Very interesting concept. If it works that would be awesome.

I first heard about it in a mailer from the Cable Co, and they raved about it. Of course they tend to rave about a lot of things. Three grand is an awful lot to spend on this stuff though, especially considering that the Cathedral panels are only about $90.

Ermmmmmmmm.............hahahahahah........NO. This is just more , "Hey you know other snake oil companies are making a killing on gullible audiophiles, so why not us too?"

fiji5555- I would have agreed with you 100% except for one thing. I heard the Synergistic Research Acoustic ART System at this years RMAF in Denver. They worked so well at the show that I bought a complete set on the spot. When I got the system home they transformed my system- even my low freq "honk" and boom are gone. Boomy bass was something I thought I would have to live with given the dimensions of my listening room but the ART System transformed my listening room top to bottom.

I can't figure out HOW they work but they DO. Their effects are not subtle.

Jeez TLA how much money did they pay you to say that? It sounds like a bad testimonial to say the least. Seriously, you must work for the company and are trying to do some "damage control" to the company's image. The whole concept reeks of bad pseudo-science. Sorry I'm not buying into your "testimonial"

jijil5555,
You have not tried it, I have. Yours is an opinion based on...?

Judging from your posts here, I imagine you would have been the first to burn someone at the steak for being a witch, a heretic, or for any idea that is outside of your rather narrow mindset.

Have a nice day.

TLA nice try...judging by your posts here I can see you've only posted two both of which was to me so I still think you are affiliated with the company ......my narrow mind set is based on sound scientific reasoning NOT mumbo jumbo......go have a nice day yourself :)

fiji5555,
I just heard the SR Acoustic ART in my dealers reference system- Luxman electronics, Esoteric DAC, transport and clock, and a pair of Wilson Audio Alexandra speakers all in a specially designed custom listening room with traditional room acoustics. The system sounded (as one would expect) amazing- like nothing I have ever heard before. Then the salesman removed the Acoustic ART from the walls and the soundfield fell flat and the bass became ill defined. This was not subtle. In fact the 300k system sounded somewhat "ordinary" without the acoustic system in place.

Just my 2 cents.

ahhhhh Asian has been a member here for 5 hours and 10 minutes and just "happened" to drop by and just "happened" to have heard the above system. What a coincidence.........listen guys seriously please stop beating this dead horse and accept the fact that your products are snake oil and have no sonic benefits what so ever ok? This is my last post on the subject by the way........best of luck fleecing the ill informed and rich :)

5555,
Who do YOU work for? I did a google search on "Synergistic Research Acoustic ART" looking for information and found this thread.

Perhaps if I spent as much time posting to consumer electronics threads as you profess I would qualify to share my opinion.

I'm with Fiji5555 on this one. This is a ridiculous concept and anyone with an ounce of intelligence would see through this junk. TLA and Asian sound like the same person to me,and TLA, it's burn someone at the STAKE not STEAK lmao unless you were wanting a dinner. Asian, perhaps if you spent time educating yourself, then you wouldn't have bought into this silly idea but then again I also think you and TLA are just company shills making false claims of being consumers that bought an AAS system. Yeah right.

Johnny- you are with Fiji5555 on this one or ARE YOU Fiji5555? I have heard the Acoustic ART System in my dealers reference system (Music Lovers in Berkley California). May I suggest you also take a listen or do you have some other vested interest? Surely if this is merely a "false product" there will be nothing to hear if and when you do listen. May I ask who you are you shilling for?

Me thinks you (both) protest too much.

Wtf? what ever dude, get over yourself. Go peddle your crap somewhere else.

I heard the SR Acoustic ART at Athen-hifishow for some weeks ago. The difference with or without were just amazing. Open youre ears and mind and go to youre local dealer and judge yourself.

Hi fiji5555 and JohnnyR,

Yes, this is my first post on Audio Junkie, but I have hundreds on other forums including several reviews.

