VPI Magic Brick

The VPI Magic Brick is an 8lb block of steel laminations, about 5" by 3" by 2", encased in a nicely-finished oak box for aesthetic appeal and for protecting whatever the brick is sitting on from scratches. Placing the Brick over the power transformer of a piece of electronic gear is supposed to improve the sound of your stereo system.

Before I tried it, I was definitely of two minds about the Brick. Because people I respected had told me that it really did work, I was inclined to believe it. But in my heart I did not really believe that an inert metal block could do anything for an audiophile except cost him money.

Currently, my own system consists of a slightly modified Hafler DH-200, an also-modified db Systems preamp, custom-made, five-way, dynamic speakers (of which we may have more to say at a later date), and a Logic DM-101 turntable (which also warrants later discussion). The arm is a Fidelity Research FR-64fx, and the cartridge a modified Grado G1+. In dollars, this is about a $5500 system; not SOTA by any means, but typical of what the majority of audiophiles own. (Although most of you will undoubtedly criticise my choices.)

So, does it or doesn't it work?
Dammit, it does. I used it on my Hafler DH-200 power amp, and there was a small but unmistakable improvement in the focus of the sound. The best analogy for what I heard is the difference between a photograph which is almost in perfect focus (and few would notice that it wasn't) and when it is in perfect, razor-sharp focus.

I also tried the Brick on a much more modest system to determine whether its effect could still be heard or whether it was of value only when a system's quality was above a certain level. The more modest system consisted of a Technics SLB202 belt-drive table with an Audioref mat, a Grado GT-1+ pickup, an NAD 3020 integrated amplifier and a pair of Audiomaster LS-1 speakers. (The Audiomasters are typical British two-way boxes utilizing Audax drivers.) The retail price of this system is about $725.

The Brick worked again! The sound was still more focused than without the brick. And having heard the difference, I don't feel that anyone who is concerned about sound would want to be without the Brick, even on a modest system.

I found it easiest to perceive the effect of the VPI Brick by trying to follow the line of individual instruments among many. The first Sheffield Amanda McBroom LP is perfect for the purpose. I also found it easier to hear what the Brick was doing by removing it after a while than by adding it and trying to observe what changed. This should not be surprising; all sonic improvements are more noticeable when, after one has gotten used to them, they are taken away, than they are when first installed.

How does it work?
There have been two, not mutually exclusive, theories advanced to explain it. The first has to do with the effect on the sound of otherwise inaudible amounts of hum, which are radiated by the component's power transformer and picked up by its signal-carrying circuits. According to this theory, the metal Brick acts as a "sponge" to absorb much of the stray magnetic field from the power transformer.

I've discussed this idea with more knowlegeable audiophiles than I, and most concur with this explanation. They add that, if this theory is right, then the Brick should have little effect on a component whose power transformer is adequately isolated from the active circuitry, or if the power transformer is toroidal (that is, doughnut-shaped, for minimal hum radiation).

The db preamp has its power supply in a separate box, so I tried placing the Brick on the preamp chassis and then on the power supply chassis. It had no noticeable effect on either, which would seem to lend support to the magnetic-field theory.

The other explanation for the Brick's effect is that it damps mechanical vibration of the chassis beneath it. JGH touched on this in his report in the last issue on the Sony Sound Base.

Briefly, this theory (which Sony obviously supports) holds that the discrete components and signal conductors in an amp or preamp are made to vibrate by airborne and floor-borne sound waves, and that the resulting changes in inter-electrode capacitances or magnetic fields, caused by sounds which have just left the loudspeakers, modulate the signal which is currently passing through the active device, smearing the sound. If the modulations are due to magnetic fields, the effect would be greater when circuits are handling large electrical currents than when currents are small. Power amplifiers should then be more affected than preamps.

