Audiophoolery III (?)
Remember my CD Shaver video about a device designed to separate the obsessive audiophile from their money. That video amassed 1.7 million views so naturally this seemed like a product category that might warrant another video. I moved on to take a look at a CD Demagnetiser. That video has 488K views. Clearly a significant drop off, but also entirely understandable, as after the first video you know exactly what’s coming. “Here’s an item that seems like it will do nothing, let’s test it, yes it does nothing…don’t forget to like and subscribe.”
While making the demagnetiser video I acquired a third audiophile accessory, but I felt the audience wouldn’t be interested in another very similar video quite so soon, so I stored it away.
I think enough time has now elapsed since that last video to warrant having a look at this device that fires negative ions at a CD(?!)
You’ll notice we’ve reached the end of the week again. I was hoping to get ahead, but that wasn’t to be. Oppressive heat in the house was a big factor, I could barely record anything worthwhile in the afternoons all week.
I’ve decided I’m going to only release this video on Patreon for a week while I try and build up more of a buffer between the Patreon videos and the public ones.
Hope you’re all well - take it easy and have a good week/end.
UPDATE: A couple of tiny nips/tucks - added a blur transition and reduced a volume level.
Comments (105)
No D'uh.. only a true believer can discern the benefit of a product such as this - the more it costs, the greater the benefit. And doesn't it feel great when other people claim to hear no difference in your shaved, ionized & demagnetized CDs, £99 TOSlink cable, £40 a metre speaker cable. Clearly they're just jealous, but you know..
Finally joined the patreon due to the request at the end of this video! Have been watching since the seiko video nearly a decade ago (which I bought as a result for £100 new, and is now nearly £600!), apologies for my late adoption to creator support! RE: this video, the snake oil here is strong, but the conviction to produce this means that someone at the start actually believed this actually made a difference. It's a quite a bit of a carry on to scam people!
Thank you so much for joining the Patreon It’s very much appreciated. You’re right about the the conviction behind this device, if they were only setting out with the aim of making a scam product they could assemble a device with far less effort to achieve the same results. It appears there was some belief that this one worked.
Loved the sarcasm! Also hopefully this isn't one of those "tourmaline negative ion" things that are actually radioactive cause it's cheap... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7TwBUxxIC0
After finding Techmoan years ago, it really did improve my hearing, spatial acoustics and indeed my life. It made it perfect in every way possible. Couldn’t be more perfect. Then I became a Patreon member, and honest to god, it made my life even more perfecter. But when I upped my subscription, it improved my perfecter life so much, that I felt the need to grow my hair to the Matt-style. Then my life was spiritually perfecterer. True story. 😁
The joke about your non-rhotic accent caught me off-guad.
Where do you FIND this stuff? Wow.. Negative ions cleaning up the air, that's not new (if that works), but CD's.. I do like the sarcasm though 😂
Apparently the sound of a vinyl record can be improved by applying a light mist of dihydrogen monoxide to its surface. I wonder if the same principle would apply to a CD?
I've just noticed that my hairdryer (Philips HP8232) can emit ionised air to reduce static build up in one's hair. Instead of tourmaline, it uses a corona wire. Can't wait to try the 2200 watt setting on a CD.
If prospective buyers want to warm up their CD, I recommend using a microwave.
Turns out I'm not the only one getting ionizer/ozone generator device vibes from this thing. If you don't need it afterwards, maybe send it off to bigclive so he can tear it down and critique on the circuit design?
It’s just a plastic cylinder containing a halogen lamp, a fan with a 13 second timer circuit and a mesh of balls…I don’t know if anyone could talk about these for more than a few seconds.
Just finished enjoying this one now! If like seeing dozens of vitriolic comments you should do a video on the ultimate in audio snake oil, the Tice Clock. You could even compare it to the identical but ‘untreated’ Radio Shack clock that did not have magic audio properties.
Your comments on the CD after treatment had me laughing but then I totally lost it after the appearance of Negative Iron - you've got to make him a recurring character😂.
I experienced a depth of soundstage that had previously eluded me. The low-end was punchy, yet warm. Subscribe to Mat's channel and see for yourself.
