PS Audio Noise Harvester

[ExtremeSkeptic]

ES, in your photo montage, top edge, second picture from left:

I notice that you're using a cheap-a*s soldering iron. WTF? You're spending big bucks on hi-fi sound but using a soldering iron that looks like it came on a blister pack from a convenience store? You actually let that thing touch any part of your equipment? That's a torture device, not an electronics tool. (Though, to be fair, as a torture device, it's first-rate.)

Good clean solder joints (especially ones made without overheating the adjacent components) will benefit your signals more than a whole rack of Noise Harvesters or a lifetime of putting a jar of rocks on your head.

I haven't heard a difference when comparing proper solder joints against cold solder joints. I'm using WBT Silver Solder.

I also haven't heard a difference when comparing AC connectors. The coloration of Valhalla cables does much more than a little 2 cm connection. Removing all the AC connectors and hardwiring them gave much smaller improvements than bypassing one fuse!


It is weird with the skeptics, they think you should get wav instead of mp3, and cleaner solder joints. It's placebo at its best.

I have heard a difference between 320kbps mp3 and WAV, the difference is almost as small as cleaning speaker cable with Optrix to remove static electricity.
Half of my albums are 192 kbps mp3.

Less than a hundred bucks will get you a good temperature-controlled soldering iron...

You don't know how much money $100 is to me.

I have used up all my life savings to buy Nordost Valhalla cables, they are that good. I wouldn't have bought more of them if I hadn't done double blind tests first.

 

[ExtremeSkeptic]

You offered to show us a double blind test video. To date, the following have responded they are interested in seeing it (all times local to me [CST]):

• MRC_Hans in post #128, 26 Feb 5:14 AM
• Mortfund in post #135, 26 Feb 6:49 AM
• Molly Black in post #167, 27 Feb 6:44 PM
• Kennebc31 in post #168, 27 Feb 6:53 PM
• Me in this post, right now

Some of these expressions of interest are over two days old, but you have yet to post a link to this video.

So who's trolling now?

I don't have the hardware to put the video to the computer and share it because I have sold some stuff to get cash to buy more ERS Paper.

I won't bother to do all the work required if nobody wants to see it anyway.

 

[osmosis]

Dude those tools over at the PSA forum think u and I are the same guuy. I read where one of them brought up John Meyer of Meyer sound/ 1st John would be the first guyy to debunk the BS they sell. 2nd he completely twisted Johns words. John was explaining why a test device cant look around a room and see a carpet or something and tell you why the phase or freq is messed up. Yet they twisted his words to fit what they wanted.

Yes, most of them are indeed tools. And yes, they did confuse me for you, I guess all us skeptics look alike or something.

Spec, that wasn't very sporting of you to resign from that board as soon as I jumped into the fray to back up your skeptical a@@.. lol..

 

[kennebec31]

I won't bother to do all the work required if nobody wants to see it anyway.

You offered to show it. Several of us have taken you up on your offer and politely requested to see it. Now you are taking the offer off the table claiming that "nobody wants to see it anyway." WE WANT TO SEE IT. Does the video actually exist or is this a convenient excuse for not showing it?

 

[Blue Mountain]

[leading part of post snipped]
You don't know how much money $100 is to me.

I have used up all my life savings to buy Nordost Valhalla cables, they are that good. I wouldn't have bought more of them if I hadn't done double blind tests first.

Can you describe the process you used to come to the conclusion the cables you bought were superior to the cables you were testing against?

 

[ExtremeSkeptic]

You offered to show it. Several of us have taken you up on your offer and politely requested to see it. Now you are taking the offer off the table claiming that "nobody wants to see it anyway." WE WANT TO SEE IT. Does the video actually exist or is this a convenient excuse for not showing it?

I didn't offer anything, I only asked who wants to see a double blind test video. If osmosis wants to see it I will post the video in this thread.

 

[speco2007]

Yes, most of them are indeed tools. And yes, they did confuse me for you, I guess all us skeptics look alike or something.

Spec, that wasn't very sporting of you to resign from that board as soon as I jumped into the fray to back up your skeptical a@@.. lol..

My bud theapet is still there.