I was unable to check out this theory because high-current devices also tend to have more AC radiation from their power transformer, so there was no way I could isolate one effect from the other. Perhaps the theory will be resolved ultimately; as of now, all I can report is that, for whatever reason, the Brick works. And at only $35, I recommend it.

COMPANY INFO
VPI Industries, Inc.
77 Cliffwood Avenue, #5D
Cliffwood, NJ 07721
(732) 583-6895
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Bogolu Haranath's picture

No measurements? :-) ........

jmsent's picture

.....5" × 3" × 2"

Bogolu Haranath's picture

So, how many Magic Bricks do we need for the Relentless amps? :-) ........

RH's picture

It's just amazing to me that a Hi-Fi publication...one with measuring equipment...wouldn't even think to try measuring the results. I mean "Brick Off" vs "Brick On." ANY change in measurements? If nothing electrical is being altered, then the sound isn't changing. You are essentially going down the path of homeopathy or any of the countless fringe-pseudoscience systems, where the imagination is given free reign, with nothing pulling it in.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

I was wondering whether we have to take a long bath and light some candles, in addition to placing the Brick, before listening :-) .........

Glotz's picture

Sorry, your statement is exact opposite sentiment that created many great audio engineers and companies.

Doubtful that an API tool was available in 1982...

The brick controls vibrations and controls stray magnetic fields from migrating to other equipment. I've heard subtle, positive differences on tube amps over their transformers on several occasions (listening through it). For $40 bucks originally, it was a nice find for 80's hifi.. But let's be real... It's wood box with lead in it.

These days technology has come a long way. Grateful VPI came up with that and many other ideas in past 40 years!

RH's picture

"Heaven forbid the imagination is given free reign! LOL.. "

So you don't care about the difference between fiction and fantasy?
Between something that works and doesn't work? Are you just as happy to be duped than not duped?

"The brick controls vibrations and controls stray magnetic fields from migrating to other equipment."

If so, that would be measurable, right? Why not measure to determine if it is doing what it's advertised to be doing?

If the reply is only "I heard a difference," well, thanks, but you can find that attestation for literally every crazy pseudo-scientific tweak any audiophile has dreamed up. Which should be a red flag. If there were measurements one could at least have more information to go off as to whether the reviewer *actually* heard a difference or likely imagined it.

Glotz's picture

No one is getting duped..

That's what auditions and return policies are for. EVERYONE offers them.

I trust my ears and measurements all at the same time. Hence my recent purchases of the Benchmark HPA4 and PS Audio Stellar Phono... Both came with 30 day return policies, both measure great AND sound great. But that is on me- and yes Stereophile provided measurements. The review is what made me purchase both units, the measurements were icing.

And no, my attesting to that finding is just that. One person listening, hearing it and saying this is worth X bucks to invest in this remedy. Same as a reviewer. Trust is a key component here.

Does it mean it's worth the hassle of measuring it? Not really. It's a silly exercise, and my scientific method for this issue... is to listen.

There is NO fantasy in listening through the brick on a tube power transformer.. Conrad Johnson, Audio Research Classic, whatever... it all worked decently and consistently for the better, for $40 bucks.

Now, though? $150 is way too much, but since there ARE no others in the market, one would have to build one after sourcing the materials, OR do it oneself, which to some, is worth $150 of their hassle and time.

Could he have measured it now? Yes! Would it have made a measurable difference? Yes! Is it worth it now to hassle with such a small issue now? No, not really. The market has born it out over time. If it wasn't effective, people wouldn't have bought over 40 years.

Automatically dismissing everything in audio as rip-off garbage just means you will not trust anyone ever, and you're experience as an audiophile suffers as result. MF makes that abundantly clear almost every month in his column or in reviews.

RH's picture

First, nowhere did I automatically dismiss everything in audio as a rip-off. I actually suggested forms of evidence t help us from not getting ripped off. How dare someone suggest such a thing, right?

"No one is getting duped.."

How would you know? Every audio product/tweak anyone has dreamed up has found buyers. You think there is no snake oil anywhere in the industry?

