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Black Discus follow up

108.249.169.177
Posted on October 6, 2013 at 19:21:57
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 Recently Winstoin Smith posted a review of the "Black Discus" from "Mad Sientist Audio" out of New Zealand. He said they were sending out samples of there products to try. Never one to pass up a free sample on asked for some samples for me and our audio club. While Winston had the larger size disc I received 6 of the smaller size devices. A round flat disc about the size of a quarter. I want to let you know I am a sceptic and do not buy into much that is said on this forum. Down thru the years I have tried many tweaks from green cd markers to Shakti stones, various ground plane tweaks and found basically no change in sound or very, very minimal. Certainly not worth the prices of some of these devices. My system is an Audio transport and dac, Shindo AUriges preamp, Two Berning ZH-270 power amps and Maggie 3.6 speakers.I have only been listening for 3 days so this is really an initial gut reaction. To quote Winston " the best way todescribe the over-all effect of the Black Discus, is to say it imbued the presentation with a much more organic, weightier, solid and clearer image, and made the sonic result more believable, yet more relaxed, and more listenable. The music seemed less 'nervous' or 'anxious'. Massed strings seemed more real, delineated, and less congealed"
I agree with everything that Winston said. After Rockey ZMountain I will try these out on some of our members systems and report back. Until then this skeptic recommends you try these products.
Alan

 

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Ditto, posted on October 6, 2013 at 20:42:08
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 received two discs about the size of quarter.

This allowed a lot of experimentation so I thank Bob for the samples, He also sent along an excellent application sheet, much better than many other tweak manufacturers with sage advice as to try it here or there but not really definitive. Bob's advice is definitive for the most part.

To wit: he recommends on the positive speaker terminals, on the source of digital signal ( digital IC but not on optical cables), on top of power transformers. He also recommends placement over the output stage opamps for components using such configuration

The units came with a bit of blue tack so application was that much easier, not having to search out my blue tack package.

Bob's recommendations are right on the mark. In my system, application over the analog recommendations seem to be the most effective. It takes only a few minutes for the effect to be audible. On the speaker terminals effect is heard almost immediately as well as over the transformers. Over the digital interconnect end, it took about a couple of minutes at most.

Incidentally, the devices are magnetic. I use magnets on my stands to help curtail eddy currents in the steel tubing and as I moved the Black Discus close to the magnet it got pulled out of my hand. Also notice that placement upside down sounds not as good.

Over component covers, removal of the blue tack and placing of the Discs directly against the chassis is more effect sonically.

More later, but it is a very viable product and the increase in sonics complements other tweaks and stands on its own (high) merits.

 

RE: Ditto, posted on October 6, 2013 at 21:24:42
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 I found a definite positive effect on the power chord leading to my UberBuss power filter.
I wonder if the magnetism is a major player here? Refer to the post on cables and magnets
Alan

 

RE: Ditto, posted on October 6, 2013 at 23:35:29
k.tan@tiscali.nl
Audiophile

Posts: 1
Joined: June 9, 2011
 I has the same experience as well. Two black discusses on top of the transformers, the two (free) smaller ones on the powercords.

 

I believe, posted on October 7, 2013 at 00:22:58
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 it works on magnetism (EMI). If it is magnetic, it is too weak to hold itself against steel.

Been playing around with modifying cartridges using ferrite powder. Impregnating some resin with ferrite works better than using premade ferrite sheet stock. My guess is when applying to the cartridge magnetic system, the ferrite material aligns itself in the direction of the magnetic field.

Could be that Bob's device is aligned in such a manner hence the directionality, and NO I am not asking for an explanation, not now, or at least not until he gets a patent as he has hinted at. Patents are expensive: about $10K here in the US once you go through all the legal search and research. I wish Bob the best of luck in his quest as he certainly has come out with an effective and rather stunning new product

 

A question, posted on October 7, 2013 at 21:42:19
My name is Fred
Audiophile

Posts: 634
Location: Sunshine Coast
Joined: May 23, 2013
 Is there any way these are like the Stillpoint (And others) paper which tend to make the sound closed own/rolled off/dull?
I have some on their way and am just hoping for clues before the mail arrives.
I have some of Alan Maher's sheets and it took a day to find somewhere to put them that had no downside, but when I did... WOW!
I covered my breakers and the effect was not only instant but continued to change and ultimately improve over several days.
Tremendous improvement around the house from TV to hifi.
I haven't checked how the fridge is running and I'm not sure if that is me making a joke...

