Snake Oil Cable gets just desserts!

adamaley · « **on:** 23 Apr 2010, 12:54 pm »

Seeing that the "Anti-audiophile wanker" thread got banished to the inter-galactic waste bin, I had no other option but to start a new thread for this. It may have been posted before, but I feel the comedy aspect of the reactions is priceless. Some of the reviews had me in stitches. Enjoy, people:

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

365 reviews and counting.

Mike Nomad · « **Reply #1 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 01:22 pm »

Outstanding. If I understand correctly, the product is (ultimately) an Ethernet cable. In that case, a link to an appropriate precursor:

http://www.amazon.com/Story-About-Ping-Marjorie-Flack/dp/0670672254/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272028883&sr=1-1

Cacophonix · « **Reply #2 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 01:23 pm »

lol .. the reviews are hilarious!!

Wind Chaser · « **Reply #3 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 01:49 pm »

The 2nd one was priceless...

... it would be nice if more reviewers had a knack for writing like that.

BobM · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 01:50 pm »

Ohh, there are a few good ideas embedded in those reviews, such as ...

- encasing your listening room in a Faraday cage to reduce RFI/EMI
- spooning your cables at night (I think MikeC does this regularly though)
- fix the Toyota sticking gas pedal problem

definitely worth browsing through

nathanm · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:00 pm »

Awesome. I keep a collection of the hilarious Amazon reviews I find, but geez, this is the motherlode! All in one place! Thank you, adamaley!

RUR · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:15 pm »

Quote from: nathanm on 23 Apr 2010, 04:00 pm

Awesome. I keep a collection of the hilarious Amazon reviews I find, but geez, this is the motherlode! All in one place! Thank you, adamaley!

First review for "The Secret" http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1582701709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272038971&sr=1-1. Not audio, but well worth the trouble.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:27 pm »

WAAAAAAY to funny - just WAAAAAAY

Wait a second - the same page lists 'Customers who viewed this item also viewed'. There is this helpful product there: http://www.amazon.com/Male-Testicular-Exam-Model-Anatomy/dp/B0006TYJV6/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

John

ctviggen · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:33 pm »

Quote from: BobM on 23 Apr 2010, 01:50 pm

Ohh, there are a few good ideas embedded in those reviews, such as ...

- encasing your listening room in a Faraday cage to reduce RFI/EMI

I worked at a place that did work for the military and they had a room that was basically a Faraday shield/cage. I think the problem would be the all metal walls -- you'd really need some diffusion/absorption.

Dan Banquer · « **Reply #9 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:35 pm »

I'm waiting for someone to ask if they had listened to them before or after it was reviewed in Amazon.com

But that's just me.
d.b.

nonoise · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:39 pm »

My first laugh of the day.

All days should start like this.
Goes to show what a group of dedicated folks can do when
they work as a team.

nathanm · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:39 pm »

I noticed that too Chairguy, you beat me to it. I thought the whole thing might be a swell April Fool's prank. If these are all individual people piling on then my faith in humanity has been restored for a day at least!

doorman · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 04:50 pm »

Not me, no way,I ain't spending my hard earned cash on such fripperies, no sir. Waitin' for the anatomically correct home prostate exam kit-- waiting, waiting---
Don

TONEPUB · « **Reply #13 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 06:49 pm »

Actually, that faraday cage thing isn't an all bad idea....

When we built our office, it started out as a prefab metal building. But when finished, we realized that our wireless network no longer worked and we couldn't get cell phone coverage either, so everything had to be hardwired.

As a consequence, my phono stages are extremely quiet and I've had more than one person comment on how low the noise floor in my system is.

Kind of happened by accident, but it does work!

lcrim · « **Reply #14 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 06:57 pm »

The reviews on Amazon are some of the most creative writing I've read in ages.

The term "snake oil" is getting to be like finger nails scraped across a black board however. The most overused audiophile cliche in existence. More annoying than "fan boy."

chrisby · « **Reply #15 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 07:01 pm »

Quote from: doorman on 23 Apr 2010, 04:50 pm

Not me, no way,I ain't spending my hard earned cash on such fripperies, no sir. Waitin' for the anatomically correct home prostate exam kit-- waiting, waiting---
Don

Don- it's hard to resist finishing the sentence about "all good things .... to those who wait" .

what's most interesting is the listing of other items these customers bought ( unless it varies at each visit - or an Amazon employee has an even more twisted sense of humor, and spare time than any of us)

the purchases included Gorilla and Crazy Glue, Gorilla tape, and my most favorite:

http://www.amazon.com/Poop-Freeze-Carry-Tote/dp/B00196O9TC/ref=pd_sim_dbs_hpc_5

edit:

I don't know whether it should be embarrassing or not, but for the first time ever I spent some time following links "to other products" - some of this stuff makes high end audio snake oil (too many examples to cite) look positively rational

srb · « **Reply #16 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 07:03 pm »

Quote from: lcrim on 23 Apr 2010, 06:57 pm

The term "snake oil" is getting to be like finger nails scraped across a black board however. The most overused audiophile cliche in existence. More annoying than "fan boy."

There aren't a lot of good synonyms for snake oil. "Nostrum" "quack remedy" or "fake medicine" lack verbal panache or liquidity. Snake oil just sounds so ... snakey and oily.

Steve

Mike Nomad · « **Reply #17 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 07:31 pm »

Quote from: lcrim on 23 Apr 2010, 06:57 pm

The term "snake oil" is getting to be like finger nails scraped across a black board however. The most overused audiophile cliche in existence. More annoying than "fan boy."

The snake oil term, as applied to audio stuff, has never sat well with me. When I think Snake Oil, I think of Dick Dastardly, fondling his mustache, sabotaging a roadway, etc. Or someone on the pointy end of Clint Eastwood's gun, shortly before much hilarity ensues.

And srb has it right, there really aren't a lot of good synonyms for Snake Oil. I suppose we could use Scam-alicious Fraud instead...

adamaley · « **Reply #18 on:** 23 Apr 2010, 11:41 pm »

Glad you folks are enjoying this. Cant quit browsing through them, don't want to miss a gem of a review in there somewhere. And to think all this emerged far away from an audiophile site.

timind · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Apr 2010, 12:47 am »

I was going along mildly chuckling until the bungee cord review. Now that was funny.