 

[speco2007]

Here is the link to his blind test


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bMgSYpZac

 

[osmosis]

I didn't offer anything, I only asked who wants to see a double blind test video. If osmosis wants to see it I will post the video in this thread.

lol I've been singled out.

Ok fine, I see enough raised hands out there, lets see it.

 

[osmosis]

Here is the link to his blind test


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bMgSYpZac

Are you serious? That's the "test" he's been alluding to? Say it isn't so..

 

[speco2007]

Are you serious? That's the "test" he's been alluding to? Say it isn't so..

Its true.

 

[kennebec31]

Its true.

I formally withdraw my request to see the video.

 

[marting]

And all the line fuses have been bypassed?????

 

[elgarak]

Here is the link to his blind test


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bMgSYpZac

Dude, I hope you have the firefighters on speed-dial....

 

[TjW]

Here is the link to his blind test


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bMgSYpZac

It's a wonderful example of cargo cult science.

 

[marting]

Perhaps we have a potential Darwin Award candidate?

 

[EvilBiker]

I haven't heard a difference when comparing proper solder joints against cold solder joints. I'm using WBT Silver Solder.

Silver solder? What the hell for?

Heh, no difference between proper and cold solder joints. I bet you're getting half your "colour" from the variable resistance across those joints.

You don't know how much money $100 is to me.

I have used up all my life savings to buy Nordost Valhalla cables, they are that good. I wouldn't have bought more of them if I hadn't done double blind tests first.

Aye, there's the rub. You are never going to admit that your cables actually make absolutely no difference at all, because you have spent your life savings on them.

As for the silver solder, well, there's another money-waster.

 

[EvilBiker]

Are you an EE? If you are please contact Paul@psaudio.com


he has a new definition of what an EE is. I would love to have real EE take him to task.Here is the thread in which he does this

http://psaudio.com/account/forum/view.asp?catID=1&forumID=1&topicID=4355

Yeah, I am an EE. I'll take a look at the link over the weekend.

 

[ExtremeSkeptic]

I formally withdraw my request to see the video.

Its true.

No, that's blind test #1. Read what I said again. I don't have the video on my computer because I sold my hardware. Noise Harvester double blind test is what I'm talking about.

What was wrong with the video anyway?

Silver solder? What the hell for?

Isn't it obvious? Little current always goes through the solder. Silver is a better material...

Heh, no difference between proper and cold solder joints. I bet you're getting half your "colour" from the variable resistance across those joints.

With Silver solder I don't hear a difference. There might be a difference with crappy solder though.

Aye, there's the rub. You are never going to admit that your cables actually make absolutely no difference at all, because you have spent your life savings on them.

As for the silver solder, well, there's another money-waster.

Like I said, I spent my life savings after I had made the tests, not before.

Every day I'm hoping they don't make a difference because then I could sell them and "win" many thousands of dollars. But I can't deny the truth. Music sounds horrible to me without them. I have tried so many times you won't believe.

 

[EvilBiker]

Isn't it obvious? Little current always goes through the solder. Silver is a better material...

With Silver solder I don't hear a difference. There might be a difference with crappy solder though.

http://www.welbornelabs.com/solder.htm

We are not 100% convinced that a silver-bearing solder actually makes an audible improvement over a nonsilver-bearing solder. In fact, some of the solders currently marketed as audiophile grade don’t even contain silver (don’t ask us which ones don’t, we won’t tell you). Testimonials from individuals saying they reflowed all of their solder joints with brand "X" silver solder and it made an audible difference were possibly only hearing the difference between an old oxidized joint and a fresh joint.Believe it or not, silver solders were not originally developed for their improved electrical characteristics. Silver was added to tin/lead solders because nonsilver-bearing solders had a tendency to wick away the silver on silver-plated copper wires during the soldering process. Metallurgists found that if they added a few percent of silver to the solder, they could prevent this wicking affect. In fact, the difference in conductivity between silver and nonsilver-bearing solders is very small. And the difference in conductivity between a 2% silver and a 4% silver solder is even smaller. We have not done any extensive listening tests (don’t have the time) so the above is just our hypothesis. We believe what’s most important is that you get a good solder joint with both electrical and mechanical integrity and one that is free of contaminants i.e., a low, noncorrosive flux residue.

You were saying....?