 

RE: A question, posted on October 7, 2013 at 22:49:06
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 "tend to make the sound closed own/rolled off/dull?"
Absolutely not. The sound is just more realistic in its presentation. To me it just sounds like real live music. Every thing just sounds natural. Powerful,dynamic and beautiful. You will real like the Black Discus devices
Alan

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 8, 2013 at 10:20:48
bacobits
 I'm usually skeptical too. As an example all the rage a while ago of the 6' grounding wire tweak on the - post of amp or speaker did not work too well here. They were purchased and not home made.
Yes, they work exactly as Winston described. I have the sample pair with 4 smaller ones the correct thicker size on the way. My system is very simple so I didn't see a need for the larger ones. the samples are on my small Phono case right now. The ones coming in will go on the power cables and + wires to the speakers.
They work!

 

A thank you nt, posted on October 8, 2013 at 11:38:08
My name is Fred
Audiophile

Posts: 634
Location: Sunshine Coast
Joined: May 23, 2013
 .

 

ERS?, posted on October 8, 2013 at 20:21:05
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 I use ERS extensively, but do not suffer from top end roll off. The key is understanding how it works and how manufacturers and designers deal with RF. In many modern DAC and other digital devices, a roll off circuit is built into the analog output stage to compensate for the top end rise RFI imparts. If you apply ERS and do not lift one end of this circuit ( typically a resistor/cap in series) you will hear a roll off.

In my application, ERS has b a boon in lowering the noise floor and allowing fine detail to come through, from top through bottom frequencies.

 

RE: A question, posted on October 8, 2013 at 20:23:10
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 see my comments below

Sorry, I reread my post and discovered I didn't post some findings' On my source end of my coaz digital cable, dynamics increased significantly but there was a slight roll off of the top end. Same with applying the diskus upside down on transformers ( not recommended , at any rate, I just had to try). Seems to work best on analog applications

YMMV, of course

 

RE: A question, posted on October 9, 2013 at 01:32:32
DTF
Audiophile

Posts: 49
Joined: December 30, 2004
 Unclestu why upside down on tranformers?

 

RE: A question, posted on October 9, 2013 at 02:41:10
Joe Appierto
Audiophile

Posts: 1051
Location: Central NJ
Joined: January 3, 2004
 I received a single 30mm size sample and tried it on my Oppo 95's mains/IEC connection. It seems to work best, at least in my system, on the top casework just slightly off center of the IEC inlet. Also tried it placed perpendicular to the inlet on the back of the unit and the effect was less pronounced. The least effective placement was on the barrel of the power cord entering the Oppo.

The effects I've heard mirror what Winston and others have stated and so I've ordered two other 30mm (the "Can Opener" size) for my music server and integrated and two of the largest ("Cupcake" size) for the positive speaker terminals entering the integrated.


Joe

 

Curiousity, posted on October 9, 2013 at 12:35:25
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 In the case of the VPI bricks, position on sides could make a significant difference sonically. Now Bob says he aligns the material through high voltage ( or whatever) so I was curious to see if playing with the obvious ( in this case upside down, since the unit is basically flat) would make a difference.

That is does gives credence to the fact that he does do some alignment to the disc. Not that I 'm suspicious. but I just like to know.

The discus is quite recommended by my personal experience, BTW

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 9, 2013 at 15:23:57
vital ital
Audiophile

Posts: 534
Location: croatia
Joined: January 2, 2004
 I sent out a email but got no reply. Did you guys get replies or just something in the mail?

