Miscellaneous Accessories:
Acoustic Revive RR-888 Ultra Low Frequency Pulse Generator: $695
This small plastic box with a wall wart power supply is said to artificially generate the electromagnetic 7.83Hz Schumann resonance and alter the sound in your listening room. “Which it most certainly does—alter the sound, that is,” wrote Alex Halberstadt. Listening to “Madness” from Miles Davis’s Nefertiti LP, he realized that the band’s tart, angular sound had become sweeter: “It was as though the dissonant and otherwise disagreeable sounds on the recording were somehow pushed down below the threshold of perception.” However, he felt an unfamiliar physical tension, which reminded him a little of the sensation of an airplane’s cabin becoming pressurized. “It felt slightly uncomfortable and was impossible to tune out completely but proved quite tolerable,” he wrote, though adding a second RR-888 made the discomfort grow to the point where it became unpleasant. “What I can say with some confidence,” he concluded, “is that this device does seem to deliver significant positive sonic and musical effects, though it appears to do this by affecting the listener at least as much as their hi-fi. While I find this little device fascinating, its effects on my body rule out prolonged use.” (Vol.48 No.5 WWW) Audio Research Tube Damping Rings: $5 each
Damping rings for all AR products are now available to the public at large. They’re made of a proprietary polymer material that converts kinetic energy to heat, and their improvements are not subtle, exclaims Robert J. Reina: tighter, cleaner, deeper, more dynamic bass; more coherent transient attacks; crisper, more extended highs; plus “improvements in the reproduction of subtle gradations of low-level dynamics.” Give ‘em a whirl—the cost is minimal. (Vol.23 No.2, Vol.26 No.8) AudioQuest binding-post wrench: $19.95 ★
A great idea improved—similar to the original Postman, but with a metal sleeve reinforcing the sockets. (Vol.20 No.9)
AudioQuest JitterBug FMJ: $69.95 ★
This aluminum-bodied version of the JitterBug performs the same USB noise filtering as the original. John Atkinson found that using a JitterBug FMJ with the Questyle M12 USB headphone amplifier, the presentation took on a tad more transparency, coupled with a touch more ease. (Vol.45 No.2 WWW) CAIG DeoxIT GOLD Wipes K-G1W-25: $30.95/25ct;
K-G1W-50: $52.95/50ct
These small pads are made of a slightly abrasive textile that has been impregnated with Caig’s DeoxIT Gold contact cleaner. John Marks uses them on the outside of RCA jacks and on the pins of RCA plugs to treat corrosion, oxidation, condensation, and general grime. Marks: “A small but powerful stocking-stuffer…You’ll feel like a pro!” (Vol.25 No.12, Vol.36 No.10 WWW) ETI LINK: $199 (pack of 4)
ETI CODA: $299 (pack of 4)
Originally called the Eichmann Bullet, this RCA connector uses a clever design in which the hot signal is conducted by a hollow rather than a solid pin, and where a smaller, solid pin at the connector’s periphery takes the place of an unnecessarily massive ground sleeve. Art Dudley heard “a more open and explicit sound” with a “deeper, more open, and more inviting” soundfield. Silver Bullet Plugs made the difference “clearer, more explicit, and even smoother.” (Vol.27 No.12 WWW)
Innuos NazaréNET: $32,000
Innuos NazaréFLOW: $32,000, plus $7300 for output modules for specific DACs
The NET is an Ethernet network switch, fitted with four RJ45 network ports and optimized for its Finisar single-mode optical fiber SFP port. “The NazaréNET removes the network as a source of noise, with isolation strategies that go far beyond what general purpose equipment can offer,” says Innuos. The FLOW is a digital audio reclocker for any music streamer-server with a USB audio output; an additional output module is required for specific D/A processors—at the time of the review modules were available for MSB and CH Precision DACs. The FLOW can convert PCM or DSD data to a format that best suits the DAC in use. Jason Victor Serinus reviewed these two expensive network accessories with his Innuos Nazaré server/streamer, using a single-mode SFP network connection. However, he couldn’t use the FLOW with his dCS Varèse D/A processor’s USB input as a module was not yet available; Serinus will write a follow-up when it is. He