Audio equip: What are your favourite scams?

innerspaceboy · 03-20-2022, 06:53 AM

From 2013 - Furutech Powerflux: The Most Expensive Power Cable Ever

Powerflux conductors are 68-strand a (Alpha) OCC twisted around µ–conductor strands with a special-grade PE insulation or dielectric. (Alpha conductors are fine OCC wire treated with Furutech’s Alpha Cryogenic and Demagnetizing process.) The dielectric is surrounded by an inner sheath of RoHS-compliant PVC incorporating carbon powder that enhances damping, and that in turn is covered by a full a (Alpha) conductor wire braid shield. Another flexible PVC outer sheath and a Nylon braid jacket finish the job.

Price: $1800 in 2013.

Let me clarify... this cable has nothing to do with delivering your pro audio signal, or your video signal... this is the short black cord that plugs your unit into the motherf***ing wall. $1800.

rostasi · 03-20-2022, 08:22 AM

Who am I to tell other people that what they are hearing doesn't sound superior to them.

Guybrush · 03-20-2022, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostasi

Who am I to tell other people that what they are hearing doesn't sound superior to them.

I think that's a pretty weak attitude towards misinformation. Who am I to tell someone with cancer that colloidal silver is a scam that won't kill their tumors and instead poisons them?

IMO marketing and selling lies is harmful, to wallets or otherwise, and fighting those lies can help people.

Edit:

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

From 2013 - Furutech Powerflux: The Most Expensive Power Cable Ever

Powerflux conductors are 68-strand a (Alpha) OCC twisted around µ–conductor strands with a special-grade PE insulation or dielectric. (Alpha conductors are fine OCC wire treated with Furutech’s Alpha Cryogenic and Demagnetizing process.) The dielectric is surrounded by an inner sheath of RoHS-compliant PVC incorporating carbon powder that enhances damping, and that in turn is covered by a full a (Alpha) conductor wire braid shield. Another flexible PVC outer sheath and a Nylon braid jacket finish the job.

Price: $1800 in 2013.

Let me clarify... this cable has nothing to do with delivering your pro audio signal, or your video signal... this is the short black cord that plugs your unit into the motherf***ing wall. $1800.

Nice! That's the worst thing I've seen in terms of audio equip. Holy crap

rostasi · 03-20-2022, 03:31 PM

I guess I'll have to play MadLibs® when it comes to that comparison,
'cause it ain't working on it's own.

The fact that you interpret a person's audible perception of sound as
something that's a result of misinformation is a pretty strange take.

Guybrush · 03-20-2022, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostasi

The fact that you interpret a person's audible perception of sound as
something that's a result of misinformation is a pretty strange take.

Nice strawman? You seem a little off-topic. Check the thread title and first post. It's about snake oil, scams. It's not about consumers who like something, but people and companies making things that by and large don't work or have no special value, but that they still sell at inflated prices.

These things affect more than just the people who enjoy their 3000 USD analog/digital converter. It also affects the many more people who can't afford that, but feel like that's what they should have and their 150 USD DAC is probably ****.

If you think your directional, burnt in cables are the ****, go ahead and enjoy them. This thread is more about the people making and selling them.

rostasi · 03-20-2022, 04:24 PM

OK, so I'll just answer the topic question and just ignore your first reply to it (?)

Even tho I can't ever say that I have a "favorite" scam (which would be a contradiction),
I will acknowledge that there are grifters in the world and I just try to steer clear of them.

Guybrush · 03-20-2022, 05:01 PM

I'll concede I'm not doing a concise job of pointing out the offending scam in my first reply, but I also wrote that I'm fine with the people spending a ton of cash on a turntable.

The scam is people who market LPs and turntables by saying it has a superior sound quality. They might say stuff like LPs can reproduce ultrasonic frequencies and that these improve the music (not so according to blind test studies) or claim that it's not possible to faithfully recreate audio with 1s and 0s (it is).

I'd rather say LPs sound different and that may or may not be more enjoyable.

As far as lies go, this LP one is relatively tiny and calling it a scam might be a little harsh. Still, I picked it because of how prevalent it is.

03-20-2022, 05:01 PM	#7 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	I'll concede I'm not doing a concise job of pointing out the offending scam in my first reply, but I also wrote that I'm fine with the people spending a ton of cash on a turntable. The scam is people who market LPs and turntables by saying it has a superior sound quality. They might say stuff like LPs can reproduce ultrasonic frequencies and that these improve the music (not so according to blind test studies) or claim that it's not possible to faithfully recreate audio with 1s and 0s (it is). I'd rather say LPs sound different and that may or may not be more enjoyable. As far as lies go, this LP one is relatively tiny and calling it a scam might be a little harsh. Still, I picked it because of how prevalent it is. __________________ Something Completely Different

03-20-2022, 08:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,008	Who am I to tell other people that what they are hearing doesn't sound superior to them.

03-20-2022, 03:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,008	I guess I'll have to play MadLibs® when it comes to that comparison, 'cause it ain't working on it's own. The fact that you interpret a person's audible perception of sound as something that's a result of misinformation is a pretty strange take.

03-20-2022, 04:24 PM	#6 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,008	OK, so I'll just answer the topic question and just ignore your first reply to it (?) Even tho I can't ever say that I have a "favorite" scam (which would be a contradiction), I will acknowledge that there are grifters in the world and I just try to steer clear of them.