Audio Flim Flam

[Randy Twizzle]

A company called Machina Dynamica is offering something called the "Intelligent Chip" which is supposed to permanently improve the sound of any CD by a kind of magical process. From the company website:(http://www.machinadynamica.com/machina27.htm)

Instructions: Remove the orange Intelligent Chip from its clear plastic protective case and place it on top of the CD/DVD/SACD player directly above the transport section, silver label facing up. Next, insert the disc to be upgraded in the player, push "Play" and allow the disc to play for 2 seconds. The Chip can also be placed on top of the player while the disc is already playing with similar results. The upgrade takes less than 2 seconds and is permanent. Once the disc is upgraded, either remove the Intelligent Chip from the player and return it to its protective case or leave it on top of the player and insert the next disc to be upgraded into the player. Discs may be upgraded sequentially, leaving the Chip in place on the top of the player. If left on top of the player, the Chip will not function until the next disc to be upgraded is inserted in the player and played. Always store the Chip in its protective case, well away from the player.

[wolff]

What a crock!!

My favorite method is to sell the CD and get the LP.

[Jazzmoose]

Caveat: this method ONLY works if you first burn incense and then chant the magic words "my head is up my ass" five times before playing the CD. Some say that dancing nekkid in your front yard greatly aids the process, and if one is willing to do this with a dead toad tied to one's genitals, the playing of the CD is not neccesary, and your entire collection can merely be placed near the player for approximately fifteen seconds.

[JohnJ]

and if one is willing to do this with a dead toad tied to one's genitals

Personally, I find it more enjoyable when they are still alive.

[RDK]

All of my records and CDs sound better after I've had a stiff drink...

[jazzbo]

Thank goodness it doesn't function until you play the next disc if you leave it on top of the player!

[robviti]

check out the testimonials on the website:

"I've used the IC 5xs and heard a clear, consistent improvement each time -- reduction of brashness and increased sense of solidity to the sound. I might also have heard more low-level information, but that is not as clear. This is amazing." - April 2005

"I have commenced using the new lot of GSIC-30s. The thing that I particularly notice about the GSIC-30 is that the sound is more "musical." Also, there is less of a "digital edge" to the music, a somewhat bigger and more cohesive soundstage, a little more air and slightly more resolution in a system that was already very resolving. All this makes listening a more enjoyable experience." - March 2005

"Enya's 'Watermark' - impressive! Kenny Rankin's 'Kenny Rankin' - been listening to this for 20+ years -- probably for the first time I noticed the wide swing of recording differences among the various cuts. Taking it up a few engineering notches: West Side Story - Dave Grusin -- If you don't have this one, think Gato Barbieri meets Lenny B. Jump factor way up!... both Jon Secada and Gloria Estaban's voices are much clearer - with better separation between singer and orchestra, as well as among the individual instruments - with great punch and snap. The following seems consistent: the window is much cleaner, so if the CD is well-recorded the improvement is significant, the stage much larger, deeper and wider, and the music comes well out into the room. The pace, rhythm, and flow of the music is much better (especially appreciated with large-scale music). So, the chip has made it obvious that, in spite of dedicated lines and SOTA vibration control, power conditioning, and cabling a fair amount of veiling persists." - Robert Hart, Audio Tweakers, Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Feb 2005

"I had the opportunity to try the intelligent chip on 3 CDs last night and another this morning....On all of the first 3 discs the improvement was quite obvious. I found that the full effect didn't set in until a few seconds after treatment -- and in all 3 cases the sound became much more relaxed and a sense of space and dimensionality became more apparent. The best way I can describe it is that the "decay" of the sound is greatly improved. Notes flow from one to the next instead of "start-and-stop." The forth disc didn't fare as well as the others; it is an older CD that obviously wasn't recorded or mastered as well as the others, so there's probably less detail to extract from this disc.

"I listened to entire discs after treatment instead of just a couple of tracks for demonstration purposes. This is, I believe, the greatest testament to the effectiveness of the chip. I treated one disc this morning by placing the chip beneath the player. It worked that way too!" - Patrick Conroy, Feb 2005

heck, it this thing can make enya and dave grusin listenable, it can't be all bad!

[Jazzmoose]

"Electric Avenue" never sounded fresher than when played after using this thing. I can't believe the nuance revealed in even my favorite Kenny G. track. And to say this made a difference in Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life" has to be the understatement of the century!