Post the most extreme/insane examples of audiophilia you've run into!

mulveling

I'd consider myself a bit of a nutty audiophile. Perhaps even a bit crazy at times. Still, every once in a while I'm simply stunned by what other audiophiles can come up with...and of course it's always extremely amusing Bless them when they post about it on the internet

Here's a couple of my favorites:
Martin Logan Surrounds
Here's a good one: when you just gotta have floorstanding Martin Logan surrounds despite a teeny tiny square room. Scroll down to the pics and see if you can spot anything a tiny bit out of the ordinary:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/~tdacquis/forum/showpost.php?p=5237&postcount=1

"Too Extreme" Tweaker
There are a plethora of great ones from this guy; his expolits with "extreme tweaking" mods, Valhalla cables, and ERS paper are well documented on head-fi. Here's a small sampling to whet your appetite:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2686834&postcount=101

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2452864&postcount=1

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2720175&postcount=132

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2736107&postcount=161

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2727398&postcount=150

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2733187&postcount=153

cmy330go

mulveling wrote: »

.....Martin Logan Surrounds
Here's a good one: when you just gotta have floorstanding Martin Logan surrounds despite a teeny tiny square room. Scroll down to the pics and see if you can spot anything a tiny bit out of the ordinary:
http://www.martinloganowners.com/~tdacquis/forum/showpost.php?p=5237&postcount=1
.....

That is easily one of the dumbest things I have ever seen.

snow

The first guy had better hope thes never an earthquake lol. Ive seen the headfi guy before he is truly certifiable:eek: Its going to be hard to top that one lol.

REGARDS SNOW

Toxis

WTF is with the paper???????????

McLoki

Toxis wrote: »

WTF is with the paper???????????

The coolest part of ERS paper is that it can conduct electricity. Keep that in mind and look at his pics again...

Michael

G-2

So you're not supposed to hang your speakers with speaker wire ??

jdhdiggs

Um, RuSsMaN would be my most extreme exposure. I still can't even think about armadillo's and tube socks without getting nauseous .

Good lord, the top guys setup is moronic of the highest order. I could take a RM HTIB system and make it sound better than how he has those ML's setup.

davidk0512

Does Robin have a dryer vent routed behind the couch and out the window???

PolkThug

If you can't hear the difference these make, then you have bad hearing or cheap gear: Expensive squiggly wood

Gaara

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=800063

I love ValhallaPC always entertaining to read and listen to. He whispers in all the videos and some he is using a flashlight, I always get freaked out watching the videos.

"Proper power, cables, vibration isolation and shielding make a bigger difference than upgrading a piece of audio gear because you can use it for the whole system."

"This is my list:

60% Valhalla cables
13% Power conditioning
12% ERS Paper
12% Vibration isolation
2% Amp
1% Source"

"I have also noticed that not only is the bass deeper, but the highs are more extended as well, even with 192kbps mp3. But with WAV the highs are as crazy as the bass! I need to upgrade my mp3's to WAV...

The improvement went up to 2 million on my 1-10 scale.

________________________________________________________

My upgrades

Levels higher

1 = Noticeable improvement
10 = Night and day

July 2005

Valhalla power cord for Krell KAV-500i = 15
High Current Ultimate Outlet between wall and Power Plants = 5
QuickSilver on everything = 15?
QuickSilver on fuses = 2
MultiWave II+ for source = 5
xStream Statement between wall and Power Plants = 60
44.1 kHz to 768 kHz = 5
MultiWave II and II+ for amp = 20
Solid-Tech isolation = 100
QuickSilver GOLD upgrade = 5
Valhalla between wall and Power Plants + hardwired = 60
Hifi-Tuning Gold fuse = 1
Nordost Solar Wind 1 conductor + remove PCB = 220
Nordost Valkyrja 1 conductor = 140 (360 compared to Stefan AudioArt)
PS Audio GCC-100 = 200?
Cary 303/300 as transport for DAC-1 = 500
Modded Valhalla power cord (2+2+1) for DAC1, and computer as transport (Valhalla and Power Plant) = 5000
Computer to Cary transport. From 2 to 1 Power Plant. 2 conductor Valhalla power cord for amp. Extra isolation step. Cary from 3 to 0 isolation = -200 (less detail but more neutral?)
Valhalla digital XLR = 5?
Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductor for DAC1 = 100
Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for Cary = 5
Valkyrja internal wiring for CD player = 5
Valkyrja speaker cable hardwire into PCB = 380
Valkyrja input signal wire for amp, from 24 AWG to 22 AWG = -3
Modded Valhalla interconnect 1 conductor = 1 000 000
Brilliant Pebbles Mini = 0.05
Bypass fuses amp = 80
Bypass fuses Cary transport = 2?
Shortening Valhalla power cords = 1
Disconnecting ground of DAC1 = 0.5?
Valhalla power cord 2 to 1 conductors for Cary = 5
Valhalla power cord 3 to 2 conductors for wall = 1
4step to 5step isolation for DAC1 = 1200
Hardwired into Power Plant = 5?
ERS Paper full coverage = 2 000 000"

