Message Foil to hand as well as a Red "X" Pen, I wrote a few messages with the word COMMUNICATION followed by the checkmark as you suggested. I attached those to the interconnects between the CD player and the amp (close to the plugs at the amp end of the cables). As I also have a small quantity of Morphic Green Cream available, I added the tiniest dab to the attached foils before tapping with the pen. By the way, all my interconnects and power leads have had previous Green Cream treatment and I use it on all foils except for those with dedicated creams. I must admit that I was expecting to perhaps have to work at trying to hear the difference by attaching and removing the message foils a few times – but no! The sound lift was immediately apparent and, may I say, by a great margin – a bigger, fatter sound but with even more clarity. It's the kind of result that makes me want to play more records rather than experiment further. I won't go into any more detail regarding what I played, except to say that the presence of the sound lift is apparent straight away - on every disc - regardless of how long ago it was last played. You just know it's better than the previous listen. When I have worked through a few CD's for pleasure, I will experiment further.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
15th November 2006 From Richard Graham
Subject: Re: Black Cream.
A brief update.
For some years now, I have advocated a policy of applying products to the outside of equipment only. This was to maintain the warranty, and much else could be achieved by treating the environment.
I have recently changed this view, as my experience of adding black cream to the insulation of internal cables has been quite extraordinary. The increase in both volume and detail just amazing.
The other aspect that strikes me is that with its very precise points of action or application, it really goes a very long way. I just wish I could compare some of my treated equipment now with the high end products that get such accolades.
But for me, 'Product of the Year.....'
Well it's black.
Richard
18th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: "COMMUNICATION Is King".
Sounds great! With such results from treating a single pair of interconnects, imagine what you can expect if you go on to treat all ICs in the Hi-Fi system, along with all power cables (including household power cords) and headphone cables. Just remember to keep in mind the odd/even rule may come into play, once you do more than one cable thusly. If it sounds "off" at one point, you should simply need to do one more cable to get it right again.
I haven't yet done too much experimenting with messages on foils. For the purposes of testing (as opposed to just enjoying music....), I felt I want to see what the messages sound like on plain paper first, without adding the sound of the foils into the mix. Not that plain white paper doesn't add its own sound. I say that because I observed that plain white paper definitely sounds better than white adhesive labels. But non-adhesive paper isn't a viable option in most cases, and once you start adding glues or tape to it, sound gets worse (very possibly worse than the adhesive paper...).
As for applying the message tags to wires (just before the plug at the input end), there are basically 3 ways to do this: sticking it length wise on the surface of the cable, placing it around the cable to form a closed loop (so that the two ends of the tag meet each other, and the tag is long enough to have a "tail" extending beyond the cable), or wrapping it completely around the cable and over itself, with no extending "tail". Of those 3, I've found the second option, placing it around the cable and forming a closed loop with a tail, to be the best. And, as described in greater detail in a previous message, the tail should face downward, (where possible).
Having an extending tail of course requires the tag (i.e... foil) be cut long enough to accept the message and go around the wire with enough extra to create a "tail". In the case of interconnects, I found that the tags should go on both leads individually, rather than wrapping it around both channels at once.
cico_buff
18th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Photographs As Devices.
I took a sudden notion to become curious about what would happen if I took the photographs in my freezer and used it on or inside my equipment. Actually, they're photocopies of photographs. One ZIPLOC bag contained a B&W inkjet copy of a digital photo of myself taken about 8 months ago, the other ZIPLOC bag contained three B&W photocopies of an old photograph of myself and my brother, taken when we were about 2 years old (Why 3 copies instead of 1? Each photocopy sounded different, and I couldn't make up my mind as to which was best, so at the time I must have figured it was better to use all 3!). I placed both ZIPLOC bags inside my amplifier, under the lid, in no particularly special way. Knowing that photographs in the freezer have an effect on the sound, I wasn't surprised to find that the sound had definitely changed, from my simply having moved the ZIPLOC bags from next to the amp to inside the amp.
But I can't say I was really impressed by the change. The first thing I noticed was that my nice timbal definition was destroyed by what I'd have to describe as an unnatural "polished sound" (where sonic colours sound too much alike). Yes, I also noticed the increase in overall resolution, detail, soundstaging etc.. And I observed that the music moved more effortlessly, making it seem like it passes more quickly ("more engaging on some level" you could say). The reason change would seem to be at once bad and good is the usual one: it was improving some things, degrading others. So I much preferred my old sound, even after I took the photographs out from inside the amp.
Next I tried taking the photographs out of the ZIPLOC bags, and I applied them to the inside top cover of the amp with a small dab o Blue-Tak (adhesive putty) in the centre of the photocopy; one of my new me on the left, and only one of my old me on the right. Now it was... WOW! I was taken aback by not only the degree of change, but the quality of the change. This time there was no complaints about what happened to the timbre or complaints about any part of the sound whatsoever. It was one of those rare times when I can't seem to perceive any degradation whatsoever, with all changes positive. Quality-wise, not only did it better any single thing that I had experimented with recently, as well as anything I had done to the amp in question, but it was one of the most effective single Beltisms I can remember experiencing.
I've fooled around with many things that are part of Beltist phenomena, but there are so many that I've not yet done much work with photographs (other than listening to a few). So about all I know right now, besides what I just wrote, is that different photographs are likely to have a different sound, (and I read a theory where analogue might be better than digital ones), photocopies may sound different than the original analogue pics, and different photocopies can also influence the sound in different ways. Heck, different ZIPLOC bags may sound different, for all I know! For certain, whatever you use to adhere the photo has a sound, so if using tape (or whatever), I'd use the least possible (I'm guessing that small quantities of blue-tak may be preferable to bits of tape).
Next experiment... excited about the prospects of where photographs can take the sound, I didn't have any more frozen photos, so decided to see if non-frozen ones would have an effect. To this end, printed out a photo I had on my computer of my ex-girlfriend (of 15+ years), posing with a fake chimpanzee dressed up in a bandleader's outfit like Michael Jackson. Next, I printed out another digital photo of 2 of my cats. I taped the photo of my friend on top of the top cover of the amp, with minimal tape.... It worked! Not as great a perceived improvement as the two frozen photos of myself, but it was an improvement very much in that vein. I started listening to the Y2K version of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", and all thoughts of picking apart the sound gave way to simply connecting with the music. I found that like everything, location of the picture had an effect on the sound (and as with the labels, the better sound seemed to come from placing the picture at the edge of the top cover of the amp that is furthest away from the front, and directly in the centre).
After removing the GF picture, I replaced it with the picture of the kitties. Not nearly as good, but still very nice, and better than no picture (if placed right). Trying both pics on the top cover at the same time resulted in worse sound overall, not better. So what's on the picture is key to getting quality sound. Presumably, a picture of Hitler in drag is not going to improve your sound, but a picture of your loved ones likely will (love=reassurance=safety). Keeping with the reassurance theme, I did a Google image search for the word, and found a pic of a mother hugging her child on a beach. Which I then applied to the top cover of my amp. I'm sure it still improved things, but it was nothing special, not as good as the pic of my friend. But the interesting part was that the pic allowed me to shrink the 8x10 to 1/9th size, making a contact print of 9 smaller images. As I found with messages, the smaller images sounded better!
cico_buff
20th November, 2006 From A Martherus.
Subject: Re: Photographs As Devices.
Cico_buff, did you really remove the pictures out of the freezer?
This alone seems to me the reason why it sounded worse in the first place.
Now you've found a "good" place (on the amp), you should compare it to a system with the picture inside the freezer again.
This picture in freezer phenomena intrigues me nonetheless. I have the feeling that it isn't worked out yet to the full. We should take pictures of our complete Hi-Fi system, the listening room, the CD-collection, the electricity box, our family members, even car and bicycles, the whole house, and put them into our freezer?
Can we also do the same with pictures of 'adverse' things like cell phones, computers, the camera itself?
What would happen if we put a picture of the earth and stuck it into the freezer?
Shame that we don't have a picture of our planet from about 4,300,000,000 years ago...
Arkie the Netherlands
20th November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: Photographs As Devices
"Cico_buff, did you really remove the pictures out of the freezer? This alone seems to me the reason why it sounded worse in the first place."
Perhaps I didn't mention this, but I listened to the amp just - before- inserting the ziploc'ed pictures of me inside the amp (I had to, in order to determine the nature of the changes, if any). So the reason it sounded worse had nothing to do with the fact that the pictures were no longer in the freezer. The reason it sounded worse was because one, they weren't being applied to anything, just sitting on the componentry in the amp, two, the ziploc bags. I'm sure ziploc bags don't sound very good (which gives me an idea that the next time I put the photocopy pictures back in the freezer, I should try freezing them without the bags and see if that improves things even more).
Now you've found a "good" place (on the amp), you should compare to a system with the picture inside the freezer again.
Well I've already done experiments that show pictures in the freezer improve the sound. I was more interested in trying something new, to learn more about the Belt phenomenon. My picture on the amp experiment will work whether or not there is a picture(s) in the freezer. And even though I just tried it on the amp, I predict it will work almost anywhere most other Belt devices will work (obviously you can't shrink it to the size of a foil, but so long as a part of the pic is taped to the area of the object, it should work about as well).
This picture in freezer phenomena intrigues me nonetheless. I have the feeling that it isn't worked out yet to the full.
I feel the same way of course, which is why I sat down to experiment a bit further with pictures. Except by my recent observations, it isn't simply a "picture in the freezer" phenomenon, it's a "picture" phenomenon. Because as my experiments have shown me (and I'm sure its been mentioned before), the "power" is in the picture itself. Freezing them is good, but they have properties even unfrozen. Whether they are better in the freezer or on amps, etc.. is not, to me, an interesting question. Because you can apply them both in and out of the freezer. One of the things I haven't worked out yet about this very intriguing phenomenon, is which kind of pictures have a positive effect, and which have a mediocre or perceptibly negative effect. Obviously, loved ones is a good place to start. And you touch upon a few more here....
We should take pictures of our complete HI Hi-Fi system, the listening room, the CD-collection, the electricity box, our family members, even car and bicycles, the whole house, and put them into our freezer? Can we also do the same with pictures of 'adverse' things like cell phones, computers, the camera itself? What would happen if we put a picture of the earth and stuck it into the freezer? Shame that we don't have a picture of our planet from about 4,300,000,000 years ago...
Those are as good places to start as any. All will at least tell you something about the nature of the phenomenon. I plan to do further experiments myself with different photos to try to learn more about it. One thing I've always been curious of is... what happens if you stick a picture of yourself in someone - else's- freezer? Do they get the "Belt effect" from that? And is it stronger for them if its a picture of themselves?
cico_buff.
21st November 2006 From Chris Porada.
Subject: RE: Photographs As Devices.
Hi Cico_buff
I'm intrigued by your experiments with the photos and would like to try some myself. Do you think the photo has to actually be "inside" the components, or would affixing them to the outside case of the component in the style of other Belt foils do the same? I've prepared some tiny photos of myself and family reducing them to about the size of foils in Photoshop and am eager to try them out, but am feeling a bit lazy to unplug all the components and get out my hex wrench set to pull all the covers off. Have you tried any comparisons to see if the outside of the case works the same?
Thanks for any help/suggestions
Chris Porada.
21st November 2006 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: Photographs As Devices .
You may not have read all my messages on this subject Chris. I mentioned that I got better results from applying the photos to the outside of my equipment than on the inside (but that has nothing to do with inside being better than outside). If you wish to experiment with photograph as devices, you can try them wherever any other Belt device (i.e... foils) is effective.
If you want to work on your equipment, say the top cover, I suggest starting by placing one pic in the centre of rear edge of the machine. If you want to experiment to see how location changes the sound, you can try the same pic in centre of each edge, or the dead centre of the cover. Other areas you might wish to try are the input jacks on the rear, near the power cable, near openings, etc..
I created a small web page of my recent experiments with pictures on a CD burner, to demonstrate the effect. Anyone who wishes to hear this can download small music samples and listen for themselves to see if they can determine differences.
http://www.geocities.com/cico_buff/index.html
cico_buff.
25th November 2006 From Michael.
Subject: The other side of the coin.
Hello All,
I have posted at length previously, about my adventures with extensively treating el cheapo Hi-Fi gear - with excellent results, considering the cost of the gear. With the good fortune of unlimited overtime, and a willingness to do It, I can now see both sides of the sound quality coin.
Firstly, a few comments about my lovely new Primare I30 100W Amp. It sounded great straight out of the box, with only a treated power cord, Beltwise - obviously the intelligent design contributes a great deal to the overall sound, but I also ponder on the following : My I30 is the 1st one sold by the only Primare dealer here in Adelaide, so there is a possibility that I have the only one in this city. The amp has only three feet, two at the front, one at the back. Neither the amp or the box it came in have any Barcodes, none, nil, zilch. Just one small sticker on the box, with the model name and serial number. Now two weeks later, with app. 100 hours on the clock, and several microscopic smudges of Green Cream on outer casing, knobs and speaker terminals, my lounge room is filled with music I describe as ,loud,
thick honey-just completely absorbing, as I listen with closed eyes, I keep getting images of these bands performing on the stage of the local hot club, it's almost disappointing to open my eyes and see that I'm actually still at home!
Update : Have just undressed the amp, to smudge Special Black Cream on internal fuses (6) and wiring- same as before just BIGGER, WIDER, Rounder, Smoother, Closer ,Quiet bits Quieter, All in all, I would estimate an 83% improvement in Overall Betterness!!!
Michael...
25th November 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: The other side of the coin.
Michael,
Your last sentence is going to go into my dictionary of P.W.B. phrases !!
"All in all, I would estimate an 83% improvement in Overall Betterness !!"
I love it - whether there is such a word as Betterness or not, there is NOW.
Kind Regards, May
PS. For over 20 years now we have been trying to get people to understand that there is a vast amount of information, already from their equipment, which they are not (have not been) resolving correctly. It is nice to have it confirmed.
2nd December 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: latest Hi-Fi News.
Dear All,
Well, Michael, you will no doubt be delighted to know that Hi-Fi News has published your reply to Janine Elliot's previous mention regarding using Peter's freezing/slow defrost technique.
For the people who are not able to get Hi-Fi News, Michael (Parin) had replied that he had P.W.B treated and then frozen his new integrated amplifier with considerable success. Describing the sound now as MAGICAL ! - as having greater separation and soundstage depth. Janine has also replied to Michael saying that, in her opinion, some people are too embarrassed to admit that Belt's ideas do actually work for them. She adds that, one day, she might get up the guts to freeze her Krell amp !!!
Nice one Michael.
Regards, May
5th December 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: latest Hi-Fi News.
May,
As you know, I was very impressed by this letter and its response, and that it was published. All credit to Michael, but I also really liked Janine's response, which had such a light touch that the killer punch was barely detectable. In short, she accuses those who acknowledge that they can hear a difference with P.W.B devices of childlike cowardice. But then haven't we always known this? Time and again we are confronted by those who refuse to accept what their senses tell them, trembling under the shelter of their 'science'. It is not science but fear that informs such responses. Loss of income, loss of reputation, loss of work might all be real issues.; but are we not men? (Stay calm May!).
Sadly, I lack the skill that enable Janine to make her point so gracefully, and if there is any hope for 2007, she will be given more scope to say the unspeakable.
So, everyone to their keyboards, and off with those letter and responses.
Richard
5th December 2006 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: P.W.B card and gift.
Hi Everyone-
Received a wonderful surprise in the mail yesterday- the new P.W.B Christmas card and a sample of the new black cream. I purchased a flat panel LCD TV in one of those Day-after Thanksgiving sales here. I had attached silver and a few other foils left over from the portable pack and applied electret and green creams shortly after installing the set: I'm quite pleased with the picture quality of such a inexpensive TV.
But a tiny amount of black cream applied to the cable between the DVD and TV gave the picture a surprising depth to the video- not flat like most LCDs but more CRT/Plasma-like liquidity but with greater detail and sharpness. And placing the P.W.B card on the DVD player's cover made the picture even more three-dimensional!
Thanks for the gifts!
Best wishes, James Takamatsu
6th December 2006 From A Martherus.
Subject: Re: P.W.B card and gift.
I also noticed an improvement in color, contrast and image depth, after placing the card on our tv. The effect was however STRONGER after I concentrated a few seconds on the three silvery, six cornered images on the card (one by one). My explanation is that this action "loads" the geometries into my subconsciousness, or that the figures "resonate" with, or are linked to, hidden powers inside our beings.
If I am the only one, it will be a nice placebo effect however :) but I'm inviting everyone to do the same.
Many thanks for your gifts!
A Martherus.
6th December 2006 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: P.W.B card and gift.
I am impressed that you look so closely at the card, as I am usually too excited to ascertain the effect to notice what's on it. When I did look more closely, I must confess that I just wondered if the figures represented the workers at P.W.B Central. After all, the place is as mysterious as a chocolate factory, and rather less fattening.
Richard.
December 2006 From Graham Mountford.
Subject: Xmas Card & Black Cream.
I placed the card on top of my Sky HD box and creamed as many cables (power and interconnects as I could.
The picture on the TV became much more vivid and colourful with the HD channels becoming wonderfully 3D.
The crunch came when I put on my CD of Also Sprach Zarathustra. The dynamics of the piece were quite staggering and I sat there with a stupid grin on my face.
Thank you May for the wonderful surprise, I will be ordering soon!!
Graham
8th December 2006 From Michael.
Subject: Card, dates and power cords.
Hello All, thanks May, Chrissy card arrived a couple of days ago. Before I forget, was the edition of Hi-Fi News, the December issue? We do get it here in Adelaide, but if it's the Dec. issue, probably wont be available till mid February.
Have placed the card, closed, on top of the TV - haven't noticed any difference, but at the moment I am in the middle of making a full set of custom length plaited power cords - so far 3 of 4 standard (but treated) cords have been banished to the spare room, and my listening room is strewn with new wire, plugs, heat shrink ,etc. - so I'm inclined to think that the card is replacing the beneficial effects of the missing cords, leaving me with the same delightful sound I have been enjoying for the last few weeks. I have installed IEC (Appliance Plug) adaptors on the set top box and TV- and have decided to cover plaited cable with white heat shrink-the reason being that 99% of other power cords are black-I will treat & freeze whole set of cords when finished and will listen carefully when replacing them after defrosting- the back of my stereo rack now looks cool and very neat-no part of any cord is closer than 3" to any other cord.
I will post the results asap
Michael...
8th December 2006 From Graham Mountford.
Subject: Magnets.
The only magnets I am able to obtain locally are only about 1.5 mm thick and am unsure as to what they are made of. It wouldn't matter with regards to soldering smart metal as with my DIY capabilities that just won't happen. However, would there be a value in using them with the various creams (particularly black cream) and sticking them on radiators etc.. Any advice on the would be appreciated.
Best Wishes to everyone.
Graham
8th December 2006 From John Traynor.
Subject: Re: Magnets
Go to http://www.emagnets.co.uk/ you'll find what you need!
John.
10th December 2006 From Geoff Kait.
Subject: Re: Re: Photographs As Devices.
Is it fair to bring up an old article in the P.W.B Newsletter involving Photos in the freezer? This one involved photos in a freezer 20 miles away.
The link the appropriate P.W.B Newsletter is:
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/newsletter/vol0503/vol0503.html
Geoff
22nd December 2006 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: treating inside speakers.
Hi everyone-
Just wondering if anyone had recommendations on treating inside of speakers. I am receiving back a beloved pair of Shahinian Obelisks after 23 years of separation, and was trying to decide to use Inside or Safe Hole foils within the cabinets. I usually treat the insides with standard Rainbow foil on the speaker baskets, Smart Metal on the magnets and crossover solder points, and recently Green Cream on the crossover parts and wire insulation.
Any help would be much appreciated!
James Takamatsu
22nd December 2006 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Treating inside speakers.
James,
All the treatments you have suggested are excellent treatments for speakers.
Certainly attaching strips of Inside Foil anywhere inside the speaker cabinet is very beneficial.
Do not forget the decorative speaker fronts - usually made from foam or polyester material. Attach a strip of Inside Foil to the inner (hidden) surface or, better still, attach a CCU pin to the rear of the fabric. Also if you intend to still retain any internal damping material - usually folded foam or BAF wadding, then the best way of treating this material is to attach a CCU pin to it. The CCU pin is a specially treated safety pin designed for attaching to Curtains, Carpets and Upholstery.
Regards, May
2nd January 2007 From A Martherus.
Subject: Re: treating inside speakers.
I can imagine that you could browse trough 1500 of posts here... but let me try to help you: - take a photograph the filter, and put this into your freezer - quarter round dowels (creamed, frozen, etc..) of about 2 inches long, to be put in every 90-degree corner; as my memory serves well, this speaker has not much right angles. - try to get rid of the BAF, I did with mine; you can always put it back in.
Good luck, and best wishes to everyone
Arkie Martherus
4th January 2007 From Graham Mountford.
Subject: Cats Whiskers.
Last Saturday I decided to do some more treatments having purchased the Black Cream and an Intermediate Kit. I had already creamed most of the cables and interconnects with the sample that May kindly sent with the Xmas card.
The next step was the cables inside the light switches (defused of course) and the insides of my Hafler XL600 amplifier, Audiolab T tuner and Meridian 206B CD player (all 3 of which are over 14 years old) which included cables and fuses.
Before the CD player was reassembled my wife's niece and husband John turned up from Cambridge 100 miles away. John is a high flier and has all the latest gadgetry including surround sound etc.., he looked distinctly unimpressed with what I was doing inside Meridian and I an idiot trying to explain.
Eventually I sat him down to listen to the Annie Lennox CD 'Diva' which I knew he owned. The first words he uttered were "That is stunning, I have never heard a sound stage like that", swiftly followed by "When I close my eyes she is there in the room". This was followed by showing BBC HD Planet Earth at which point he shouted for his wife to come and listen and watch. To say I was like a cat with all the cream is an understatement.
Part of the other treatments I have done at the same time was of course the small square labels that were supplied with the cream. These were stuck to the outside of the equipment including power supplies and to the front of the speakers behind the baffles. Future treatments will include the cables inside all power sockets and then the white appliances.
Happy New Year to everyone (I know mine will be musically God willing!)
Graham.
5th January 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Cats Whiskers.
And a Happy New Year to you Graham and to everyone else.
What a delightful 'posting' Graham to start 2007 with !!
I particularly like your reference to your equipment being over 14 years old and still improving your sound. Peter and I have said, all the time, that ALL equipment (irrespective of it's age or cost) has always been capable of 'handling' a wealth of information - far more information than people have ever realised.
Unfortunately Graham, your description of your relative's reaction "That is stunning, I have never heard a sound stage like that. When I close my eyes, she is there, in the room." brings tears of frustration to my eyes when I remember exactly those words, voiced by one audio journalist after another, by one audio magazine editor after another, by one audio equipment manufacturer after another, by one audio retailer after another - only to have the majority of them rush to hide behind the parapet - out of fear of being ridiculed !!!
I was reminded, on January 1st, seeing the date of the new year - 2007 - that it is now 20 years since Jimmy Hughes first article about Peter's work.
