Audio-visual hoaxes endorsed by critics

[El Greco]

I'm trying to compile a list of woo claims regarding audio & video quality. I'm interested only in hoaxes that have been promoted by well-known critics and/or magazines. If you can remember something off the top of your head please post it here.

 

[Ladewig]

I'm trying to compile a list of woo claims regarding audio & video quality. I'm interested only in hoaxes that have been promoted by well-known critics and/or magazines. If you can remember something off the top of your head please post it here.

You should start by going through Randi's weekly column; a couple have been mentioned recently.

 

[El Greco]

Re: Re: Audio-visual hoaxes endorsed by critics

You should start by going through Randi's weekly column; a couple have been mentioned recently.

Good idea. Here's what I found so far:

"Audiodharma Cable Cooker" by "Audio excellence az" promoted by "Stereophile" magazine

"Shakti Hallograph Soundfield Optimizer", "Shakti stones" and "Bybee Quantum Purifiers", all of them endorsed by Wayne Donnelly. "Shakti stones" also endorsed by Dick Clark of "Audio Journal"

The "Bedini Ultra Clarifier" endorsed by Kevin Hunt.

Quackery not reviewed by any critic AFAIK:

"Electret Foil" and "Red X Pen" by P.W.B. Electronics
The "Tice clock"
The "Wooden knobs"
The "C37 Lacquer"
The "Intelligent Chip"

Some debunking comments:

John Dunlavy's and Rod Elliot's comments on "audiophile cables".

I'll keep searching.

 

[SpaceFluffer]

Machina Dynamica, makers of the Intelligent Chip don't confine their pseudoscience to small red squares of plastic...

http://www.machinadynamica.com/

 

[SpaceFluffer]

Incidentally, I wrote to the author of this review of the Intelligent Chip:

http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/chip/chip.html

He essentially takes the easy way out by saying that it makes things sound better, but that he's going to leave the 'why' to the experts (shouldn't a reviewer be such an expert?).

I told him that reviewing such pieces of equipment effectively wasn't hard, and directed him to information on double-blinded tests.

Choice quote:

The only possible solution for anyone curious enough to experiment with this device is to follow Marc Mickelson's excellent suggestion from his current SoundStage! Editorial - to keep an open mind and not let the lack of current science, experience or exposure pre-qualify the outcome in one way or the other.

How about letting whether it works or not qualify the outcome?