edbert

Wow, that guy is crazy. I personally liked this line, "The whiteness gave fake blackness."

What?!?

sucks2beme

There is one pic over on head -fi that makes this one look weak. I'll find it sooner or later. This one is pretty serious.

zombie boy 2000

I love all the pics of Ivan Draco pinned to Valhalla's bedroom walls. It's as if he's telling all other rigs that his system "must break you".

I wonder if he listen to Hearts on Fire or Eye of the Tiger while tweaking his "gear"

edbert

Duh, Hearts on Fire. You only play Eye of the Tiger right before a fight. Hearts on Fire is for the emotional training and getting ready for said fight.

BTW, First Blood was on Spike last night. Love that movie.

mulveling

sucks2beme wrote: »

There is one pic over on head -fi that makes this one look weak. I'll find it sooner or later. This one is pretty serious.

Heh I guess that reminds me how crazy I'm considered by some - I have more $'s in my current headphone collection than that, and I just sold my MDR-R10 for $4.5K

Here's a pic from several months back...though I've bought & sold many others over the years. More headphones in my posession at that time weren't in the pic because they weren't interesting enough

ohskigod

edbert wrote: »

"The whiteness gave fake blackness."

What?!?

could you imagine if Don Imus said that ?!?!?! :eek: :eek:

mulveling

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

I love all the pics of Ivan Draco pinned to Valhalla's bedroom walls. It's as if he's telling all other rigs that his system "must break you".

I wonder if he listen to Hearts on Fire or Eye of the Tiger while tweaking his "gear"

Yeah, his pics on the wall are my favorite part
Cute kittens, Rocky IV, and other great stuff....

PolkThug

Gaara wrote: »

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=800063

I love ValhallaPC always entertaining to read and listen to.

I wonder if he is Richard Patrick, aka True Believer on S&V forums, aka Tin Cup.

sucks2beme

mulveling wrote: »

Heh I guess that reminds me how crazy I'm considered by some - I have more $'s in my current headphone collection than that, and I just sold my MDR-R10 for $4.5K

Here's a pic from several months back...though I've bought & sold many others over the years. More headphones in my posession at that time weren't in the pic because they weren't interesting enough

What, no electrostatics?
The pic I'm looking for was posted by one of the moderators. He had one of each of every better headphone ever made. We are taking about 40
very expensive cans. I must find it so we don't look so crazy!:D

mulveling

sucks2beme wrote: »

What, no electrostatics?
The pic I'm looking for was posted by one of the moderators. He had one of each of every better headphone ever made. We are taking about 40
very expensive cans. I must find it so we don't look so crazy!:D

Wmcmanus. Nice guy - lives in the Cayman islands. He sold me my big shiny tube amp

I would have bought electrostats by now, but everytime I've heard the Stax Omega II (with a Headamp Kevin Gilmore SS amp) I didn't like them - they can't do rock to my ears Really really Nice from some slower music & acoustic stuff, though.

cmy330go

PolkThug wrote: »

If you can't hear the difference these make, then you have bad hearing or cheap gear: Expensive squiggly wood

How do people come up with this stuff??????:rolleyes:

Gaara

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/acousticsystem/resonators.html
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/francktchang/resonators_3.html

There are plenty of weird and strange tweaks like the magic pebbles, lil clocks, and $1000 knobs but these are reviewed well.