Kind Regards, May
7th January 2007 From Michael.
Subject: Eichmann Bullet Plugs and Beyond..........
Hello all, thought you may be interested in my latest fiddling! About a month ago I bought a set of CU Bullet plugs and made up a set of interconnects, 600 mm long, with my standard 2 strand ,30G wire, encased in tape. A definite improvement on the $2 Radio Shack RCA plugs-more dynamic, real sounding-worth the $20 price tag-but the thought of purchasing additional sets (TV, DVD etc.) got me thinking....
If as I've heard, reducing the return contact on the plug to a single point, improves the sound by diminishing unwanted currents, interferences, etc. - surely the signal contact would benefit from single point contact, rather than the standard center pin, making contact in literally hundreds of places.
One solution, mentioned by Tom Marsden, is to hardwire components together, eliminating the RCA plugs and jacks altogether. Great sound, downside - you need a screwdriver and soldering iron to move your equipment.
As I write this ,I am listening to my stereo, oozing sweet honey tones from my very own (as yet unpatented!!!) metal free, plugless, removeable stereo cables! They are only slightly more delicate to install and or remove than standard plugs, cost a few cents in materials, and compared side by side (two audio outputs on my DVD player) with the identical cable configuration with Bullets plugs, indistinguishable from each other-which is fab ,when you consider the plugless cables are new with zero hours run in!
As Big Kev used to say on TV here in Oz - I'm excited!!!
I spent many hours pondering how to achieve this goal, and now that I'm sitting here listening to my idea, I feel very happy.
Will post a couple of photos ASAP
Michael...
12th January 2007 From Steve Paines.
Subject: Black Cream delivers.
I am typing this after giving my power amp the internal Black Cream treatment. Thanks for the suggestion Richard.
I creamed with my finger every insulated wire, re-assembled the lid and waited for the result after the 1 hour usual warm up.
No doubt there is an improvement. The key change is the lift in 3 dimensional ability. There is greater clarity also, like when you are driving along and the screen demister has finished its work. The world is presented in all its glory once again.
This treatment has made the system very listenable, even on material I don't usually play. Electronics sound more like instruments than sound devices. A true compliment indeed.
Stephen, UK
15th January 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Updates.
I want to apologise to everyone for the absence of the usual posts over the festive period. Unfortunately, I screwed up my IT sending senseless e-mails with attached pictures, and it has taken some time to get things back to my version of normal. A shame, as there was much to discuss, including various developments in the audio world. Anyway, things that I would wish to discuss more on are:-
1. Silver squares. Just before Xmas, these arrive. Whilst others focus on the way they enhance the soundstage, I also like their 'sweetness', and what feels like their ability to increase aural contrast - some instruments sound darker, some lighter. Quite magical.
2. HiFi Critic.
I received a free sample of this new, subscription only audio magazine, from those Hi-Fi dinosaurs, such as Malcolm Steward etc.. To be brutally frank, advertisements might have perked the journal up, as the rest of it was hardly ground breaking, and barely distinguishable from old Hi-Fi News. Pieces on such controversial topics as cables are remarkably 'David Cameron'. If you are looking for some iconoclastic writing, look more to Janine. And do we really need four more views on Arcam's Solo? It's getting old now, and we know what it is supposed to do.
3. Russ Andrews Catalogue.
Now has pieces by Ken Kessler and Ivor Tiefenbrun in its pages. I've nothing against Russ Andrews, as some of the products are well made, and he at least keeps some issues alive in the magazines. But this catalogue is like the obverse of Hi-Fi Critic - one large advert., with some other pieces, by audio journalists/manufacturers. Why?
4. Hi-Fi News.
It looks like Ken is back in the fold. Why?
5. Vinyl
If many audio critics cannot get digital audio to sound good, is it ethical to promote a technology that is more than 50 years old, and is actually pretty useless for larger pieces? Misunderstanding the problems inherent in a medium is no excuse to promote the backward When downloads take off even more, can't you just hear the idealisation of the CD?
I could go on further about such potentially exciting things as the I Phone, HD DVD from Meridian, high definition downloads, but am more preoccupied by the dreary monopoly that certain writers have in the press. If it wasn't for the likes of Janine's incisive pieces, and Hi-Fi World, the same few writers would be reviewing the same few manufacturers (hello, Musical Fidelity!) until we all achieved a state of intolerable nausea. Whatever the powers of the manufacturers, we have a paralysis in the magazines so deadly that a stranglehold would feel like a warm caress.
And so after this New Year rant, a dove of calmness descends, and I think 'Thank God for P.W.B, Black Cream, The Clip' etc., because whatever the failings or developments elsewhere, we can still enjoy our music.
Richard
16th January 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Re: Black Cream delivers.
I recently had an additional experience with the new Black Cream. While work on my "Obelisk Project" continues, the main system is no playable, having given away my P.W.B - treated Klipsch KG3.5 speakers (which ended up sounding like ProAcs, of all things!) due to the lack of space in our tiny house.
I treated the skinny wires that lead to our wall-mounted NXT speakers of our bedroom system, and also applied the Black Cream to small areas of a couple of power cords, then cued the music. More air and sweeter highs, yes. But also greater fullness and authority. My wife noticed the same: Male choir voices sounded both deeper and clearer, and more separated so their lines were easier to follow. Also, a bit more heft to the bass.
While I concentrated on video improvements the first time (we had just purchased a flat-screen TV and were assessing its quality), this time we focused on the audio quality. And as Steve says, P.W.B Black Cream certainly delivers!
James Takamatsu
17th January 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Credit Card Misery?
It's January, and the excesses of Christmas have taken their toll on our credit cards. But the Magnetic Strip on the cards takes its toll o our senses, and enjoyment of music.
If you have some Black Cream, smear a little onto the magnetic strip.
It's not a 0% Balance Transfer, payable over 100 years, but it helps.
Richard
17th January 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: A Curious Question
We have taken to watching repeats of the quiz/comedy show 'QI', which provides many interesting facts amidst the jokes.
One I hadn't come across was that at certain points in the Earth's history, the magnet poles swap over, and no one knows why. Indeed, such a swap is imminent. As this was on the television, it must be true.
Therefore, will this affect our P.W.B devices? Is this the P.W.B equivalent of Y2K, when all of my electrical equipment stopped working for... well they didn't stop working.
Any thoughts on this phenomenon.
Richard
17th January 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: A Curious Question.
Thanks Michael,
Being a fatuous individual, the prospect of an Ice Age when the poles flip, certainly saves me negotiating the domestic freezer to get that enhanced sound from new cables etc..
But on a more serious level, the current focus on Climate Change, to my memory, never includes a discussion of this issue. But then, it is rather typical of mankind to disregard that which it can neither understand nor influence.
Anyway, am I alone in wondering how the 'polar flip' will change my stereo imaging? Is there a hope for increased depth to the soundstage?
Let us know what else is in those links, and whether it is time to go down under!
Richard
17th January 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Phobophobia.
Overcoming my fear of phobias, I was curious as to whether an intolerance or fear of magnets was a known phobia. I cannot find it listed, even though much else is.
The reason for mentioning this is that there may be a cure. 'Neurosurgery!' I hear you cry, but actually it is much simpler, and rather less invasive. So I am posting about a cure for a disorder that doesn't exist. Now that is worth noting.
Those inventive folk in Leeds have discovered that in addition to saving your credit cards from ruining your evening, any loudspeaker magnet can be helped. You just put a touch of Black Cream on the speaker magnet, and 'wow'. Or more precisely 'I'm not panicking anymore'.
Another giant step for mankind? And a jolly nice sound!
Richard
25th January 2007 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: Black Cream.
A very worthwhile application of Black Cream is on the magnetic tape inside VCR cassettes. Lift the protective cover over the tape and apply the merest smidgen of cream, then polish with a soft tissue. I have some 250 cassettes in my listening room and having listened to the results from treating just one cassette was enthused enough to treat the rest. I recommend to always keep a fully treated cassette in the machine.
Best regards Tom.
27th January 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Updates.
A few thoughts in reply to Richard's Updates E-mail:
I have had a sample of the new Black Cream and jolly nice it is, too. It really does enhance the soundstage; at low playback levels musical detail is still very evident. I look forward to trying the Silver Squares but January is a bad month for me, car-wise. Perhaps a dab of cream on my bank and credit cards will do them some good!
I saw a mention of Hi-Fi Critic and had a look at the website. You only get a small flavour of the mag., but what I saw did not entice me to take out a subscription. It all seemed a bit dry and dusty. Actually, I was amazed that they were charging so much for so few pages. It would be interesting to count how many pages of editorial there are in HFN or Hi-Fi World.( I've counted in this month's HFN. There are 69 pages of editorial, 6 of which are full page pictures of the kit under review, with an additional 6 pages of 'The Hit List') I know that we all moan about adverts in magazines but they do add a bit of colour and help to bulk up the mag., adding to perceived value (?).
Why do I still buy Hi-Fi magazines? To keep up with developments and get a flavour of the technology, I suppose. I also now buy a Home Cinema magazine, for much the same reasons. I do wonder at the constant stream of new equipment coming from some of the manufacturers. It's very much like the computer industry, as it has become a real trial for people having to decide when to jump in and buy, or upgrade. One thing is certain, as soon as you have done so (if not before); the item bought is 'obsolete'. I have no desire to upgrade by way of purchasing new equipment. P.W.B has taken care of that very nicely, thanks. Eventually, I will have to buy the HD stuff. It looks as if we are all being forced that way, anyway. You could say that it is going to be a nicer place to be in.
Years ago, I bought some Releese and Reveel from Russ Andrews and, from then on, they have been sending me their catalogues. They do talk a lot of sense when it comes to system set-up and installation. The products appear to be well regarded, too. In the past they have included testimonials from satisfied customers and the odd technical query. I suppose that they are trying to widen their scope by including KK and Ivor T. Only sight of the next issue will help to show what their longer-term strategy may be.
Russ Andrews now has a regular feature in HFN, giving similar sort of advice to that in his catalogue. I am thinking of getting some oak-cone feet for use under my pre-amp and my CD player, instead of the Sorbothane ones that are in there at the moment. (Any thoughts, anyone?) Naturally, the new feet will be Belted to the best of my ability.
I thought that KK had left HFN and, for one month, there was no sign of him. I've got to say that the magazine was all the poorer for it. This month, he's back, but it may just be a left over review from his tenure at HFN. If he is in next month's magazine I would suggest that he has gone completely freelance. He has his detractors and I can leave the ' just to the right of Attila the Hun' politics well alone, but you've got to admit, he does write with a quirky style and ends up being a lot more interesting than Messrs Colloms and Miller. Had it not been for Ken, I would never have learned that Patek Philippe made timepieces and not curry sauces!
If you are interested, there is a site called Listen Carefully, run by Howard Popeck of Subjective Audio fame, which includes columns by KK and Jimmy Hughes, writing on matters musical and hi-fi.
Regarding ethics and vinyl: I think that there are a lot of people out there who would argue that vinyl is hardly 'backward' and it is ethical to suggest it as an alternative to CD. Yes, vinyl does have its limitations with regard to playing time but many prefer the sound quality, 'coloured' though that may be. (They also like the tactile involvement with vinyl and the fact that you don't need a microscope to read the information on the sleeve) Fortunately, there is still a broad spectrum of equipment and records available, so it is not only the province of the well heeled.
It could be argued that one of the drivers of recording and replay technology has been the need for longer playing times and the built in convenience factor. From cylinders through to the LP it could also be shown that quality of sound improved along the way. Things started to come unstuck when we reached CD. 'Perfect sound forever'? Totally replace vinyl? Perhaps not. A lot of work has been done to improve the situation, but who knows where that will end? Will it even continue now that HD is on the horizon?
Will CDs be idealised? If we are talking of sound quality, probably not, well not by the mass market, anyway. I say probably not because, the way things are with downloads at the moment, few people are that worried about the sound quality of the download. All they want to do is download it quickly, get it from their PC onto a portable player and then to squeeze as many tracks onto that as possible. It's that convenience factor again. There' seems to be no drive to improve things, other than to have a docking station for in-room playback. How many people do you know that take the simple, yet effective, step and upgrade the headphones on their players?
There is no escaping it, downloads are really taking off, so much so that the Charts have had to be altered to take this into account. Some artistes and bands are now able to side step the music industry and control the means of production and distribution themselves (not a bad thing). Of course, the industry won't take it lying down and will find ways to fight back.
Where things come unstuck (unless the download has been obtained from a P2P site) is pricing policy. We really have to get away from the suppliers (and this includes all sorts of goods) treating the UK as some sort of Treasure Isle, charging higher prices in comparison to Europe.
Without being high-handed, I suppose that what I am trying to say is that the mass market is not really that bothered with ultimate quality when it comes to audio. Was it not ever thus, though? I am certain that a lot of us can remember friends and relatives buying £199 all-in-one systems that they thought were great, until they came round to your place and heard your system! 'Isn't it clear' was the usual comment. Did they go away and end up buying a new system? Rarely, in my experience.
It seems that, when it comes to the good old goggle-box, people are more discerning but, as with the other areas mentioned, you are always going to get the hobbyist element and it is them, and the manufacturers (or should that be the other way around?), who end up driving the need for bigger and better. I think that is what will happen with high definition downloads. The same people who buy Super-Fi pressings, DVD and SACD will be the ones going for the high-def downloads. If the quality exceeds CD, then CD will be seen as just another means of transmission from the past.
What would I like to see happen? I would like connection to a server (one which never crashed!) with every piece of music on it, to be called up at any time, a la star Trek. It would be played in high definition and at very low cost, visuals an optional extra. Are we walking straight into Microsoft's hands? Probably. Will it happen in my lifetime? Probably not. One hurdle that will need to be jumped is that of ownership. People do like to own and collect things, myself included.
Regards to all, Brian
5th February 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Black Cream.
I purchased a jar of Black Cream at Christmas and have, since then, been steadily treating interconnects, power cables and all the magnetic items I could lay my hands on. It gives the impression that yet another veil has been drawn back between the listener and the sound source. Even before this new cream appeared on the scene, previous P.W.B treatments revealed some quite startling detail on many well known and played discs. Incidents such as a strummed guitar that was not previously detected in the mix or, believe it or not, on one track, a cowbell like percussion running through one whole track! Obviously they were there all the time, but it seems they were just off the perception radar until the treatments. The other big differences to have come about with recent treatments are to do with what I can only describe as the wonderful 'organic' sound that individual instruments now display: A cello 'sounds' the volume of air within its body and a piano's wooden body positively rings with the sound of the vibrating steel strings – cold and clinical it certainly is not. The Black Cream builds on this, and seems to increase awareness that the music is being played by real people – playing real instruments – and how much better is for it. Pinpoint detail and the sense of a live performance is what comes across far more often, and, I have to say it again – ambience. It is there on even the heaviest of recordings, putting air and space around every performer.
Incidentally, it has been said to me on more than one occasion by friends and colleagues of a similar age (getting to the mid 50's), "what's the point of trying to improve the sound of your Hi-Fi when hearing starts to attenuate in later years"? Well, I still have a quantity of vinyl, some of which has been with me since my teens when my hearing was supposedly at its best, and it has never sounded as good as it does today. There is more to it all than just the movement of air!
Kevin Kehoe.
6th February 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Points of Entry.
Whilst working through sites on which to apply those wonderful little squares that come with the Black Cream, I fell back on some old suggestions with surprising results.
For many years - and I am sure it is still the case - P.W.B developed products which were focussed on tensions that arose from perceived threats to the home territory. All very primitive, but as few of us inhabit castles, the devices were surprisingly effective. One aspect of the thinking concerned the points of entry into a home. Doors and doorways had some consideration, but the entry points of Electricity, Gas and Water supplies appeared to be important, perceived vulnerabilities, and treatment of these points of entry was always very effective. But time passes, and one starts to drift back to treating equipment boxes, and then frankly neglect the points of entry.
After some success treating the Electricity meter and associated cables, I decide to treat the Gas meter, and Water tank. On applying a square to the Gas meter I discovered a significant earthing cable, and (to my horror) the cables and box from the cable company for the Broadband connection. So Black Cream went to quite a few places that morning. Tackling the Water tank with a square provided different opportunities, as my tank is in the loft, and I therefore could apply Black Cream to the cables for the lighting circuit, that were easily accessible from the loft.
This didn't take much time, although the nimble footing of a mountain goat would have come in handy. I didn't set up any particular test, as we sat down to watch a bit of TV on our rather ageing rear- projection set. An advertisement from the BBC, advertising radio comedy, contains some very rich, vivid pictures of a garden, and when this came on, my wife gasped, as the picture was simply astonishing. Bright, detailed flowers were before us, bright as a good plasma, with astonishing visual impact. On turning to audio, there was a similar vault in quality, though rhythm, as well as detail seemed to improve greatly.
It really was quite amazing, even for the hardened P.W.B'ite.
Of course some of this could be achieved without squares, just using Black Cream. Indeed any cream is worth considering for these areas.
Of course aerial entry points, and telephone cables are all relevant - just think of that which pierces the boundary of your home.
Richard
7th February 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: TV picture.
I will add a small story of my own to Richard's.
Peter and I had a small (but friendly !!) argument just before Christmas.
Whenever Peter is working on some new development, usually the first improvements I hear in the music is more open, spine tingling treble ! Whether Peter is working on a new Cream or a new Foil, we have to think of a new name for it but I always want to call it "Treble Foil" or "Treble Cream" because it is in that treble area where I hear improvements first. Any improved quality in the TV picture is only referred to much later.
However, at the beginning of December I suddenly commented on how much better the TV picture was. Peter immediately claimed that the improvement was because of what HE had been working on that day !!. I disagreed, claiming that the sudden improvement in the TV picture was because of the stack of P.W.B Christmas Cards which I had just completed, and which were in the room waiting to be posted !!!
Just these past few weeks there has been a series of "Master Chef" TV programmes, transmitted just at the time (6.30 in the evening) when we are sitting down to relax for the evening.
Over the past few weeks, each evening, I have been commenting on the superb quality of the "Master Chef" TV picture. I particularly comment - not on the food displayed - but on the various kitchen utensils - the sheen of the metal, the sparkle of the glass etc.. So my reactions mirror Richard and his wife's reactions regarding the superb (and astonishing) quality of the TV picture.
Richard is right. Don't forget things which 'break your boundary'.
Regards, May
9th February 2007 From Geoff Kait.
Subject: Re: Re: TV picture.
Off topic, a little bit:
I rescued this potent little tweak from deep within the P.W.B Newsletter archives.
Obtain a pack of 14-inch long black plastic cable ties from Home Depot, etc.. First count the number of drain pipes you have on your building. The drainpipe is the long vertical rain spout that dumps water collected along the roof rain gutters. One cable tie will be used for each drainpipe.
Apply a little cream electret to the large end of each cable tie with thumb and forefinger (this step is optional). Place the treated cable ties into the home freezer section for 12 hours. After the 12 hours in deep freeze, place the frozen cable ties in the regular section of the refrigerator for a slow thaw (one hour is OK).
Then wrap one treated/frozen black cable tie around the circumference of each drain pipe about 1 foot above the bottom end of the pipe; tighten the cable tie just enough to keep it in place on the drain pipe.
End of tweak. Listen to the music.
Regards, Geoff. Machina Dynamica
9th February From Heiko Wingender.
Subject: AW: Re: TV picture
Many thanks for the rescue mission, Geoff!
Never read thereof although I have been spending hours cruising the archives.
Is it essential, that the cable ties are black? Transparent ties are much easier to obtain over here.
Heiko
9th February 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Re: TV picture.
Dear All,
Thanks to Geoff for that hint. I'll try that soon. For all you Brits out there, B & Q are selling cable ties at £1 for about a dozen.
Talking of P.W.B Newsletter tweaks, John Peter let us know of his Black rectangles and Violet squares in Vol. 6 No2, if my memory serves me correctly. We are in the middle of decorating the lounge/diner, stairwell and upper landing. After we've done that I want to try the rectangles and squares.
I have a couple of questions and hopefully John, or anyone else that's tried it, can help;
When cutting the corners off the rectangle does it result in the small end coming to a point ( giving six sides), or is the end still flat (eight sides)?
Is there an optimum size for the items?
I will be sneaking Creams and Foils onto the new paint work but an article from the past ,where May suggested to Arkie that he Creamed the new texturing on the outside of the house, got me thinking. Would it be possible to 'badge' the interior walls? By that I mean finding a hidden-away part of a support wall ( in a cupboard, say) and applying various Foils and Creams. They could be applied directly to the wall or, one could always put the Creams and Foils onto a piece of metal or plastic that had been treated with Creams and frozen. If using screws to fix it, the screws and Rawplugs could be frozen and Sol-Electreted. I shall try that one, too. Does anyone have any thoughts on that?
That's all for now, folks. I am off for a well earned couple of pints and a Curry.
Regards, Brian
10th February 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: TV Picture.
Heiko,
Anything you wish to use will be effective, providing you give it the minimum P.W.B treatment - as described by Geoff. That is 'creaming' with Cream-Electret and then putting through the freezing/slow defrost process.
It is just that some colours are more effective than other colours in particular situations but anything you wish to use will be effective if it is P.W.B treated.
Kind Regards, May
10th February 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: TV picture (and sound !!).
Brian,
You just need to cut the corners of a rectangle to stop it being a rectangular shape. So, you would end up with eight sides. There is no optimum size.
One of the free 'tweaks' we gave people many years ago was to do with screw heads. The slots in ALL screw heads, whether the screws are fixing light sockets to the wall or fixing power plug sockets to the wall or fixing shelves to the wall should be aligned so that the slot is parallel to the earth's surface. If the screw has a Phillips head (i.e. with the slots in the shape of a cross), then one of the slots should be aligned so that it is parallel to the earth's surface.
Try the experiment of aligning a few screws heads as described, listen to some music for a short time, then re-align the slots away from being parallel with the earth's surface and see if you can listen to the same music with the same pleasure !!
And yes, Brian, don't forget to apply Sol-Electret to the screw threads of all the screws you use.
Kind Regards, May
12th February 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: On the Radio.
With all of the coverage about the TV, I thought I'd share a revelatory moment about radio.
In England at present, there is a lot of fuss about the quality of digital radio. As with vinyl, for myself, the absence of background noise is such a bonus that I can overlook the failings, and enjoy DAB radio.
As I am pursuing more use of Black Cream, and the squares, and as I have previously stated, I am opening up a box to treat the inside wires, fuses, and to put squares on the transformers and PCBs. As this work effectively dismantles the system, whilst doing this work, I put on my Pure DAB radio, and listened to little Nicky Horne on Capital Gold. Nicky Horne does a great rock show on Sunday afternoons (like Anne Nightingale used to?), and really knows the music and the artists. It is interspersed with Kenny Everett jingles, which now seem very funny, but the music is just great.