Thnx.

v.i.
Million miles from home.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 9, 2013 at 16:35:28
calloway
Audiophile

Posts: 729
Joined: February 12, 2000
 i received my 2 samps in the mail saturday. i have the quarter sized discs...2 of them.apparently the samps are thinner the the ones you pay for. no matter. i stuck two of them on the top of the pc that goes from my Lumin player into the R1 outlet and the system's sound improved. even my wife agreed after an on-off test. the sound was slightly louder but the biggest improvement was in the sound of plucked strings...transient attacks and background retrieval.very interesting. i have ordered 4 more of the same size and am going to leave these on the pc...

 

Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 9, 2013 at 17:04:22
beautox
Manufacturer

Posts: 366
Location: New Plymouth
Joined: July 9, 2013
 I try to reply to everyone but we've had a bit of a busy time recently. But don't worry - we send out discs to everyone who requests them. Can take a week or two - coming from New Zealand.

Thanks everyone for your time.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 9, 2013 at 21:14:34
gbehappy2
Audiophile

Posts: 152
Joined: January 27, 2010
 Got my free small disc samples in the mail two days ago. I placed them on the positive posts of my mains speakers. Ditto all the positive posts to date. Blacker background, and all the beautiful results of same. I then played some surround material. Mains dominated what had previously been a perfectly balanced system. Immediately ordered two more.

Now the bad news. The next day one of my employees dropped a bolt into a tank we were working on. I ran down to the hardware store to purchase a telescoping magnet to fish the bolt out. Right next to the telescoping magnets, was some magnetic tape. HMMM!! Bought some. Cut off about half an inch (2) off the roll and taped to the positive surround speaker posts. Same result as the black discs on the mains positive posts. System again perfectly balanced and sounding magnificent. Placed the balance of the roll on the receiver transformer. Took a couple of minutes, but more of the same. Inky black background. Strings sing!! Magnificent micros, timbre, decays. Sharper, weightier attacks and resilient sub and bass tones. Could go on and on. Listening enjoyment skyrocketed. Magnetic roll cost $2.45. Going to buy more tomorrow and experiment more.
kendo

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 10, 2013 at 04:48:20
theob
Audiophile

Posts: 3180
Location: ann arbor michigan
Joined: November 4, 2000
 Excellent post. Since my Home Depot is not open yet I tried to figure how could I simulate this with what I have in my tool box...refrigerator magnets! I taped a few in the spots already described in all the posts. Yup it works and the effect is consistent with my experimenting with ferrites and other stuff that minimizes rfi/emi. Yes it appears highs are rolled but not so. Turn up volume a bit and there they are all over again but clearer and with better bass. Dynamics also improve. All in all a very positive effect. The magnets I use are very strong so I don't know how that factors in. Maybe tape is better. I'll find out when my HD is open.

Great post gbe!

 

Now we're getting into PWB territory, posted on October 10, 2013 at 05:02:55
geoffkait



Belt's Red Magnadisc on Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval Cord plug. Different color adhesive backed magnetic discs for different applications. Green for glass, red for aluminum and power connections, blue for steel and printed circuit boards, any and all colors for wood such as bookshelves and racks.

 

3M Brand EMI/RFI Absorbers, posted on October 10, 2013 at 06:33:46
RadioWonder
Audiophile

Posts: 1236
Location: Arizona
Joined: March 16, 2003



See my post for another option that IMHO may be better than "Refrigerator Magnets"... "3M Brand EMI/RFI Absorbers"



 

EMI ?, posted on October 10, 2013 at 18:03:49
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 tell me it isn't so.....

Its all mechanical isn't it?


LOL !

 

Huh?, posted on October 10, 2013 at 18:07:17
geoffkait
 You're not really up on your PWB theory, are you?

:-)

 

RE: EMI ?, posted on October 11, 2013 at 16:30:23
beautox
Manufacturer

Posts: 366
Location: New Plymouth
Joined: July 9, 2013
 I find this bizarre; I've tried magnets, ferrites and all manner of similar things - mostly they do nothing or, in the case of hard ferrites, sound awful.