"He predicted that the center of the music would collapse and only hard left and right remain - "dual mono" just for three listeners. He achieved this by rotating the resonator behind the tweeters so that one of its wings was pointed at the listeners. Franck called this the Closing Of The Window. And the listeners admitted that they experienced a gap in the normal center fill. By turning the resonator again, the window was reopened and true stereo restored."

Gotta love the power of suggestion...

PolkThug

Don't forget to put one in your fridge!!
"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. [I see you've got all the important food groups covered - Tamari and bubbly. Most excellent. - Ed.] It took a few minutes and then the sound of the refrigerator was gone. No more buzzing. But another effect of the little resonator inside the closed fridge kicked in later. Thinking about air as the medium we breathe and listen to. The air inside a fridge is cold and thus has a different pressure potential. Cold air sinks to the bottom because it's heavier and denser. It appears that we notice the extra pressure emanating from the fridge. Call us crazy, all you naysayers, but until you experience it, keep your comments to yourselves."

wtf

Danny Tse

mulveling wrote: »

Heh I guess that reminds me how crazy I'm considered by some - I have more $'s in my current headphone collection than that, and I just sold my MDR-R10 for $4.5K

I swear, some of those people over at head-fi.org are nut cases....oh wait, I am a member there too....with almost 3,000 posts....yikes!!

I generally don't hang out with audiophiles, but others think I am nuts for buying the same recording over and over again just to hear minute differences in different pressings and masterings.

I still insist that listening in complete darkness, and in the nude, will achieve the ultimate ear-gasm.

jakelm

I have dishes in my cabinet that do the same thing as the resinators. The dishes are tuned between 25 and 45hz. When deep bass is heard from the sub, the dishes work great in resinating that Fr.





Although they break rather easily....

cmy330go

Gaara wrote: »

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/acousticsystem/resonators.html
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/francktchang/resonators_3.html

There are plenty of weird and strange tweaks like the magic pebbles, lil clocks, and $1000 knobs but these are reviewed well.

"He predicted that the center of the music would collapse and only hard left and right remain - "dual mono" just for three listeners. He achieved this by rotating the resonator behind the tweeters so that one of its wings was pointed at the listeners. Franck called this the Closing Of The Window. And the listeners admitted that they experienced a gap in the normal center fill. By turning the resonator again, the window was reopened and true stereo restored."

Gotta love the power of suggestion...

You've got to be F'in kidding me. Who thinks up this crap? I would feel stupid for even trying those.

mrbigbluelight

PolkThug wrote: »

If you can't hear the difference these make, then you have bad hearing or cheap gear: Expensive squiggly wood

I dunno.....they're only $999 a pair, and you to get to assemble them yourself.............

"This is one of the easiest recommendations I have ever made."

I'd imagine so, for the amount of kickback you must have received.

"But I gotta tell ya, a little voice inside me wants to scream, "If you don't like what the Hallographs do, you should look for a new hobby."

Well .... okay, I guess. Would stamp collecting meet with your approval ?

:eek:

zombie boy 2000

For us to point point fingers at crazy audio hobbyists is a classic example of "pot and kettle":p

I've long been considered certifiable by my friends outside of this hobby.

Systems

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

For us to point point fingers at crazy audio hobbyists is a classic example of "pot and kettle":p

I've long been considered certifiable by my friends outside of this hobby.

They just don't understand. I have the same problem..LOL..."And just how old are you again?" Old enough to afford it...too young to care!

Shizelbs

Wow, that ML setup is just a total waste. My master bath has a separate room for the toilet. This thread is going to give me ideas for a 7.2 sytem in there.

Gaara

I think what it comes down to is if I can't explain it to someone else, its a little wacky. I can explain things like cd treatments, dynamat, and weights even though they are a little wacky. I can't explain using a conductive material in huge quantities inside electronics, or upgrading knobs on a unit where the knob cost more then the unit.

With the example of the room resonators, if you were to tell me these things work wonders in the room, and make big increases in the sounds I will be skeptical but won't flat out say you are wrong. If on the other hand as they say in the interview that having ones in different rooms in the house or in the fridge work wonders on the system, thats just to much for me to take.

Jared