As I was treating the boxes, I noticed the sound of the radio was getting better. By the time he played 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison, I kept stopping to listen to the very wonderful music. A George Michael song I didn't know - 'Cowboys and Angels' - was so wideranging in sound, I could not believe it. At the close of the show he played 'Une Nuit a Paris' by the wonderful 10cc. It is an absurd piece of English humour and outrageous accents, that caused me much mirth as an adolescent. The sound from the radio was now so good, blindfolded, I would have sworn it was a full system. Again I kept stopping, either to marvel at the rhythmic dynamism of a certain break, or to laugh out loud at the crazy accents. It was a great moment for me, and made light of my blackened fingers, and the tedious work of opening up boxes.
The sound from that radio, in the improved environment was just so good, I wondered how anyone could complain about digital radio. Mind you, when the sytem went back together, that was really something....
Richard.
12th February 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Which cream for speaker cones?
Hi all-
I'm still working on treating and tuning my new/old Shahinian Obelisks and came up with this question: which cream do I use on the woofer and passive radiator cones? I've previously applied the standard Cream Electret, preferably over the entire cone, and I really enjoy the results. But would the more powerful Morphic Green Cream work better, even if I only apply it to a small area? Or would the new Black Cream be effective, at least on the woofer, if not the non-electrical passive radiator?
BTW, one of the most effective treatments to the speakers so far has been the application of a single strip of standard Rainbow foil to the hidden plastic perforated grill frame of the speaker that covers the mids and tweeters (they look like pyramids)- way more air, attack, and spaciousness.
Thanks, James
13th February 2007 From Graham Mountford.
Subject: Re: On the Radio.
A similar thing happened to me the other night. At about 1130 pm I was watching a DVD of The West Wing (superb series) and decided that as the Central Heating boiler was cold it was an opportune moment to treat the inside with the black cream and square, Inside Foil and also the Copper and Aluminium Foil. After clipping and re-assembly it was obvious that things had improved. The speech of the characters was more 'ambient' and appropriate to the environment the characters were in (office or corridor etc.) and the closing music had a deeper and wider soundstage, not to mention volume.
Graham
15th February 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Treating speakers.
In reply to your question James " which cream do I use on the woofer and passive radiator cones? I've previously applied the standard Cream Electret, preferably over the entire cone, and I really enjoy the results. But would the more powerful Morphic Green Cream work better, even if I only apply it to a small area?"
The answer is yes - applying the Morphic Green Cream will be more effective.
And, Yes, we appreciate that the Morphic Green Cream is expensive at $437 per 5 ml jar but the Morphic Green Cream was developed primarily for manufacturers to use and, a manufacturer of, say, cartridges, can 'treat' hundreds of cartridges from the contents of a 5 ml jar or a manufacturer of, say, loudspeakers, can 'treat' hundreds of speaker cones from the contents of one small 5 ml jar.
However, I have a suggestion James. As you are aware, we introduced the 'Portable Audio equipment improvement pack' for people to be able to 'treat' such as T amps, MP3 players, iPods and Walkman style players relatively inexpensively with a variety of our Foils. As this Pack of various Foils also includes a small amount of the Morphic Green Cream, then I think it would be an ideal solution (at $62) for you to use one of these 'packs' specifically for your speaker system.
Whilst on the subject of Morphic Green Cream. Just last week we had to change the fluorescent tube in the kitchen. Initially Peter lost his good sound when we removed the old tube from the building and I had to remedy the situation quickly by applying some Morphic Green Cream to the new fluorescent tube. Domestic harmony was quickly restored !!
Kind Regards, May
17th February 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: She's done it again !
Dear all,
The March 07 edition of Hi-Fi News carries yet another small article by Janine Elloit, this time homing in on the new Black Cream ( mentioning the Blue ,Green, Morphic, Retro Green and Quantum Creams along the way. Morphic Liquid also gets a name-check) . The article, for those of you who cannot get, or don't buy, HFN is purely descriptive and it does not appear that she has actually tried the stuff. Still, it's another step in the P.W.B direction. Who knows, maybe a kind manufacturer will send her a small sample to try?
Talking of P.W.B, their response to orders is second to none. It seems that, for the UK at least, they operate their own Double Slit Experiment. No sooner have you put your order through the Post Box, than your order plops through your own letter box and onto the mat. Spooky!
Our decorating has finished, a positive aspect being that the disruption has allowed me to treat the wiring in my distribution blocks with Black Cream, plus a few more wires around the back of my gear. That sample bag is really being stroked to within an inch of it's life! I should be able to have a good listen tomorrow, once everything is all back in place.
Thanks, Cico for your comments on the Black and Purple saga. Has anyone else tried it?
Regards to all, Brian.
20th February 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: She's done it again !
Brian,
I'm glad someone else saw Janine's piece. Only those who have posted about P.W.B on the various forums will know just how much hostility her acknowledgement is likely to attract. And what fascinates me is what the wider audio world make of the fact that after over 20 years, people continue to make reference to Peter's work. Our thanks go to Janine for her ongoing bravery, especially as it is in the face of some of the most closed minds around.
I also agree with your comments about P.W.B service. They are second to none, and if you ever try to get something quick from any other manufacturer or retailer, you find it is a sorry tale of disappointment and frustration. P.W.B is like the Pony Express, but on amphetamines!
Richard
20th February 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Points of Entry II - I Fought the Law, and the Law Won.....
Don't know when it started, but for the past few years I have steadily resisted letting the Electricity Board change our Electricity meter. By law, they are entitled to do this every 10 years or so. But you see our meter was adorned with P.W.B devices of various vintages, and as you will now realise, a focus for any new ones. What is health and safety compared with good sound?
Unfortunately after 4 years, my wife was confronted with a threat of our front door being broken down to change the meter, and despite loving the attached products, I could only concede that P.W.B devices are less helpful than a front door, especially in winter. The law was on the side of the Electricity Board; I was just a helpless citizen...
So the man came, and replaced our old meter, with a new and tiny one, which had no spinning disc, just rotating numbers. Given the age of some devices attached to the old meter, I was not sure what to expect from this change. I soon found out that this new development was not a good one, as familiar music sounded quite awful with this new intruder in place. I tried a few things on the new meter, but it was clear that what I had lost had been very effective.
So faster than a P.W.B delivery, I mailed Mrs May, telling her of this appalling tale of human rights abuses, and of our terrible sound at home! Just as rapidly, it seemed, she sent down the necessary labels, and some of the newer creams for me to set to work on the monster meter. It may have been a Friday evening, but with a weekend ahead, treating that meter was my priority.
And so on went a strip of each Foil, and as many of the labels as I could get on to the meter, plus some squares, and creams, and with a healthy bit of Clipping the result was.....
much, much better than before. Some of the older foils on the old meter were clearly not at the same standard as the new ones, and the more recent labels - such as the Retro Label - seemed to be very special. But it is just astonishing that this could all relate to just one particular point of entry!
Ignore them at your peril!
Richard
20th February 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Re: She's done it again !
Richard,
Thanks for your comments. I was aware that there was a thread on the Stereophile forums and that P.W.B was, once again, getting a bashing from the naysayers. Before I could send in my sixpence worth they closed the thread! I shall be keeping an eye out for any other chances to do my bit. If you see someone posting as 'Gobby, the Belt Elf' it'll be me.
Regards, Brian
27th February 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: You're Surrounded!
Having a few days off, and rather like Brian, I am using them to reach into dark places with P.W.B devices. Top of my priorities has been to apply more Black Cream and the associated Silver Squares. Many of us have noted the extraordinary impact that these Squares and the Cream have not just on the detail and tone quality of reproduced sound, but they also have a great effect on the soundstage. After treating my rear speakers in the system, we sat down to catch up with some movies. Although the 'cathedral' effect that occurred in the key moments of 'Crash', during the rather tepid 'Jarhead' (can any of the current generation act?) the sound was just extraordinary. It really felt like a rich cocoon of sound was created, and those typical rear - effects moments of planes flying left rear speaker to right rear speaker, were utterly seamless. Indeed, the system now had the capacity to generate a fully three-dimensional soundfield that really added to the experience, as it was just so natural and unforced. Less gimmicky 'Hi-Fi', more 'art'. In a sense, it seems to me that what the hi-def generation will need to appreciate the new technologies is less Blu-ray/HD DVD, but more the Black Cream. Too bad that many will never try it. I suppose worse than even this is the fact that with all the Black Cream in the world, we will still need good movies!
Richard
1st March 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: New Article by May Belt - Positive Feedback Online.
Dear All,
There is an interesting (if I do say it myself) article just published in the March 2007 issue of Positive Feedback Online.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue30/belt.htm
In the 3rd paragraph of the article there is a link available to a section of the Stereophile Hi-Fi magazine's on line Forum (copy below).
http://forum.stereophile.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=13145&page=0&fpart=\1&vc=1
This particular section in the Stereophile Forum is very long (spread over quite a few months) but I would recommend that people try to read it all because I have written much background information regarding some of the discoveries by P.W.B. Electronics.
I would be interested in any feedback from my article - either posted to the P.W.B. Forum or directly to myself.
Kind Regards, May Belt.
3rd March 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: New Article by May Belt.
It is about twenty years now since I first came across Peter Belt discussed in the hi-fi press and, before that, I was aware of some of his more conventional hi-fi products. But it was the bits of plain paper under one foot of each piece of furniture, and the crocodile clips attached to reef knotted lengths of cable that really drew my attention with a cry of 'You cannot be serious'. I think at the time, I was almost as outraged as some of those who currently hurl abuse at May on forums such as Audio Asylum. The difference was, in spite of my intense suspicions that someone was playing a huge practical joke (I remember for instance, April 1st crossing my mind after reading one of the first articles), I did in fact, try all the free suggestions made by P.W.B – I even got the little strip of Black Foil, which was attached as a freebie on one of the hi-fi magazines at the time. It had to be cut up in a specific way before attaching to equipment etc.. From this distance in time, I cannot recall which of those tips and devices produced the goods for me with sufficient efficacy to keep me intrigued, but I recall that after I learned reef knots have to be tied in the correct manner, I got a definite sound lift from a home made reef knotted length of cable with crocodile clips at either end, attached to the hot and cold water pipes beneath the sink in the kitchen. When you hear a sound lift with that sort of detachment from the 'cause and affect', you truly sit up and take notice. However, even some of the more momentous sound lifts generated by the use of some of the later Quantum Foils failed to fully dispel my suspicions as to the Belts motives – such was my reluctance to accept what was happening before my ears. Many, many times since, I have tried to recall what sentence or phrase it was, in those early reports about Belt, that pushed me to give it a try because I am very much a sceptic by nature, I walk away from even a hint of a shady deal and I could not gamble to save my life - yet here I am, listening to a quality of sound undreamed of from my relatively modest, and now ageing sound system. I hope I do not sound smug or self-satisfied here, what I am trying to do is fire off a few thoughts reference May Belt's recent article on Positive Feedback Online that might resonate with other Belt users and, perhaps even encourage a few who stumble across this piece to 'dip a speculative toe in the water'.
Until this forum came into existence, every time I heard a significant sound lift I had the urge to rush out and grab a hi-fi dealer, drag him before my sound system and say to him "how about that for sound from a £250 CD player – are you just the tiniest bit curious as to how this can be?" There was no means of reconciling the extraordinary sonic results obtained from the application of very ordinary looking bits of material to parts of the environment that could not possibly be part of the signal path. What on earth was happening here? How does an ordinary Joe cope with revelations like those? – Especially when the rest of the hi-fi world either doesn't know, or, more accurately, don't want to know.
I sometimes wonder if there is any form of written word or persuasive sentence that would catch the eye of some of those who howl the loudest at the Belt's work whilst never giving any of the products a try. Isolated as we are across the Internet, the venom of some of the responses May Belt has had to contend with is something I would not like to experience – hence, so far, I have refrained from wading into forums such as Audio Asylum with my tuppence worth of comment.
Apart from enjoying glorious sound and cured of all hi-fi 'tweaking urges, P.W.B has brought a 'sense of wonder' direct and personal into my life. Instead of reading about the latest scientific discoveries in the likes of New Scientist, here I am, at first hand, witnessing phenomena worthy of any scientific journal. How much more will Peter's work increase our understanding of how our senses interact with our environment? How much further can all this be pushed? And, not least, how many disciplines of science will Peter's work eventually encompass? - His work could eventually add a building block of research to every one of them.
My only regrets are: That Peter, May, Graham and all at P.W.B Electronics have not yet got the recognition due to them. And, secondly, that I have not got a smidgeon of the cartooning wit and talent of, say, Steve Bell of the (British) Guardian newspaper. Then I could chronicle the unfolding of a profound discovery with a sharp pen and an incisive bite – and even wring some fun from some of the more bizarre aspects of Belt's discoveries. Until then, I am happy that every time I sit down and play a disc, it is thanks in a large measure to P.W.B that I am as close as anyone can get to the original performance.
Regards to all, Kevin Kehoe.
3rd March 2007 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: New Article by May Belt.
While we're reminiscing here.... it was also about twenty years now since I first came across Peter Belt discussed in the British Hi-Fi Press (I knew he was an engineer, and even mistakenly thought he once worked for Quad, but I was never aware of his remarkable background in conventional audio until May sent some material on this). Although back then I was probably not as open-minded as I am today (about what is and isn't possible in audio), I was always an avid "tweaker", and never really put much of anything in the way of impeding my desire to try out some of Peter's highly unusual ideas. I was very curious about anything that could affect, and especially improve sound.
So I tried out one of those free ideas, and started cutting notches in my plugs, with nary a thought as to how it works, why it should or shouldn't work, and whether I'm wasting my time trying it. Well, it worked for me. It's not one of the wildest ideas, though, as it still at least appears that it can affect the signal chain (specifically, the flow of electrons being "somehow" positively affected by the slight barrier created by the notch.... although normally, we are told that the less resistance current or signal has, the better).
Its only in more recent times I tried some of the wilder ideas (those that could not be ascribed to any part of the signal chain or pressure waves). Again, without hesitation or thought. But in those first experiments, often with the thought in the back of my head that "I am really not expecting this is going to do anything!". Of course, it always did. At some point, I realized I have never tried a Peter Belt product or idea that didn't work. Even totally incomprehensible things like wearing one sock or crossing your feet. If I talk about it, the predictable reaction I always get is the magic word "placebo!".
These armchair critics who knew nothing about Peter's ideas or products, and have little experience doing audio tests in general, but cry "Placebo!" at every concept they don't understand, have little notion of what a placebo is meant to be. It isn't, for example, something that lasts for 20 years, as Belt's ideas do. If it was, as Richard pointed out, there'd be no need for expensive prescription drugs. Cheap sugar pills would cure all our ailments. Twenty years later, I'm still notching plugs when I get new equipment, and that still works like a charm (well, not always as I would want, but anyway....).
The Internet audio forum members who attack Peter Belt as though he were personally responsible for all the misery they've ever experienced in their lives are hysterical. In more ways than one. They often display a peculiar grudge against him, whereby they put him up at the top of the list of so-called "tweak manufacturers" that they blame for the fact that their hobby is not taken as seriously as they'd like by non-audiophiles. As a result, they resent that they are looked down upon as "audio crazies" by the rest of society. In other words, they don't like being regarded in the same way they regard "Beltists", and they blame Mr. Belt for that.
> >(I remember for instance, April 1st crossing my mind after reading > one of the first articles) <<
You're not alone Kevin. Many others apply that same notion to Belt's products or explanations. They may be busy clacking away at their keyboards, railing against the heretical idea that changing wires and power cables can change the sound, then they get wind of what Peter Belt is selling... That's when bells start clanging, gears start whirring and spinning out of control, and springs start popping out of their heads. They go into a sort of "audiophile shock" where they just deny everything they saw or heard.
One example of that is someone claiming, after finding out about this discussion group, that I am responsible for having created every message on this group. One by one, carefully crafted to write in different styles, from the beginning of (the group's) time. And I think this may have been before I ever posted here. Struck dumb by "audiophile shock", they couldn't believe that any of it was real. Well, that's a lot of dedication to an April Fool's joke, is all I can say.
I share your regrets that P.W.B has not yet got the recognition due to them. I hope to remedy that in the near future.
cico_buff.
4th March 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re. New Article by May Belt.
Nice one Kevin, your thoughts are much appreciated.
It IS difficult to think what might be the 'magic' words, or persuasive sentence, or what might be the crucial procedure which would be the convincing element to get more people in the world of audio to 'sit up and take notice'.
I can fully understand people's normal reaction such as scepticism, such as fear of being 'conned', such as the treatments we suggest not making technical sense, but what I cannot understand is the venom, even the diluted venom aimed at Peter (and others who advocate unusual 'tweaks') although, as one of our customers describes, Peter, in particular, seems to be the "lightning rod" for such venom. !!
You see, the people aiming the venom are grown men but their reactions are similar to those exhibited by immature teenage sixth formers in the school playground !!!
To give just one of the most recent examples ( in response to my article in Positive Feedback Online) :-
From uk.rec.audio 2nd March 2007
From Serge Auckland.
>> "Mrs Belt writes reasonably and gently, but can't get away from the fact that P.W.B's "improvements" do not have rational, measurable and repeatable reasons for their effectiveness. I would be happy if P.W.B would propose some rational, measurable and repeatable reasons, so that others could his work and carry out proper double-blind tests. Anything less, and suspicion of "snake oil" remains.
If something works, then the effect must be measurable. It is, of course, possible that others have been measuring the wrong things, but then this leaves an obligation on P.W.B to propose the right measurements that others can perform" - Serge. <<
Reply by Don Pearce.
>> "Serge have you been smoking too much wacky baccy and gone all nice and mellow? The sale of snake oil is the entire and only reason for the >> existence of P.W.B." - Don" .<<
Reply by Serge Auckland.
>> "I suspect you may be right, but I mustn't let my prejudice in favour of the Scientific Method cloud my objectivity. If you accept the premises Quantum Physics, nothing is actually impossible, just very very unlikely... like P.W.B's products working?" - Serge. <<
Reply by Don Pearce.
>> "You can't win an argument with somebody who stands dribbling down his chin at you, and you shouldn't try. This applies equally to P.W.B and his ilk. Be offensive. Be as offensive as it is possible to be." - Don <<
Serge Auckland was beginning to hint that he might be prepared not to let his prejudices cloud his curiosity but NO, Don Pearce could not allow this to happen, Don had to urge Serge to "Be offensive. Be as offensive as it is possible to be."
I would ask, please, that if anyone chooses to respond to any of the different Internet audio sites (on mine or Peter's behalf) that they respond with a measured, informative and reasonable response - exactly as the contributions and contributors have always responded on the P.W.B. Discussion Forum and in the P.W.B. Newsletters. For that I thank everyone.
I personally find myself in awe and fully mindful of the privilege of Peter and me being in the middle (thrust by circumstance quite unexpectedly so) of some profound discoveries.
Kind Regards, May
PS. Well worth looking at the following Link :-
Link of the day: Pathological Disbelief - via the link -
http://www.tcm.phy.cam.ac.uk/~bdj10/ - mentioned by Geoff Kait on the Propeller Head Plaza section of Audio Asylum 04/03/07.
***********************************
13th March 2007 8:28 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Up the walls and down the drainpipe.
Dear All,
I tested our newly painted walls ( in an out of the way spot) to see if the Cream Electret and the Quantum Cream left any greasy marks. They did not, so I set about doing every corner that I could reach, doing about an inch, horizontally and vertically, with each of the Creams.
At the same time I attached one frozen and creamed tag to the front drainpipe, as suggested. That one was easy as it is within the front porch. A quick listen showed that the width of the sound stage had decreased slightly, bringing the detail a foot or so inwards.
A quick trip out the back, being careful not to fall in the pond, and I was able to attach another tag to the rear drainpipe. Back to listen and the sound had moved outward again, with good detail in evidence. Well worth doing, in my opinion.
Regards, Brian
13th March 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: I got the Bluez.
Dear All,
For some reason I have a fair few strips of the Blue Z Foil left. Perhaps it's because we don't have many pot-plants in the house. Has anyone any suggestions as to how I can use the Foils? Will they be useful on wooden things?
Any suggestions will be gratefully received.
Regards, Brian
15th March 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: I got the Bluez .
Brian,
Here is a happy P.W.B story that might be of use regarding your dilemma over Blue Z Foil. Upstairs, we have two water tanks: One, made of copper, is the hot water container and has an immersion heater fitted as well as containing spirals of copper pipe within it for heat transfer from the boiler downstairs. I have always given this tank a fair bit of Belt treatment as I considered it to be a potential minefield of possible intrusions into our sound resolving abilities.
The other tank is above the first, also quite large and made of some kind of heavy-duty plastic material. It is more difficult to access and for this reason (as well as my thinking that it was less of a 'threat' than the copper tank), it has been far less treated with Belt devices. A few days ago, I had reason to gain assess to it and took the opportunity to attach one of the new square silver Foils that came with the Black Cream. It brought about a substantial margin of sound lift; I have since attached a set of foils (including a Blue Z Foil) from my top up pack and gained further substantial improvement. I shall have a go with the Red 'X' Pen and some Message Foil next to see if I can wring a bit more before I refit the access cover.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
18th March 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Re: Up the walls and down the drainpipe.
Hi All-
I also tried the (2) downspouts on my home and noticed a more spacious soundstage and airier highs. But I have a question for Brian, and May Belt: should I be treating the walls in my home with both Cream Electret and Quantum Cream?
Thanks, James Takamatsu
18th March 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Up the walls and down the drainpipe.
James,
I took my inspiration from a comment that Richard made about wanting to put Cream in paint when decorating. The next best thing would be to do small patches of walls after decorating, which is what I did, with both Creams. I did about an inch or so in each corner, both horizontally and vertically. I also tried not to overlap the Creams. I would suggest that you find an out of the way corner and apply the Creams, so that you can see whether or not they leave a mark. My walls are plaster-covered and painted with matt emulsion. There are no marks to be seen.
I am afraid that I tend to do two or three Belt treatments at the one time. The down side is that you cannot apportion improvements. There is a greater degree in spaciousness and the volume appears to have increased. I can report no negative effects, so would suggest that you give it a go. Good luck.
A comment made by my friend's piano teacher has made me think. He said that the piano is nicer to play during and slightly after rain. It's apparently to do with atmospheric pressure and humidity. I wonder whether or not my system will sound better/different during those periods, now that I have treated the downpipes?
I have treated Kay's piano with Creams and Foils and the teacher did say that it sounded better. He has heard of P.W.B but, like a lot of people, has gone no further. I have suggested to him that he should try an experiment whereby he froze a set of his guitar strings. He said that he'd try it. Watch this space.
Regards to all, Brian
23rd March 2007 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: Hi-Fi News letter.
The letter below is a reply to Paul Brennan's letter published in this month's Hi-Fi News. Whether my e-mail gets published is another matter. Anyone trying to remove printing on modern CDs will find it impossible by using methylated Spirit. In the early days of CD production the lettering was printed using a lacquer which was easily removed with meths. but these days an enamel is used. ( Unless the method has changed since I last tried). Using industrial paint stripper will remove the enamel but I do not recommend it. It is a very messy business and there is real risk of removing some of the aluminium coating and ruining the CD. I speak from experience.
Best regards to all.
Tom.
To the Editor Hi-Fi news.