Hard ferrites don't absorb RFI - they reflect it. And fridge magnets, well, they don't do much for RFI.

btw, if anyone is trying to compare blackdiscus with magnets, be sure to put the blackdiscus in a metal tin when comparing, or you won't be doing a proper test (as the discs will still affect the results).

 

RE: EMI ?, posted on October 11, 2013 at 21:10:23
Dry Ginger
 While waiting for Black Discus samples to arrive, I today fixed 12 pairs of one-inch ceramic magnetic discs ($3.49 + tax for 6 singles from Master Magnetics Inc. of CO via the local hardware store) on component AC connectors and IECs with 'Museum Wax' ($4.79 + tax but questionable in this application) and notice their combined effect is to absorb perhaps 10% of the speaker volume and completely eliminate the fatiguing ingredient in the listening quality of the sound. Initial impression (an invariably treacherous concept) is that this represents a worthwhile improvement in quiet musical enjoyment at a modest $20.46 outlay. More organic sound quality as well? No, insufficiently marked (if indeed it exists) to be clearly discernible to my ear...

 

RE: EMI ?, posted on October 12, 2013 at 03:36:38
geoffkait
 An interesting experiment is to try the ceramic magnets on non audio cable connectors in other rooms of the house, for example on the wall plugs of any and all electrical cords for appliances such as floor lamps, TV, computer, refrigerator, etc. Even better results should be obtained if the ceramic magnets are spray painted red. The best way to color the ceramic magnets is first use white Primer, let dry for an hour, then spray with a nice bright red and let dry for 24 hours. The perfect project for a rainy day. Next up Phase Two, when we shall discuss the pros and cons of magnets on walls and ceiling.

 

Anyone else see the cruel irony?, posted on October 12, 2013 at 06:35:12
geoffkait
 For more than thirty years audiophiles have gone to great lengths to keep connectors non-magnetic, to employ non-magnetic screws for stereo cartridges, non magnetic screws for speaker baskets, and to demagnetize cables and CDs and LPs. Turns out magnetism is a good thing. Who woulda thunk?

:-)

 

RE: EMI ?, posted on October 12, 2013 at 07:19:45
May Belt
Manufacturer

Posts: 681
Location: Leeds UK
Joined: March 16, 2005
 >>> "Next up Phase Two, when we shall discuss the pros and cons of magnets on walls and ceiling." <<<

This is beginning to look very interesting, Geoff !!

Regards,
May Belt,
Manufacturer.

 

RE: EMI ?, posted on October 12, 2013 at 17:00:24
gbehappy2
Audiophile

Posts: 152
Joined: January 27, 2010
 Continuing with the magnetic tape tweak, I placed a length over the positive speaker cable connection on the amp end and was rewarded with a small improvement. But placing a piece around the barrel of the PC at the EIC end and making sure that the tape also contacted the chassis rewarded me with an improvement close the benefits of the treatment on the positive post of the speaker.

These experiments are in no way intended to compete with the Black Discus units. I am just reporting on something I stumbled on to by accident. The Black Discus units may or may not be better than the magnetic tape tweak. I have some arriving shortly and maybe then I will know for sure.

The music, emerging from an inky black background, is so absolutely clean and defined and presented so beautifully now that I can only pray that the Black Discus units can somehow improve on the magnificence of what I am hearing at this time.
kendo

 

secret of the l.il clck revealed, posted on October 12, 2013 at 21:02:16
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 place a painted magnet on the face.....

 

Magnets channel EMI/RFI..., posted on October 13, 2013 at 04:42:47
geoffkait



like you're channeling Travis Bickle.

 

ever wonder what the M, posted on October 13, 2013 at 12:25:16
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 in EMI stands for ( and not the British recording company)

LOL!

 

Let me get this straight, posted on October 13, 2013 at 14:53:37
geoffkait
 You don't actually think a dinky little ceramic magnet is going to attract electromagnetic fields that are more than a few inches away, do you? Does the - side of the magnet attract + EMI? Does the - side of the magnet repel - EMI?