could connect the FLOW’s USB output to the Varèse’s Core chassis and with NET and FLOW wrote that the word “better” fell short of describing what he heard. “The entire paradigm of what I thought possible from my system shifted. Old measures of transparency, vividness, and believability fell by the wayside. It was as though an omnipresent veil had lifted and I was hearing music as I had never expected to hear it through my system.” Serinus concluded that “The NazaréNET and NazaréFLOW are anything but simple add-ons at a very high price. If you hear them in a good system, you will discover what an enormous difference they make. Innuos’s game-changing duo commands and receives my highest recommendation.” (Vol.49 No.9 WWW) Intona USB 3.0 Galvanic Isolator: $398 (cable not included) ★
This small module fits between a source component’s USB Type A port and a D/A processor’s USB Type B port. When Herb Reichert first used it with the HoloAudio May processor, he “jumped back,” he wrote. “The sound changed more than I expected it would.” When he removed the Intona, “the soundstage was drier, flatter, and smaller. Instruments sounded plain. Reverberation on the recording was noticeably reduced. Music was less intoxicating.” John Atkinson found no measurable differences in the output resulting from inserting the Intona between a MacBook Pro and various D/A processors. (Vol.43 No.8 WWW) Littlite Classic LED Task Lamp: $130.05
The latest generation of Littlite mixing-console lamps provides high-efficiency, long-life LED illumination; a rotary switch selects clear white or red light. John Marks finds the 18" version especially helpful near a turntable or CD player. (Vol.36 No.10 WWW)
Nordost Qnet Network Switch: $3799.99 ★
The QNet is a layer-2 Ethernet switch with, Nordost says, “five ports designed from the ground up with high end audio performance and an extremely low noise operation in mind.” Jason Victor Serinus initially used the supplied 9V, switch-mode wall wart with the QNet, but then substituted the optional QSource power supply. Serinus summed up his experience of the QSource-powered QNet, both of which he subsequently purchased, by writing “I’ll simply say that it is now much easier to follow each line in even the most complex passages of Mahler or Strauss and to understand, musically, the reasons behind the complexity. Thunderous organ now resonates strongly, without inappropriate boom. Tonal color inside my music room is beyond acid-rush intensity.” (Vol.45 No.10 WWW) Nordost QNet7 network switch: $5499.99
This seven-port, reclocking network switch also has an SFP port that can accept either copper or optical SFP 1Gb transceiver modules, allowing the choice of inputting signal by either Ethernet or fiber. Jason Victor Serinus auditioned the effect of the QNet7, powered by a Nordost QSource, in front of the Innuos Nazaré music server/streamer, which fed the multibox dCS Varèse, and directly to the dCS Varèse. The QNet7 sounded better than streaming directly into the Nazaré without a network switch, but it could not deliver as much air, soundstage width, image weight, color spread, bass, and realistic up-close vividness as the Innuos PhoenixNET. However, he found that the QNet7 improved the sound of music streamed through the dCS Varèse, apparently by lowering the near-vanishing noisefloor of music streamed through a supposedly quiet fiber-based streaming network. (Vol.49 No.5 WWW) Ray Tubes RESERVE 300B: $950/matched pair
See Gramophone Dreams on p.23 of this issue. (Vol.49 No.10)
Ray Tubes Select 12AU7: $92/pair and up
See Gramophone Dreams on p.23 of this issue. (Vol.49 No.10) Silent Angel Bonn NX network switch: $4199