Readers Letters - That's the spirit. From Tom Marsden.
>> "In answer to Paul Brennan's query - letters April 2007 issue, I had exactly the same experience way back in the 1980's when I also spilt methylated spirits on a Cd - smearing the lettering. On subsequently playing the CD I was surprised to note there was a noticeable improvement in sound quality. Hi-Fi News published my letter at the time.
I have since learned that CD reviewers often receive advance copies of new releases that do not have any printing on them and these copies do in fact produce a better sound than the later production CDs that do have the printing on them. Perhaps HFN CD reviewers can confirm this. The big question arises how can this be possible?
The information on the disc that is read by the laser has not been changed one 'bit'. Incidentally, another way to get a better sound from a CD is to put it in a domestic deep freezer for 12 hours but when taken out it must be de-frozen as slowly as possible( this is important). My method is to then put the frozen CD into the refrigerator for 24 hours and, when taken out, allowed to reach room temperature before playing. The freeze treated disc produces a better sound but again the information read by the laser has not been altered. So what could have altered? Since the sound coming from the loudspeakers cannot possibly have changed it must be the perception of the listener.
If this seems barmy remember there was time when it was considered barmy that Copernicus believed the Earth went round the Sun when people's every day experience was that the Sun was seen to travel around the Earth.
The question now is how can perception have changed? - and this leads us to the strange world of Peter Belt. Strange; only because Peter Belt's insight has opened a window into a new area of science that no one previously had any idea existed. Ground breaking ideas are usually treated with caution and, in any case, should be thoroughly checked out before passing judgement.
So I am appalled when I read in the Hi-Fi press and on the Web some of the hysterical outbursts and insults directed at Peter Belt by people with fixed ignorant minds who obviously have never taken the trouble to test out his techniques. Charles Darwin would surely recognise a kindred spirit in Peter Belt. In an endeavour to throw some light on a subject that few people have heard about and even fewer have any idea what it is about but what every audiophile should be aware of - I would be grateful if HFN would allow me the
space to print a few words on the subject.
Let me start by saying that one of Peter Belt's claims is that - "most of the man made objects in the Hi-Fi listening environment adversely effect the perception of the listener". A contentious statement without doubt. But just consider that in the natural world there are no box shapes. Every box in the world has been man made and Peter claims that a box in a room will affect the perception of anyone in that room. It is ironic therefore that all Hi-Fi
equipment is housed in boxes and these boxes adversely effect the sound
perception of the listener.
The 'notorious' coloured foils that P.W.B produce for sticking to Hi-Fi equipment housing are designed to moderate the adverse effects of the box shape and from my own experience they work. Put the coloured foils on a amplifier casing and the sound improves; take the foils off and the sound quality degrades: put the foils back on and the good sound returns. (Incidentally. P.W.B will supply a free sample foil for evaluation to anyone. So much for snake oil salesman accusations! ). I have read that audio engineers have used the most sophisticated test equipment imaginable to measure for any sound changes due to P.W.B techniques and they cannot find any change. The reason is obvious - they are looking in the wrong place. Peter Belt has never claimed that his devices have any effect on the performance of equipment. What he states is that all Hi-Fi equipment - from the cheapest kitchen tranny to the most expensive high end gear - is not being heard to its true potential due to adverse effects around us. Affects that we are not even aware of. When we have been living with these adverse effects all our lives, it is only when an adverse effect has been removed that we realise it was there in the first place. As someone who has been a Hi-Fi enthusiast for 45 years and with some electrical engineering experience I used to belong in the objectivist camp.
I well remember reading an article by Peter Walker, founder of Quad, who with impeccable logic argued that 6 feet of mains cable couldn't possibly affect the performance of an amplifier since that cable was in series with 100s of feet of copper wire wrapped around a transformer. I don't know if anyone has actually measured any difference but audio reviewers make claims of the superior sounds due to some cables. I am not questioning the reviews but perhaps reviewers are being influenced by factors of which they are unaware. For myself, I am convinced cables affect our perception of sound by causes other than the flow of electrons. Use the freezing technique, I have mentioned above, on cables and judge for yourself.
After using Peter Belt techniques for 19 years I am now in agreement with the subjectivists. When listening to music - ears rather than eyes are still the best instruments to use when judging sound quality. My own audio equipment would be considered as fairly high end stuff but it is due to Peter Belt that these days I am privileged to enjoy, in the comfort of my home, a quality of sound reproduction that at one time I thought would be unattainable.
Peter Belt is an Audio Engineer but his methods have nothing to do with audio engineering.
However, they do bring immense benefits for the audiophile listener. Thanks to Peter Belt the future for the audiophile has never been brighter." <<
Tom Marsden.
3rd April. 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi News letter.
Tom,
Thanks on behalf of us all for sending an e-mail. I have tried to send ones in support of Janine's articles, although some bounce back - I may be on an unwanted list....
However this letter about CDs and ink/print was quite a surprise. As you indicate this is an old issue, though Furutech et al produce 'demagnetizers' to deal with the issue.
It will be interesting to see if they publish all or part of your letter. With falling circulation, they desperately need something lively, and your letter might stimulate some debate.
My only query is that you have been using P.W.B products for 21 years (1986?), but then time flies when your system is so good.
Let's see what happens.
Richard
3rd April 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: THE Drop in the Ocean.
Familiar with the 'Butterfly Effect'?
Think you know the limits of external reality?
Has yours arrived?
Smiling?
More to come.
Now where's that little bottle gone.....?
Richard
5th April 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: One drop.
Hi May-
Can I apply P.W.B One Drop Liquid to places where I've already applied one of the P.W.B creams? Do I have to re-apply the creams if so?
Hi all-
Applied P.W.B's new One Drop Liquid to both surfaces of a CD, and listened to the same track I had just played prior to application. First impressions: taller, denser, more substantial images, increase in dynamics, and an increase in smoothness. The result of treating one CD was similar to a cable upgrade.
Next, I treated a small section of our new flat panel TV in the living room. My wife walked into the room while I played a scene from the restored version of Hitchcock's film classic "To Catch a Thief", which we've watched a multitude of times. Her one word impression: "Wow!" A definite increase in contrast, with an increase of depth of field and more richly rendered colors (I subsequently had to adjust the color and brightness of the set).
I then applied the liquid to a photograph according to the directions included with the bottle, and also treated the glass enclosure of a carriage clock we have in our living room. Hmm, no apparent difference to the TV's picture. But, the sound on the DVD, though playing at mere background volumes, sounded different. Upon listening to a few CDs the sound was improved. There is a "continuous" to the soundfield. Not "layers" of the soundstage or image (as in front" or "rear"), but a natural progression with minimal interference of grit or grain. This is difficult to explain, but the overall impression is more natural, more comfortable to listen to.
More later, James Takamatsu
8th April 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: One Drop Liquid.
Hi Jimmy,
I had intended to reply to your earlier 'posting' by saying that we see no problems applying the One Drop Liquid over already applied Creams and that you would not need to go over the Liquid with the Creams again but that, as the One Drop Liquid is quite special and quite 'precious' (meaning fairly expensive) we would suggest that you concentrate on applying the One Drop Liquid in areas which might not previously have been treated. Areas such as the playing side of CDs, mirrors, the glass of photo frames, the glass of pictures, the glass of clock faces, windows, any glass of display cabinets etc..
It seems, from your latest 'posting', that you are ahead of any reply from me and have already been applying the One Drop Liquid with success !!
Kind Regards, May
9th April 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Re: One Drop Liquid.
Dear All,
There seems to be no bounds to the beauty of music – at least when liberated from its murky confines by Belt devices that is. I am now down to the last few drops of my sample of One Drop Liquid and have so far treated mainly glass items about the house such as the display faces on all the Hi-Fi, TV screen, mirrors, the glass of pictures, Clock faces and ground floor windows. I intend to use the last remaining few drops directly applied to both sides of a few favourite discs and see what that brings. So far though, it is yet another demonstration of how far the rest of the audio world is off track. The extra clarity of sound seems to have a devastating effect on the bass end – I can clearly hear a huge increase in apparent detail, which, in turn, makes the sound seem to go even lower whilst still capable of being 'read' as individual notes. The other striking revelation is in my increased ability to hear, with great ease, long drawn out orchestral chords, which previously seemed to be less apparent. In fact, trying to examine individual bits of musical performance is probably not the best way to try and analyse what is happening here, as every piece of music I listen to shows off something new, something that was not as clearly defined the previous time I listened. There seems to be an immense range of musical colour and tone just below the hearing threshold and One Drop Liquid lifts it into aural range. I cannot help thinking that, if P.W.B treatments were to gain widespread acceptance tomorrow, any Hi-Fi demo room not treated with this, and other Belt devices, would quickly loose ground to those who do. Could Peter Belt become the Google or Microsoft of the audio industry? So far, from what I am experiencing, there is no one to touch him.
Kevin Kehoe.
10th April 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Good Weather Stops Play.
The freakish weather has played havoc with my P.W.B projects.
Traditionally, Easter should still be rather cold and wet, and any trips out would need Thermos flasks of coffee or soup. It is thus usually a great time for the extensive P.W.B projects that one needs time for. It would have been a great time to explore the use of the amazing One Drop Liquid.
And so rather later than I had hoped, I can post on this great advance, having done my time in the sunshine on this Sceptre'd Isle.
Firstly, this came out of the blue (oh no!), with no prior warning, seemingly hot on the heels of the amazing Black Cream and Squares. I was pretty content with the sound and vision I was getting at home - if anything it sounded too clean and clear, given the enormous levels of detail coming through.
One Drop Liquid then is rather like an update of Morphic Liquid, and a curious 20 year throw back to the early liquid that P.W.B produced (what was that called?). But instead of a large bottle and a spray nozzle, one gets a an eye-drops type bottle, and applies a tiny drop using fingers, any residue being wiped away.
So we're into that territory, even as hardened P.W.B users, of trying to grasp how such a tiny amount of blue liquid can make a difference.
One application tip I have found useful, is to hold the bottle horizontally, perpendicular to the object one wishes to apply liquid to, parallel with the floor. I find this gives better control of drop size, and as those of you who have tried the sample, it can be agonising to form too large a drop, and at present, I have no reason to think a larger drop is better than a small one.
As James has indicated, it seems to go on top of previous P.W.B devices such as Foils and Labels, and a good spot for me was on the Electret Disc. I found an attempt to use it on Ring Ties was too wasteful of this premium product. I cannot comment exactly on May's point, since it seems to works so well on everything, that one site scarcely seems better than another, though I take the point that it might be better used on sites that have had less treatments. It is hard to ignore though the extraordinary effect on glass and mirrors. It is just so easy to go around and place a tiny drop on each window or mirror. I find the effect of this just amazing.
Despite this comment I also find this product is a 'grower' or that my response to it is like a slow wave. I find that although the initial effect is very positive, the impact seems to grow over the next two hours. For this reason, I tend not to go to mad in each room, and allow my brain/mind to 'digest' each change, otherwise it can lead to that overwhelming feeling that everything is too clear.
My suggested sites to begin with are:-
1. A photograph (the effect then goes everywhere with you).
2. Windows and mirrors.
3. TV screen.
4. Labels and Foils on key equipment.
5. CDs & DVDs.
The effect of this liquid is just astonishing. I may have joked about 'a drop' changing to the 'the drop' in the ocean, since the effect is very significant, given the size of the drop. And weird stuff happens, such that the view from your window is transformed. Colours are just so hi-def.... even in nature!
As James indicates, there is the usual problem of value for money, in that the cost of a bottle seems great. Yet the effect of a few drops larger than many conventional upgrades. My brain can never quite get round that.
It's almost worth staying in for....
Happy Easter. Richard
11th April 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Photographs.
Our description of Nature readily creating inverse patterns on each side of an object has created some confusion.
A very effective demonstration of this (inverting) energy pattern and one that is well worth carrying out with your personal photograph is described as follows :-
You require two photographs of yourself. Either photograph can have been taken at any time in your life. Place the photographs, back to back, with the images inverted so that the head on one photograph is behind the feet or bottom on the other photograph. The effect of this procedure is readily heard when listening to music.
To further enhance this effect a part of either a fingernail or a toenail should be placed in between the two photographs.
Kind Regards, May.
11th April From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: P.W.B Stops DIY.
Dear All,
It is a tradition of the British weather that the approach to any public holiday period has unbroken sunshine until the first official day of rest. Then, the heavens open up until the first day back at work when the sunshine resumes. This has happened so many times that we ignored the forecast and set about preparations for some DIY about the house (getting out of Birmingham on a public holiday is also a nightmare). So, whilst everyone else was basking in sunshine, we were up to our ears in paint and turpentine. The up side of all this is that, just before the holiday, the One Drop Liquid sample arrived! It was more than welcome compensation for missing out on the amazing Easter weather. Since my last posting, I have now used it on a few discs and agree with Richard regarding detail. It is almost too plentiful to take in – very wonderful though. I can pick out tiny sounds where a guitar string has been caught by accident in the playing, and general recording detail that sometimes make you think that the sound is coming from within the room instead of being reproduced electronically. Another remarkable product from P.W.B. Before I go, perhaps someone can give me a little advice. We are about to make some effort to reduce our carbon contribution to the environment as well as save a few pennies in the process. To this end, as each filament lamp fails, we intend to replace it (where possible) with the new long life coiled fluorescent types – this, I think I am right in saying, will become a necessity a few years time in the UK as production of the old inefficient types start to run down. Back in our old house, it was the treating of fluorescent fittings with Magna Discs, Foils, Electret Cream etc.. that brought about a big sound lift, so I am thinking that introducing those more complex units, with their built in capacitors and other bits of electronics, to every room in the house will bring down the wonderful sound I have now achieved. The treatments I have in mind will be Electret Cream, Red 'X' Pen, Smart Metal to the contacts, Clip and Morphic Liquid. This would be my basic treatment, which I currently carry out on all filament lamps on arrival within our home. I think devices like Foils and Magna Discs might not be practical on those little fluorescent units, although I always try and use a Rainbow Foil in every situation. It sounds like the new One Drop Liquid is just the job for this purpose and, after my happy experience over the holiday weekend, I am already on the point of ordering a bottle. So, if there is any other treatments that might be worth a shot, let me know.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
12th April 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: P.W.B Stops DIY.
Kevin,
We too have switched bulbs in many areas, and I think you can do quite a lot with the small fluorescent bulbs. For ourselves, saving the planet matched a rage to cut consumption of electricity when the prices soared. I remain tempted by the idea of solar panels, but don't know how feasible it is yet.
For the bulbs, I apply Smart Metal to the contacts first, then Morphic Green Cream to glass and metal parts. I then spray with Morphic Liquid, and would now then add a smear of One Drop Liquid. I then apply Violet Pen ink to the contacts, and sign etc. with the Red 'X' Pen. Tap the contacts with the Violet Pen, Clip them, add a trace of Sol-Electret and then put through the freezing process. I think this makes the fluorescent lights more bearable, but in an ideal world, I would just have Halogen bulbs for the purity of the light.
And as for detail, we have been prematurely playing some 'summer' music. I am playing at present an Elton John compilation, which hasn't been touched for years. The tone and timbre of the organ on 'Crocodile Rock' is brimming with such fat and velvety-reed sound that I just cannot believe it. And the song bounces along with a Naim- like beat. 'La lalalalala......'
One Drop Liquid seems to turn all music into works of genius.
It should really be called Midas Liquid.
'La lalalalala!'
Richard
ps This disc has had only minimal treatment. Just wow!
13th April From Bill Kenny.
Subject: One Drop Liquid: The Sound Really Is In The Room.
Hello everyone, may I introduce myself?
I'm Bill Kenny - the chap who writes for MusicWeb International (www.musicweb-international.com) and who did three articles on my experiences with P.W.B products over the last eighteen months. I have been lurking in the background for a while now and thought it was time to come clean.
Thanks to May Belt's generosity, I have been able to try out some of the more expensive P.W.B devices including the Quantum Clip which she kindly let me borrow for a month. Apart from one glitch with the special black cream (which is a long and not very interesting story) I have been extraordinarily impressed by the results of using all of the devices especially Inside Foil, Morphic Green Cream, Black Cream with Special Foils and of course the Quantum Clip. Now, I have been trying out the new One Drop Liquid with quite remarkable results.
One of my pre-occupations has been to discover a notional upper limit to what can be achieved. I asked May about this in an e-mail once, saying that common-sense dictated there should be one. She replied that while that was obviously true, common sense also said that P.W.B products couldn't possibly work. Fair comment
To try to establish what can be done though, I have been testing out the performance of a £25 white goods shop DVD player against my reference Primare DVD 30 universal disc player which cost £2100. The cheap machine has been frozen, creamed foiled and clipped, while the Primare has been only had a few processes applied, simply because I can't easily get into its innards. What I have doing most recently however has been 'clipping' the listening room and I am now certain that this is an extremely important process. After using the Q Clip on the considerable amounts of wood in the room, I reached a point where temporarily the cheap machine sounded superior to the reference - until that is, I realised that the wooden shelf on which the reference stands had not been clipped. Even so, the difference in sound from the two machines remained incredibly small.
Enter the magic blue liquid. Windows, yes. Mirrors, certainly. Clock face, of course. All very positive but not completely earth shattering. The most extraordinary thing that happened came about after applying blue liquid to the inside foils in the ports of my speakers and to the other foils dotted about the place. Then, the sound from the cheap player was 'objectively' superior to the expensive machine in some respects, a fact confirmed by my wife. We played the Berry /Ludwig / Kertesz disc of Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle at the opening of the fifth door – a very loud passage (ho, ho) - and each of us thought that the singers were a notch clearer on the cheap machine, although the general depth of image was slightly better on the Primare. The cheap machine however, copes perfectly well with the extreme dynamic range of this music and disc after disc reveals musical detail previously inaudible to either of us. We are now both firmly convinced that the system as a whole out-performs a hugely expensive set-up that we listened to a while ago, regardless of the disc playing source used.
Now while most of this will be old news to members of this group, there is another clinching experience that supports May and Peter's idea that 'the sound is already in the room.' Our house has a small octagonal porch just outside the front door and after this latest experiment, it is perfectly obvious that a huge three-dimensional musical image (regardless of musical content) can be heard coming from the room by anyone standing in the porch. This certainly defies all common sense about audio performance because:
a) the listener is not only behind the speakers but cannot actually see one of them from the porch.
b) the sound is wholly stereophonic, so that musical events between the speakers and those emanating from the hidden side of the room can be accurately located.
c) the effect is equally impressive regardless of which player is used as the source and regardless too of the volume of the music being played.
I am not an audio journalist incidentally – I write mostly about live concert and opera performances and because of this I know what the sound is like in some locations where recordings have been made.
The Lahti Sinfonia / Vänskä Sibelius recordings on BIS for example were done in two different locations in Lahti and it is now possible to hear the differences between the old hall and the new Finlandiatalo - the Stradivarius in a glass box as locals call it.
I would never have believed that the acoustic signatures of different venues could be reproduced so accurately by any but the most expensive equipment but they can. It's all very remarkable and I am now completely sure that Peter Belt's researches are truly innovative and that they break new ground in the development of audio and video performance. There'll be another article soonish on MusicWeb and I'll let you all know when it's done.
Regards to all of you,
Bill Kenny
PS. The care and detail that you all seem to take in 'Belting' your homes, never ceases to amaze me. Hats off to you for your diligence and dedication. If only I could have such persistence.....
15th April 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: One Drop Liquid: The Sound Really Is In The Room.
Thank you Richard for your suggested additions to the treatment of fluorescent lamps, I really must do myself a few little idiot lists on routine but infrequent treatments around the house. Thanks also Bill for your tip regarding One Drop Liquid - my sample has now been squeezed to the very last molecule and I have just ordered a bottle. I am delighted you mentioned your conversation with May Belt regarding how far those treatments can go (is there a 'ceiling' to the whole thing?). I have posted so many sound lifts in the past few years that I started to get a bit self-conscious about it – how many sound lifts can one man have? But, once again, this new addition to the P.W.B range proves I have not got there yet.
Regards to all, Kevin Kehoe.
20th April 2007 From Josh Lasserre.
Subject: New member has questions.
Hello,
I live in Austin, Texas and found P.W.B a few years ago and got some rainbow tape. During that time I was building my own tube amp preamp and tube 2a3 monoblocks from a kit I got from www.bottlehead.com. I completed those and have also built a pair of line array speakers offered by the same company the speakers are called Straight 8's. They are tower speakers with a tweeter at the top with 8 4 inch aluminum coned drivers below. They image very well. I first heard them at a friend's house, he was using a pair of 300b tube monoblocks to run them, the 300b's have 8 watts and my 2a3 monoblocks have 3.5 watts of single ended power. So I have finally put together a system that I have customized and tweaked. I have made one change by adding a 12sx7 based preamp that is tube rectified and has oil capacitors in the power supply. As I have only recently finished breaking the speakers in now I am really working on dialing the sound in. To that end I have been considering the room as well as treatments I have learned from P.W.B.
I am hoping to get some advice and direction on what to do next:
System:
2a3 monoblocks
12sx7 tube preamp
Toshiba 5963 dvd player (modded)
line array speakers
Room:
11'x14'
wall behind speakers is glass, no curtain
wall opposite speakers full wall of open shelving filled with clothing
side wall full open shelving with books, other wall bare with one doorway
floor is concrete with a small rug in front of speakers
ceiling exposed beams of 2"x8" at 16" intervals
What I have done:
Purchased 2 staedler 313 pens from office supply
Froze images of myself in bags with 'x26'x written on each side of bag, shone light on coordinates with torch whose batteries have 'x26'x written on it.
Froze CD's twice in bags as above, some had one piece of rainbow tape one had two (over CD icon and one at edge) put paper on each speaker with holes in corners and center. Stuck aspirin over center hole
Note:
I have been on pain medication as a result of a snowboarding injury tough mostly clear-headed I'm not sure how it affected by listening
Impressions:
did not notice a change when I put my pics in the freezer and didn't notice a change when I took them out.
I thought I may have perceived a change when I put the papers on the speakers.
The frozen CDs did sound better. The one double frozen that had two bits of rainbow tape sounded three dimensional and has been the best that I've heard this new system sound, though I don't have an untreated copy, will need to acquire.
So I am wondering:
Since my staedler pen has not been blessed and treated by P.W.B. am I wasting my time?
What direction should I take next? What treatment should I try for free and what should I buy next from P.W.B.?
I think there is something to this and am willing to explore and am wondering since I really didn't hear a dramatic improvement with freezing pictures and adhering paper and aspirin to my speakers if I may be dealing with a quantity phenomena as describe in this list; where at some point after a number of treatments a density if reached where there is a tipping point and a dramatic change occurs.
I am very curious and excited by the ideas presented in all of the essays I have read while spending time at the P.W.B. website and at other review sites.
Please let me know what you think I'm all ears.
Best,
Josh Lasserre
20th April 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: One Drop Liquid: The Sound Really Is In The Room.
Welcome Bill, and thanks for your eloquent account of your experiences.
