Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

Use this form to submit comments directly to the Asylum moderators for this forum. We're particularly interested in truly outstanding posts that might be added to our FAQs.
You may also use this form to provide feedback or to call attention to messages that may be in violation of our content rules.

You must login to use this feature.

Inmate Login

By default, logging in will set a session cookie that disappears when you close your browser. Clicking on the 'Remember my Moniker & Password' below will cause a permanent 'Login Cookie' to be set.

Moniker/Username: The Name that you picked or by default, your email. Forgot Moniker?	Examples "Rapper", "Bob W", "joe@aol.com".
Password:	Forgot Password?
	Remember my Moniker & Password ( What's this?)

If you don't have an Asylum Account, you can create one by clicking Here.

Our privacy policy can be reviewed by clicking Here.

Inmate Comments

From:
Your Email:
Subject:

Message Comments

Original Message

Re: Tom, I had the same experience with a Shakti stone...

Posted by thetubeguy1954 on March 22, 2007 at 09:53:55:
Hello Robert,
In the case of the VPI Magic Brick, I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it did something very audible & for the better! I'll also readily admit I ONLY have my beliefs of what it did, which are: 1) It dampened the transformer's vibrations & 2) It affects the magnetic field around the transformer. For all the naysayers I KNOW, not believe it's wasn't "expectation" bias or me fooling myself into believing I heard something that didn't exist in this case! How do I know? I know because I didn't hear a damn thing when I was told I'd hear a difference & when I expected to hear a difference. Instead I heard a difference when Leo removed the brick, I believed the test was over and didn't expect to hear anything different!
I just did a search on VPI's Magic Brick and found on diyAudio Forum this comment by BHD that basically agrees with my POV. BHD stated: "Actually, I think it affects the magnetic field of the power transformer, becuase it's not directly on the transformer itself, it's on the chassis - and it cuts the vibration of the power transformer even when I'm holding it just *above* the chassis. You can feel the reduction of vibration in the chassis and you can hear it as well." Here's a link to his comment: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=431049
Also according to a review in Postive Feedback the VPI Magic Brick as well as the Sakti Stone & Quantum Physics Noise Disrupter are absorbing EMI noise. The complete review can be seen here: http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue23/quantum.htm
But finally I found an article on Six Moons wherein the author wrote: "Let's get one thing straight right away: There's very little of mystery about the Brick. It's a nicely dove-tailed wooden block that frames a heart of laminated iron in a transformer-type core. In Mr. Weisfeld's own words, "The main idea was to redirect the flux lines away from the chassis and remove the many eddy currents it would produce. I think [the Brick] was doing this quite well, plus [providing the additional benefits of] the mass damping of the concentrated weight." Harry, ever the engineer, sure ain't speaking lightly of "concentrated weight". This innocuous looking, 4-7/8" x 3-7/8" x 2-5/16" block of blonde wood weighs in for the fight at an impressive 8lbs" Here's a link to that article: http://www.6moons.com/industryfeatures/edge1/edge1.html
So it would appear that my beliefs about the Magic Brick were indeed correct. Like you Robert I remain skeptical about "chips" and tweaks of that sort. That doesn't mean they cannot possibly work, it simply means it would have to be proven to me that it does!
Thetubeguy1954