Awesome Audiophile Snake Oil

lol nope it definitely doesn’t.

Also what is that graph even trying to be

Top line goes all the way up to eleven.

couldn't resist looking it up. a Sony thing. guessing it's something like a bbe sonic maximizer or something that makes the high end tingle and give that sensation of more life in the sound?

"upscales" lol

that fucking graph is killing me

DSEEZ NUTX

Maybe not that snakeoil-y, but the hipster doucheyness is off the charts!

https://www.atxrecordplayers.com/optin-22668722

wow, some people have a lot of spare cash

Huh, just noticed some of their pitch is only on the mobile site.

Lines like:

If you're looking for a cheap console check Craigslist

Mcintosh packages are available for only the best and rarest consoles! (Only true ballers allowed)

is it douchey if i think those look sexy as hell?

no way, those look fkn rad, although i suspect there's no way in hell i'd be willing to pay what they're asking for

I was gonna say, I'd much rather look at one of those consoles than at a stack of components.

But then, for probably less than $100, you could find and gut one of those consoles and shoehorn your gear into it.

I tried fixing my grandpa-in-laws console because the tube amp sounded great and it had 78 rpm. But I'm no gearhead, and I could never get the turntable to consistently start nor find a replacement needle. Not the sexiest design, but it had potential if I could have figured out how to put a better turntable in there.

But then, for probably less than $100, you could find and gut one of those consoles and shoehorn your gear into it.

― Montgomery Burns' Jazz (Tarfumes The Escape Goat), Thursday, October 18, 2018 9:58 AM (twenty-seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah i think that's basically what these guys are doing, getting rummage sale stuff the loading it w/components and charging 4X what it's worth

^^There's another video (also visible on their mobile site, but also seen here) where in the founder admits that's how he got started, by buying a console on Craigslist and then fixing it up.

To me, the doucheyness lies in the whole "ATX" branding, the copy I've excerpted, the fact that they've landed a endorsement from noted automotive douche Jesse James, and that one book in this photo.

...and also the balls to castigate cost skeptic customers by advising them to fuck off BY DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE COMPANY IS ALREADY DOING.

that’s ‘noted automotive douche and nazi jesse james’ to give him his full title

my old gran had a console like these.
not quite as high end, more likely a g-plan thing.
can't remember the manufacturer.
after her death it went to a cousin who preferred watching Bradford City as opposed to listening to the latest record by The The, much to the anger of many within the family clan.
the record deck was dreadful, but damn, it made old 60s 7" singles sound so special via its inbuilt speakers.
what I would give to have it now with a decent set up inside.
none of the original electronics would be worthy, but with modern kit in it, it would be bloody wonderful.

surely they have these things coming out their ears in palm springs

that’s ‘noted automotive douche and nazi jesse james’ to give him his full title

Not to mention his treatment of poor Sandra Bullock...

https://www.atxrecordplayers.com/hosted/images/9c/fb6a916c0c11e8983bdfb25c0e06d1/unnamed-7.jpg

nice copy of atlas shrugged there, douchelord

https://www.atxrecordplayers.com/hosted/images/9c/fb6a916c0c11e8983bdfb25c0e06d1/unnamed-7.jpg

i see morrissey is a fan
https://www.atxrecordplayers.com/hosted/images/be/3154b1c1dc11e88e46e36307d97bbf/unnamed-14.jpg

Record weights/clamps: worth it? do these really do anything? I kind of want one and I have no rational reason to. I see them ranging in price from like $30 to hundreds.

also, I see a fair number of 'changed consoles' with newer equipment in them . a lot of them are really beautiful; either old consoles or new ones built in older styles. If i had the space and money I'd completely buy one of those things. The Montgomery Wards coffin stereo we had as a kid is still, in my mind, the best sounding system I've ever heard.

personally I would never put a turntable inside a console like that (or any piece of furniture) for acoustic reasons

used to sell record clamps, but honestly never A/B'd them so not sure if they work

one of the best hifi systems I ever heard had a turntable as a main source and did not use a record clamp though, so if sound is your primary concern I would personally go speakers > pickup/turntable > riaa/amp > record clamps etc > snakeoil

If I got a brand consultant to design a sick visual identity for a brand of audio conditioning fluid called “snake oil” would it sell and would I ever get called out

if you call it Viper Grease (TM) or something, I could see that work

i used to seriously talk about selling Record Lotion

re: clamps I always thought they were BS but my boss says a good one basically flattens a record out if it has any imperfections and he thinks they're good so I dunno

this reminds me

can anyone recommend a decent pair of inexpensive (< $225/pair perhaps) speakers for a basic setup. i have older speakers (JBC or something?) that sound terrible lately.