What is most striking for myself, and dangerous, is your clear report of how a cheap DVD player can seem better than a good quality (and expensive) Primare player. It really turns the world of audio upside down, and can panic the whole industry (or so it did in the 1980s, when a cheap CD player did much the same). But this is what happens; lead turns into gold.
I thought you usefully introduced everyone to the usefulness of the fifth door, as an audio test. In the Opera House, that crescendo is quite overwhelming, and I hadn't really thought of it as a good test. But the musical impact of that moment really would test any system, and illuminate any improvements. But Bluebeard is a dark piece, and not for all. A female colleague once helpfully indicated how it is Judith who is cruel, in her relentless demands and provocation of Bluebeard. Does 'One Drop Liquid' change that view?
Richard
20th April From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: New member has questions.
Hi Josh, and welcome.
Questions, questions....
Firstly, although the P.W.B free tips generate some benefits, these are not in the same league as those resulting from application of the products. However, I still tie 'reef' knots in my cables, and would put a small piece of blank paper under the fourth leg of tables etc.
if I didn't have the P.W.B device for that setting. The difference is most clear with the red pen. An untreated pen will work, but is not in the same league as the P.W.B version. Even when the latter has run out, you can place it on an object, and it still acts as a positive
device.
As for your personal experience, I personally believe there are two phases. Firstly, one has to adjust to the simple fact that there may be something going on, no matter how small. My experiences in the 1980s were initially troubling; I just could not explain to myself what was going on, yet felt something was 'better'. I stuck with that, and tried the products available then, and grew accustomed to not knowing how things changed. Later I had the secondary question of whether I thought the effect was value for money. Given our diverse financial situations, this is always a personal view. I would add in addition to this that some effects seem to take time and others are more immediate. I think there are differences in response to different products or processes, some preferring this, other preferring that, but cannot explain why.
I would suggest exploring the Beginner's kit, or that you get some Electret Cream, or Sol-Electret. The Portable Audio Kit is pretty amazing value. Or you could continue to just freeze things in your environment, and tie some reef knots, all at no cost.
Perhaps you could let us know how you got on?
Richard
20th April 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Re: Re: New member has questions.
Hi Josh-
I had a similar experience with the Staedtler 313 red pen. I wrote on and signed a CD I was using as a control disc while I was tuning my system years ago, and I couldn't get the sound to improve- instead it got bright and forward sounding. Nothing I did, adding room treatment, repositioning the speakers, etc.. would restore the old sound. Until I removed the writing from the CD. Instantly, the sound improved. Judged by the account of many others (not me, I've never tried it), the P.W.B Red Pen is much better. Of course, the real issue is that writing on a component or CD shouldn't matter at all, if you believe conventional audio theory.
My favorite thing from P.W.B has to be the Portable Pack. Besides have enough foils to experiment with (including some terrific and expensive foils as Inside and Freeze Effect), it includes enough of the wonderful Morphic Green Cream to treat the foils and small areas of about a couple of dozen of other things in your home. The new One Drop Liquid has been wonderful also, but I've only treated a few things so far, so I'm not totally familiar with it yet.
I think it's best to move beyond the freebies and standard Rainbow Foil (although I could never have enough Rainbow foil!) to reach that "next plateau".
Best Regards, James Takamatsu
21st April 2007 From Josh Lasserre.
Subject: Re: New member has questions.
Thanks to both of you for the kind responses.
I will take the advice and begin to consider what to get next. I am sure that something is at work here. I consider P.W.B to be courageous and appreciate the drive that has made so many happy.
Thank you. Josh Lasserre
22nd April 2007 From Bill Kenny.
Subject: Re: One Drop Liquid: The Sound Really Is In The Room.
Thanks Richard.
Yes, Bluebeard's Judith isn't half a One, isn't she? Niggling away at him all the time on the one hand and professing eternal love on the other. My wife says that it's small wonder that she gets her come-uppance in the end. I have seen it a couple of times - once with John Tomlison and my review of that is here http://www.musicweb-international.com/SandH/2005/Jan-Jun05/bluebeard1106.htm for what it's worth.
I guess it would be a very special P.W.B device indeed that made the story's content change, but there is no question in my mind now that the products really do change the perception of sound for the better and - as you say - they blow the received wisdom of audio and video upgrading clean away. Unsurprising then that Peter and May get the flak they do from manufacturers and the audio press but a genuine pity nonetheless.
Now, if I could just get the underpinning theory for why the devices work straight in my mind........
By the way, I made an error in my first posting. The concert hall in Lahti where the more recent Vänskä Sibelius discs for BIS were recorded is the Sibeliustalo not the Finlandiatalo. That's in Helsinki - a beautiful building but with notoriously terrible acoustics, which is now being replaced by a new concert hall called The House of Music.
Regards to all. Bill
24th April 2007 From Michael.
Subject: New Member Advice.
Hello All and welcome Bill and Josh.
For me, Morphic Green Cream is the business. If you do purchase the portable pack, Josh, could I suggest that you apply a smidgeon of the MGC to speaker magnets, cones, hookup wires, and all crossover components - The sound lift I experienced after doing the above left me speechless!
Also, after treating as above, you may wish to dismantle your speakers and put the separate components through the freezing process - all suitably cling wrapped of course! I have just frozen my heavily P.W.B'd Denon DVD player and all my homemade interconnects and power cables.
The result while not as dramatic as applying a new P.W.B product has definitely smoothed out the sound and has become that few degrees more engaging.
Michael...
April 2007 From Josh Lasserre.
Subject: Re: New Member Advice.
Thanks Michael,
I will try all of that. Though the thought of dismantling my 16 drivers seems like a big job. Luckily I have all of the crossover network isolated in one box attached to the rear of my speaker.
Can you describe how you apply the MGC to the components. How much would I apply to a capacitor? Do I just run my thumb and forefinger over the hook up wire?
If applying to driver cones how, where and how much.
Thank you for the recommendations. Josh
24th April 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Re: New Member Advice.
Hi, Josh,
Welcome to the WWB (Wonderful World of Belt). Those portable Packs really are good value for money and let you get small, but very useful samples of the various foils, plus a good quantity of the Morphic Green Cream.
I have had very good results from treating small magnets ( creamed, Smart Metalled and frozen) that can be attached to radiators, garage doors and anything that will hold a magnet.
The tiniest amount of Green Cream will work wonders.
Happy Belting, Brian
26th April 2007 From Michael.
Subject: Amount of Morphic Green Cream to apply.
Hello Josh, as others have said, a dab is all you need-I place the tip of one clean finger into MGC jar-just so my finger is slightly damp with cream then just touch that same finger tip onto caps, cones, dust covers, wiring etc.. - one finger dab will treat 5-10 objects. It is our logical mind that tells us that we need to really slap it on like Sunblock - not so - even now I'm probably applying too much.
Michael...
8th May 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Hi-Fi News again...
Well, they have printed part of Tom's e-mail on CD print, and there is another positive mail about Janine and Peter. I wish I could fathom what is going on, and instead assume they receive few letters on any other subject, as the rest of the magazine has no connection with such issues. Indeed, I found the new pie-charts to summarise the reviews near incomprehensible, and found all of the reviews too brief, such that it was hard to get a sense of what the reviewer really thought of a product.
However, on an amusing note, all four of the major magazines (News, Choice, World and What Hi-Fi) all review the new Pioneer amp and CD player this month. And all now have reported on the new Meridian F80 in almost the same month. It's not just confusing, it's getting very tedious, and where any mention of Peter fits in, I know not. But it's there.
Richard
10th May 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Hi-Fi News again.
Yes, I have been able to get the Hi-Fi News this month and have read the few paragraphs which they decided to publish from Tom Marsden's letter.
I would like to thank Tom for letting us read the letter which he sent to Hi-Fi News in it's entirety !! I would love to have seen his FULL letter printed - it would have made my day !! - particularly his sentence "but it is due to Peter Belt that these days I am privileged to enjoy, in the comfort of my home, a quality of sound reproduction that at one time I thought would be unattainable."
Lovely Tom. Thanks. I appreciate it even if Hi-Fi News did not !!
Kind Regards, May
14th May 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: treating speakers- Obelisk project.
Hi All-
I had been meaning to put down into words the step-by-step treatment of my new/old Shahinian Obelisks for several months now: It has been an ongoing project for the last 5 months or so since one of my old friends graciously gifted this pair of speakers to me in December, some 23 years after I sold them to him. I now feel I have a reasonable grasp on their performance and the effectiveness of the treatments afforded them.
My previous system, most of which my wife and I gave to a good neighbor of ours, consisted of P.W.B - treated Klipsch KG-3.5 small floor standing speakers that ended up sounding like, of all things, a lovely pair of ProAcs; something like Studio 125s or maybe Response 1.5s in their sweetness and midrange bloom, and a Sonic Impact T-amp 5066 that drove them, which also took kindly to P.W.B treatments. Our old dvd player now resides in our bedroom system as my neighbor sources his system with an iPod.
Though I loved the performance of the T-amp, especially after applying the P.W.B Portable Pack foils, I decided, after having read about the power hungry aspects of the Shahinian speakers (despite their 89-91dB sensitivity rating), to upgrade the 5066 T-amp to the Super T-amp 5062. Trying the Super T in my old system gave the system some added dynamic swing and much more gutsy bottom-end (though the power rating is the same as the basic T amp: about 10 watts into a 6 ohm load). Though this was about 1/10th the power normally recommended to drive these speakers properly, I hoped, after treatment, this little amp would provide a high quality power source to feed the Obelisks.
Then, for some reason, I decided to simultaneously upgrade the video system in our room. I ordered a Toshiba upscaling dvd player to get ready for our new flat panel Olevia LCD video monitor. I then proceeded to complicate matters by ordering a set of 24ga. gold alloy cables (which took close to 200 hours before I could begin to seriously evalute their performance) about halfway through the speaker repair and upgrade.
I don't know how many are familiar with this classic speaker system; it has been in continuous production for about 30 years now, and was recently named on Stereophile's 25 best speakers in the last 40 years. The speaker is a multi-driver, poly/omnidirectional speaker, looking much like a short (less than 30 inch tall) Washington Monument:
The rectangular main portion of the speaker houses a front-firing 8" woofer and terminated through a diagonally-angled (no right angles inside the enclosure) transmission line to a rear 10" mass-loaded passive radiator. On this version (circa 1983), the top pyramid houses four 1 1/4" midrange domes, one on each facet of the top section, and two 3/8" super tweeters facing fore and aft. I first heard this speaker at the 1982 Winter CES; I could not forget the way this speaker illuminated the entire listening space with its huge, spacious soundstage.
When I received this speaker back from the previous owner, the Obelisk was in great outward shape (meaning cabinet and grills), but two of the four midranges in one speaker were DOA, and the rear mounted passive radiators were both without surrounds. The speakers had been sent back a few years ago to Shahinian Acoustics for the Danish woofer and crossover (MIT Multicap with high-speed bypass) upgrades, and new surrounds for the passives, but the surrounds subsequently failed again.
Carefully playing the speakers at low volumes, the speakers sounded rather spacious, but dulled in attack and compressed in dynamics. You could hear the potential, but they sounded far from what one would expect from a good pair of $5000 speakers (their current U.S. retail is $5100/pair). The speakers are also a phase-coherent design, meaning all drivers are electrically "in phase" (well, except for the passive radiators), and are quite sensitive to correct speaker wire orientation.
I managed to find a matching Dynaudio D-28 driver from one of my old buddies, and then ordered and installed new foam surrounds from SimplySpeakers.com. Prior to installing the passives, I managed to treat the midrange driver magnets with a smear of P.W.B.'s new Black Cream. I also treated all of the internal cabinet pieces with Rainbow and Safe Hole foils. I was not very successful at getting the foils to stick to the interior surfaces: I probably should have cleaned the surfaces first as I wasted some precious Morphic foils.
Playing the speakers without the passives but with the foils proved rewarding: Even with 10" wide gaping holes in the back of each speaker cabinet, the sound was noticeably less hollow and boxy, and more natural sounding. Sealing the back with the repaired passive radiators upgraded the bass and midrange substantially, though there remained an unevenness to the lower midrange-upper bass area that supposedly plagues this speaker.
I then replaced the midrange dome (the midranges are wired in a series network so when 1 failed, 2 had no output), and then noticed only a slight improvement to the upper frequencies. The top end was still muted and dulled. I creamed a small area of the top pyramid area where the midranges and tweeters reside and noticed a tiny improvement. Thinking back on my experience with the Klipsches, I applied strips of Rainbow foil and Cream Electret to the perforated plastic frame that forms the top grill: Dramatic improvement with much greater attack and detail, and a very real sense of top-end airiness. For the first time in 25 years, this pair of Obelisks didn't sound dull or slow, but fast and immediate. What a startling improvement!
I proceeded to treat the woofer and crossover, using Morphic Green, Black, and Electret Creams on the various internal components. I had applied Smart Metal to my two previous speakers to really wonderful effect, but as I was not able to reach some of the magnets of some of the tweeters and midranges, I decided not to treat the woofer magnets, for fear of unbalancing the sound (as had happened when I treated the woofers first in my old Mordaunt-Shorts). Instead, I applied Green Cream and a strip of Rainbow foil to each woofer cone, and managed to solder Smart Metal onto the binding post connections.
Yet for all the gains made to the sound, there were some things about the system that still bothered me: a certain lack of a single sound; the presentation was somewhat disjointed and unbalanced. Also, the system wasn't as pure sounding as I'd hoped.
I started treating the amp first (using Portable Pack foils) and bagged a nice improvement. Smoother and more three-dimensional and more powerful sounding. I then got around to treating the insides of the Toshiba dvd player as I had previously only treated the outside. But now I applied Morphic Green Cream to all ICs, Rainbow foil to the circuit boards, Black Cream to the internal wiring (at least where I could reach), and Smart Metal to the end AC plug prongs. A significant lowering of grittiness and hardness to the highs.
I inserted my new single strand, 24 gauge gold-silver-copper alloy wires from Aural Harmony (search eBay.com for "Cryo Gold Alloy Wires")- made up with Eichmann bullet RCA plugs and P.W.B Smart Metal- and noticed a new purity to the sound. However, the cables took about 200-250 hours playing time to fully break-in. Until then they sounded uneven in the bass and overly forward in the low-mid treble. When fully broken in these gold alloy cables display a rich and beautiful midrange- voices and instruments have a pure and round-toned elegance to them. At the same time the cables pass signals with an amazing speed and transparency with fast, extended bass- really great for the money spent.
Our new HDTV showed up about this time, and provided a nice distraction for us while the cables burned in. The picture quality was quite good, and improved with just a bit of P.W.B treatment. We got rid of our old (good sounding) Lovan equipment stand and are using my old wood TV stand (treated, of course!), but the impact of the new, larger, video system is zero; maybe even improved over the old CRT television. A wall mount for the TV and a built-in shelving system is in the works.
After the cables had burned-in, I felt I was closing in on the performance of the system, but things still didn't quite gel. I had not treated the (eight) midrange domes, not yet having decided whether to use Green or Electret Cream, or even touching the fragile domes at all. I finally decided to treat the center most portion of the domes with Cream Electret, carefully applying then very gently wiping off the excess. This was just one of those moments when everything fell into place: the midrange took on a solidity, transparency, and smoothness, with a major reduction in grain. But the most surprising part? The improvement in bass punch and cohesiveness that was totally unexpected. I'm sure P.W.B would have a really good explanation for this; I just am enjoying the sound improvement. I then applied the tiniest of smear of MGC to the midranges, just at the edge of the domes near the face plate. The midrange then took on a more rounded, tactile quality- revealing that elusive "reach out and touch" nuance seems so elusive.
A gracious sample of P.W.B One Drop Liquid showed up unexpectedly in our mailbox. I first tried it on a control CD and immediately noticed its effect. I proceeded to treat a photograph, all mirrors in our home, then eventually treating the electrical circuit breaker box and glass meter. Its effect, even on items already treated with other P.W.B devices, is one of new found purity and transparency: Fantastic!
The system was now what I had only hoped to achieve: A voluminous, beyond wall-to-wall soundstage with excellent depth, natural focus, deep, extended bass, fast, yet sweet and airy highs, and a balanced, coherent sound. And that lower midrange "plumminess" has all but disappeared. It is a system which, within the power limits of the amp, can play any kind of music. Whether it's vocals or rock, to orchestral spectaculars or live jazz, you name it. This is no longer just a "classical music" speaker as is so often the criticism of the Shahinian speakers. And film soundtracks sound spacious ("Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"- effects will wrap around behind your head) and natural, with fine articulation and clarity. Though I still must be careful about phase inverted recordings.
I left out the part about the room treatment: Over a year ago I began treating the rooms in our home with as many P.W.B products and freebie ideas as I could- Cream Electret on walls, foils on wall outlets, foil and Green Cream on appliances and fixtures, quarter round moldings, squares of paper under each component's fourth foot, etc.., and recently One Drop Liquid on the glass dining table and over several previously treated items. However, no unsightly room "traps" or diffuser panels clutter our living space. Yet just about anything brought into our little cottage sounds quite good, even an old JVC mono radio we keep on the bathroom tile floor sounds richly detailed.
There are still items in the system and in the home yet to be treated. I still plan to freeze the SI amp and Toshiba DVD player, I'm awaiting Aural Harmony's new Cryo Silver Contact Enhancer, and I haven't installed the cryo'd Hubbell wall outlet. And with the impact the new P.W.B One Drop Liquid has made I will be treating many more items, even ones that already received P.W.B attention.
All in all, I'm left with a system that, I believe, both is transparent to the program material and wonderfully alive and musical. It is a joy to listen to all kinds of music. My wife and I are extremely pleased with the results of tuning this system. I can't imagine how much it would cost to build a system of this quality without the help of P.W.B.
Best Regards, James Takamatsu
17th May 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Treating speakers.
Thank you James for sharing that impressive list of treatments. I am sure others can 'pick and mix' from it to suit their own situation.
Even after all this time, it can still take me by surprise the extent to which people are prepared to "P.W.B Treat" their equipment and their environment.
Kind Regards, May
30th May 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Distortion.
I had the experience a number of years ago of treating a friends small system, and the treatments curing a distortion problem on one channel. it was not related to perceived changes in loudness, but the distortion disappeared.
More recently, I have treated some discs with the new 'One Drop' liquid, and had a chance to compare pre- and post-application as the disc was ripped and put on two different iPods. What astonished me was the 'fact' that hiss and some other distortions on older recordings were much reduced or disappeared on the 'One Drop' discs. It really did seem like the artefacts of recording technology were minimised or eliminated. It was not a subtle effect, and made most attempts at remastering minimal in effect.
More recently, I got hold of the Flagstad premiere of Strauss' 'Four Last Songs'. 57 years old, and from a terrible source, the initial listening of an untreated disc was just awful. Some minimal treatments, plus time in the freezer, have cleared away the garbage, and resolved the musical performance in a manner that makes the disc a worthwhile purchase. Quite astonishing.
Richard
30th May 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: We have a project...
As some comes, and the need for portable music increases, I was tempted to have another go at my Sonic T amplifier. I must confess that I still do not like it's rather plasticky build, yet did not want to buy the larger version.
A bit of Googling then revealed the Trends amplifier, which is largely the same as the Sonic T amp, but better built, and reportedly superior.
It's available on the Audiomagus site, and though more expensive than the Sonic T amp, it is said to be as good as most other digital amps, including Flying Mole etc..
I can't wait to get it, and start tweaking.
I'll keep you informed.
Richard
30th May 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Memory Test.
The increasingly cheap memory cards/sticks, might allow us to do some tests, rather like we did with WinMx a few years back. I certainly feel I can tell the difference between discs that are ripped with P.W.B or no- P.W.B treatments on my hard-drive. It might thus be possible to put on a memory card some of my highly-treated disc rips for others to test against their own. This is even more relevant for those of you with Squeezeboxes or equivalent.
Obviously there will be a limit to how many I could do, and what material I have available. But for standard English Rock, greatest hits type stuff, I have quite a few examples.
If anyone is interested in such a test, let me know. We can then work
out the details.
Richard
30th May 2007 From Steve Paines.
Subject: Floor Boards done.
At the end of decorating the lounge thought I would slip in some P.W.B treatment. Carpet was being delivered and laid the following day so thought it an opportunity to treat the exposed floor boards.
So applied a dab of Cream Electret to each individual floor board. Then went round and clipped each floor board. About 20 minutes work. After new carpet was fitted re-assembled the home cinema.
In the evening I completely forgot the treatments but noticed more vivid colours while the little one watched CBeebies!
Then the improved sound kicked in. And what sound I am now enjoying. I have glorious sound washing all over me. Greater separation and much more detail. So its thumbs up for the Home Cinema improvements. P.W.B is not just for Hi-Fi!
Stephen
30th May 2007 From cico_buff.
Subject: Re: Memory Test.
On top of hearing the effects of ripping with P.W.B treatments on the hard drive, I certainly feel i can tell the difference between recordings I make on the CD burner with less or more P.W.B treatments in the house (I conducted several tests where I had placed P.W.B treatments around the house, burned test tracks, then removed the temporary treatments, burned more test tracks afterward. Without knowing what I did, as well as having the files unidentifiable, several people were able to confirm the tracks with the treated environment sounded "different"). Even something as subtle as removing 3 video tapes from the room with the computer, can perceptibly affect the recordings you make on your burner. (If you want a new challenge, try copying the music file from your treated hard drive to your iPod, then back again to the HD, then back to the iPod. Repeat the process many times over and after listening to the copied file on your HD, you might find the sound of the copied file changing a bit each time).
So again, Peter and May are absolutely right, when they say that the environment (not just the acoustical one but on a "Beltist" level) is part of any recording. This means that you could go back to 1930, and surmise that the "Beltian status" of the recording studio affected the 78 pressing that was made of the recording (whether audible or not). ex. magnets in the studio might have affected the sound, and likewise if they were not in the studio. As we know, it isn't just P.W.B treatments that affect the 'Beltian environment'. It's another terrible shame that (to my knowledge) there aren't any recording studios today wise enough to recognize this important aspect of recordings and take advantage of P.W.B.'s products to create 'high class top quality' recordings (for a relatively modest sum, compared to traditional means of upgrading studio quality).
>" If anyone is interested in such a test, let me know. We can then work out the details."<
I'd be keenly interested to hear what you were able to do with your post treatment mp3 files. Say, a popular rock song that you somehow treated, along with the original non-treated version? (Or, at least if the exact same file could be found in a non-treated version, that too might work). Reason being, I would like to demonstrate them to non-P.W.Bers to see if they can hear the differences (possibly under blind conditions.
WinMX is defunct, last I heard. I don't get the memory card idea, but I know of an easy way to get these files to anyone who wishes to hear them: a file hosting service. I can provide you with a free file hosting service if you are not able to find one. It might even be possible to set a password to the music files, to restrict them to P.W.Bers, if you wanted.
cico_buff
31st May 2007 From cico_buff.
Subject: Do androids dream of electret cream?.