I want to see the beads sent to a geologist to see if they are actually even tourmaline.
Well ... it was nice seeing your beautiful Technics SL-P1200 CD player again.
I’d love to see Big Clive take this apart
Lots of great laughs in this one. I like the dutch angle at 8:14 for the "listing room" bit. Though one thing that confused me was the teardown clip at 1:40 - I wasn't sure how it connected to what you were saying at the time. I appreciate how you give these things a legitimate try, despite knowing they do nothing. The humor was excellent here, but it's the scientific approach that really makes these "devices" look ridiculous.
This looks more like a business approach than a scientific one. Jack van Lint, the scientist who advised Philips on the CD error correction codes, is probably turning in his grave at this audiophile nonsense that defies description.
Like you, I've never had a positive experience with negative ions.
My clothes have had less creases too since becoming a Patreon.........Oh Ions not irons? Well the effect has reached further than you thought 😉
Reminds me of an old Sesame Street, Ernie and Bert, episode where a wise-guy sold air in a bottle to Ernie for just 5 cents. The bottle, of course, was not included.
You know what blows my mind about this snake-oil audio gadget? As a physical product, it's just so _polished._ The industrial design is great. It wouldn't look out of place on the shelves of any legitimate retail store. That takes a considerable amount of thought and work, and WAY more investment than is absolutely necessary. Like, there's no shortage of products that promise impossible results based on logic and science that make no sense. Most of them look like they were hand-assembled in a shed by the kind of man who wears a rubber boot on his head to confuse the spy satellites. This thing makes me wonder if the people behind it really _believe_ that the Magic Ion Thingy works, and if every time they're introduced to someone at a wedding or something they inevitably find a way to mention "You know that magic ion CD thingy that's changed the world of home audio? Of course you do. Well. That was my baby, all the way..."
The same thought occurred to me. I suppose many of us have been in the situation of working on a completely pointless project at work yet still having to do a good job of it to avoid getting the sack.
Have to admit I miss the puppets at the end. Bet you could've had fun with them on something like this...
In this weather, the conservatory is a no go area, I think trying to do a puppet show in there would result in a quick death and a very confusing scene for the coroner.
Just got an email from the "man" Tech moan actually sent me loads of spare ions I now have unlimited energy I see everything in 3D and apparently I smell really nice
I think you have found your mojo again, last few uploads definitely up there with the best....mind you I think they always entertain ,even when you are not to sure! Lol
Agreed, the mojo is back.
Indeed becoming a patron did improve audio quality immensly. It also made the video quality extremely supreme, even making my old TV display the content in 10K ultra hyper HDR. Such a miracle! :) 15/10, 7/5 stars. All that.
What a load of malarkey, I definitely detected a hint of negativity on this one. Great video very entertaining
That’ll just be the ions
You've previously refered to videos as a cheese sandwich for their bare simplicity, well I think you should refer to these as a 'Tinned Breakfast' you know it'll be a terrible product, but you just have to try it!
That’s spot on.
I've been getting recommendations on AliExpress recently for this sort of stuff, so apparently there is now a market for the gullible audiophile on a tight budget
I bet they secretly use this negative ion generator in opera houses, because sound is so much better than on a CD
Love the angry Iron. This deserves to do as well as the other audophoolery videos boss.
Joining this Patreon automatically turned all of my DVD-Audio discs into 180-gram vinyl. Thanks Techmoan!
A grand! Good grief. I found that you can make a Madonna CD sound better by putting it in the microwave for a bit.
That's borderline crazy for you.
Loved the "list" joke 🤣 hence a more accurate test should actually be performed next time you're on a cruise
I’m such a fan of these! I remember when I watched the CD shaver episode, I found myself cursing (in pretty graphic québécois french) at the screen upon hearing the manufacturer’s claims about the product.
aww, I kinda wanted to see the inside of this thing lol
Fan, balls, light…not necessarily in that order.