:-)



 

so now you're, posted on October 13, 2013 at 15:09:02
unclestu
Dealer

Posts: 5851
Joined: April 13, 2010
 implying that the magnet on your clock channels time, as per your original explanation of its workings?



No comment about that one


 

Memory Fail, posted on October 13, 2013 at 15:21:37
geoffkait
 You wrote,

"So now you're implying that the magnet on your clock channels time, as per your original explanation of its workings?"

Actually, I never said any such thing. I never even implied it. Alas, I fear the real explanation would make your head explode. In any case, you see the fallacy of your theory of channeling EMI, I gather.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 15, 2013 at 04:12:56
vital ital
Audiophile

Posts: 534
Location: croatia
Joined: January 2, 2004
 Got em' Thanx a bunch will report back soon! :)

v.i.

Million miles from home.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 15, 2013 at 05:27:58
doglover1
Audiophile

Posts: 25
Location: southeastern US
Joined: May 14, 2010
 Received my free samples, two quarter sized discs, and put them on the positive speaker terminals on the back of my power amp. The recommendation is to use the much larger ones in this spot so I wasn't sure if I'd hear anything.

Played Bonnie Raitt's Silver Linings without the discs, and then placed them as above. Not a night and day difference, but there was definite improvement in detail and timbre of instruments and her voice. The soundstage deepened front to back, stayed the same laterally. Background instruments were slightly more prominent and easier to hear. The music seemed to be more engaging.

I ordered 4 Cupcakes last night.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on October 15, 2013 at 20:44:48
Dry Ginger
 I installed the two free samples on top of each of the amplifier positive speaker terminals as directed and immediately heard a marked increase in the density of the musical notes so that they sound more clearly defined and solid in timbre. There does not appear to be a change in tone, rather greater dimension. If getting closer to live music is your interest, then this product is for you. In advance I had no particular expectations but shall now definitely be ordering several. Thank you for the samples, Mad Scientist Audio. Black Discus is a winning product!

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 17, 2013 at 16:22:26
davem1
Audiophile

Posts: 275
Location: Washington, DC Metro
Joined: July 16, 2012
 I received the Black Discus samples in the mail. I tried them in various places and noted the improvements. I read in a review, http://hifi-advice.com/mad-scientist-review.html, that the larger discs were more oriented toward warmth, fluidity, etc.

Having read the post about magnetic tape, I found some old 1/2" magnetic tape (so old the yellow adhesive guard was falling off). I cut (2) 5/8" pieces and put them on the positive speaker terminals on the power amp.

What? I heard more presence and image density and a lack of treble harshness. Bass was more prominent. At first blush it seemed a little rolled off. But there was plenty of detail. Cymbals actually sounded better and brassier.

I'll see what else happens with this stuff. And yes, I did check to see if it was magnetic.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 20, 2013 at 11:14:54
gbehappy2
Audiophile

Posts: 152
Joined: January 27, 2010
 The "real deal" (vs. sample) Black Discus' arrived in the mail yesterday. I played some 2-channel sacd music with the samples in place. Replayed the same music with the real deals in place. Definite improvement with the real deals. Another step up the rung of the ladder to better reproduced music. Transparency improved slightly, but imaging improvement was immediately noticeable. Cleaner more defined. Better separation of instruments, sharper attacks, longer decays and increase in timbre. A brighter, smoother and more sophisticated presentation than with the magnetic tape. Bass and subtones were noticeably weightier, tighter and more resilient. The one negative was that the phantom center voice decreased in presence in the overall presentation although it did seem tighter. That might be considered an advantage to some. Degree of improvement was relatively small, but very noticeable. Music appreciation received a much greater upward boost.

I then played some 5.1 material with the magnetic tape in place on the surrounds. Replayed the same music with the samples in place. Race was really a dead heat between the two. Might give the samples the win by a nose. Real deals didn't dominate the presentation, but definitely took center stage.

