[mca]

This the latest in acoustic treatments from Synergistic Research:



Sure looks worth it to me 

I dunno, maybe it really works...

[ricmon]

 

[sts9fan]

I already bought two!

[krikor]

I just got The Cable Company's e-flyer espousing the virtues of these things.  With nothing to reference their size in the picture, I thought they must be quite large at $3K.  But a photo on Synergistic's website shows that the "Vibratron" is about the size of a CD.  Here's the description from Synergistic's website:

Each resonator is forged in the USA from proprietary carbon steel and later case hardened with a torch.  During the hardening process each resonator is taped with a small steel hammer. A microphone connected to a spectrum analyzer measures the acoustic property of each resonator. When the resonator reaches its desired acoustic property, it is immediately quenched in an oil bath to halt the case hardening process. Tuning each resonator ensures proper acoustic properties are met and corrects for variations that can occur in the forging process. The final result is an acoustic treatment system that delivers sound quality like no other regardless of room size or system configuration.

Of course, the acronym is ART ... and people pay a lot more to hang much uglier works in their homes!   

[JoshK]

How does the expression go?  A fool and his money quickly part ways. 

[sbrtoy]

Pretty cool looking, like something from an MST3K movie....I would use these to decorate my whole room if they were about $10 each.

[Imperial]

I went to the S.R site and read what they wrote on these. Bell labs stuff...

---

I was thinking of the design of the instrument tuba...
You blow in the horn and out comes a deep sound...
Have anyone of you tried to place a tuba in front of a subwoofer and listen into the mouth piece?

I'm sure you would hear zip nada zilch...
The question would of course be... why?

 

Now, play back the tuba sound with the sub and listen again...
Then... remove the mouthpiece and listen once more...

Why would there be a difference? And would there be a difference in the room as well?

Or how about the romantic dinner test then...
Should you try the deep seductive voice close to her face with the glass full or close to empty... 

---
okay, enough fun then..
---

To vibrate something, you have to set it into vibration... right?

What happens if an object has a vibrational node then and is hit by sound... it would "eat" some of the energy, and dispell another... Right? Maybe not much, but maybe some if one could get it right... 

I does sound incredible this stuff one can read at the Syn Res site... but I'm not gonna blow this off for kicks just because...

The sound a trumpet can generate is immense... compared to what the player puts into the mouthpiece...
Transforming basically a very gentle fart into a real cracker!!!
This is a vid from youtube on resonating metal... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6i0tQckoKUo&feature=related

At 31 second into the clip the left tubiste tilts his tuba... Now I wanna make a note here...
You can hear the entire sound change as he does it...  aa on all 4 tubas... but they ain't moving theirs!!!
At 1 minute and 9 second he does it again... again the entire sound change!!! And again at 1 minute and 19 seconds...

What is he doing? And why does it work?
Here's what I think:
- Tilting the tuba upright and opening a valve he's altering the standing waves in the room they are playing'
'coz the tuba now acts as a tuned device that he actually dampens a special note with, on all the tubas...
"Combfiltering" maybe you could call it that? 


But 3K ... ok, I'd have to hear it before believing, that's all I'm saying!! 
'Coz even after KNOWING that a large brass instrument can change the room acoustics...
getting a small metal bowl to do the same...

Imperial

[Kevin Haskins]

I'll take a dozen.   

[Russell Dawkins]

How does the expression go?  A fool and his money quickly part ways. 

I think it's "A fool and his money are soon partying".

[Philistine]

I need them cryoed to take them to the 'next level'.

[Captain Humble]

We saw them in a couple of rooms at RMAF this year.
I suggested we simply remove the cups from their pedestals to see if we could hear any difference.
One of the gentleman working the room asked if I heard the base tighten up when he put them back.
I said I was sorry but I couldn't hear any difference.

On our way out the other gentleman whispered that he didn't hear a difference either and suggested that perhaps they weren't properly positioned.  I'm sure they weren't.

The cup shaped ones were small, just a little larger than a sewing thimble.
Or for those that drink I doubt the thing would hold more than half a shot which is sad because I have a feeling that you'd need a few shots after dropping $3K on a set.

[nathanm]

I've got a whole box of triangular wood scraps in my garage, you mean I could get thousands of dollars for it? Sweet!

[john1970]

NO!

[Ethan Winer]

What is he doing? And why does it work?

As best I can tell it's just an illusion. Yes, the sound of that one tuba changes a bit, but that's the only change I hear. Plus YouTube audio is terrible and is not suitable for any sort of critical analysis.

Oh yeah, those "acoustic treatment" devices are way too small to do anything at any frequency - unless your room is the size of a doll house.

--Ethan

[mcullinan]

Yes and No. Yes They are extremely ugly. And No.
Mike

[Vinyl-Addict]

What is he doing? And why does it work?

Oh yeah, those "acoustic treatment" devices are way too small to do anything at any frequency - unless your room is the size of a doll house.

--Ethan

  I guess I could buy these for my niece so her Fisher Price stereo will really sing....(in her doll house that is) 

[poseidonsvoice]

Ridiculous. Why is that some manufacturers have no sense of financial responsibility, especially during times of an economic crisis? Shame on you Synergistic research. What research did they do to prove that these items actually work as advertised? No use going into that argument of course.

I guess nobody is twisting your arm to buy one but really...there seems to be no accountability for being so frivolous.

Anand.

[mca]

From their website:

Hand Tuned
Each resonator is forged in the USA from proprietary carbon steel and later case hardened with a torch.  During the hardening process each resonator is taped with a small steel hammer. A microphone connected to a spectrum analyzer measures the acoustic property of each resonator. When the resonator reaches its desired acoustic property, it is immediately quenched in an oil bath to halt the case hardening process. Tuning each resonator ensures proper acoustic properties are met and corrects for variations that can occur in the forging process. The final result is an acoustic treatment system that delivers sound quality like no other regardless of room size or system configuration.

 

[JimJ]

Ridiculous. Why is that some manufacturers have no sense of financial responsibility, especially during times of an economic crisis? Shame on you Synergistic research. What research did they do to prove that these items actually work as advertised? No use going into that argument of course.

I guess nobody is twisting your arm to buy one but really...there seems to be no accountability for being so frivolous.

Anand.

Because that's capitalism?

Hey, I'm a skeptic when it comes to these "tweaks", I'm not about go out and buy any without some objective theory to back it up, but I seriously doubt anyone that's worried about paying their mortgage is going to rush out and get one of these things If they want to market something that's a $3k placebo, well, our economic system gives them ample room to do that.

[BobM]

Maybe one could install a (clever little) clock in it and call it a clever little vibratron. Actually isn't a vibratron something that is sold in the bad parts of town? And it certainly doesn't cost $3k, even when a live demonstration is included. 

Enjoy,
Bob