acoustic system resonators

03-17-07: Audiooracle +++ There are many things in this industry which defy rational of empirical reasoning, like a 1 m interconnect making a difference or power cords, or vibration isolation devices +++

The items you mention do work and have very sound scientific backing why they do. The resonators, like pebbles and clever clocks, have zero scientific backing. I think you are reaching somewhat comparing the resonators with cables and isolation devices.

For every tweak that works, there are ten that do not. I cannot say whether these resonators work, but at $400 odd I will never find out. $400 can buy a good capacitor that really does work …

Regards
Paul

This is not that hard to test. Blindfold yourself. Drag a willing or unwilling participant into the experiment. While listening, have them walk the resonators in and out of the room - and this is important - on a random basis. See if you can choose, with your blindfold on, when the resonators are present and when they are not. Don't cheat. Leave the volume constant. Please report back. Jeff

Jeff. It is really not difficult to place something a room that will effect sound. I can do that for a few bucks – simply buy a sheet of corrugated iron sheet and place it on the wall behind you speakers. Believe me, if the sheet is big enough, you'll hear it.

The issue is, do these things make sound more accurate and natural? Does the piano coming out the speakers sound more natural with these resonators in place or without?

Regards
Paul

Paul, I agree with everything you said.

Perhaps I was unclear. My suggestion was not so much intended to ask whether you hear a difference or not, but was intended to discern whether you actually prefer the resonators or not, making some less than perfect effort to control for bias. If the buyer likes the "blind" effect, it seems to me that is what counts.

Also, if the resonators do make a piano sound more natural, it should be measurable at the speakers. I'm not talking about the perpetual argument over measuring THD or the argument about measuring a single component without regard for its interaction with the system in which it resides. If the resonators make a piano sound more natural at the speakers, the effect should be measurable. Has anybody done this and published the before and after measurements? Perhaps I am alone in this, but I'd really like to see the measurements.

In fact, I'd love to see somebody: a) record various piano strikes on an actual piano and record them and measurement them with something that measures transients, decay and specturm, and b) play it back through their system with and without the resonators in place. It would be interesting, at least to my compulsive audio mind, to compare the measurements of the three. Testing the system without the resonators would tell you how the system differs from the actual piano (of course, you would have to measure the decibels of the actual piano and set your volume control to same when testing the system). Testing with the resonators and comparing it to the measurements of the actual piano and to the measurements of the system without the resonators would tell you what, if any, sonic attributes of the actual piano were restored by the resonators.

Lastly, this would be a lot of work, so I imagine its easier to argue about the whole thing. Not that we wouldn't argue about the test results. Hmmmm. Jeff

Physically these may alter the sound in the higher frequencies by adding harmonic overtones that ring well after the orignal excitation. (Studios use all kinds of tricks such as reverb etc. to give richness and provide hearing cues as to the location of elements in a sound stage...reverberation of higher frequencies provide detail on location of an instrument or voice)

Is this additional coloration better than the raw mix?...that will depend on your perception.