This 8-port, 100/1000Mbps Ethernet switch features gold-plated GbE RJ45 connections, a 25MHz word clock input, a grounding port, and a TCXO clock module. The chassis is double-layer, the inner layer made of unspecified “metal,” the outer of aluminum, with vibration-dampening spacers in between, and the NX’s 2.36" wide feet are made of stainless steel with embedded, vibration-reducing rubber O-rings. “$4000 is a lot for a network switch, but there’s a lot going on in this one,” wrote Jim Austin. “The key question is whether any of what’s going on matters sonically.” When he listened to the effect of the Bonn NX, Austin immediately heard, or thought he heard, an intensification—“everything seemed more vivid, even the silences (“blacker background’ and all that). This was not a qualitative change but a matter of degree.” Investigating further, he noted changes in the structure of the soundstage, especially with large-scale music such as symphonies. “The spaces between sections (first violins, violas, double basses) became blacker (or let’s say darker gray) and deeper.” Austin’s conclusion? “I am reasonably convinced that a network switch can render small improvement, though I have no idea how it works. Another listener might consider the difference large, since people’s sense of proportion can vary greatly. And if you think it’s overpriced snake oil? Don’t buy one.” (Vol.47 No.5 WWW) Stabilant 22 Electronic Contact Enhancer: 5ml Field kit $44; 15ml Concentrate Kit $92;
Originally sold by Sumiko under the name “Tweak, “ Stabilant 22, a contact enhancer that comes in several forms, is now used in the automotive, aircraft and biomedical industries, among others. The most useful form for audiophiles is Stabilant 22a, in which the polymer-semiconductor-based contact enhancer is mixed with isopropynol to help it flow and penetrate connectors. Stabilant 22 is the concentrate form and must be mixed with pure isopropynol before use. John Marks recommended using it on all signal-level connections. Concentrate available at partsdrop.com and microtools.com; in Canada, contact D.W. Electrochemicals. (Vol.25 No.12, Vol.36 No.10 WWW)
SteinMusic Acoustic Disc: $142 each
Alex Halberstadt placed one of these white plastic discs, each about the size of an Eisenhower dollar, on top of his speakers and heard “a better sense of focus, clarity, and control, with an easily audible reduction in splashiness and groove noise.” He then placed a disc on the wall opposite the speakers, slightly above the tweeter axis, and others about 3' above each speaker, and heard a further clarification as well as a taller soundstage. According to Holger Stein the Acoustic Disc doesn’t rely on traditional acoustic principles like diffusion and absorption but instead operates on a “quantum level.” “Make of that what you will,” concluded Halberstadt. (Vol.49 No.3 WWW) Townshend Audio Seismic Bar: £1389–£1644, depending on size
Townshend Audio Seismic Platform: £838
Townshend Audio Seismic Pod: £136 each
The Seismic Load Cell is the basic building block of the Townshend range: an air-damped spring that acts as an omnidirectional low-pass filter. The Seismic Platform is a thin 20" × 16.5" steel shelf sitting on four attached C-type Load Cells. Alex Halberstadt used the Platform with his Garrard 301 turntable and noted that with recording after recording, he heard more of the instrumental halos, more of the studio space, more of the subtle sound of a live microphone before it begins recording, all with zero musical or sonic tradeoffs. The Seismic Bar is intended to go under speakers and subwoofers, is an expandable steel bar with a Load Cell at each end. Two bars are intended to go under each speaker. Halberstadt used the Bars under his Klipsch La Scalas, which each weigh 200 lb and found that they “made music more tuneful, propulsive, and natural sounding.” (Vol.48 No.12 WWW) TP-Link MC220L: $20.99 $$$
TP-Link TL-FM511: $29.99 $$$
Cable Matters Fiber Optic Patch Cable: $8.99 $$$
Together, these products allow you to convert an electrical Ethernet signal to a robust fiber-optic connection and back again for full galvanic isolation. (Vol.49 No.4)
Uberlight Frame turntable light: $399
Michael Trei described the Frame as the best turntable light he has ever seen. Available in black or white, the elegant Frame is essentially two adjacent sides of a 17" square, with a row of 18 LEDs in the top section that extends over your turntable. The LEDs can be turned on and off selectively in six groups of three, allowing you to focus the illumination over a certain area. There are six brightness levels, three color-temperature options, and the LED panel can be swiveled within the frame to direct the light forward or backward by up to 30° from vertical. “While it isn’t exactly cheap …, for me, it’s a keeper,” concluded the Spin Doctor. (Vol.48 No.6 WWW) Deletions
Ayre Acoustics Irrational But Efficacious System Enhancement CD, not currently available.