"That's what auditions and return policies are for. EVERYONE offers them."

Lending out equipment, tweaky stuff included, can benefit the manufacture as there are always some portion of people who will hear things that aren't there. Homeopathy - sugar pills sold as if they were medicine- has a huge number of satisfied customers too.

"There is NO fantasy in listening through the brick on a tube power transformer.. Conrad Johnson, Audio Research Classic, whatever... it all worked decently and consistently for the better, for $40 bucks."

So, despite all we know about human biases, listener/sighted biases in particular, you are magically immune? (Hint: no, you are not. Human perception suffers from many biases. Bummer for us audiophiles I know, but head-in-the-sand approaches to facts like those aren't exactly our most dignified way forward).

I'm not suggesting everyone has to become a scientist or engineer themselves when buying any product. If something like this "magic brick" comes along, the way many audiophiles work, it's not actually in the company's best interest to measure the product. If it doesn't measure differently they have nothing to show; but if they just rely on the marketing they can count on some portion of audiophiles "hearing a difference" no matter what product they create.

But in the interests of increasing the relevant information about a product: magazines like Stereophile have been providing detailed measurements for amplifiers for decades. So if this Magic Brick is supposed to change anything about the amps performance, the signal output changes at all, there should be ways of measuring it. Otherwise, how do you know you aren't just fooling yourself? As the great scientist Feynman said "and the easiest person to fool is yourself."

Again: if you or someone else doesn't care at all about what any measurement might say and will only ever rely on your subjective impressions, that's up to you of course. But a more rigorous attempt to vet the claims of products like this (and power cables etc) would be informative for those consumers who do want to see more than marketing and anecdotes before bothering to order anything.

I mean, it's just a very curious phenemonon. The manufacturer claims some technical problem - vibrations, deleterious magnetic fields or whatever. How does the manufacture KNOW those problems exist if they haven't measured them (and measured their effect on a signal)? Are these ideas coming to them in dreams? If they can't measure them, why presume the phenomenon is a "thing?" But if it's an actual real, measurable problem to begin with, and you claim to fix it, then whatever you've done for the signal would be measurable. So...why not provide measurements as proof? Well...their audience has been trained to reject such things as mostly irrelevant. Everyone has Golden Ears, so you can hear unmeasurable phenomena (suggested by the manufacturer or other audio pals). And round and round it goes.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Also see, Stereophile review of 'Tice Clock' :-) .......

Glotz's picture

It seems like your argument is getting more theoretical for no pragmatic reason. It's a bit presumptuous to assume that you expect this magazine to provide measurements in a review at all times. It's similar to say if a magazine can't prove it to you, then they're full of it.

The magazine is supposed to point you/one in the direction of said product with the review and general usage guidelines and it's your job to use it, experiment or return it. I don't think there is an obligation.

If not their responsibility, but perhaps the manufacturer? But then what about their Intellectual Property that they don't feel you need to know (in many cases of audio products)?

You don't dismiss products as a rip-off but then say Without example that snake oil products must exist, and heavily imply this one. Why is so hard for deniers to find the one fraud product in the tens of thousands of audio products out there? People still bring up this product and the Tice Audio clock as crowning achievements of debunking 'audiofoolery'. All of these memes play out every year without fail.

So funny... I didn't even See BH's trollings until I was finished with this reply. Hilarious! And so tedious.

I think perhaps you were offended by the term 'Magic Brick'? It's construction is real simple and its effects are very easy to test. Remove and add, as you say. Takes under a minute. The effects (strong and weak results) are related to the position and directionality of the brick on the amp or transformer. Audiophiles aren't trying to fool themselves for any reason... this shit is expensive. We wouldn't audiophiles if we didn't listen, test and experiment, hence our constant effort for unbiased listening- and thinking.

Anton's picture

So much in audio is based on the idea of one person making a general claim that he insists apply universally to all other audiophiles, based purely on "because I said so."

