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A couple weeks ago I recieved an email from Nathan showing this stuff called "Tube-o-lator." I found it so amusing I quickly passed it around to various Electrical Engineers in my group. We all got a hearty chuckle and life went on. What surprised me was the number of positive responses to this stuff. I could not believe it. Nathan then took the challenge. He was graciously allowed to test the stuff. I respect the company for allowing Nathan to run this test. I expressed that if any difference was actually heard it would be due not to the goop but to some other variable in the system (ie: EMI). Well the evening came about that we could run our tests and Nathan swore that we had to follow all the suggestions made on Audiocircle - even though I protested. To no surprise - the goop - did not pass the blind test. Steve and Nathan were unable to detect any difference between the two DIO's. The test from an electrical standpoint followed all of audiocircles suggestions ( minus the change in components ). I will admit - I lost it - I went on a rant. I work in the Industrial controls and communications design business. I have designed many devices and have had to test those devices for emissions and susceptibility. The environment in which these devices work in could be considered electrically - an ugly place. We deal with hundreds to thousands of Amps passing over, around and through our devices. One of my current projects uses a 16 bit High speed AtoD attached to a 150Mips TI DSP. The DSP is doing Fourier transforms on the incoming signal in order to detect various electrical disturbances in the power waveform. With no high voltage applied we measure around 1 to 2 bits of noise coming from the AtoD. Our group has spent a good deal of time getting to this level of noise output. We have done things like routing our ground planes around our voltage regulators, eliminating long lead lengths, keeping traces as short as possible, eliminating loop areas, isolating digital circuitry from analog circuitry, attaching bypass caps etc. Now - if we could apply some goop to our chips to get us another bit of resolution, we would buy the company/"patent"/whatever and load it in 55 gallon drums. Then we would sell it to TI or whomever else needs better resolution. I wanted to offer some interesting viewpoints on the DIO. Now I am by no means an audio engineer - I just know what works from an electrical standpoint. My first introduction to the DIO was in Nathans room. He showed me how the sound cut out when he moved around the room and got up and down from a chair (more than likely, static). We took apart the DIO so I could see what was inside. The first thing that amazed me was all the through-hole resistors STANDING ON END. Little antennas sitting on the board. If you are wierded up about goop then you should also be wierded up about all those loop areas. And as far as the ESD ( Electro Static Discharge ) - I am amazed at the effort put into the susceptibility portion of the product. If there is a simple fault like that - what does it say about the sound coming out of it? Conducted static shots I could understand for this type of device - but the susceptibility through air is kind of strange. Now I should be careful and point out that I am not sure who is responsible - the DIO or the CD player - but I believe the CD player worked fine without the DIO. When the DIO entered the equation - the problem arose.Regarding the Tube-o-lator - The sad fact is that this snake oil is just that. If you think it makes you feel better in some fashion or another - I am very happy for you. Hopefully people will make more intelligent decisions on where to spend their money ( ie: better components - not crazy wires/goop ). And if you continue to spend your money on such things - then at least you do it with the knowledge that what you buy may not provide what was advertised. Knowledge is power - especially when it comes to us consumers.Enjoy, Mark
I'm guessing that:a) Nathan manufactured the letter. (Although the use of the word "Fourier" implies a collaboration with someone else.)
b) No matter how much we all want this thread to die, Nathan finds ways to get it to the top of the list and "a" above was the only thing he could think of
If I wanted to manufacture a post, I guarantee you it would be much funnier than what Mark said!
To manufacture such a letter seems beyond me.It would be sad and I do not buy that theory. I think if anything it might bug him to the point he asked for his friend to make a statement to give validation to what he himself heard and further prove that his opinion was on the level. If he stood to gain anything I think he would have reversed his findings.What does he stand to gain from this anyways ,but to align alot of Waynes follower's against him which would not make for a pleasent posting experience. JMO