This small plastic box with a wall wart power supply is said to artificially generate the electromagnetic 7.83Hz Schumann resonance and alter the sound in your listening room. “Which it most certainly does—alter the sound, that is,” wrote Alex Halberstadt. Listening to “Madness” from Miles Davis’s Nefertiti LP, he realized that the band’s tart, angular sound had become sweeter: “It was as though the dissonant and otherwise disagreeable sounds on the recording were somehow pushed down below the threshold of perception.” However, he felt an unfamiliar physical tension, which reminded him a little of the sensation of an airplane’s cabin becoming pressurized. “It felt slightly uncomfortable and was impossible to tune out completely but proved quite tolerable,” he wrote, though adding a second RR-888 made the discomfort grow to the point where it became unpleasant. “What I can say with some confidence,” he concluded, “is that this device does seem to deliver significant positive sonic and musical effects, though it appears to do this by affecting the listener at least as much as their hi-fi. While I find this little device fascinating, its effects on my body rule out prolonged use.” (Vol.48 No.5 WWW) Audio Research Tube Damping Rings: $5 each
Damping rings for all AR products are now available to the public at large. They’re made of a proprietary polymer material that converts kinetic energy to heat, and their improvements are not subtle, exclaims Robert J. Reina: tighter, cleaner, deeper, more dynamic bass; more coherent transient attacks; crisper, more extended highs; plus “improvements in the reproduction of subtle gradations of low-level dynamics.” Give ‘em a whirl—the cost is minimal. (Vol.23 No.2, Vol.26 No.8) AudioQuest binding-post wrench: $19.95 ★
A great idea improved—similar to the original Postman, but with a metal sleeve reinforcing the sockets. (Vol.20 No.9)
This aluminum-bodied version of the JitterBug performs the same USB noise filtering as the original. John Atkinson found that using a JitterBug FMJ with the Questyle M12 USB headphone amplifier, the presentation took on a tad more transparency, coupled with a touch more ease. (Vol.45 No.2 WWW) CAIG DeoxIT GOLD Wipes K-G1W-25: $30.95/25ct;
K-G1W-50: $52.95/50ct
These small pads are made of a slightly abrasive textile that has been impregnated with Caig’s DeoxIT Gold contact cleaner. John Marks uses them on the outside of RCA jacks and on the pins of RCA plugs to treat corrosion, oxidation, condensation, and general grime. Marks: “A small but powerful stocking-stuffer…You’ll feel like a pro!” (Vol.25 No.12, Vol.36 No.10 WWW) ETI LINK: $199 (pack of 4)
ETI CODA: $299 (pack of 4)
Originally called the Eichmann Bullet, this RCA connector uses a clever design in which the hot signal is conducted by a hollow rather than a solid pin, and where a smaller, solid pin at the connector’s periphery takes the place of an unnecessarily massive ground sleeve. Art Dudley heard “a more open and explicit sound” with a “deeper, more open, and more inviting” soundfield. Silver Bullet Plugs made the difference “clearer, more explicit, and even smoother.” (Vol.27 No.12 WWW)
Innuos NazaréFLOW: $32,000, plus $7300 for output modules for specific DACs
The NET is an Ethernet network switch, fitted with four RJ45 network ports and optimized for its Finisar single-mode optical fiber SFP port. “The NazaréNET removes the network as a source of noise, with isolation strategies that go far beyond what general purpose equipment can offer,” says Innuos. The FLOW is a digital audio reclocker for any music streamer-server with a USB audio output; an additional output module is required for specific D/A processors—at the time of the review modules were available for MSB and CH Precision DACs. The FLOW can convert PCM or DSD data to a format that best suits the DAC in use. Jason Victor Serinus reviewed these two expensive network accessories with his Innuos Nazaré server/streamer, using a single-mode SFP network connection. However, he couldn’t use the FLOW with his dCS Varèse D/A processor’s USB input as a module was not yet available; Serinus will write a follow-up when it is. He could connect the FLOW’s USB output to the Varèse’s