If a claim is made about the brick affecting performance, and you (for instance) come up with some reason why, it would be way cool to simply see a few measurements "with and without the brick" to see what is happening.

Curiosity does not seem to be the foundation of subjectivism, that's for sure.

I am not impugning anything or anybody, not even VPI cared enough to investigate.

Like I said, I find these to be fun playthings (you and I probably look at these in very similar fashion!)

I had an air conditioning compressor thing behind our old house that made a lot of vibrational noise, and it greatly benefited from having concrete blocks placed on top of it, so I am already favorably inclined to consider placing bricks on things. I just despair the lack of "I wonder how this works" that infects this hobby.

Glotz's picture

I do wish this wasn't a capitalist economy where IP is so important to a company's success and longevity.

I do want to know more about how a scientist would look at any given product, especially the VPI DB-5 here. As others brought up, perhaps non-ferrous is better, and it's pretty much the reason I returned it to my friend Jake 30 years ago.

RH's picture

"It's a bit presumptuous to assume that you expect this magazine to provide measurements in a review at all times."

No need for hyperbole. I'm not demanding every single item ever reviewed is measured. But it strikes me as strangely incurious to pretty much never measure audiophile tweaks, especially when their claims are potentially measurable. And given stereophile measures almost every amp for review, it doesn't seem a stretch to have tried the Magic Brick on some amps and measured. It would be fascinating information and at least a step towards trying to bring *some* empirical rigor to the hi-fi hobby, especially the tweak side, to rope it in from running away in to the forest of pseudo-science.

Note that JA actually did try measuring the Magic Brick on some amps, which I was happy to hear. And though not definitive, the fact no change was measurable, especially when the amp had the very "problem" the brick was supposed to ameliorate, the test results should at least give one pause for thought about the claims.

"You don't dismiss products as a rip-off but then say Without example that snake oil products must exist,"

Do you have no suspicions either way about the claims for these various products?

https://www.machinadynamica.com/machina5.htm

Some of those products have actually been reviewed and approved...subjectively of course.

There are plenty more products, especially in the tweaky side of high end audio, that are pseudo-science. They make claims that are highly technically dubious and offer only marketing and anecdote as "evidence."I admit to utter amazement if you have never encountered a hi-fi tweak product about which you were not at all suspicious.

And a problem of showing anyone with a mainly subjectivist viewpoint that something is a fraud, is that the subjectivist doesn't accept the type of evidence that would show this. The subjectivists say "I trust my ears, and if I hear it I hear it, measurements be damned."
And they tend to reject even tests of their own purported acuity (blind tests). So how COULD you show someone like this that something is snake oil if they *believe* it makes a difference and reject evidence to the contrary.

"I think perhaps you were offended by the term 'Magic Brick'?"

"Offended?" What a strange interpretation. I don't care what a company calls it's product. It's not like I've never used a product (that worked) with the word "magic" in it before. No, just intrigued that the claims for such tweaks, which are potentially measurable, are so rarely tested (even by people who can test them).

"It's construction is real simple and its effects are very easy to test."

We still have a communication problem over the term "test." Not "put it on - do I think I hear something?" As I said, that method has been used to justify the claim of every crazy product ever invented. I'm talking about measurements, which can't be easily fooled as the human imagination. (And/or blind testing to remove listener sighted bias).

"Audiophiles aren't trying to fool themselves for any reason... this shit is expensive. We wouldn't audiophiles if we didn't listen, test and experiment, hence our constant effort for unbiased listening- and thinking."

You don't seem really cognizant of how bias works. It's not something you can just "will" away by trying to be "unbiased." It's how our brains are wired. If you set up a trial to test between cables A and B, where the identity of the cables are kept from the listener, they will tend to be primed to listen for differences by the very nature of the test ("can you hear a difference?"). If you don't even actually switch the cables, but tell the person you are switching them, they often enough will believe they are identifying sonic differences with the same cable. I've done this. I've had it done to me.

