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Wooden Knobs For Your Stereo
Status: Dubious product
This seems like it should be a joke, but I don't think it is. Reference Audio Mods is selling wooden knobs for Silver Rock stereo equipment (to replace the standard metal knobs). They claim these knobs will greatly improve sound quality: The point here is the micro vibrations created by the volume pots and knobs find their way into the delicate signal path and cause degradation (Bad vibrations equal bad sound). With the signature knobs micro vibrations from the C37 concept of wood, bronze and the lacquer itself compensate for the volume pots and provide (Good Vibrations) our ear/brain combination like to hear... way better sound!!
And they're asking $485.00! I refuse to believe that wooden knobs would make any difference in the sound quality of stereo equipment.Related Posts:
Nov 08, 2005: Altmann Tube-O-Lator Lacquer
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Categories: Technology Posted by Alex on Wed Aug 02, 2006 |
Comments (34) |
| More from the Hoax Museum Archives: | |||
I can't believe that there has not been a single knob joke in this thrtead to date. What are you people - grownups?
Posted by outeast on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 02:16 AM
Knob knob knobbin
Posted by johnny in amsterdam on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 05:35 AM
Big Gary said
OK, here's a question for you audio-knowledgeable types:
Supposing that using wooden knobs on a high-end stereo outfit really does somehow make the sound better, why couldn't I whittle my own from a piece of scrap lumber at a total cost of ... nothing?
_____________________________________
Gary, I have already admitted my lack of knowledge so I don't really qualify as an "audio knowledgeable type" but I can refer you to a page I linked to previously.
http://www.audio-consulting.ch/C37_wooden_knobs.htm
Scroll to the bottom and you will see some unfinished knobs. I don't see any reason a halfway decent carpenter couldn't make them. The onlt specs seem to be the type of wood (solid beech in this case) as well as a bronze core which they claim achieves much better sound than any other metal or plastic.
Posted by Chuck in Rhode Island on Fri Aug 04, 2006 at 09:05 AM
OK, here's a question for you audio-knowledgeable types:
Supposing that using wooden knobs on a high-end stereo outfit really does somehow make the sound better, why couldn't I whittle my own from a piece of scrap lumber at a total cost of ... nothing?
_____________________________________
Gary, I have already admitted my lack of knowledge so I don't really qualify as an "audio knowledgeable type" but I can refer you to a page I linked to previously.
http://www.audio-consulting.ch/C37_wooden_knobs.htm
Scroll to the bottom and you will see some unfinished knobs. I don't see any reason a halfway decent carpenter couldn't make them. The onlt specs seem to be the type of wood (solid beech in this case) as well as a bronze core which they claim achieves much better sound than any other metal or plastic.
Stork said:
"The music doesn't become sound until it reaches the speakers, folks. Until it is converted into sound in the speakers, it is nothing but a stream of signal being passed down the wires, or nowadays, thru a wireless transmission, sometimes."
Exactly correct, Mr. Stork. This whole "wooden knob" thing is a big joke on people who think that the most expensive thing must automatically be the BEST thing. Like another poster said, these would have about as much impact on the sound coming out of your speakers as changing your shorts would.
Although Barnum never said, "There's a sucker born every minute," the guy who DID was about 30 seconds off. Or as Frank Zappa said, hydrogen isn't the most common element in the Universe, stupidity is.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 03:23 AM
"The music doesn't become sound until it reaches the speakers, folks. Until it is converted into sound in the speakers, it is nothing but a stream of signal being passed down the wires, or nowadays, thru a wireless transmission, sometimes."
Exactly correct, Mr. Stork. This whole "wooden knob" thing is a big joke on people who think that the most expensive thing must automatically be the BEST thing. Like another poster said, these would have about as much impact on the sound coming out of your speakers as changing your shorts would.
Although Barnum never said, "There's a sucker born every minute," the guy who DID was about 30 seconds off. Or as Frank Zappa said, hydrogen isn't the most common element in the Universe, stupidity is.
Charybdis said:
"One of them has been an 'expert' for probably 20 years now, and he once spent $10,000 on gold-plated speaker cable that sounds exactly like the cable that came with the system. He refused to allow us to perform a blind test of his ability to distinguish between the two."