No, I am not affilliated with Synergistic Research but I do own their Tesla power cords, speaker cables, and Teslaplex receptacles.

I too had a lot of trouble accepting that these things could do anything much and even after hearing them at RMAF, I remained undecided. Now that I have heard them in several different environments with top-notch systems in each, I want one.

But I admire your tenacity toward condemning things without hearing them. Bose has a nice commercial with folks like you who 'can have better sound with the Bose Wave Radio than those complicated component systems'. Ignorance is bliss (and a heck of a lot cheaper too)!

Oh great, now AAS has two more flunkies sending in rave reviews about their silly products JUST so people searching on Google for their "products" won't be put off by someone with a brain that knows better than to believe this BS. Lol Crown's testimony sounds like it was written by 5 people before it was "approved" to be sent here and as for Opensound's, "Yes, this is my first post on Audio Junkie, but I have hundreds on other forums including several reviews." well lets see some please?
You also said,
But I admire your tenacity toward condemning things without hearing them. Bose has a nice commercial with folks like you who 'can have better sound with the Bose Wave Radio than those complicated component systems'. Ignorance is bliss (and a heck of a lot cheaper too)!
Hahahaha that's priceless, trying to tie in my opinion on this crap (which anyone with ANY audio and scientific knowledge would KNOW that it's all snake oil and based upon people's gullibility and belief system),with Bose which is another crap company is too funny to be believed But I KNOW if I keep posting responses on here that some "new" poster will respond with a "The difference with or without were just amazing. Open youre ears and mind and go to youre local dealer and judge yourself." because the head of the company DOESN'T want his well thought out fleecing idea to go belly up. Well lets see how many more "new posters" come on here and tell me I'm narrow minded and that the product is just hunky dory, amazing and wow just go buy it! Lol like Fiji555 I've had enough of this banter and will not be responding so to all who come here looking, may the buyer beware.

JohnnyR,

Your latest post speaks for itself (and for you):

"Oh great, now AAS has two more flunkies sending in rave reviews about their silly products"

Reply: I don't think that my post was even close to a 'rave review', so you must be referring to some other "AAS" flunky (whatever "AAS" is - perhaps you mean Synergistic Research or A.R.T).

"Yes, this is my first post on Audio Junkie, but I have hundreds on other forums including several reviews." well lets see some please?"

Reply: Based on your wonderful disposition, I think I will pass on opening myself up to your attacks on other forums.

"But I KNOW if I keep posting responses on here that some "new" poster will respond with a "The difference with or without were just amazing. Open youre ears and mind and go to youre local dealer and judge yourself."

Reply: I agree with you that it makes much more sense to judge things based on your obviously superior intellect than to go out and actually hear them. By the way, genius, I believe 'youre' is spelled 'your' in this context.

"Well lets see how many more "new posters" come on here and tell me I'm narrow minded..."

Reply: I don't think 'narrow' will be the first adjective "new posters" envision when considering your mind.

"I've had enough of this banter and will not be responding so to all who come here looking..."

Well, just pick up your toys and go home! We will certainly miss you. Perhaps you can go pick on those boneheads that keep insisting that the world is round.

Wow I've never seen so many people on one thread trying to convince themselves that AAS or ART isn't a sham and a crock. I found it very funny how those with audio or scientific understanding are bashed while the idiots that claim to have bought or heard this system rave on and on. Me thinks they protest too much about not being part of the company. I smell a rat. By the way Opensound, JohnnyR was quoting Crown word for word when he typed youre so perhaps he is the genious Mr Grammer Police. You resort to insults when confronted by someone elses opinion and to be honest you all do sound like the same person. Blah blah blah. I'd never waste any money on your company or products after seeing how you conduct yourselves.