Brilliant Mat ... i think I'm going to rush out and Buy one for the Ditchburn Jukebox Museum here in St Annes so i can make my 1947 Jukeboxes and 1960s BGMs sound like Digitally Mastered Recordings :) what a load of ol Snake oil ... thanks for the great video though
I subscribed to Techmoan and now my cat lets me pet him sometimes
I was skeptical at first too, but since becoming a Techmoan Patreon, my CD collection has sounded crisper and clearer just like my Uncle Lou's left eye after he got Lasik. They couldn't do nothing for the right one on account of the potato gun incident. Don't let that negative iron get you down, Mr. Mat. He just letting off steam.
1) I love these videos of you showing this wacky audiophile gear...it's like a guilty pleasure 2) Consider adding more tiers or a custom tier so we can give you more money :) Thanks as always, I really enjoy your videos.
You can already pledge as much as you want (as long as it is more than the nominal amount for the selected tier). I pledge a custom amount to Mat without any problems.
Poor old audiophiles. I wish I had their confidence that spending money on these things made any difference at all.
Maybe try out Douglas Self's Oxygen Free Listening Room http://www.douglas-self.com/ampins/failproj/failproj.htm#p8
I know nothing about this product, but it sounds like it would take your breath away!
I’m quite happy with the Patreon monthly vlogs, not fussed if the exclusivity on the normal videos is shortened. Love the tone of this video. I can imagine people with speaker cables and interconnects that cost more than my car buying this snake oil and banging on about how good it isn’t- just like the drivel you read out from other reviewers. Heat is bad up here in Scotland too at night, not slept properly all damn week…
The 3 thumbs down on the youtube video must be the actual company 😂
It’d be slightly odd to get this many Patrons disliking a video, so far I can’t see any thumbs down. Just wait till it goes live though.
I now have 20/20 vision thanks to subscribing to your channel, optometrists be damned.
£1000 ! Ultimate snake oil device 😂
I’ll sell you mine for 900
I subscribed and now i hear in 4d and lute music is more refined and airy
I liked the tongue-in-cheek humour. You know how to make an interesting video out of an experiment whose outcome is de facto predictable. I guess those silly explanations (in the promo material) about the inner workings are meant to serve as a filter. This product is not exactly aimed at critical thinkers, so better keep them at a distance. Much like Nigeria spam mails. You simply don't aim at people that would ask too many questions. In case you are in need of another dubious device, the "NESPA #1" is similarly strange. A so-called "optical disc finalizer" that supposedly uses the same light spectrum as the sun to vaporize the smallest imperfections on the surface of a CD. Was also available in a "professional" edition. BTW: AIR - Moon Safari...excellent choice!
😆You must have had a lot of fun this week working out ways of sarcastically taking the piss out of this device!
Scarcasm, moi?
😂😂😂
But you know that many self acclaimed audiophiles would corner their acquaintance (they don’t have friends ) in bars and enthuse about the clearer sound stage and tighter bass.
The beleaguered bartender sees the audiophile coming and tells them, 'I already know.'
I knew I made the right choice joining the Patreon today.
"I've never had a great experience with negative Irons" 😂😂
• I just returned home from a five-day 1,000 mile round-trip 'road trip' to northeastern Minnesota and the North Shore of Lake Superior. This video is like a 'welcone home' present. 75 degrees there vs. 95 degrees here, though. 🥵 • For goodness sakes, Mat - it's time for a portable air conditioner. Expect one via express courier in a few days. 😄 • I love seeing the Hi-Fi again. • 'Sense of analogue' WTF are they talking about...? • At least you can use it instead as a home fragrance wax melt device? • There's many amusing moments in this one; it's filled with the best derisive criticism laced with sarcasm and wit. Fantastic. You make me laugh so much. 😀 • I'm developing a conspiracy theory - these POS devices were sent down by extraterrestrials to test the capacity of wisdom in homo sapiens. 🤪 Splendid work; take care 🤍
I ordered a personal neck worn ‘air conditioner’ yesterday. I did have a portable device but it was next to useless and very noisy, not something I’d be able to use in the studio…the lack of floor space wouldn’t accommodate it anyway.
Brilliant as always. Thank you. Did you try plugging in your speaker cables the other way round? They are directional you know. 😂
The truly audiophile speaker cables are even so helpful as to have arrows on them so the electrons know which way to flow
I'm making a comment, just to improve my audiophile karma before listening to some music. Wish me luck
See, the problem is, you need a device with smaller ion emitters, for a more even dispersive effect. Clearly, your balls are too big.