The Andrew Jones Pioneer bookshelves

thanks! I owned some of those a million years ago, I think?

are the floor-standing ones just as good? those might make more sense for me...

(and i assume they'll still work with a literally 22-year-old receiver/amp)

or maybe 25-year?

sure, if the amp works why not?

lots of good bookshelf speakers in that price range, probably depends what's available in your local shop/market

the what hifi picks might be a good place to start

tbrr for a sec, some of the older receivers and amps have direct coupled outputs and the transistor biases and offsets have wandered over the years as the caps drifted. So if you have a multimeter, put it on the DC mV range and check at the speaker terminals. If it’s over say 100mV DC (not AC) the amp needs to be re biased or it will wear out the voice coils of some speaker types.

can anyone recommend a decent pair of inexpensive (< $225/pair perhaps) speakers for a basic setup. i have older speakers (JBC or something?) that sound terrible lately.

― affects breves telnet (Gummy Gummy), Sunday, October 28, 2018 8:50 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

The Andrew Jones Pioneer bookshelves

― Greta Van Fleek (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, October 28, 2018 9:17 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Andrew Jones left Pioneer a few years back and now designs speakers for Elac; their Debut bookshelf speakers have brought in raves all around and are reasonably priced. The older Pioneers are still available too and still highly regarded. I haven't heard either yet.

As for using old receivers with new speakers, i've noticed that many new speakers are rated at 6 ohms impedance or even 4 whereas my old Marantz amp is designed for 8 ohm speakers. Is this a problem?

i have some old boston acoustics that are mismatched ohms w/the amp i have (can't remember which is 4 and which is 8 but they are def not the same)...anyway it works but the amp tends to get really hot, one time it shut down when i had it on all day, but overall it's worked

WRT: Elac I didn't know that, explains why I've been seeing them all over

anyway here's some good deals on them:

https://slickdeals.net/f/12134407-elac-debut-2-0-b6-2-bookshelf-speakers-249-98-elac-debut-2-0-c6-2-center-speaker-229-98-more?src=SiteSearchV2_SearchBarV2Algo1

The ELACs are really nice, the bookshelf model (B6.2) for $250 off Amazon is pretty reasonable.

As for using old receivers with new speakers, i've noticed that many new speakers are rated at 6 ohms impedance or even 4 whereas my old Marantz amp is designed for 8 ohm speakers. Is this a problem?

that's what I was wondering, too. the amplifier in my receiver is rated at: 100 Watt - 8 Ohm - 20000 Hz - THD 0.09%

and most of the speakers I've checked out are rated at 6 ohms

this is all kind of mysterious to me, to be honest, and i don't have the time or energy to do a deep audiophile dive on what it all means. should i find speakers rated for 8 ohms or just deal w/ the mismatch?

ok, i looked thru my receiver's manual, and it has this:

https://ptpimg.me/5s3x3u.png

i assume this is referring not to "individual speakers A and B" but to "speaker _system_ A and/or B"

so i would guess that if i get two speakers rated at 6 ohms, I could set the speaker impedance selector to the left position (which is more speakers rated 4 or 6 ohms) and be fine...?

er, which is *for speakers rated 4 or 6 ohms

got a brand consultant to design a sick visual identity

Isn't a crucial part of the snake-oil aesthetic the complete absence of sick visual identity? You don't buy Shakti Stones because they look cool or they're marketed well, you buy them because they REALLY WORK.

xxxxxxp I have Elacs, great for the price.

hmm good point, that's even easier. The Archie McPhee store has loads of like medical/scientific surplus bottles and I can just set up a website with a terrible shopping cart interface and fill the bottles with…I dunno, expired moisturizer?

honestly you could just put in WD40 and sell it as something to slather on your speaker/component connections and it wouldn't do any harm

perfect

hello I only lurk on this thread normally but wanted to say that unless you have a tube/valve amp then minor deviations from states impedance shouldn’t cause a problem

yeah iirc speakers don't have constant impedance anyway

thanks! i found a few articles that suggested the same -- that most widely-purchased consumer amps and speakers are broadly compatible despite the ohm-age unless you really crank your speakers up to an incredibly high volume.

i also read that if you empty a can of wd40 into each speaker and shake the around, you really improve their reproduction of high-hats and cymbals.