Hi folks. I`m from Sweden so excuse me for incorrect gram :)

"Posted Wed Oct15, 2008, 12:07 PM - By William Setterlund/STEREOPHILE

I visited the Luxman/Vivid/Synergistic room several times during the show. I was amazed by the huge 3D soundstage there. Other rooms at the show sounded flat by comparison. During one of my visits Ted Denny of Synergistic Research demonstrated the effectiveness of his products by removing the Acoustic ART System from the room. I was shocked! The soundstage became flatter, less coherent, and unstable. I bought the Acoustic ART System then and there. Next he unplugged the PowerCell and the Active Shielding from the cables. At that point the entire system collapsed. This was not a subtle demonstration. In fact, without the Acoustic ART System in place and the PowerCell and Active Shielding turned on the system sounded mediocre at best. I've been an avid audiophile for over twenty years. During that time I've attended many a show but never have I witnessed such an impressive demonstration. Kudos to you Ted Denny for a job well done. I'll be looking into buying more of your gear."

Here I am in Texas, crown is apparently in Sweden, and I assume that TLA and Asian are from elsewhere. Apparently, the Southern California-based Synergistic Research company has moles all over the world, huh Bob?

The one thing that we all have in common is that we have all actually heard the ART system. But, according to you, that makes us all "idiots that claim to have bought or heard this system". Yet those who have not heard the ART are, by definition, "those with audio or scientific understanding".

Thus, it seems that the true threat of the ART is that it instantaneously turns people with audio or scientific understanding into idiots. Worse yet, the insidious penetration of Synergistic Research agents all over the world should be a concern to all the good and "un-ARTed" citizens of the planet Earth. It is fortunate indeed that the public-at-large has folks like you to warn them against this organized conspiracy to promote such a dangerous threat to mental health under the deceitful guise of being just a simple device to make audio systems sound better.

BTW - If one were to compare the similarities of style and substance of the postings of yourself, fiji555. and JohnnyR, he/she would quickly discern that it is you 'three' who are indeed the same person! In other words, 'He who smelt it dealt it!'

ZzzzzzZZZzzzzzzzzzZZZzzzzzzzzzz boring. So me and Fiji555 and whathisname are all the same person? hahahahaha funny stuff dude. But I can bet as soon as I post this someone will reply because the paranoids at ART will be watching this thread like a hawk lmao have fun getting your panties in a wad guys. :) BTW Stereophile will say anything good to get advertisers.

http://dagogo.com/SynergisticART.html

OMG hello Asian. Nice to see you BACK again. Funny how you show up JUST to plug this crap some more by posting a link to a "reviewer" so it looks more "honest". After reading his review and his other reviews, I can honestly say he's just another nut job that thinks he hears differences from products that can't possibly effect the sound of an audio component. How much money do you get Asian for working for ART? lmao you guys never give up do you?

Hahahahaha I just had to quote a few lines of the review by Norm Luttbeg........There is a question about other room treatments. I was told at the RMAF that they are largely irrelevant to the Acoustic ART effect. I did not find that to be the case, and I have removed my Shakti Holographs, most of my Shun Mooks Mpingo disks, Brilliant Pebbles and one of my Acoustic Revive QR-8 dots..........*sigh* as you can see he really likes all the traditional snake oil products and is very gullible as to what works........what no Tice Clock or putting his photograph inside his freezer? (YES folks that used to be a popular "tweak" a few years back by the audio loonies. Priceless!

http://blog.stereophile.com/ces2009/the_art_of_tuning/

It seems even Stereophile's John Atkinson can hear the effect of the Synergistic Research Acoustic ART System. Along with a growing number of people who have actually heard and enjoy the system (I now own a set myself) the only hand outs seem to be those too angry to actually give the ART system a listen. Hey the world was flat and Galileo was a charlatan once upon a time.