Oh no! My computer has a solid state drive, all those CDs I've ripped must sound horrible.
I have noticed that since I’ve become a Patreon member, I am much happier, maybe it’s the better sound stage
Thanks Mat… I live in Italy and I’m waiting in an airport to go home to Liverpool for August because it’s unbearably hot here and I can barely even function as a human. Are you telling me I’ll be miserably hot there too? Balls.
It won’t last long,I think it’s already dying off.
Already hearing wider soundstage after becoming a patreon member. Thanks for the tip 😁
Has anyone else noticed how much clearer their vision was after watching the negative ion generator in this video? It's amazing. After watching it a second time, even my astigmatism had gone. After the third time, I could see through walls!
I don't live that far from you and can agree. My office is a hell hole when it's hot out. The humidity is killing me. This week has been painful.
Time for the UK to discover the “air conditioner” 🤩
OMG, almost €1000 for a device that literally does nothing but burn extra energy... 😱😱😱 And they sue people that just show how worthless and ineffective these rubbish is? 🤦🏼♂️
I don’t know if they’ve ever tried to sue anyone - the examples I posted showed other manufacturers.
I wonder if the genesis of this was the Milty Zerostat gun? People maybe saw something involving ions did something to vinyl and then presumed anything involving them must be good. I don't, however, believe there's any serious amount of negative charge coming off the Revive gadget or you'd presumably have got a static shock when you picked the CD back up. The whole reason that the Zerostat works is that it emits one polarity then the other, almost (but not entirely) cancelling itself out - if you want a practical and painful demo of that, pull the trigger, don't let go, then touch the end 😂
I thought the suggestion at the end was going to be using a Zerostat gun. At £64 it would be a lot cheaper. It might also have an effect on vinyl records, if only stopping them collecting so much dust.
Surely the title of this video should be ‘CD Improvement Device - A Load Of Balls’ or something to that effect.
I think the thumbnail says as much - just visually.
It's kinda funny... British homes aren't built for the summer, Australian homes aren't built for winter...
And it occurs at the same time of the year for both locales. 🤔 By the way, is it not odd for Southern Hemisphere countries to participate in Summer Olympics during the winter?
Balls deep in Bullshit!
The visual of that statement is very disturbing. 😅
I know for big channels that each video is a payday. Apart from that, I don't think it makes much difference in the ongoing views/income for older videos (at least for a 2000 subs channel). Imho, don't sweat it when they're not weekly. Maybe two in a week later will make up for the lost payday later, but I don't think it has much of an effect on 'the algorith'. Personally I don't mind if some videos have a short Patreon Exclusivity. We're here because you're worth it, so whatever works for you is good for me.
Yeah there's really no worries from me about Patreonclusivity (feel free to use that word. Its elegantlification will make you sound as educationalised as me). Just release them when you want, Mat.
It reminds of the time TV "journalist" Richard Madeley (of Richard & Judy fame), boldy claimed putting your CDs in the freezer overnight would generate infinitely better audio from the aforementioned physical media...
I heard locking Richard Madelely in a freezer overnight reduces unwanted noise.
Negative irons? I assume you were joking? This sounds like the ionizer devices bigclive tears down to "improve" your health by making the air "healthy". wow!
I might be having a laugh about it - but the device is deadly serious.
I fell for the green pen around the edge of the CD back in the day. Supposed to stop light scattering 😲.....was under a tenner and at least it's durable. I was in late twenties at the time so hearing should have been at its peak !!!
At least you got a green pen out of it.
Anybody who falls for this one is missing an electron or two.
You know what they say: there's a sucker born every minute. :)
Subscribing to this channel multiple times, clearly could give you even bassier bases and treblier trebles. For Sure :)
We're not built for heat here in Lancashire. I remember a couple of years back when it reached 39C here. Felt like I was being roasted by the pavement.
Excellent, a new video. Hope it’s successful for you Mat; perhaps the ludicrous costs of weird audiophile equipment could be offset by YouTube.