Actually, the question on my mind right now is: are creams etc.. subject to odd/even rule? I was fooling around with some creams/ pastes/solutions this eve, by applying them to a (defective) DVD-RW, where the "RW" logo is (not the official DVD logo). The DVD-RW was then placed playing side down on a battery located in an mp4 player, and all listening was done on an identical mp4 player. To thin out the solutions after applying, I was wiping them with an unbleached (brown) paper towel that had a red marker dot placed in the center, and then tapped (this improved the sound of the applications, but I didn't try to compare it to a black dot). Thus, I decided to try the same cream in the same spot, to see if things get any stronger Instead, I heard what sounded like an "even". So after wiping away the product, I tried the same product a third time in the same location. As I suspected, the sound improved beyond the first and second try; it was in fact an "odd" sound (by that, I don't mean "strange", but that it resembled the odd/even rule I had become familiar with from experiments with other types of product).
Of course in audio, my presumption on the second try wouldn't be called a "good guess" but "autosuggestion". However, I tried the same application with a different but similar type of product, and it too appeared to follow the odd/even rule. What I haven't yet done is try it with Cream Electret, or something along those lines. If anyone would be willing to test out the odd/even rule using Cream Electret or similar, I'd be curious to know if you have the same experience.
Of course, if the P.W.B creams also follow this rule (and I believe they would), it doesn't mean its necessary to apply them more than once. But it seems to me that if you found a good location for a cream, and you could improve things by applying it many times over the same area (with a super-wipe between each application), it would be advantageous.
If there's one thing about Beltism that still leaves me "infinitely baffled", it would be this very "odd" effect.
cico_buff
31st May 2007. From Mark Brown.
Subject: Improving Distortion from the Mastering Process.
Hello. I have an interesting issue with a CD or two I recently purchased. Whoever mastered it pushed the gain up "off the charts," so to speak (probably by accident). I first noticed distortion in almost every track (mainly in the vocals). When I loaded one of the tracks into a WAV file viewer (which allows you to "see" a visual representation of the track), I noticed that, in fact, the gain reached so high as to hit the "top" and "bottom" of the decibel parameters, which, instead of healthy peaks and valleys, made portions of the track "flatten out" as they transcended the edges of the decibel range. One could describe the distortion effect as a kind of crunchy static that I'm sure you've all heard at one time or another. My question has to do with treatments for this distortion. I plan on freezing the disc and its case tonight. Do any particular products lend themselves effectively in terms of counteracting distortion such as this?
Incidentally, a few years ago I froze a CD from an analog recording from the 1960s (originally recorded on film, I believe). It featured blatant analog distortion during loud vocal climbs, et cetera. However, after freezing the CD a couple of times, this analog distortion actually diminished in a stark and easily identifiable manner. Strange that a "twice removed" bit of distortion from the original analog recording would diminish effectively through the freezing of a remastered CD. One could state that, through the "magic" of morphic resonance, I actually DID treat the original analog source recording, albeit indirectly, of course -- through the process of freezing the remastered CD.
Finally, I have a thought about the freezing process itself. If some individuals choose to put an item in the refrigerator after freezing it (for a slow thaw), why not put an item in the refrigerator BEFORE putting it in the freezer as well? This would produce a slow temperature decent from room temperature to, say, 35 - 40 degrees before the immersion into the freezer proper. Sampling the temperature of the CD itself would produce a nice, flowing shape similar to a reverse bell curve or an upside-down parabola. In contrast, placing an item in a freezer directly from room temperature would produce a sharp, jutting decent down to the freezer's temperature, followed by the customary slow, upward curve to room temperature. Why not a slow curve down AND up? I plan on testing this idea in the next few days...
Actually, I did some digging in the group archives and, by chance, I found a similar discussion which touched on the idea in my previous post (as related to freezing and thawing speeds):
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/PWB/message/401
You'll find replies after a relatively long scroll to the bottom...
Mark Brown
1st June 2007 From James Takamatsu.
Subject: Re: We have a project.
Hi Richard-
I discovered the Trends TA-10.1 amplifier about 2 weeks after I had purchased the Sonic Impact Super T-amp 5062 to replace my P.W.B.-.treated original T-amp. If I had known about the Trends I would most certainly have chosen that amp, especially given its $130 pricing.
Having said that, I don't lose much sleep over my decision, for the Super T-amp was much improved over the original (in what the T-amp didn't do that well- bass and sufficient dynamics). The bigger amp also responded extremely well to P.W.B treatments. Although it has less different foils than my original T-amp, and I haven't frozen the new amp yet, it is clearly an improved design.
If the 5062 Super T is considered the 2nd generation T-amp, I guess the Trends is the 3rd generation, if you read the manufacturer's press on it. I have little doubt the performance will be quite wonderful after P.W.B treatments.
Best Regards, James Takamatsu
4th June. 2007. From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: We have a project.
James,
It is very interesting and co-incidental that you should describe 'P.W.B treating' your new Trend TA-10 amplifier.
Just now, on the General Asylum section of the Internet magazine Audio Asylum (quite probably about to be redirected out of the General Asylum section to the Amp/Pre section of Audio Asylum) someone calling themselves "freefallrob" has just done a short review of his new Trend TA-10 amplifier.
He likes it. You, James, and quite a few other P.W.B 'treatment enthusiasts' might be interested enough to 'post' (on the Audio Asylum) of your experiences using our special "Portable equipment improvement Pack" to improve the sound even further !!!
Particularly when, with the Improvement Pack, you have enough Foils to treat a few other things - not just the T - amp.
Kind Regards, May
4th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: We have a project.
May and James,
The Trends amp does look like a development of the T amps, though I was mainly keen on its small size and construction. I am sure the Portable/T Amp kit will make a huge difference, but with the prospect of those small squares, black and green cream, and the freaky One Drop Liquid, there is the anticipation of something truly amazing. Still, by my counts, the combination of the Trends amp and the portable pack would not be much more than £100, and if the reviews are to be believed, that would be quite the giant killer.
I have thought about posting on Audio Asylum on this matter, only a friend showed me a really nice wall to bang my head against. I place more faith in Google to spread the word, though some of my more, let's say, pithy remarks, come back at me alarmingly frequently. Indeed the number of people or organisations that I have 'dissed' is now so great, I would not be surprised if I were accused of being a 'crack-head'.
And whilst on this subject, the audio industry is finally struggling. The response from Ivor Tiefenbrun about Linn's reduced profits and forthcoming redundancies - let alone his return from presumed retirement on medical grounds - is quite astonishing in this month's Hi-Fi World. Perhaps the wheat and chaff will be sorted in this hostile climate, though defining wheat is not so easy. Or we will have more Musical Fidelity products reviewed, if that were possible.
And so is it any wonder that I am looking forward to something made elsewhere, at a good cost, and no factions to deal with?
Thus we do have a project, though perhaps larger than anticipated.
Richard
4th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Freezing and Thawing Speeds
Some freezers now come with a great deal of control about the temperature, though typically I have become a lot more relaxed about the issue. I think that is because much of what is achieved through freezing can be introduced by P.W.B products. Indeed, just freezing is but a shadow of what can be achieved. I would think that the Portable Pack, applied to the freezer, might lessen the need for towels, though in saying that, a good bag for the frozen items, and a good duvet may simply accomplish the same.
Richard
4th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Memory Test.
I was a bit anxious about file hosting services, in case I was hung for piracy. I thought for those with a card reader, an SD card would easily be posted, and they cost very little now for 2Gb - not much more than a CD. Or a USB key/memory stick? I have a range of classics, from Floyd to Zeppelin, from Abba to Goldfrapp, from Bohm to Karajan. The question might be, what is a classic? I suspect the Floyd 'Echoes' CDs contain something for most.
I await interest, requests, questions.
Richard
4th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: More on liquids.
I have had one of those 'take it apart, and put it back' days with my system. I applied One Drop Liquid to all foils and labels, and the results are amazing. A recent favourite live track from Stevie Nicks - 'Edge of Seventeen' recorded with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra - revealed much clearer orchestral layers, whilst the rock group propelled the song with such intensity, that it seemed almost possible that Ms. Nicks is getting better with age.
I realise now that tiny traces of the liquid can go very well on the shiny surfaces of capacitors, and other reflective or translucent components, and that it is much easier to apply than even the cream.
It may cost more than you want, but given experience of creating really tiny drops, it goes a very long way.
Back to Ms. Nicks methinks.
Richard
5th June 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Improving Distortion from the Mastering Process..
There's either some synchronicity going on or Mark has read the article in this month's 'Uncut' magazine regarding CDs being produced too loud. For those that have no access to the article, I'll précis.
Basically, what happens is that, at the mastering stage, the sound is peak limited (compressed) in an attempt to make it sound loud, even in the so-called quietest passages. There seems to be a desire by record companies for their artistes to be heard above all others in environments like clubs, pubs and on the radio, resulting in a bit of a race. Examples given are the Red Hot Chili Peppers 'Kalifornication', Depeche Mode's 'Playing The Angel' and Iggy Pop's re-mix of 'Raw Power'. The worst cited was the new Arctic Monkeys disc, 'Favourite Worst Nightmare'
The author of the piece accepts that rock'n'roll should sound exciting but the process of compression destroys the music itself. It is pointed out that peak limiting flattens out essential curves in the wave-form, making them more like square waves. Apparently, square waves are buzzy by nature and, if you turn the CD down, it can sound like 'a bluebottle in a jam jar'. Either way, played quiet or loud, it leads to listener fatigue.
The data would appear to be irreversibly changed. The original could only be retrieved via recourse to the master copy. It will be interesting to see if Belting helps. The basic tenet of the article was that the practice of compression should stop. We'll see.
Regards to all, Brian
6th June 200 From A. Martherus.
Subject: Re: Improving Distortion from the Mastering Process.
Belting always helps, because we react less to the unnatural tones, so we can enjoy the rest better...
The situation described about recordings being compressed is actually worse. This is because compression is common in pop music and they keep on trying to find something to let it sound louder and louder (than the competition). How?
They deliberately ADD some kind of DISTORTION to the music, so, while the peaks do not reach the 0 dB border (but just), it SEEMS louder for our ears.
So, we are forced to keep on Belting:)
A. Martherus.
9th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Extreme Belting or 'Everything She Wants'?...
I have the great privilege today of being the first person to 'Belt' the new London Wembley Stadium. I am taking my wife to see George Michael, who may not be to everyone's taste as a person, but who has written some jolly nice tunes anyway.
As the concert appears to be on Channel 4 tonight, I will do my usual best of trying to apply things during the first song. I will be taking other 'room devices' with me, which will be effective from the outset, but the foils and creams will be applied during that first song, as discretely as possible.
It will be curious to see how a P.W.B device can influence 90,000 people, though it seems to me Wembley has a magic of its own. But having done interesting things like this before, all I can suggest is that ....
'You gotta have faith'......
(I know, sad just doesn't capture the feeling...)
Richard
11th June 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Just get on the bus, Russ...
Dear All (and with apologies to Paul Simon),
As an erstwhile purchaser of Russ Andrews products, I am on their mailing list. That means that I get a copy of their 'Connected' magazine on a regular basis. Their Summer 05 issue has a review, on page 14, of the Audio Desk System CD sound improver. This machine bevels the edge of a CD at an angle of 36 degrees, 'to help reduce internal reflections' and applies a 'colouring' (no colour stated) to 'reduce light scatter'. All this helps the laser focus light and read the disc more accurately, the sound becoming 'clearer and more transparent'. Russ highly recommends this machine and, to buy one will set you back £320 ( about $600) . I was already aware of this product via another web-site (more of that in another e-mail), but haven't we heard of coating discs before? Aren't the reasons given for success familiar to us?
I read the blurb with interest, and also had a wry smile. What stopped me in my tracks was a small box-out headed 'Tip'.I quote, in it's entirety ' We've found that the sound is even better if you deep freeze your CDs after treatment - the sound is even smoother and cleaner'. That's it!
Now, even that's a step in the right direction, but it may be leaving some readers with unanswered questions. I am writing to Russ Andrews with details of the proper procedure and will ask him to play fair and give credit where it's properly due, i.e.. with P.W.B. I will copy the letter here, as soon as I have done it.
Regards to all, Brian
11th June 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Still on the bus, Russ?
Dear all,
Here's what I wrote to Russ Andrews.
>> "Dear Russ,
I read, with great interest, your review of the Audio Desk CD Sound Improver. What really grabbed me was your box-out, headed 'Tip', where you advocate freezing CDs. Wow! I am greatly pleased that, at last, this straightforward process is getting the attention it deserves.
Some of your readers may be intrigued and may have questions as to how they can do this. A domestic freezer is more than capable of doing the job.
May I be so bold as to suggest the following:
1. Place each CD, in its own Ziploc freezer bag, preferably one with no writing on it.
2. Place said bag in a domestic freezer and leave overnight.
3. Take the bag out of the freezer, still sealed, and wrap in a tea-towel, placing this in the fridge section for a few hours.
4. Take the bag out of the fridge and allow the CD, still in its bag, to slowly come to room temperature. The idea is for a slow thaw.
5. Repeat the process for a second time.
6. Once the CD is back to room temperature for the second time, take out of the bag and play. The CD should show no signs of moisture, if the Ziploc bag has done its job. A kitchen towel can remove any moisture, if there is any.
As you say, the sound is clearer and smoother, but my experience is that the soundstage also gains in width and depth.
By the way, this process can also be carried out on DVDs. The sound quality is affected beneficially, as per CDs, but you also get better, more saturated colours.
All this may sound a bit strange but I have been doing this with my CDs and DVDs for over a year, with great results. I put this e-mail forward with the best of intentions, hoping that it will allow people to get closer to the music. After all, that's what it's all about.
Go on, give it a try. It's a freebie as you are paying to run the freezer, anyway.
Finally, can we please give credit to the man who has been advocating this treatment for over 20 years and still gets scant recognition, namely Peter Belt.. Any readers interested in exploring his pioneering work can access that via Google." <<
Yours respectfully,
Brian Hannen
12th June 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: The 'sound' of Discs.
I will attempt to answer a variety of recent topics being discussed in this one answer.
It is to do with the 'sound' of Discs. Starting in the period when there were no Compact Discs only vinyl discs and audio tapes. When the sound of some vinyl discs was not liked, was described as 'harsh, aggressive and shouty' (or similar descriptions) - irrespective of the volume level it was being played - and when the explanations put forward as to why it sounded 'harsh, aggressive and shouty' were variously :-
1) the instruments had been 'close miked' during the recording.,
2) or the engineers had 'mixed' the master wrongly.,
3) or the transfer onto the vinyl disc had not been done correctly.
Meaning that the reason for the 'poor sound' was to do with the 'corrupted information' on the disc and therefore nothing could be done at a later stage to alter the situation. With that ingrained belief, it was extremely difficult to get people to try other methods of 'improving the sound', because the belief was that because the original information (on the disc) was not correct, then it was pointless trying to amend things by 'treating the disc' or 'treating' the equipment or 'treating' the environment.
I have been reminded quite forcibly just recently about that time (some 30 years ago) in audio history because I have just sent some new customers DVD copies of the talk I gave in 1998. I personally have not viewed the film of my talk for ( it must be) the past four years so I decided to look at it again. In my talk I describe how, after 'treating' such as the labels of vinyl records, after 'treating' the pick-up arm, the cartridge, the turntable plinth, the turntable perspex cover, the room's central heating radiator, the room's wall lights, the piano and so on and 'hearing' the sound no longer 'harsh, aggressive and shouty' but instead hearing greater height, greater depth, greater width, better separation of instruments, better soundstaging, imaging and resolution FROM EXACTLY THE SAME RECORDING and being forced to the realisation that 'close miking', 'wrong mixing' etc. could no longer be blamed !!!! The information on the vinyl record was exactly the same - but the problems of 'harsh, aggressive and shouty' sound were no longer there !!
Something quite similar is now happening with CDs and I have been quite surprised at how similar attitudes still exist - 30 years later.
Michael has just referred to an article on compression on the home page of the magazine Stereophile. This (Stereophile) article refers to another article from Timesonline entitled "Why Music Really is Getting Louder" which puts the blame on 'compression' and, Brian Hannen recently mentioned another article 'regarding CDs being produced too loud' again with the blame being put on compression.. On the General Asylum section of Audio Asylum there has been a lengthy discussion about CDs 'sounding 'loud' and the blame being put fairly and squarely on 'compression'. To quote from one 'posting' on General Asylum.
>>> "I've read horror stories about releases compressed to sound "loud", with compression making even a good stereo sounding like a transistor radio.....
Well, reality has hit with Patty Griffin's "Children Running Through".... I think the music is good, but it's so difficult to enjoy on a resolving system..... I may actually prefer this CD on a "consumer" system..... (I initially blamed the "pitch correction" for the irritating sound, but it's really the compression that's the problem.)
The recording is "hot" to the extreme, and the dynamics are severely compressed. It sounds "loud", even with the volume turned down." <<<
If so many people firmly believe that 'compression' really IS to blame, then the blinkers are already in place - with the belief that the problem lies in the recording (or in the encoding onto disc) and therefore nothing can be done, anywhere else, either to the disc itself, or to the equipment, or in the room environment to stop the 'sound' from being perceived as 'loud' (a whatever level it is being played)., or (to use my favourite description) the 'sound' being perceived as 'harsh, aggressive and shouty'.
I agree with Brian. It is SO easy to experiment with the simple freezing/slow defrost technique - particularly when people can experiment using CDs they DO NOT LIKE THE SOUND OF.
Unfortunately, with a belief structure in place that the problem lies in 'compression', then how can people be persuaded to apply simple strips of Rainbow Foil to the label side of CDs, or Cream the label side of CDs, or 'treat' the equipment, or 'treat' the listening environment ? And, if they can't be persuaded to do those things, then how can they even begin to appreciate just what improvements can be gained from 'treating' the environment with such remarkable devices as our latest One Drop Liquid etc., etc. ?
If only, Brian, people could experience, for themselves, the removal of the 'loudness', removal of the 'compressed dynamics', removal of the 'harsh, aggressive and shouty' effect - whilst still listening to exactly the same (supposedly compressed) Compact Disc, then giant steps forward could be made.
What a shake up to the audio industry THAT realisation would be !!!!!
I do not deny that there HAVE BEEN times in the past when some recordings have been 'close miked', have been 'mixed' wrongly, have been 'transferred from the master' wrongly, or that some engineers will have 'compressed' the signal. But, when one can do certain 'treatments' and many of the (perceived) problems are no longer there, then all the previous things which had been blamed for the problems can no longer be blamed.
Until many more people enter the debate and are prepared to describe their own experiences in changing the 'loud sound' to one where it is no longer 'harsh, aggressive and shouty', then all the various discussion forums will continue with the belief that it is wholly 'compression' which is to blame !!
Kind Regards, May
June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Just get on the bus, Russ...
Brian,
I have often wondered whether the increasingly interesting brochure from Russ Andrews company might be an avenue to discuss P.W.B products and ideas. The simple reason is that Russ seems more committed to good sound than the magazines, or perhaps more accurately, focuses upon how to achieve good sound. I find his style neutral, and far from that of someone just trying to sell products.
It will be very interesting to see if you next post is published, or gets a response. The Hi-Fi world is struggling, and perhaps could now embrace the unthinkable?
Thanks Richard.
12th June 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Astonishing....
It is just amazing how powerful P.W.B devices are. At the new Wembley Stadium on Saturday, I eventually cracked and applied some Green Cream during the set by the 'Guilty Pleasures' DJs. It was a fun list of songs, but the improvement in the richness of sound from a couple of smudges was just amazing.
And so as George arrived, singing a beautiful acapella account of Tim Buckley's 'Song to the Siren', I applied the three foils - X, Real, and Gold Foil reading 'Wembley Stadium > O.K.' - to my seat; wow! By the time he had finished this haunting tune, the band crackled into life, and pulsating basses evolved into the dubiously titled 'Fastlove'. I have read reports of how good the sound was that night, and my sense is that the new stadium does have good acoustics.
But with those Foils in place, it was just amazing. Similarly, his extraordinary 'waterfall' and other video screens looked wonderful.
Sadly, the atmosphere did not get captured by the TV cameras, though my recording of the second part of the concert sounded good.
Naughtily, I left the Foils in place. If they are still there, it will be a great venue for all the others coming this summer.
A triumph.
Richard
June 2007 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: (P.W.B) Astonishing
Interesting reading Richard but I am not convinced. I am not questioning your experiences at Wembley stadium but I do wonder whether there was a single other person in the stadium who experienced any improvement in sound quality due to your efforts. For instance, did your wife who accompanied yo and realised what was going on become aware of the amazing improvement brought about by a smudge of Green Cream?
My criticism of your experiment is that ( you ) applied the Green Cream which implies that it was in contact with ( your ) finger tips and this alone would give a boost to your perception of sound. A more convincing method would have been for your wife to have applied the P.W.B treatments with you as passive observer of the effects.
There have been occasions in the past, when I have invited friends to n to music in my home and I have asked them to listen to a certain piece of music. I then smeared the tips of their fingers with Electret Cream and again played the same piece of music. The result has always been the exclamations of astonishment. "It's a lot louder and clearer."
Best regards to all.
Tom.
21st June 2007 From Michael.
Subject: Another new Amp.
Hello all, my beloved Primare I30 amp has to go back to the dealer for some minor warranty work, so I ordered and have just received a Trends TA10.1 amp-tripath D class, have decided to run it in for 5 hours or so before Belting it within an inch of it's life- It does my head in to think that the sound is coming out of something the size of a tobacco tin!
More in coming days,
Michael..
22nd June 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Another new Amp.
Michael,
I wish you good luck with the Trends Audio amp. I am sure that Belting this little beauty will yield great results. By the way, David Kan reviewed this amp very favourably on the 6 Moons Audio site fairly recently. He discusses certain modifications and also the prospect of running them off battery power. If you, or any members of the forum, want to take a look at the review it can be found here .
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/trends/ta10.html
The original review by Jeff Day can be found here.
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/sonicimpact/t.html
I'll say a bit more about 6 moons later.
Regards to all, Brian
23rd June 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Another new Amp.
Brian,
Many thanks for providing the link to the review of the tiny Trends TA-10 amp. What I particularly like about the link you have provided are the detailed photos in the review.
Michael, it is a pity you did not buy two of these amps !!! Because the whole exercise cries out for one amp to be left as the control and the other amp to have all the components and outer insulation of the wiring Creamed with (at least) P.W.B Cream-Electret and then put through the freezing/slow defrost process - THEN the two amps compared !!!
On second thoughts I would go further - there should be three TA-10 amps experimented with !!! One left untreated as the control, another amp given the simplest P.W.B treatment (creaming and freezing) and the third amp given as much P.W.B treatment as is physically possible (given the tiny size of the whole amp - i.e. four and a half inches ) !!!
Richard Graham did suggest to me that we (at P.W.B) should do exactly that but that is really not the point of P.W.B treatments. Over 20 years ago we originally thought out and designed the whole series of P.W.B treatments so that anyone, anywhere in the world, at any level of skill could carry out P.W.B treatments. And it is other people's experiences carrying out techniques which are usually the most convincing.
And, Michael, if you do decide to run your amp using batteries, don't forget to 'treat' the actual batteries !!