Hand outs? You must mean "hold outs". Anyways yes I am a hold out but angry? Well maybe only at these snake oil salesmen for their endless attempts to try to make this crap seem "scientific" and Stereophile? Lmao like I said before Stereophile will say ANYTHING for an advertiser. I hear you can buy some stainless steel salad bowls at WalMart and set those up and hear a big difference in your audio system too and the BEST thing is they are really made in China so you KNOW it's got to be the real deal! So the world was really flat once upon a time hmmm? Please stop comparing Galileo to this guy ok? He's no genius just a sham artist.

JohnnyR : for sure, no genius....:)

Gosh Crown you amaze me with your pure brilliance! Have you tried the NEW and improved WalMart brand of acoustic improvement I mentioned above? After installing it I was blown away by the sonic improvement and had a sonic orgasm.So seriously RUSH to WalMart and buy it! Oh wait, that's right, you spent all your money on the crappy stuff you liked and have none left to buy CDs with now hahaha too bad. Bought any Tice Clocks lately or frozen your photo in the freezer? I hear that wearing garlic around your neck keeps the vampire audio baddies away too. :)

Here you go JohnnyR... The A.R.T system is based on Helmholtz Resonance. See if you can wrap your scientific mind around this? Yes, I know its easier to claim you know everything than admit that there might be science involved. I can't wait to hear you tell us how you know more than the Oxford University Physics Department and the other universities referenced in the article.

I will agree on one thing. The A.R.T system is at a price point that I personally find obscene.

Cheers!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_resonator

I am very well aware of what a helmholtz resonance is thank you very much.It's the same principle that ported speaker boxes use to reinforce the low frequencies to help extend the low frequency response.Perhaps Oxford or better yet MIT should measure this scam artist's goods and see just what exactly it is doing hmmmmm? What I don't see here is this CRAP having any benefit to an already well thought out speaker system. For their product to help the bass frequencies as claimed, then that little sized bowl isn't going to be able to resonate anywhere near the bass frequency spectrum.If their little bells and do dads resonate then why should it be for the better? I always find it funny that all audio "tweaks" NEVER seem to make things worse according to all the people selling this junk nor the magazines that "review" them and at the same time have big advertisements in the same magazine.If this is how it works then I should be able to place several empty beer bottles around the room and accomplish the same thing. Claiming a product works by resonance and that it makes the sound better is one thing but they NEVER show any real measurements to back up their claims now do they, just a reviewer gushing about the sonic benefits. Let's face it, this guy is counting on the mysterious imagery of Tibetian Monks and the far east to make gullible audiophiles spend their money. Lets see some frequency and phase response measurements of before and after ok? I bet THAT never sees the light of day and reason :)

See, you did not wrap your mind around it. You are too busy calling this "CRAP" to think through what is likely going on here.

I'm sure you would agree that a rug, a ficus plant and a glass picture frame can all influence the acoustics of a room. The rug would dampen energy, the glass picture frame would reflect energy, and the ficus plant with all its random glossy leaves would diffuse energy. The good thing here is you can use these items to alter your room acoustics for a lot less than $2995.

Most of the A.R.T devices are coupled to the wall at points in the room with the greatest acoustical energy is present. That is either directly between the front speakers (vibratron), on the rear walls (gravatron), or at the first order reflection points (magnatron). The A.R.T resonators are powered by sympathetic resonance which would cause the resonators to resonate just slightly after the musical energy from the speakers.

So here is my take. Do the A.R.T devices fix room acoustics? Personally, I doubt that they technically "fix the room acoustics".

But... do the A.R.T devices impact room acoustics? Without a doubt! if you take five items that are all specifically designed to be highly resonant and place them in the points of maximum acoustical energy they will indeed resonate to the point of audibility.

So, what I suspect they are doing is resonating in the key acoustical points (front, left/right, rear) with a slight delay to the musical energy. In other words, the A.R.T devices are mechanically adding a little bit of warmth and delay that would increase the perceived ambiance in the room. A sort of mechanical ambiance circuit.