But we seem to be at The Great Divide. Some people acknowledge the problem of bias, and understand that their own subjectivity can be fooled easily, and that measurements *can* help us discern fact from imagination; others, the Golden Ears, believe they have the power to move beyond bias, with a firm confidence in their own subjectivity to deliver accurate reports. Science-be-damned.

Glotz's picture

How long did you spend getting this 5000 word essay juuuust perfect?

Ad hominem attacks abound! Ouch! You know so much about me! I can see you have an axe to grind with people that don't own test equipment and only have ears. Excellent forum formatting to show how you utterly trunce your opponents! You slay me... victoriously, of course.

So what do JA results mean? Nothing or everything?

Does his test equipment fail or does he? Or does the test?

Perhaps the tech isn't commercially available yet? Perhaps it's not measurable? NOW WHAT?? Should I... Listen?!?!?!? (Noooooooooooo...)

Perhaps you should start your own magazine? "Presumptive Measurements"? Or how about "Distortion Measurements for Audio-Haters Monthly"?

No, I rather think that this in itself is an experiment. I think Jim Austin decided to bring back some doozies from the crypt and allowed for us to spin our tops... but, you pretend to argue well and I am bored with your aggressive, butt-hurt style. So, see you on the next post!

I promise I won't have any biases against you.

RH's picture

Oookaaayyy...

Thanks for the..uh...conversation.

*slowly inches away to find seat near front of bus*....

John Atkinson's picture
RH wrote:
It's just amazing to me that a Hi-Fi publication...one with measuring equipment...wouldn't even think to try measuring the results. I mean "Brick Off" vs "Brick On." ANY change in measurements?

I took a amplifier that has some very-low-level low-level 60Hz and 180Hz spuriae in its output, due to radiated hum from the toroidal power transformer. I measured the spectrum of the amplifier's output, then repeated the measurement with 2 VPI Bricks over the transformer. There were no differences between the spectra.

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

Bogolu Haranath's picture

If you could have placed one of the Bricks in north-east to south-west position and the other Brick in north-west to south-east position and measured them, you could have gotten diiffent measurements ..... Just kidding ...... Just kidding :-) ........

John Atkinson's picture
This amplifier may not have been a good test subject, as the AC spuriae were already very low in level (-100dB ref. 1W into 8 ohms). It just happened to be what I had on my test bench. I will try again when I find an amplifier that has worse AC hum rejection.

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

RH's picture

Thanks John!

Not definitive of course, but some interesting bit of data to consider. Cheers!

Anton's picture

Keep in mind, they take about 500 hours of playing time to break in, and they seem to last a little longer than a cartridge before they start to lose effectiveness.

The inner metal crystal structure seems randomly directed...there are 16 layers to keep track of, so you can also notice a lot of brick to brick variability and will need to build your "wall" brick by brick by ear. Be sure to ask for easy exchanges for brick substitution.

I swear, us Magic Brick aficionados can be as bad as cable kooks.

Of course, the price of bricks has been rising, now 150 dollars retail.

Try the Shun Mook and compare!

Glotz's picture

You actually brought up the Shun Mook??

Oh man, you're asking for it! lol..

Jack L's picture

Hi

As long as it does not cost much, it is a way to change the sound, better or worse.

As a die-hard DIYer, I have done quite a bit of tweaking on my rig & my audio fans, cheaply in past years.

Technically, I would NOT put any magnetic objects, like Magic Bricks or whatever similar with direct contact to the equipment to be tweaked as it somewhat affects the original magnetic feature of that component.

To suppress any airborne, internal & ground vibrations (which how the damping weight of Magic Brick works for) of the component, I would definitely use a small piece of natural stone instead. No undue magnetism affecting the component to worry about !!!!!