Kind Regards, May
23rd June 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: Re: Another new Amp.
May,
No problem. The 6 moons audio site is one that I stumbled upon some time ago and it appears that they are very open minded when it comes to 'tweaks'. I will write about this a bit later, once the Summer Lightning has worn off. Hic!
Brian
26th June 2007 From Michael.
Subject: DeBelting for Warranty.
Hello All, have just taken my Primare back to the dealer for some minor repair/adjustment of the volume control-but had to remove all traces of Belt to get repair under warranty-what a bugger of a job! besides a gold sq. and strip of Inside Foil, I removed 34 strips of SR foil (maybe it should have been 33/35?)
I am enjoying the tiny Trends amp-has got app. 70 hours on the clock, and with some Morphic green and Electret cream smeared on internal bits-sounds incredible-before belting, I found myself wishing for a bit more volume- now I'm turning it down so I don't upset the neighbours!
Also before treating this miniscule electronic marvel I spent time thinking -no, it's really not as good as my main amp- until it hit me that the Trends cost 5% and has roughly 5% of the output power of the Primare!!! To get anywhere close with those restrictions is quite an achievement.
The 6 moons site is a ripper (very good) I must recommend a viewing of their coverage of the Magico Mini ($30,000 bookshelf speakers) to me they are the coolest speakers I have seen.
Michael.
28th June 2007 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: Debelting for warranty.
Michael, in your posting you state "before Belting I found myself wishing for a bit more volume: now I'm it turning it down so I don't upset the neighbours". The reality, Michael, is that Belting hasn't raised the volume at all. What you have experienced is the 'Peter Belt Effect' of applying P.W.B treatments. P.W.B treatments do not alter any of the parameters of audio equipment but, as you can vouch, they can have an surprising/astounding effect on the perception of sound. May Belt has recently been reminding us all that we are not hearing CDs to the full potential and this includes dynamic range.
Regards Tom.
29th June 2007 From Michael.
Subject: Re: Debelting fer warranty
Hello All, thanks Tom - I realise that the actual volume has not risen, merely the perception, but after posting on this site for some time, I suppose it's just easier to say the above, rather than the perception of the sound has increased. And as there is no absolute reality, only one's perception of reality ,could you not say that the Peter belt induced perception increase has become my new reality?
On another note re the amazing TA10-have just purchased a 12V sealed
Lead/Acid battery, and made up a lead with a couple of alligator clips, all creamed and foiled and clipped and bugger me-the sound has -perceptibly-taken another leap forward- clearer and more dynamic. Now I am very gung-ho about freezing anything and everything, but can anyone enlighten me about freezing the lead/acid battery? Don't want to open up the freezer, to find an exploded battery!!!
Thanks, Michael...
29th June From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Lead Batteries.
Michael,
Even WE have never put a lead battery through the freezing process so I am not able to answer your query with authority.
My suggestion would be to Cream the battery and then Quantum Clip it.
Kind Regards, May
29th June 2007 From Tom Marsden.
Subject: Debelting for warranty.
Michael, I can't offer any advice on freezing lead acid batteries but if you can get hold of a Solar Powered battery charger I think you will have some really interesting results.
Regards Tom.
2nd July 2007 From A Martherus.
Subject: Re: Lead Batteries
Hello Michael,
If you can not freeze the lead batteries, then take a picture of 'em, and put that picture into the freezer... I don't know if you must take the picture before or after the creaming and clipping. Should be a nice experiment though (take both, and then try out which one is best).
Regards A. Martherus.
4th July 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: 6 Moons.
Greetings,
I mentioned 6 Moons Audio in my last e-mail. I can't quite remember what led me to this site, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it has to do with trying to find out about the Clever Little Clock. Nevertheless, I did get there and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, some of the usual suspects were there but there was a plethora (what a nice word) of equipment from far-flung shores, most of which I had never heard of.
I have dipped into this site on quite a few occasions over the past few months and am very impressed with the thoroughness and impartiality of the reviewers. Srajan Ebaen runs the site and there are about twenty reviewers. The site carries advertising but editorial policy and rules for reviewing products are clearly set out. Also, each reviewer has space in which they outline their history and reviewing ethos. Reviews are carried out by manufacturers submitting their products and not by recommendation from individuals.
A wide variety of equipment is dealt with and, very importantly, they are not averse to trying things that are out of the ordinary. The Machina Dynamica Brilliant Pebbles and the Intelligent Box are cases in point. I guess that most of us know about those two, but I came across two other things that intrigued me from a Beltist point of view. The first was room treatments, from Eighth Nerve, which tackle 'resonances' attributable to right angles within the listening room. Firstly, these are said to happen where walls meet each other and secondly, where walls meet ceilings. Admittedly, a different approach to P.W.B, but there is some recognition of the right angle problem there. The review is here:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/8nerve/8nerve.html
The second thing was an article (and a link to a previous article) on Acoustic System Resonators, manufactured by a guy called Franck Tchang. Both articles make fascinating reading and I recommend them to you. I had a wry smile when they mentioned not only treating the system but also the room. I had an even bigger smile when they popped a resonator in the fridge and, later, put one in the reviewer's car (with a resultant improvement in sound in the car!). Once again, this shows a different angle of approach but with some similarities to P.W.B. The article can be found here : http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/acousticsystem/resonators.html
6 Moons refer readers to the 'Positive Feedback' website as a suggestion for further reading. There may be some interaction between reviewers on the two sites and 6 Moons may be aware of P.W.B via Dave Clarke. Given the enthusiastic review of the TA10 amp I think that I am going to contact 6 Moons in order to suggest to them that further improvements may be had from Belting the little beauty 'to within an inch of it's life' (can I get therapy for that?). I will also mention freezing, while I am at it.
Regards to all, Brian
4th July 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Revelations on 78.
Dear All,
Rather loosely tied in with recent posts about sound distortion on disc and its perceived improvement through Belt treatments, I have had similar experience with music transferred to disc from 78 records, some of which go back to the mid 20's. Although I greatly appreciate the great engineering work put into lifting those early recordings from their noisy shellac grooves whilst at the same time keeping maximum musical information preserved, it is through subsequent P.W.B treatments that the true breath of musical treasure captured by that ancient recording equipment reveals itself. Far from the thin, reedy and undynamic sound you expect from recordings of such an age, they have bloomed to reveal warmth and dynamism that makes you realise whatever the essence of a performance is; it is captured in those grooves in spite of the technical limitations. In fact, I recall writing to May many years back on the very subject through sheer surprise at what I was hearing. At that time it was vinyl Lp's of old Carter Family and Charlie Poole 78's being treated and I was amazed at how much more accessible those old recordings were becoming as treatments like Electret Cream, Rainbow Foils and Red 'X' Pen took effect. It was one of my first Belt revelatory moments.
Regards, Kevin Kehoe.
4th July 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: She's leaving home
Who is leaving home? It's my 86 year old mother-in law, who has sold up and has gone to live with her daughter in Devon.
Is she leaving to meet a man in the motor trade? (C'mon, I need some 'artistic licence' here. It is the 40th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper, after all). That's a big 'No', unless there's something that she's not telling us!
How does it affect our home environment? It's all about a table, a very nice antique one at that. We have got it, as there's no room for it in her new Granny annexe. Since we were busy helping her to move, the table was deposited at the back of the lounge/ diner and sort of forgotten about. That was until I sat down to listen to some music.
I was doing a test to make sure that the metal sculpture thingy (it looks better than it sounds, honest) that Chris had bought to hang on the wall was not affecting the sound adversely. I had creamed and foiled it to death before hanging it, but was worried that it may rattle or buzz with the low notes. Eventually, that proved not to be the case, but the sound was decidedly off, being a bit small and recessed. A bit of deductive reasoning led me to think that maybe it was the table, as it was new to our environment. Now, we are not going to use the table as we have no room for it and it doesn't really fit in with the décor. It will be wrapped up and put in storage somewhere, 'just in case'. However, no matter where it is, it is still on my territory and needs to be dealt with now, especially before Chris comes home and finds out what I am doing to it!
On went the foils and creams and I settle back down again to listen. Kazaam!! The sound is back and is just as good, if not slightly better, than before. I replayed Pentangle's live 'Sweet Child' track and the guitars had more attack, the voices were purer, in a much better acoustic space, and the metallic cymbal work at two minutes in sounded really metallic.
Next, I tried Mr Wobble's 'Kojak Dub' track from the album 'Mu', just to see how the bottom end fared and also to check as to whether or not the metal thingy was buzzing. I kid you not, I just about fell off the sofa. No buzz, just oodles of lovely controlled bass, much better than I've heard it before. The breathy flute played on the track, courtesy of Clive Bell, had great presence, too. Now, where are all my Reggae discs? By the way, how is Mats doing with his pursuit of matters Reggae?
It all goes to show that we need to be mindful of new things that enter our territory and have to do the necessary Belting to maintain, and improve, the sound. I've just remembered, I need to treat the new HDTV that I've just got for the bedroom.
Update: The TV has now been treated and I have treated the job lot of rechargeable batteries that I bought to run the various remotes and some for my flashgun. Actually, the batteries have only been treated once and were sitting on the dining room table, thawing out. I have got to say that the dynamics of my system have just got better. There is more speed on the acoustic guitars and there is an even better sense of the recorded acoustic. I can't wait until I have done the second freeze, have charged the batteries and put them in place.
Regards to all, Brian
6th July 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: 6 moons.
Brian,
Thanks for the links to the articles. Interesting. I was reading the second article (on the Acoustic System Resonators) and I nearly had to stop reading because I could feel the tears of frustration welling up !!!
Change the name of the product from Acoustic Resonators to P.W.B Rainbow Foil and Cream and change the name of the designer from Franck Tchang to Peter Belt and the articles could have been written by Jimmy Hughes 20 years ago or could have been written by Paul Benson 20 years ago. And the description of the designer Franck Tchang giving demonstrations to the writers of the article (and wowing them) was a parallel description of Peter's demonstrations to audio journalists, audio equipment retailers and audio equipment manufacturers - 20 years ago !!
Kind Regards, May
6th July 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: 6 moons.
Some selected quotes from 6 moons - Re Acoustic Systems resonators.
>>>> "When Franck reappeared, he admitted that he'd removed a resonator outside the room in the courtyard. So a resonator behind at least two panes of glass still influences the perceived sound.
Removing the resonators from the bedroom made the sound in the listening room more compressed and flatter. Restoring the cups, this compression subsided.
Next to a more defined, articulated and deepened soundstage, the room seems to have expanded. Music and sound levels that at the same volume setting previously overloaded the room now work splendidly. The earlier compression effect when the room 'filled up' have been transcended.
Music in an Acoustic System resonator treated room sounds truly musical and natural. No hint of Hi-Fi with its analytical coolness. Don't forget this holds true for analogue as well as digital media. Though the usual hyenas on the forums will cackle with ridicule, serious music lovers would miss out a great deal if they mistook the small size and unconventional behaviour of these unusual acoustic treatments for a joke. They're anything but a joke. They're the most eye-friendly effective room treatments we've come across yet and highly recommended.
But the strangest -- and for the likes of James Randi & Co. Most nonsensical -- places to put a resonator was still to come. Franck asked where the refrigerator was. He placed a resonator inside on the bottom ledge.
Call us crazy, all you naysayers, but until you experience it, keep your comments to yourselves.
So what can we say about these little contraptions that when mentioned in audiophile surroundings cause a lot of eyebrow to wrinkle? Franckly, they work exactly as advertised. Maybe our homebrew explanation of how and why they work is not covering all bases but there is neither voodoo at work nor snake oil magic. It is pure Physics based on resonance distribution, partial cancellations and human perception.
With all these positive effects and our profound satisfaction with the results, the big question naturally remains. How the eff do these things work? One side of our brains doesn't give a damn. Of all things in life, science does not begin to touch a fraction of how and why things work." <<<<<
End of quotes.
To Brian (thanks for forwarding the links) and all our P.W.B customers.
Do you recognise all the descriptions, all the sentences ? They are ones similar to the ones you have all written over the years.
I think what has depressed me most (depression from frustration) is that because the objects written about have a description accompanying them to do with 'resonating' then they are accepted and the writers of the article say "there is neither voodoo at work nor snake oil magic." But, any mention in audio chat forums, audio magazines etc. regarding Peter Belt and HIS devices and techniques, they MUST be voodoo or snake oil !!!!
Now to a more serious note.
I don't know if the writers of those particular articles in 6 moons realised just what they were experiencing. If they did, they must have chosen to keep quiet about such realisation.
If they had heard all the improvement in the sound they claim to have heard, then all this additional information they heard, which allowed them to resolve a much better 'sound picture', then that additional information MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE ROOM ALL THE TIME !!!
This realisation should have been mind blowing. Year after year, page after page, magazine after magazine have all gone along the path that the importance for good sound MUST BE Either a good recording and if the sound is perceived as not good, then the recording is blamed, and/or the best (technically) equipment., and/or the best (technically) speakers.
But, the writers of those articles had not altered the recording in any way - so that additional information must have been on the discs all the time !!
The additional information they could now hear must have been handled perfectly adequately by the equipment, but it will have been equipment they had had for some time and never realised just how good the equipment was.
The speakers must have presented all that additional information into the room but they had never been aware of it.
Did the writers ever realise just how profound what they were describing was?
They were actually showing just how much information is already in the room but being missed !!!
Kind Regards, May.
17th July 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Another holiday story.
I have been amused every time one of you reports how amazed you have been at how good an inexpensive, everyday kitchen radio can sound after even just a few P.W.B treatments to it and to the kitchen environment. And then, in turn, how much better the main Hi-Fi sounds after these 'kitchen' treatments.
I have just had one of those surprising experiences myself whilst on holiday !!
To set the scene:-
From my previous 'holiday' writing, many of you will already be aware that Peter and I usually rent a seaside apartment or seaside cottage. Usually these seaside holiday rental properties have basic facilities such as a TV and a video player - but not much else. And, in the particular holiday region where Peter and I prefer to holiday, there is only limited TV reception - just four channels - 2 x BBC channels and 2 x Independent TV channels. This year the apartment we are renting, although quite luxurious in other aspects, only has a TV - not even a video player !! This is in complete contrast to a couple of years ago when I did my last holiday story. That time, although not expecting much, we were surprised to find that not only was there a large screen TV but also a video player, a DVD player and surround sound.
Now, as I explained then, in order for Peter to have as complete a rest/holiday as possible, I deliberately discourage Peter from taking with him a variety of P.W.B 'devices'. So, when we played the few DVDs which were already in the apartment, I found the sound to be awful - to be harsh, aggressive and shouty ! I only had with me a small amount of our Cream but, even so, after treating as much as I could with the Cream, I was just as surprised as many of you are at the improvement in the sound I achieved.
This year our daughter joined us on holiday and has brought with her her new lightweight laptop which can play DVDs ! So, for some form of entertainment in the rainy weather, we rented some DVDs from the local library.
Now, purely by chance, I had slipped into our luggage a small set of inexpensive, lightweight headphones which I use when playing my electronic keyboard. I had decided to take the headphones with me in case I wished to listen to the radio broadcast on the long train journey (the particular train we travel on has headphone sockets for radio broadcasts).
I was amazed at how good the sound was of the DVDs through the portable laptop and through my (obviously P.W.B treated) lightweight headphones.
I must confess to always having a dilemma with the headphone issue. We manufactured a range of headphones for quite a number of years but all that time I had a guilty conscience. Headphones are very antisocial and, more often than not, it is usually men who are the biggest users of them. Yes, they can listen to music at any time of the day without disturbing others but in doing so they do not hear requests to 'do this, do that, mind the children, listen for the telephone, listen for the baby crying' - and so on.
On this holiday - with the interesting experience I have just had, I have had pangs of regret. If ONLY we had known, 30 or 40 years ago just how GOOD headphones could be made to sound !!!!!
Kind Regards, May
23rd July 2007 From Mark Kirby.
Subject: racquets & remnants & blessed iPods.
Far as I know, I'm the only person who's reported using the Belt devices as sports equipment, but I couldn't imagine my tennis racquet without them. A bad back kept me out of the game last summer, but with a hard year's repair work - Pilates and such - and with due caution, I'm on the courts again. New racquet in hand that foils and creams and positive messages have made an instrument considerably more humane than the high-tech thing that arrived in the mail.
Question. I have several lengths of foil, some from a Beginner's Pack, cut down to the stub. For example, what is left of a length of Comfort Foil is the word COMFORT and a little bit of space of foil above and below. Is this part of the foil usable?
By the way I now have an iPod. It's not really Belted yet, just a bit of Rainbow Foil and some Cream Electret, and it sounds wonderful playing songs stored in Apple Lossless Code and perfectly decent playing MP3 podcasts. It reminds me of SACD or vinyl. After I get it thoroughly Belted, it should be a wonder. I believe Mark Levinson said there was something inhuman about redbook standard cd's. My experience with other digital media inclines me to count him right. CD's and CDP's cry for Belting.
There's an after-market business of modding iPods to be the primary sound source for audiophile rigs.
I can't swing the Imod (http://www.redwineaudio.com/iMod.html), and I need a bit more gain to feed my old Dynaco preamp. For $65 this little headphone amp from a dedicated amateur (http://www.electric- avenues.com/amplifiers.html) should do nicely.
Mark Kirby
23rd July 2007 From Brian Hannen.
Subject: Re: racquets & remnants & blessed iPods
Hi, Mark,
I asked about using the 'fag-ends' of the foils some time ago and May said that they could not be used.
Regards to all, Brian
24th July 2007 From Michael.
Subject: Stereophile Website
Hello All, over the last few months, I have been regularly visiting the Stereophile Website to read Equip. reviews, check out the forums, and even posting a couple of pics etc.. About a week ago, I posted on the DIY forum asking if anyone else had tried, used or even heard about the 30g single strand cables that I use for ICs and spk. cable.
Within 10 days (post is now closed) there were 1,500 views and 150 posts-mostly replies to replies between a small group consisting of myself, one other thin cable fan, and an incredibly narrow minded chap by the name of DUP.
Before you ask, no I did not mention P.W.B or that I use a range of the products-not from a fear of ridicule (I think) - but more that, given th somewhat heated banter to and fro-it seemed completely pointless. This character, Dup has views that are so set in concrete, that for the first few posts- he stated that it was basically physically impossible to use 30g for spk. cable and that I and the other 30g user were just saying it for a laugh-his verbal assault later changed to simple abuse and name calling.
My point in relating this tale is that it has reinforced my understanding of the 30 year battle that May and Peter continue to face. If I get insulted by those such as Dup, about my choice of cable gauge-what chance do May and Peter stand to explain their products on a brilliant forum like the web without an actual live demonstration?
On another note, I gave a demonstration to a friend the other day who plays guitar, and has a small recording set up at his home. With Dark Side Of The Moon as the test, I asked my friend to leave the recording "room" while I applied Morphic Green Cream to terminals of his powered Tannoy monitors, spk cables, power cable and case of computer tower-after Allan returned and listened, he stated- "Well, there's definitely something going on" -when I asked him to expand on that, he said that "the music was clearer, and more well defined". Interestingly, when I asked Allan to give me the Cd, which I took in to the next room to apply the MGC - upon second playing, he said that it now sounded like the pre-treatment sound again.
I also, after a brief explanation of P.W.B and showing him the MGC jar - applied some to the body, bridge, and strings of his acoustic guitar - Allan immediately reported a less harsh, smoother sound- but- after some further explanation and description of the level of treatment of my Hi-Fi, he seemed to lose interest, as if it's a common experience to put a dab of Shrek "snot" on something and hear an obvious improvement!
I realise that his all too familiar response is due to that comfort level of personal understanding being exceeded, so it is better to ignore it and change the subject.
Michael...
25th July 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Stereophile Website.
Michael, I have said many times that ridiculers win every time. Intelligent people know that it is pointless arguing with or discussing with people who just want to attack or ridicule so the intelligent people back off and the ridiculers win !! So, don't worry. I know the feeling that it is pointless to argue or discuss with certain (rigid thinking) people. See my reference later to the person calling himself DUP.
One very good example. As many of you will know, Jimmy Hughes wrote an article which was published in a British Hi-Fi magazine on how to freeze CDs using the domestic deep freezer and gain an improvement in the sound. This story was picked up at the time by some UK popular newspapers (and even TV programmes) who then ran stories ridiculing the audio industry - stories such as "it has been recommended that you put your CDs in the freezer next to the frozen peas". Ken Kessler then wrote an article for Hi-Fi News castigating the particular UK Hi-Fi magazine who published Jimmy's story for "publishing an article which allowed the audio industry to be made ridicule of". What then happened was what usually happened during that period - the PR people of the large audio manufacturers made the advertising departments of the various UK Hi-Fi magazines acutely aware that if they continued to run stories which could expose the audio industry to ridicule, then those audio manufacturers would take their advertising revenue elsewhere - to Hi-Fi magazines who DID NOT run such stories !!!
I have just been going through and disposing of some old correspondence and came across a letter from the late Peter Turner. Peter Turner was writing to tell me that he had just spoken to someone in the audio industry who had told him, in confidence, that there was a ban on articles referring to Peter Belt at Hi-Fi News !!
The Internet should be a great leveller, where everyone can participate, but unfortunately so many audio Internet sites carry advertising so we are back with the same old problem where manufacturers can threaten to withdraw their advertising revenue if they do not like what appears on those Internet sites.
I don't know whether you read my article in Positive Feedback Online Michael, http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue30/belt.htm
but in the second paragraph of my article there is a link to the 60 plus pages of discussion which I was involved in on the Stereophile Chat Forum ? I also don't know if you ever read the infamous article about Peter Belt by J. Gordon Holt in the (1987) Stereophile ? This article was referred to during those discussions on the Stereophile Chat Forum as J Gordon Holt's article is always brought up by people whenever they want to 'rubbish' Peter. What you have to remember is that at the time of his article, J Gordon Holt OWNED the Stereophile magazine so, obviously, anyone who MIGHT have heard Peter's devices and techniques work, would obviously never dare to raise their head above the parapet !!
I don't doubt that the person calling himself DUP is not a genuine person and that he actually believes what he writes (in other words is not a 'made up' person being used to get across what the magazines really want to say) but knowing how many of the audio magazines work I can't help feeling that such as Stereophile could be jumping with joy when they are presented with such a person and his willingness to challenge anything and everything.
On the various sections of Audio Asylum (i.e.. General section, Propeller Head Plaza section etc.) on which I sometimes 'post' replies (manufacturers are not allowed to advertise their products but they can reply to questions or comments). However, whenever the 'thread' looks as though it is getting 'controversial', the 'thread' is banished to a section called "Isolation Ward" ( a link to this is provided on the Tweakers Asylum section). When the moderators frequently choose to move threads to the "Isolation Ward" it jus shows how they wish to "isolate" (quarantine) certain discussions !!
However, thanks to you Michael and others who are constantly trying to find ways to make the world aware of just what can be achieved with our techniques.
Kind Regards, May
5th August 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Next P.W.B. Newsletter.