So when people tell you that they hear a difference when the A.R.T devices are removed from a demo room, this is not placebo effect, they are probably telling the you the truth. The question here is does different mean better? Or, is different, just different? That is probably a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

If someone likes the effect created by the A.R.T devices and they have $2995 that they want to spend, that's fine by me. Personally, I would find a better use for my $2995.

Cheers!

Why are you trying to defend this CRAP? YES I know about first reflection points and all the rest that's why I said I could just use empty beer bottles in place of the lil do dads they want to sell. If your point was to make yourself seem important by giving me a lecture in physics and acoustics then big whoop pat yourself on the back lmao. Frequency resonances and room modes will vary greatly from room to room.Personally, I'd want absorption at the first reflection points along the wall NOT something that will ring and boom. The product they are trying to sell is CRAP and no different than those that sell any audio tweak that really doesn't help the sound. Yes it MIGHT resonate and add "something" to the sound but who wants added noise? I'd want to just hear the music not someone else idea of what the music should sound like. Yes I agree that it's way over priced at $2995. I bet they "slash" it to $1495 real soon and claim it's a bargain lol. I bet they have at most maybe $10 in a whole complete set and it's made in China.Did you look at the picture of the guy in the Sterophile website grinning like a complete scam artist? lol He looks like a used car salesman trying to sell a real junker to a poor unsuspectng soul.

I'm not defending the A.R.T in the sense that it is some magical "must have" room treatment. I surely wold not buy it for my system at least not at that price or even half the price. I am merely pointing out that A.R.T. is likely are doing something audible and that there is physics behind what they are doing. This is not a case of "the king and the invisible clothing", it is more like the king with some altered clothing. In fact, I pointed out that just because they are audible, does not mean that they are better.

What I think is often lost is that Audio is a hobby! In this hobby some people derive a great deal of enjoyment from purchasing equipment and some get enjoyment from tweaks, while still others actually listen to music. I don't think that most of the people that buy this stuff are poor unsuspecting souls, they are hobbyists looking for a new toy.

In my opinion it's not right to deride someone that choses to spend money that they earned on something like this, just because its not a purchase that you or I would choose to make for ourselves. There is far too much of that going on in this hobby and when the day is done, this is just a hobby. If someone is rich enough to afford this, then good for them! Really, why should you care what someone else does with THEIR money??? It is their money and their business. If someone does not like or believe that a product adds value, fine go ahead and say so, but it's not right to deride someone who feels otherwise.

For example, automotive hobbyists often spend a great sum of money on chrome engine parts, even though the chrome parts do not increase horsepower, fuel mileage, or add any tangible value other than form over function. Yet, the automotive hobbyist is allowed to enjoy their chrome embellishments and yellow plug wires with little or no worry of being ridiculed and publicly called a fool. The same is true for the manufacturer of the chrome parts being sold. The chrome parts are nice to look at, just like the A.R.T, but they add little in tangible value to an automobile, yet the chrome parts manufacturers are not called Charlatans!

The same is true for wrist watches, a $29.00 Timex keeps just as good as time as a $15,000 Rolex. Some people just appreciate the Rolex bling, while for others, its a status thing, and for others an investment. Yet for the most part, there are not people running around watch forms bashing Rolex owners.

What I am standing up for is the right for people to enjoy this hobby the way that they choose without being ridiculed and called names. For some people it's about getting the most bang for the buck, for others, its about the bling, and for others it is about the music. It's a hobby!

"Personally, I'd want absorption at the first reflection points along the wall NOT something that will ring and boom." I mostly agree, for a bright room, absorption at the first reflection points, but for a room that is average, diffusion at the first reflection points may sound better.