At the 2012 RMAF, I was fortunate enough to sit about six feet from Fan Ya Lin as she played an afternoon recital on what I believe was a Steinway grand.(If not, it was the other one.) I have often, in the past, started to say that a tweak improved my system to the point where the recorded reproduction was equivalent to the live performance. But upon extended critical listening have decided to withhold the comparison. I am not a good piano reviewer, but on hearing the first few notes of Bach's Tocatta in C minor on her "Emerging" album, I sat(bounced) up and for a moment thought I was there.

In summary, the magnetic tape definitely works in my system, and considering the bargain basement price should be indespensible to those not wishing to purchase the Black Discus'. However, the Black Discus' work better and considering their very modest price are a no brainer for those wishing to dish out the dough. I plan to order the can opener and cupcake sizes to try them on transformers.
kendo

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 20, 2013 at 23:26:36
gbehappy2
Audiophile

Posts: 152
Joined: January 27, 2010
 After posting on the "real deal" Black Discus', I noticed that I had two dime-sized "free gift" Black Discus' left over. On a whim I placed them on the chassis under the spinning cd chamber of my Oppo 105.

Got lucky again. I had a roll of magnetic tape above the cd chamber which gave me a very slight improvement in playback, but placing the "free gift" discs underneath gave me an improvement akin to changing from the samples to the "real deals". I know where two of the cupcakes are going to go!!
kendo

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 22, 2013 at 09:15:55
doglover1
Audiophile

Posts: 25
Location: southeastern US
Joined: May 14, 2010
 Ordered 4 cupcakes on 10/14, received them yesterday. 7 days from New Zealand is pretty quick.

Also received two free samples. Should have time to place them in the next couple of days and sit down for some critical listening this w/e.

 

RE: Black Discus follow up posted by vital ital, posted on October 25, 2013 at 05:09:53
doglover1
Audiophile

Posts: 25
Location: southeastern US
Joined: May 14, 2010
 Last night I opened the power amp and linestage and put one cupcake on the toroid in each. I also removed the original free samples from the positive speaker output binding posts and replaced with 1 cupcake each. Haven't decided where to put the now 4 freebies.

Equipment:

Magnavox CDP, Peter Daniel non oversampling dac, Odyssey Candela linestage with RCA cleartop tubes, Odyssey Stratos Stereo Amp heavily modded by Klaus, SDA 2.3TL speakers with the mods in sig., 1000kva AE-1 dreadought, Velodyne 15" subwoofer, plus a bunch of tweaks and mods I’ve built/accumulated over the years.

First disc played was Susan Tedeschi "Hits", a lossless compilation I made mainly from a friend's CD. I'm well acquainted with this as I've practically worn it out. Track 9, Gonna Move, is one of my all time favorite songs. Her band on this includes a Hammond Organ, background vocals, several guitars, bass, drums.

The effect on the sound was similar to that which the free sample made, but enhanced. Transients were crisper which was noticeable initially with cymbals. Although this recording is generally pretty good, the cymbals on some of the cuts, which were made sometimes several years apart, are too hissy, high hats in particular. They had more of a metallic sheen with the cupcakes in place, with a more realistic decay. Picked electric guitars had a more realistic initial “bite” and decay. Chords were richer and more full.

There were sections in songs, particular in “Gonna Move” in which horns would swell in the background. They were a bit more distinct as they faded in and bloomed a bit better, with tonal quality closer to a live performance. Horn punctuations were more percussive in the initial attack of the notes.

The bass sounded tighter.

Next up was Little Feat “Under the Radar”, another CD I’ve listened to a lot. Improvements similar to above were heard. Richie Hayward’s drumming sounded more crisp, background vocals were smoother with individual voices easier to hear. I was able to understand some lyrics that I couldn’t before.

Sean Murphy’s voice didn’t necessarily sound more full, but somehow more “right”. It’s difficult to describe, but there was more of a live quality to it.