Dear All,
Richard Graham, as many of you will know, compiles and edits our Newsletter. This year has been a very busy year for Richard (workwise) so our Newsletter has been somewhat delayed. However, Richard and I would like to have the next P.W.B. Newsletter ready for printing in October so this is our request for articles for the next Newsletter.
As usual, long or short articles are welcome.
And, regarding the next P.W.B. Newsletter.
Articles of people's experiences 'treating' their audio equipment - and 'treating' their friends audio equipment are always extremely helpful - particularly for new P.W.B. Customers.
However, this year has seen quite a bit of interest - in some of the traditional (printed) Hi-Fi magazines but more often in the Internet audio magazines and chat forums - regarding MP3 players and the small T amps. I am thinking that any articles about people's experiences in 'treating' (P.W.B wise) such small, portable items of audio would be ideal additions to the Newsletter.
Kind Regards,
May.
August 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Magnadiscs
Hi everyone.
Well, I have to admit, I have just rediscovered Magnadiscs to great effect.
In the space of the last two weeks I have introduced, into our home, items of new replacement kitchen appliances - which had obviously never been P.W.B. treated AND this last week, borrowed a metal framed camp bed for a young child visitor AND had my Yamaha electronic keyboard returned after our daughter had been borrowing it.
ALL causing chaos to Peter's "sound" !!
Quickly being able to apply a Blue Magnadisc to the steel housing of the various kitchen appliances and to the steel frame of the camp bed restored harmony to Peter's sound and to our marriage.
Phew !! Thank goodness for Magnadiscs.
I have also just realised that the metal grilles over the speakers on the Yamaha electronic keyboard are steel - so they have now been successfully 'treated' with a Blue Magnadisc.
Kind Regards, May
19th August 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Cream Electret.
Dear All,
I recently purchased a jar of Cream Electret (my third jar) and I seriously believe there has been a bit of turbo charging or other tinkering with this product since my last jar. My intention is to treat the smaller objects about the house – the things that get overlooked when looking at the bigger picture. However, as a start, I made up a fresh 'Super Wipe' as described in the product (Cream Electret) section of the P.W.B website and run over the speaker cabinets, CD player, amp, as well as other items of furniture around the house and was rewarded with an astonishing sound lift. I don't think the previous treatment had been in any way reduced in effect as we don't use furniture polish on most of our household items and, where we do, I always reapply previous treatments. The only thing I did not do first time around when treating those components was to use a 'Super Wipe' to apply the cream. If the wipe is responsible for the extra effectiveness of the cream then it is a marvel!
Kevin Kehoe.
21st August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Cream Electret.
Hi Kevin,
I'm glad to have a lacuna of tranquillity to catch up with the forum, and this is a corker. I think it highlights how P.W.B is improving things all of the time, and in two main ways. Firstly, I suspect that the new cream will have been enhanced by all of the recent developments. It's not their fault, but each development seems to improve what is produced now. It would be an endless 'Forth Bridge' issue though to keep applying certain products; by the time you had finished, the product would have improved...
The second, and more shocking point though is how some processes evolve, and you miss them. When I checked the website, I saw an interesting aspect to the 'Superwipe', which is to apply a piece of Rainbow Foil to the tissue. I have never heard of that tip before. So thank you.
Finally, though Green cream is superior, it is always astonishing to hear the benefit from some of these older, and amazingly cheap products.
Now for 'tissue meets Rainbow Foil'!
Richard
21st August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: (P.W.B) Astonishing.
A late retort....
I'm sure my fingers were covered before we got there, as I treated a few portable items - including some updated credit cards, to the Black and Green Creams, so I was a bit of a device by the time we there. I also think one gets a sense of progression from the repeated applications - if it were just my fingers, I don't think there would have been the gradual improvements.
I also cannot ask my wife to bear more than she does. I am in constant fear of arrest on these occasions when I start sticking things on seats, and smearing cream. I remember one very sharp comment about a safety pin at Bayreuth from a member of the audience. I think they were less concerned about where it was than my being over interested in a safety pin. But they didn't know it had magic ring ties attached!
Incidentally, I caught Madonna's set from the 'Save the planet' thing at Wembley on BBC HD. I take full credit for the great sound and picture - helped by Mr B a little....
Richard
21st August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Debelting for warranty.
I am really grateful for this Tom.
I had planned to get a Solio solar charger/battery for our holiday, but this tantalising hint really pushed me to. Whether I am personally helping the climate or not, a Solio treated with Creams and Liquids and frozen etc. proved to be quite something.
In essence, it changed the sound of my iPod, making the sound smoother and sweeter, and quite addictive to listen to.
Now, how can a lithium battery, charged by solar panels 'sound' better than when it is charged by the AC mains? I'm starting to think of 'happy electrons' again......Oh no!
Do you have solar panels for your home? Do they work during an English summer???
Richard
21st August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Magnadiscs.
This may be a bit 'Nicey', but I really love Magnadiscs too May, and frequently forget they exist. Are all types still available? Perhaps we could revisit their application?
Richard
23rd August 2007 From P.W.B. Electronics.
Subject: Re: Magnadiscs.
Yes, Richard, Magnadiscs are still available. It has surprised me, yet again, just how many steel objects are in the modern environment.
It looks as though it is 'retro' month with Kevin writing about the Cream-Electret (which is one of our earliest products) and me re-discovering the beneficial effect of Magnadiscs.
Regards, May.
23rd August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Magnadiscs.
Not 'arf May. Magnadiscs are truly retro, and really colourful too.
More seriously, I thought it was worth re-reviewing them, partly because I believe they are made and programmed rather differently now (not magnetic?), and many of us retro-customers may have largely forgotten them since the Quantum products onwards came along. I don't think I have applied a Blue one to a circuit board for many a year, or a Green one to a disc spinner.
But I do have a further question, beyond the guidelines printed on your website. There was/is a Violet Magnadisc that was superior to the Primary Colour ones - is this still the case? Can both be used together?
I feel I might just look at some of the other things from the past - may even get out the old 1987 'Polariser'....
Now where's my copy of 'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet'?.....
Richard
23rd August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Re: Another new Amp.
Michael,
I would love to hear an update. This is partly because my Trends amp finally arrived from audiomagus, but only one channel was working. The very decent Mike Wyatt at audiomagus said there was a fault with some solder links that they have spoken to Trends about, in relation to the Tripath Chip, which can easily fall apart during transit. So I will await another.
I did try the one channel, driving some old Monitor Audio Studio 20SEs, and was astonished buy how loud it could go. It made me realise that 'Belting' the home, and increasing apparent 'loudness' might help these low powered amps anyway. I certainly didn't feel it was underpowered. Kind of makes a mockery of the Krell/Musica Fidelity approach.
As mine was faulty, I felt free to take the lid off, and thought 'Belting' would certainly be mainly colouring in the tops of the capacitors, cream, liquids and clipping devices on the circuit board. Might squeeze two labels under the lid. Foils might go inside the case, perhaps with a couple of squares?
Anyway, I am a little frustrated I can't get to work on mine, and check out how good it can get. I suspect it will be at least as good as an old Tag amp I have.
Audiomagus have now produced a battery to supply up to two Trends amps.
I'm thinking two amps, with the links changed to make it a power amp, battery supply, and bi-amp a good speaker. Or keep the links in the integrated amp position, and feed output from a good CD player?
The amp is certainly so much better made than the plasticky Sonic T Amp. And 'Belted', may really be a giant killer.
Richard
23rd August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Think Ink.
The recent discussion of Magnadiscs, and their different colours, reminded me of a recent experience that I have written about before, yet it never fails to astonish me.
With the prospect of a holiday ahead, I often buy some recent disc but this does include use of the 'Chunky Pens' (we've got to get a better name for them!).
After applying a strip (or two) of Rainbow Foil, I then apply the Violet and Black Pens, before dabbing a bit of Green Cream, and (luxury of luxuries) a spot of One Drop Liquid. As this is a rather laborious process, I had some music one as I was applying the inks. What was astonishing, yet again, was how much the sound improved with the application of the pens, onto discs that were not being played. I don't know what our critics would make of this, as I never expect this, and so do not know how to suggest this outcome to myself.
The great thing about it all though is that whilst the P.W.B pens are the best, you can use any permanent felt-tip pen to achieve some of this. And if like myself, you enjoy collecting discs (vinyl or digital) then those shelves of discs are affecting your sound, and foils, creams and liquids are only part of the picture.
Richard
The recent discussion of Magnadiscs, and their different colours, reminded me of a recent experience that I have written about before, yet it never fails to astonish me.
With the prospect of a holiday ahead, I often buy some recent disc releases to take away, partly to have more time to appreciate them. As I do not know whether each disc will be worthy of a full P.W.B range of treatments, and for speed, the discs only get a partial treatment, but this does include use of the 'Chunky Pens' (we've got to get a better name for them!).
After applying a strip (or two) of Rainbow Foil, I then apply Violet and Black Pens, before dabbing a bit of Green Cream, and (luxury of luxuries) a spot of One Drop Liquid. As this is a rather laborious process, I had some music one as I was applying the inks. What was astonishing, yet again, was how much the sound improved with the application of the pens, onto discs that were not being played. I don't know what our critics would make of this, as I never expect this, and so do not know how to suggest this outcome to myself.
The great thing about it all though is that whilst the P.W.B pens are the best, you can use any permanent felt-tip pen to achieve some of this. And if like myself, you enjoy collecting discs (vinyl or digital) then those shelves of discs are affecting your sound, and foils, creams and liquids are only part of the picture.
Richard
23rd August 2007 From Tom Marsden
Subject: Super Wipe
Dear Kevin ,
Yes , the 'Super Wipe' is a marvel and is one of my
favourite devices.
However, the 'Super Wipe' as described on
the P.W.B web site can be upgraded to, shall we say, a superior 'Super Wipe'-
assuming you have the necessary P.W.B products to hand. The black spot in the
centre of the tissue should be made using the 'Chunky Black Pen' and large
enough to take the end of the 'Clip'. The black spot is then clipped and as a
further enhancement 'Green Cream' applied to a corner of the tissue and also
clipped. I must say that of all the P.W.B products I would rate the 'Super
Wipe' as the one that has me scratching my head the most in disbelief and
asking how can it be possible that by simply cleaning off cream or spray liquid
the sound quality gains such a considerable boost. Still, in the world P.W.B
every day logical explanations simply don't apply.
The recently introduced 'One Drop Liquid' is a fabulous product and hard to believe it could be improved upon but try wiping off with a 'Super Wipe' and judge for yourself.
Best regards to all. Tom.
24th August 2007 From Richard Graham.
Subject: Super Wipe
Hi Tom,
Whilst in total agreement as to the miraculous effect of the SuperWipe, I wonder if you have tried applying a strip of Rainbow Foil to the tissue, then adding Green Cream to that, then clipping?
Indeed, I don't know if any of the later 'message' Foils might improve even upon that.
Almost makes the mouth water...
But thanks for your detailed account of the SuperWipe, though I would add for those without a Chunky P.W.B Black Pen, a permanent black felt tip from somewhere else would contribute some benefit.
Richard
24th August 2007 From Michael Parin.
Subject: Primare back where it belongs
Hello All, Have been offline for a week or so as my laptop recently expired - so I've lashed out and purchased a new desktop set up and with this 19" flatscreen monitor, it feels like I'm at the cinema! Oh sh*t! just realised how much Belting I'm going to have to do over the weekend to get my current sound back..........
Have had my Primare Amp back for app. 3 weeks and I'm
sorry to say, but the Trends will be staying in the cupboard for a good while
to come! - my speakers are 93 db sens. and turning the Trends vol. pot to app
11 o'clock position (keeping it in clean range) just fell short of my regular
listening level - no doubt, it is a marvel of modern engineering - but for me
didn't quite cut the mustard in the ooommph department.
But
oh, I am in sonic heaven again with the Primare! As soon as I got it home, I
ripped the cover off and applied only 4 or 5 Rainbow strips, but did touch a
Green cream tinged fingertip onto every little electronic doodad that I could
reach. The sweet honey tones now pumping out of my speakers via this Swedish
beast easily transports me (with eyes closed) to another dimension. I must
mention Primares' customer service, as opposed to the Distributors, where my
amp languished for 5 weeks waiting for the Primare Factory to open after
holiday break -A Primare representative flew from Sweden and installed the
replacement Volume pot himself! Well, yes, he probably was here for other
matters, but it impressed me.
I'm sitting here, listening to a reggae compilation on my new computer speakers - they sound really bad - does anyone know how to dismantle Altec Lansing computer speakers?
Michael...
24th August 2007 From Geoff Kait.
Subject: Super Wipe
Chances are good that using the SuperWipe in conjunction with Morphic Liquid, Quantum Cream, Green Cream, etc.. improves the wipe. As I recall, it was Richard who first suggested a more robust paper towel like Bounty in lieu of Kleenex (that tends to disintegrate quickly). Anyone else freeze the SuperWipe after it's had a chance to absorb a bit of the various creams & liquids, or am I the only SuperObsessive one? :-)
~ Geoff
24th August 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Magnadiscs.
May,
Your mention of Blue Magnadiscs is a bit of a coincidence as I have been finishing off some DIY at the top of the stairs recently which involved lifting a few floorboards. When a section of skirting board was removed, I was looking at a three metre length of RSJ (Rolled Steel Joist) supporting an internal wall. I know that there are two more of those within the house because of structural modifications made before we moved in. The trouble is, they are boxed in and decorated. When I casually mentioned to Wendy that it might be a good idea to redecorate the lounge (which just happens to be where the steel joists are), the first thing she said was "What sort of Beltish ideas are you up to now?"
Regards, Kevin
25th August 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Super Wipe
Tom,
Greatly appreciate the extra 'Super Wipe' tips. The best thing is that I have all the required P.W.B ingredients for the upgrade. Usually what happens is that a buzz goes round the forum regarding a Foil or Cream just after I used the last smidgeon of what ever device is being discussed!
Although all those treatments seem to make sound ever more three dimensional and lucid, it is the bass end that has particularly comes into its own on some recordings. Even the most opaque and recordings reveal that it is not the overall recording that is at fault, but rather the bass, perceived as hanging like a blanket over the rest of the instruments. Increasingly, those recordings reveal deep resonance and clarity from the bass lines where the fingers can be heard not only plucking the strings but also actually stopping and dampening some notes. It is then much easier to hear how all the musicians are working together. Bowed bass lines are a revelation in string quartets for instance.
Regards, Kevin.
25th August 2007 From Kevin Kehoe.
Subject: Cream Electret.
Richard,
I have now used the new modified (as per Tom's suggestions) Super Wipe on the TV screen; reapplying Cream Electret, One drop Liquid and finishing off with Morphic Liquid – all wiped over after each application and followed by an application of the Clip. Sound and vision has taken a terrific boost. 'Incidental' or background noises in soaps and live broadcasts really do take on a clean 'in the room' sound that is uncanny, we find that more and more of the TV sound has us reacting as though something has happened in the room – it s that real!
Regards, Kevin.
PS. I shall be giving your suggestions re the Wipe a try out in the next few days.
28th August 2007 From: Richard Graham
Subject: Re: Cream Electret
Kevin,
I can only echo your findings, and feel like I am in the Gershwin
Song 'How Long Has This Been Going On?'.
Firstly, I found that a strip of Rainbow Foil on the corner of a piece of kitchen roll stuck very well. My strip was about 2-3mm. I applied Morphic Green Cream to the foil, and then Clipped the Black Dot from the Chunky pen, and the edge where the foil/cream were.
I haven't yet frozen the tissue, and am almost scared to think of what that might do. I might start to freeze rolls before the ink etc.
First, I tried a photo - my usual first step. I applied Morphic Green Cream, then wiped, then added One Drop Liquid, and wiped - wow! I rushed to treat some more, and included applying One Drop Liquid to the Electret Disc.
I found the process really astonishing. I just could not believe how much better I perceived the changes with both cream and liquid. What was most amazing was the enormous perceived increase in volume, and in depth of bass response.
After treating the photos, we had an offer from Sky to watch one of their HD box office films. We ended up with 'Hot Fuzz', and the gun- fire, explosions, and surround mix were just extraordinary. At usual volumes, we were jumping from the noise. The film's not bad either!
I plan to make sure all photo devices, and entry points get the treatment first.
But as Tom indicated, I just cannot get my head around the scale of the improvement.
My suggestion is that you get the Black Pen and Portable Pack if you have a Clip, so you can add ink and Green Cream to the wipe for any other creams or liquids.
Amazing.
Richard
28th August 2007 From: Bill Kenny
Subject: Re: Primare back where it belongs
Hello Michael,
I was most interested in your comments about your Primare amp because although I have different amplification, I do have the Primare DVD 30 universal disc player with which I'm very pleased.
I should like to be able to 'Belt' this machine rather more than I have done so far since all the devices I have applied have been external - simply because I can't see how to get into the innards!
This is probably a stupid question, but how do you open the cases on Primare equipment? If your amp is like my player then it will probably have a series of small bolts to keep the case fixed to the chassis. That's my problem - I have never seen anything quite like these fixings before - they look like small cross-headed (or hex key) bolts but the indentations in them are very shallow and seem to need - if I'm right in my thinking - a special tool, because none of my small bolt removing gadgets engage with the indentations at all.
Do these bolts have a special name that I don't know about or am I barking up completely the wrong tree? All advice appreaciated when you have a minute.
Best wishes,
Bill Kenny
28th August 2007 From: Kevin Kehoe
Subject: Cream Electret
Richard,
I am in the process of a freeze cycle for a couple of Super Wipes but in the mean time, I have made up a fresh Wipe with all the other suggestions incorporated (including Chunky Black Pen), and used it to remove traces of Black Cream which I have applied to each end of various signal connections and mains connectors on the hi-fi and to other various connector leads about the house - including incomming telephone and internet cable. By the way, most of those have already been previously 'done' with Black Cream . I used a fresh wipe spicifically for this cream in case the other creams and liquids might not be compatible during use. All I will say is, see how long it takes to extract yourself from listening to discs!
Regards,
Kevin.
August 28th 2007 From James
Subject: new DVD player
Hi All-
After 6 months of putting up with a glitchy Toshiba SDK-850 DVD player that paused after playing an hour of each movie, I finally replaced it with a new Sony DVP NS-77 player. The two units spec out about the same- both upsample (the Sony to 1080p), they both claim 96k/24 bit audio sections, etc. I figured the Sony benefitted from the latest processing chips, as the Toshiba was first manufactured in 2005.
My hesitation in replacing wasn't due to any great affection for the Toshiba, but for all the PWB treatment I had done to it- namely 12+ strips of PWB foils, some of which I no longer have.
Well, I hooked up the Sony, and yes, it is a fine player- bright, rich colors, no digital artifacting that I noticed. But the picture looked soft, flat in depth, and too high in black level. I tried adjusting the picture settings on both the player and Olevia HDTV set, but (especially) the black level was quite disappointing.
I wrapped the Sony in a plastic bag and sent it (no, not back to the dealer!) to the deep freeze, along with its remote. Then put the unit through the slow-thaw process. I removed the top cover, and began foiling and Green Creaming. I used a different foil type for each of the three circuit boards- Comfort, Present, and Freeze Effect. I silver foiled the inside of the top cover, and also applied strips to the disc tray and on the chassis, both the inside bottom and where the power cord exits the chassis. I Green Creamed all the foils, capacitors, ribbon connectors, and circuit boards. I then Green Creamed the remote and its batteries.
I plug the Sony in, deciding, for now to not treat with Aural Harmony's cryo silver enhancer as I didn't want to introduce another variable. I played a DVD: the picture's black level was now quite striking. Blacks much more liquidy, much deeper. LCD TV sets have a problem rendering blacks well (except maybe the new Samsungs). Now, this set took a major step in the Samsung's direction. So much so, I had to adjust the brightness level upwards. My wife said "The picture looks really dark." After adjusting the brightness to a more proper level, the blacks are still deep and beautiful. And the video noise level has difinitely gone down. Depth of field is significantly improved and you can watch the set from a much closer distance. And I can't wait to listen to some music: the bass on "Lord of the Rings- Fellowship of the Rings" now sounds deeper and more powerful.
I still have yet to apply the PWB One drop liquid to the LCD player's display and foil pieces. And then the silver contact enhancer which made such an improvement on our TV. The next PWB product to try will be the Sol-Electret. It bothers me to put the original screws back in untreated. I used to go to the trouble of replacing the originals (esp. on speaker drive units) with stainless steel and brass. I really enjoyed the improvements- but it was too much hassle. Sol-Electret may be the answer.
For 15 minutes of treating (excluding freeze-thaw time), a worthy improvement.
Sincerely,
James
29th August 2007 From: Michael Parin
Subject: Re: Primare back where it belongs
Hello Bill, here in Australia, they are called Torx bolts - maybe a different name for them in your neck of the woods.I bought my T-handle driver from a specialist tool shop, but I have recently seen sets of Torx drivers at our local equivalent of Radioshack - The size for the amp bolts is T6, probably best to first find a supplier then take in your Primare to match up the correct size.
Good luck,
Michael...
29th August 2007 From: Richard Graham
Subject: Re: Cream Electret
Kevin,
It will be good to hear about the effect of freezing the wipes. I am currently on hold, awaiting developments.
But I did have this thought....
If a molecule of cream were still on an object, would a best-guess wipe (as to where cream was applied) work anyway? Or were you re-applying the same creams?
One other thought. For completeness, is anyone tapping the black dot before clipping?
And will this end?
Richard
30th August 2007 From: Richard Graham
Subject: Corrected Magnadiscs piece
Having been around at the time of Peter's first range of products - still have that brush, still have a polariser, somewhere - I can sometimes dismiss older products, preferring a more recent product. Yet it is a strange feature of this world that nothing is entirely ever rendered redundant, and older products can still astonish.
On having moved to another flat some 5 years ago, I had applied the various message foils to most fixtures, but May's recent posts about Magnadiscs made me think that perhaps I had missed out on some useful items. Consequently I ordered a few of them, in their different colours, to apply, though rather sadly got a bit too caught up in the Super-Wipe Goldrush to be more thorough about their application.
However I found two good applications that are worth noting.
Firstly, though our central heating steel radiators have all foils and squares attached, applying a Blue Magnadisc to each led to a very pleasing improvement. I was struck again by how much a structure in a different room could influence perceived sound.
Secondly, I placed a White Magnadisc on top of a Green one, and stuck this two disc structure to the ceiling in the listening room. Whilst this was very pleasing, I was also struck by how much my iPod Shuffle improved when I walked into that room. Quite curious as to how much the room itself was perceived to have changed.
But the best bit was ease of application. Just peal off the back, and on they go. And in no way is their effect dwarfed by other developments - perhaps synergy remains core to all Belt devices.
Richard
31st August 2007 From: Bill Kenny
Subject: Re: Primare back where it belongs
Thanks Michael. It turns out that they're called Torx bolts in the UK too and I managed to find the appropriate driver fairly easily in a local hardware shop. And yup, having applied much the same processes to the Primare player as you did to your amp, the results are very impressive; better sound from all discs, and much better pictures from DVDs.
Thanks again for your help.
Regards,
Bill