Ugh, that's what's wrong with the world now. People spending tons of money on useless things just to stoke their egos. Yes, people like that should be ridiculed for wasting money on useless junk no matter if it's audio or car related or Rolex related or anything else for that matter."Just a hobby"? More like a sick obsession. They never listen to the music anymore just components. How about putting that extra money to work by actually helping others less fortunate? I swear these idiots spend thousands a year on audio "tweaks". They must be missing something really big in their souls to keep spending and spending and spending.I hope companies that make junk products like this go out of business and that people wise up and stop being foolish but I don't see that happening just by reading some of the audio forums. It seems to me that people put their faith almost a religious experience into wanting to believe that a certain audio product DOES work and reason goes out the window. That's just sad. Well maybe the coming economic recession will make people see what's really important and what they can do without.Oh and one last thing, the Acoustic Art Sysytem is CRAP :)

How many of you have actually heard a room tuned with the Synergistic Research Acoustic ART System? Please allow me to digress. I am a lifelong audiophile with a very high end system. I have Wilson Audio Max 3 speakers, Transparent Audio cables, Macintosh electronics, and a very well treated listening room with over $10,000 worth of Real Traps and ASC Tube Traps. While visiting CES I visited the Synergistic Research room where I not only heard the Acoustic ART System, but I also had a very enjoyable conversation with Ted the designer. A passionate audiophile he is, a used car salesperson he is not. After listening to his demo I was sufficiently convinced to try the system when I returned home. I followed the set up instructions and while the benefits were nice, they were nowhere near as impressive as what I heard at the show. A phone call to Ted at Synergistic Research had me removing 90% of my RealTraps and Tube Traps. Now I was getting the magic I heard at the CES demo. Perhaps 3k is a lot of money for someone to spend on room treatments, but considering that I had over 10k invested in traditional room treatments, I found the expense more then reasonable especially since my system has never sounded more natural or so musical. The fact is I have spent more then 10k on electronics that delivered significantly less performance and musical enjoyment then the ART System. Example: before buying the Max 3's I had Watt Puppy 8's. Don't get me wrong, the Max 3's were head and shoulders better then my old Watt Puppy 8's, but they were better in the sense of delivering a better version of the same kind of musical performance I am accustomed to hearing from a two channel audio system. With the ART system in place, I feel for the first time like I am listening to real living and breathing performers in my listening room except for one thing. I no longer feel like I am in a "listening room", with the lights out, I am transported to Carnegie Hall or an intimate smokey Jazz club away from my stressful life even if just for a few hours a night. This is my experience with the Acoustic ART System. Don't allow angry little people who have never heard the ART dissuade you for trying this most exceptional room treatment system.

JM5 has never posted anything on this forum until now. What a coincidence huh? One post for all the things this website has to offer.Just another fake person from the shill company trying to do damage control. Hahahahahah. Awwwwwwwww poor you and your stressful life. What's the matter too busy working your life away trying to get more and more money while ignoring the wife and kids?I bet you've never even been to Carnegie Hall or probably not even a real live performance. Just another audio snob with too much money on his hands to throw away on voodoo products. So $3k is reasonable to spend huh? Sad........just plain sad.

JohnnyR

Your making a lot lot of assumptions here. For example, how do you know that audiophiles or the audio companies don't donate large sums of money to charity? How do you know how much time someone else spends with their family or if they even have children? How do you know that their spouse and children don't enjoy music too? (Maybe its a family hobby.) You really don't have any way to know that, nor should you. Shouldn't those things be let to the individual to decide?

You ask:
"How about putting that extra money to work by actually helping others less fortunate?"

I hope people do decide to donate to worthy causes, but is it possible that they may already be doing just that both directly and indirectly. Rolex donates their profits to charity!
Rolex Institute So perhaps ridicule is not in order if for Rolex owners once you know all the profits go to charity.

JohnnyR Stated:

"JM5 has never posted anything on this forum until now. What a coincidence huh?"

Why do you keep making Troll like comments that try to make it out that first posters are company implants? Thats so paranoid, it's just plain silly. Not to mention, its not very nice to someone who was kind enough to to take the time to write about their experience with the product in question.