Isn't that interesting? Why, it's almost as if, on some level, he KNEW that his ridiculously expensive cable didn't do squat to the audio. I mean, if they were worth $20k, why wouldn't he want to PROVE to you that he knew what he was talking about? The ability of the human mind to bullshit itself is amazing, isn't it?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Sat Aug 05, 2006 at 03:33 AM
"One of them has been an 'expert' for probably 20 years now, and he once spent $10,000 on gold-plated speaker cable that sounds exactly like the cable that came with the system. He refused to allow us to perform a blind test of his ability to distinguish between the two."
Isn't that interesting? Why, it's almost as if, on some level, he KNEW that his ridiculously expensive cable didn't do squat to the audio. I mean, if they were worth $20k, why wouldn't he want to PROVE to you that he knew what he was talking about? The ability of the human mind to bullshit itself is amazing, isn't it?
One word: poppycock!!
Posted by the Brit on Mon Aug 07, 2006 at 07:49 PM
Cranky Media Guy - Thanks for validating what I thought all along. I know you're a pro.
Posted by stork in the spiracles of space on Mon Aug 07, 2006 at 08:44 PM
You're welcome, Stork, although you hardly needed my validation. This thing has "Emperor's New Clothes" written all over it.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Tue Aug 08, 2006 at 06:14 AM
Har it's funny. Regardless of electromagnetic or digital signals and the effect of wooden knobs on their transmission, I find this whole thing even funnier because... if the metal volume knob on your stereo has such a profound effect on the sound of your system, what effect does the huge metal amp case have on the sound? If changing one knob to a bit of wood makes such a difference, then surely what you REALLY need to do is eliminate the big clunky steel box which contains all the electronics...
I might start producing high-end audiophile equipment made out of lovely polished wooden boxes (just like the old days). Wow, what could I charge for a wooden amp?
Posted by Mark D in Scotland on Wed Oct 04, 2006 at 06:19 PM
I might start producing high-end audiophile equipment made out of lovely polished wooden boxes (just like the old days). Wow, what could I charge for a wooden amp?
People are like this, always. They are narrow-minded like the topicstarter and most of the crowd who replied, too stupid to figure out how it is possible, and too protective for their tiny, narrow-minded world by refusing to even think. Keep doing this, that's great, the less people use their brains, the easier it is to live well for those who do.
Posted by D.R.Norman on Tue Dec 05, 2006 at 11:02 AM
D.R. Norman said:
"People are like this, always. They are narrow-minded like the topicstarter and most of the crowd who replied, too stupid to figure out how it is possible, and too protective for their tiny, narrow-minded world by refusing to even think."
Well, why don't you explain to us fools how exactly wooden knobs can demonstrably improve the sound of an otherwise unaltered stereo system...you know, since you're so much smarter and open-minded than the rest of us. It's OK to use small words so that we simpletons can follow what you say, by the way.
Posted by Cranky Media Guy on Thu Dec 07, 2006 at 03:13 AM
"People are like this, always. They are narrow-minded like the topicstarter and most of the crowd who replied, too stupid to figure out how it is possible, and too protective for their tiny, narrow-minded world by refusing to even think."
Well, why don't you explain to us fools how exactly wooden knobs can demonstrably improve the sound of an otherwise unaltered stereo system...you know, since you're so much smarter and open-minded than the rest of us. It's OK to use small words so that we simpletons can follow what you say, by the way.
This is a very nice Wooden Knobs wish he all the best.
Posted by Martina in Australia on Sat Aug 09, 2008 at 01:10 AM
This seems like it should be a joke,
Posted by Martina on Thu Aug 21, 2008 at 04:42 AM
This one is absolute bullshit. Knobs make absolutely no difference. Top of the line guitar amps and speakers use plastic knobs for a reason - they don't matter!
What creates better sound is the source (cassette vs. CD), the type of wood the speakers are made out of, the speakers themselves (2-way vs 3-way, woofer size, all components working?), speaker cable vs. wire used (cable sounds better), having the proper ohms and voltage, how EQ and loudness are used, etc.
As others have said, this is a cash grab, will likely make a plastic stereo look like shit and would never pass a double blind test.
Posted by Brandon in Canada on Tue Jun 30, 2009 at 01:24 AM
What creates better sound is the source (cassette vs. CD), the type of wood the speakers are made out of, the speakers themselves (2-way vs 3-way, woofer size, all components working?), speaker cable vs. wire used (cable sounds better), having the proper ohms and voltage, how EQ and loudness are used, etc.
As others have said, this is a cash grab, will likely make a plastic stereo look like shit and would never pass a double blind test.