I still recall I had a tiny cut piece 4"x5" of my torn heavy outdoor rug (made of mastic fillers) glued on top of my first flimsy-built Blu-ray player right over at the disc transport, many years back. It improved the imaging focusing big time. It is the small weight of the mastic piece damped down the vibration of the Blu-ray transport. This is physics. Nothing fancy. Yet it cost me nothing !!!!!

So much tweaking I have done on to my rig in the past years, to improve the overall sound, in term of image focusing, separation & soundstaging. All these yield noticeable sound improvement but cost me next to nothing.

Another effective tweaking is suspending any cables. e.g. loudspeaker cables, powerline cables & power amp power cords etc etc OFF the floor.

Technically, lifting all these audio/power cables off the floor is desirable.
Why? Underneath the floor run miles of utility electrical wires/cables for the house/apartment flat, be it wooden structure or poured concrete slab.

With WiFi everywhere, those loops of wires/cables form some powerful RFI/EMI noise receiving/transmitting antennae. So lifting ALL cables of our audio rig off the floor is to minimize the chance of those unwanted RF noises transmitting into the audio cables.

Another advantage is to minimize any floor vibration caused by footdrops & other remote sources.

Rather than paying good money for brandnamed cable suspenders as quite a few will be needed depending on the lengths of cables need to be lifted, I DIYed many such suspenders which work fine.

Tweaking is fun !

Listening is believing

Jack L

I would

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Ayre sells Myrtle blocks ....... AD wrote about them in one of his Listening columns ...... I think JA1 uses them :-) ........

Anton's picture

I knew a forestry scientist who found a 4,000+ year old Bristlecone Pine that had been killed by lightning. It had lived right on a canyon ridge at about 11,000 feet.

They salvaged the wood for studies and I got some chunks.

It's not all that dense, but the combination of the amount of time it had to 'break in' and then the electrical affect of that lightning's screaming high voltage has made for some big fun putting blocks under gear, on top of gear, and under wires.

Just saying.

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Myrtle is an aromatic plant ....... Sandalwood is also, another aromatic plant, which retains its fragrance for decades ...... Sandalwood is the second most expensive wood in the world ...... See, Wikipedia :-) .......

Spla'nin's picture

Attempts to block, dissipate or interrupt EMF RFI or even mechanical noise sources (some transformers) can affect performance (think SDS / turntable vfd speed controllers etc), thankfully manufacturers & legislation have been making this more of a priority (except 5G or ANY technology that's of covert benefit to the political industrial complex) to contain it at the source and more technology has trickled down from naval, aerospace & medical tech to benefit consumer hifi electronics. Its only magic until you know what the demon is. Now where did it put that Jesuit powder ...

tonykaz's picture

I was a VPI Dealer, Shela was our contact.

I created and owned B & K Imports & Esoteric Audio.

My partner and I were Transportation Industrialists and Scientists dabbling in Consumer Home Audio.

The Vpi turntables were the best turntables of the 1980s and might still be the best available.

Those Bricks were simply a steady sale "Parts & Accessory" ( P&A ) item. We would sell thru every month ( except Summers ). People loved them and would typically own a few.

We had a significant DIY group that made thier own Bricks because they realised that adding Mass and/or Dampening would/could alter thier system's performance.

VPI no longer offers the Brick, I think because of shipping weight charges but I'd bet that those Bricks would still be good sellers. I use calibrated Lead weights and bottles of Manometer Mercury that we kept around for Preasure measure Instrument Calibration purposes.

Audiophiles love buying things like Interconnects and all manner of interesting little tools, etc.

Parts & Accessories should be 50% of Retail Sales. They are high point items that don't need to be discounted.

Tony in Venice

Anton's picture

https://elusivedisc.com/vpi-magic-brick/

tonykaz's picture

I just called VPI and had my first chat with them since 1985 when I was explaining to Sheila how we were closing up our Shop. I wish I could've talked to her today.

Anyway:

Vpi still offer those Magic Bricks.

