Let's not forget the $485 wooden volume knob that:
"dampens the "micro vibrations created by volume pots and knobs that find their way into the signal path and cause degradation.
"With the signature knobs micro vibrations from the C37 concept of wood, bronze and the lacquer itself compensate for the volume pots and provide (Good Vibrations) our ear/brain combination like to hear…way better sound!!"
The SHAKTI Electromagnetic Stabilizer (aka “the Stone”) has three internal trap circuits (Microwave, RF and Electric Field) to absorb the broadest spectrum of EMI. Placement on automotive CPUs has measurably increased engine horsepower.
It also improves resolution for virtually all-major components in high definition audio/video systems. Music reproduction is clearer, with more liquidity, dynamics and focus. The improved inter-transient silence allows the listener to hear ambient cue information essential for accurate perception of stage depth, width and unwavering imaging. High quality video systems will benefit from SHAKTI devices near power supplies, projection guns and laser disc/DVD players. Reduced color noise and improved convergence alignment are some of the improvements that can occur. In automotive applications, where space allows, the unit should be securely taped and/or cable tied to the top of the CPU.
"Seemed"? It has been for a long time, audio enthusiasts that aren't suckers just keep on buying from Genelec/Neumann and other proven manufacturers publishing relevant measurement data.
Because the FTC is budgetarily starved intentionally and doesn't have the time to go after every minor false claim out there. It's also a somewhat losing game because all they really have to do is have a single measurement showing a car did produce more horse power after placing the slab on the chip, which is extremely doable because measuring generated horsepower is far from a perfectly repeatable measurement, and they could slip out of any case brought by the FTC or winnow it down to a minor fine for less than the profits from their sales.
They have dyno charts on their website! It made between 2.7 and 3hp on the two vehicles they tested, which is pretty much the amount of variation you'd expect between two dyno runs. Total rubbish.
I didn't scroll far enough to see those but that's exactly what I'd expect. Minute "improvements" that are really just statistical noise from a dyno due to tiny variations even if the test(s) were genuine.
I like to think of audiophile gear as woo for men.
I wonder sometimes if humans just have an innate need for magical thinking and if we eliminate it from most areas of our life it just finds some other place to pop up. If that hypothesis is true, then audiophile gear is a net positive: it's an almost entirely harmless place to indulge in nonsense magical thinking with no harm to anything but your pocketbook.
I'd rather people spend $1000 on HDMI cables than trying to use homeopathic medicine to cure their cancer or taking away rights from people because it goes against an ancient fiction book they really like.