The last cd played was an oldie, but one of my favorites: Fleetwood Mac “Mystery to Me”. This was released around 1973 before Buckingham and Nicks joined and forever changed the sound of the band. The recording is good, but sounds somewhat dated. The songwriting and performances are spot on though. Christine McVie’s vocals sounded rich and full, again just more right. John McVie’s bass lines were easier to hear and the depth and tone of the bass was tighter. The drums popped a little better and the cymbals sounded more like cymbals. There was one song in which a tambourine was played that I had never noticed before. It’s fairly buried in the mix, but was clearly audible last night

To sum up I don’t really understand what the Black Discus does, but the effect with the largest ones and the placement I used is easy to hear. It’s much more dramatic than the free sample, perhaps double. Somehow the music sounds more right, the soundstage is bigger mainly due to instruments and vocals having more air around them, but also due to the enhanced tonality and improved transients. While the whole frequency range was improved, the highs in particular sounded sweeter and yet enhanced. Subtle background goings on were clearer.

I still have my two original free samples and the ones I got with this order that I need to place. This tweak is highly recommended.

 

In Reply to: I believe posted by unclestu, posted on November 2, 2013 at 02:22:43
beautox
Manufacturer

Posts: 366
Location: New Plymouth
Joined: July 9, 2013
 Actually it's not got anything to do with magnetic alignment. Or magnetism. (Or rather, it's a very minor part of it, and not the main effect).

I've been taking advice about how to protect this invention; the downside of patents is that they are costly. Not so much to get, but that as well. But you need to enforce them and that is where they really get expensive. Also there is the downside that you basically have to reveal what the invention is. Which leaves you open to copying.

The alternative is to keep it a secret. So until I decide what to do I will shut up. As it is, I can't see anyone short of NASA being able to analyze one and work out how I made it. Simply the fact that the important parts you can't see as they are microscopic and you'd destroy them trying to examine them.

 

More Black Discus results, posted on January 31, 2014 at 12:12:20
carlsor
Audiophile

Posts: 7
Joined: March 17, 2007
 I tried some BlackDiscus free samples. I gotta buy more of these!

My first holy S#!T moment was from placing a small BlackDiscus on the XMOS chip of a WaveIO USB to IS2 board. The music was more real and flowing. I'm going to cut up one these to fit them on some DAC chips.

Putting the large BlackDiscus on the parafeed transformers of my DIY 12B4 SET amps cleaned up the sound so much that I no longer have to convince my wife that I need to install "ugly" room treatment pads in the corners.

I also placed them on flat IEC power cord connectors with a smoothing and cleaning up of the sound without any loss of detail.

Either they help or do nothing. While the entire musical spectrum is benefited, the bass and lower midrange is especially brought into focus. This is an affordable no-brainer tweak.

 

RE: More Black Discus results, posted on February 9, 2014 at 22:56:00
hawaiiguy
Audiophile

Posts: 154
Location: island of Oahu, State of Hawaii/USA
Joined: July 17, 2001
 Unclestu has been doing a lot of experimentation with the Black Discus, and has evaluated several types of BD, such as the donuts, the smidgen, etc.

See his blog if you are interested.




 

RE: More Black Discus results, posted on February 10, 2014 at 06:10:25
gbehappy2
Audiophile

Posts: 152
Joined: January 27, 2010
 Please excuse me if I am old and computer-challenged, but how do I log on to Uncle Stu's blog?
kendo

 

RE: More Black Discus results, posted on February 11, 2014 at 07:56:16
mehrdadb_gd
Audiophile

Posts: 83
Location: tehran
Joined: December 20, 2010
 There is :
http://www.audiodirectionltd.com

 

RE: Black Discus follow up, posted on February 12, 2014 at 09:19:50
SgreenP@MSN.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3538
Joined: April 23, 2007
 I got my review samples yesterday.... I placed the samples in a variety of spots, but the immediate positive result came from placing one of the gizmos on the power cord of the CD player (Ayre). It clearly focused the sound ....like when one puts on a new pair of spectacles....you don't realize that the old ones were just a little out of focus. I'm trying to find additional places that would benefit the system, however, I haven't found them yet...still trying. Thinking that it really worked on the power cord inlet plug, I tried it on other power cord inlet plugs, and they didn't seem to work the same way. Interesting.

 

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