And:

Someone at Vpi will step-in here and make a Official comments about all this.

Originally, yesterday, the Magic Brick was NOT on the Vpi Web site. It still isn't today.

Tony in Venice

rschryer's picture

... were you even allowed to divulge this Top-Secrety-sounding information?

I don't want you to suddenly disappear because you broke a code of silence.

:-)

tonykaz's picture

Hmm,

Vpi staff promised a Stereophile comment by one of their decision makers. I said that I would wait for their participating response. They seemed to recognise me as a previous dealer of theirs .

I suspect that Vpi are having the same sort of staffing problems that everyone is having while this Virus is running it's course: short handed and struggling.

These Bricks are still part of Vpi's product line, while some other company seems to be offering what appears to be a cloned Vpi brick, going by the name Db-9. The Vpi brick is a DB-5.

So, what gives?

I called to find out and did, partially.

I also had a chance to have a look at all the Players since the HW-19s we were so fond of, I kind of like the HW-40 but not enough to spend $40,000 for one. ( I probably should own a Michell Gyrodek in Gold or Stainless, kept under Glass, just for old times sake ). ( or maybe a fresh LP-12 )

I'm hoping for Vpi to arrive here to say something insightful and interesting.

Thanks for writing, always nice hearing from y'all and reading your thoughts.

Tony in Venice

ps. If Vpi doesn't pounce on this opportunity, I will tell what I was told, it's not secret.

rschryer's picture

...the HW-19s we were so fond of, I kind of like the HW-40 but not enough to spend $40,000 for one. ( I probably should own a Michell Gyrodek in Gold or Stainless, kept under Glass, just for old times sake ). ( or maybe a fresh LP-12 )"

Okay, who are you, and what did you do to the real tonykaz?

tonykaz's picture

You're wonderful.

I was in the thick of the turntable Wars. I ran a Turntable based Business. I own a vast collection of Vinyl, I'm a Koetsu lover.

I am still the same old Tony!

But:

I'm also a 21st. Century Audiophile, a Suitcase Traveler, an Old Geezer that hasn't assumed Room Temp. despite having smoked 15,000 packs of Smokes and consumed 5,000 fifths of hard over a 15 year period.

I keep changing and hopefully advancing. I'm morphing into 100% Solar Powered.

If I were insurable, I'd be chasing a Lion Battery Chemistry Career.

Our World isn't stagnant, each step forward involves obsoleting a piece of our history, even if it was loved.

Tony in Venice

ps. I NEVAH obsolete or abandon my friends. ( even if they emotionally live in 1979 ). 2020-2030 is starting out being the most transformative decade in the 11,000 year history of civilisation. I'm predicting that we both will be friends as 2031 Celebrations pop. We are in for the most facinating life-ride, we won the Greatest Life Lottery. Bon Voyage!!!

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Real tonykaz was abducted by the aliens from another 'planet' and is replaced by one of their own people :-) ........

Bogolu Haranath's picture

Thirty-six, Twenty-four, Thirty-six, oh what a winning hand ........ She is a brick house :-) .......

vmartell's picture

If someone showed me this article without letting me know the publication OR the date, my first guess would be "The Onion" - that said, this article is from 1982! I am sure things have changed now...

v

hollowman's picture

As an owner of several of these bricks, I can attest that they improve SUBJECTIVE "metrics". Esp. when used w/ power amps.
While JA cannot, as of mid 2020, measure the objective effects of such items ... this does not mean that scientific tools and techniques in 30 years won't be able to.
As a side note, VPI bricks do hold their value on the used market. You can usually re-coop (or even profit from) your initial investment if you decide not to keep them.

hollowman's picture

A fun product -- I own several of them. My gear is very mid-grade, but they Bricks do make a little subjective improvement. Also, they look nice as furniture and (if taken care of) retain their orig. value. Sold a few on eBay and got almost full retail price. Old-time audiophiles know what they are ;)

X