Core chassis and with NET and FLOW wrote that the word “better” fell short of describing what he heard. “The entire paradigm of what I thought possible from my system shifted. Old measures of transparency, vividness, and believability fell by the wayside. It was as though an omnipresent veil had lifted and I was hearing music as I had never expected to hear it through my system.” Serinus concluded that “The NazaréNET and NazaréFLOW are anything but simple add-ons at a very high price. If you hear them in a good system, you will discover what an enormous difference they make. Innuos’s game-changing duo commands and receives my highest recommendation.” (Vol.49 No.9 WWW) Intona USB 3.0 Galvanic Isolator: $398 (cable not included) ★
This small module fits between a source component’s USB Type A port and a D/A processor’s USB Type B port. When Herb Reichert first used it with the HoloAudio May processor, he “jumped back,” he wrote. “The sound changed more than I expected it would.” When he removed the Intona, “the soundstage was drier, flatter, and smaller. Instruments sounded plain. Reverberation on the recording was noticeably reduced. Music was less intoxicating.” John Atkinson found no measurable differences in the output resulting from inserting the Intona between a MacBook Pro and various D/A processors. (Vol.43 No.8 WWW) Littlite Classic LED Task Lamp: $130.05
The latest generation of Littlite mixing-console lamps provides high-efficiency, long-life LED illumination; a rotary switch selects clear white or red light. John Marks finds the 18" version especially helpful near a turntable or CD player. (Vol.36 No.10 WWW)
The QNet is a layer-2 Ethernet switch with, Nordost says, “five ports designed from the ground up with high end audio performance and an extremely low noise operation in mind.” Jason Victor Serinus initially used the supplied 9V, switch-mode wall wart with the QNet, but then substituted the optional QSource power supply. Serinus summed up his experience of the QSource-powered QNet, both of which he subsequently purchased, by writing “I’ll simply say that it is now much easier to follow each line in even the most complex passages of Mahler or Strauss and to understand, musically, the reasons behind the complexity. Thunderous organ now resonates strongly, without inappropriate boom. Tonal color inside my music room is beyond acid-rush intensity.” (Vol.45 No.10 WWW) Nordost QNet7 network switch: $5499.99
This seven-port, reclocking network switch also has an SFP port that can accept either copper or optical SFP 1Gb transceiver modules, allowing the choice of inputting signal by either Ethernet or fiber. Jason Victor Serinus auditioned the effect of the QNet7, powered by a Nordost QSource, in front of the Innuos Nazaré music server/streamer, which fed the multibox dCS Varèse, and directly to the dCS Varèse. The QNet7 sounded better than streaming directly into the Nazaré without a network switch, but it could not deliver as much air, soundstage width, image weight, color spread, bass, and realistic up-close vividness as the Innuos PhoenixNET. However, he found that the QNet7 improved the sound of music streamed through the dCS Varèse, apparently by lowering the near-vanishing noisefloor of music streamed through a supposedly quiet fiber-based streaming network. (Vol.49 No.5 WWW) Ray Tubes RESERVE 300B: $950/matched pair
See Gramophone Dreams on p.23 of this issue. (Vol.49 No.10)
See Gramophone Dreams on p.23 of this issue. (Vol.49 No.10) Silent Angel Bonn NX network switch: $4199
This 8-port, 100/1000Mbps Ethernet switch features gold-plated GbE RJ45 connections, a 25MHz word clock input, a grounding port, and a TCXO clock module. The chassis is double-layer, the inner layer made of unspecified “metal,” the outer of aluminum, with vibration-dampening spacers in between, and the NX’s 2.36" wide feet are made of stainless steel with embedded, vibration-reducing rubber O-rings. “$4000 is a lot for a network switch, but there’s a lot going on in this one,” wrote Jim Austin. “The key question is whether any of what’s going on matters sonically.” When he listened to the effect of the Bonn NX, Austin immediately heard, or thought he heard, an intensification—“everything seemed more vivid, even the silences (“blacker background’ and all that). This was not a qualitative change but a matter of degree.” Investigating further, he noted changes in the structure of the soundstage, especially with large-scale music such as symphonies. “The spaces between sections (first violins, violas, double basses) became blacker (or let’s say darker gray) and deeper.” Austin’s conclusion? “I am reasonably convinced that a network switch can render small improvement, though I have no idea how it works. Another listener might consider the difference large, since people’s sense of proportion can vary greatly. And if you think it’s overpriced snake oil? Don’t buy one.” (Vol.47 No.5 WWW) Stabilant 22 Electronic Contact Enhancer: 5ml Field kit $44; 15ml Concentrate Kit $92;
Originally sold by Sumiko under the name “Tweak, “ Stabilant 22, a contact enhancer that comes in several forms, is now used in the automotive, aircraft and biomedical industries, among others. The most useful form for audiophiles is Stabilant 22a, in which the polymer-semiconductor-based contact enhancer is mixed with isopropynol to help it flow and penetrate connectors. Stabilant 22 is the concentrate form and must be mixed with pure isopropynol before use. John Marks recommended using it on all signal-level connections. Concentrate available at partsdrop.com and microtools.com; in Canada, contact D.W. Electrochemicals. (Vol.25 No.12, Vol.36 No.10 WWW)
Alex Halberstadt placed one of these white plastic discs, each about the size of an Eisenhower dollar, on top of his speakers and heard “a better sense of focus, clarity, and control, with an easily audible reduction in splashiness and groove noise.” He then placed a disc on the wall opposite the speakers, slightly above the tweeter axis, and others about 3' above each speaker, and heard a further clarification as well as a taller soundstage. According to Holger Stein the Acoustic Disc doesn’t rely on traditional acoustic principles like diffusion and absorption but instead operates on a “quantum level.” “Make of that what you will,” concluded Halberstadt. (Vol.49 No.3 WWW) Townshend Audio Seismic Bar: £1389–£1644, depending on size
Townshend Audio Seismic Platform: £838
Townshend Audio Seismic Pod: £136 each
The Seismic Load Cell is the basic building block of the Townshend range: an air-damped spring that acts as an omnidirectional low-pass filter. The Seismic Platform is a thin 20" × 16.5" steel shelf sitting on four attached C-type Load Cells. Alex Halberstadt used the Platform with his Garrard 301 turntable and noted that with recording after recording, he heard more of the instrumental halos, more of the studio space, more of the subtle sound of a live microphone before it begins recording, all with zero musical or sonic tradeoffs. The Seismic Bar is intended to go under speakers and subwoofers, is an expandable steel bar with a Load Cell at each end. Two bars are intended to go under each speaker. Halberstadt used the Bars under his Klipsch La Scalas, which each weigh 200 lb and found that they “made music more tuneful, propulsive, and natural sounding.” (Vol.48 No.12 WWW) TP-Link MC220L: $20.99 $$$
TP-Link TL-FM511: $29.99 $$$
Cable Matters Fiber Optic Patch Cable: $8.99 $$$
Together, these products allow you to convert an electrical Ethernet signal to a robust fiber-optic connection and back again for full galvanic isolation. (Vol.49 No.4)
Michael Trei described the Frame as the best turntable light he has ever seen. Available in black or white, the elegant Frame is essentially two adjacent sides of a 17" square, with a row of 18 LEDs in the top section that extends over your turntable. The LEDs can be turned on and off selectively in six groups of three, allowing you to focus the illumination over a certain area. There are six brightness levels, three color-temperature options, and the LED panel can be swiveled within the frame to direct the light forward or backward by up to 30° from vertical. “While it isn’t exactly cheap …, for me, it’s a keeper,” concluded the Spin Doctor. (Vol.48 No.6 WWW) Deletions
Ayre Acoustics Irrational But Efficacious System Enhancement CD, not currently available.