For the record, I think that most people want to hear comments like those by JM5, because JM5 has actually heard the A.R.T. and therefore has real world experience with the product. Its JM5s real world experience VS others assumptions based on conjecture.

Lets compare actual experience to someone who has never actually heard the A.R.T, yet takes it upon themselves to passes judgement anyway. Is that not like putting salt on your food before you taste it???

If someone took the time to listen to the A.R.T, then decided it was of no value, that would add more value to this thread than someone who just suspects something is a scam. You may be right, or your may be wrong, but the only way to empirically prove your point would be to actually take the time to go listen to the A.R.T for yourself.

Johnny R,
Lets see. You have "14" posts to Audio Junkies and 13 of them are all to this thread, the other is a post making fun of Noel Lee at Monster Cable. And you accuse ME of being a shill?

You seem like a deeply disturbed person and I hope you get the help you so obviously need.

JM5 Stated:

"How many of you have actually heard a room tuned with the Synergistic Research Acoustic ART System?"

Personally, I have not heard the A.R.T., but by looking at it, I can see how it could indeed make an audible and positive change to a room based on sympathetic resonance energizing the A.R.T resonators.

My suspicion is that the resonators probably don't fix every acoustic problem in a room. If you think about it, since no two rooms are alike that would be a difficult task indeed. I suspect that the A.R.T resonators probably add warmth and a sense of ambiance making the room sound more spacious and inviting. So, the A.R.T may very well be worthwhile. Then again, I have not actually heard them, so your opinion is more valuable than mine in this case.

That's my beef; people are too quick to condemn something that they have not heard. Some tweaks do work, no doubt about it! Unfortunately, many Tweaks are quite expensive and I can also see why people would be skeptical on this one. The A.R.T is rather unorthodox in both looks and design. Some people just see a company that is selling blocks of wood, magnets, and bowls for $3K. And $3K is a lot of money for the raw materials involved. Its hard to wrap your mind around this one and they don't consider that there may have been a lot of time invested in development. I doubt that there would be as much protest if the A.R.T were $500.

It would be very interesting to see frequency response measurements in a room before and after the system is installed. Hopefully a future review by someone will cover that and settle this once and for all.

ref3,
I am not certain if measurements would solve this once and for all. The Bass Station should be measurable, but I am not certain things like sound staging and air can be measured any more then two different speakers which measure ruler flat can be shown to sound alike when in practice they do not.

Unlike a lot of audiophiles I have invested in extensive room treatments over the years but this is by far the best system I have found. It did not totally replace my traditional room treatments, but it did displace 90% of them and 100% of the huge and ugly bass tubes.

We've got a second system in our living room with zero room acoustics (I am only king of one room in our castle). My partner has given me the green light to set up a set in the listening room where we do the majority of listening and living. It should be interesting to see if they can work their magic in less then an ideal setting.

JM5,

I would be interested in hearing how the living room setup works out for you.

I too have two systems, my first system slowly morphed into a home theater and the queen commandeered that system for full time use dedicated to Television viewing. So, the king had start from scratch and built a second two channel system or give up listening to music. My system is very nice, but not as nice as yours. I'm running Gallo Acoustics Reference 3.1 speakers mounted on 2" thick hard maple blocks. I'm really happy with the Gallos, they do a good job with Jazz.

I'm planning on building a dedicated listening room in my basement, nothing fancy just a man cave. I'm going to try to address the acoustics as much as possible during the room build. Even so, I will not be able to dedicate $10K to room treatments.

I would like to get a chance to hear the A.R.T. but it will probably have to be at a dealer or audio show. My queen is an accountant by trade, and A.R.T. would be a very hard sell. : )

Is there one piece of the A.R.T system that stands head and shoulders above the rest? I noticed they sell the components separately.

What's the matter Ref3 you own a Rolex and I hit a bit too close to home? lol oh yes I'm sure Rolex donates ALL profits to charity. Give me a break. No it's not silly to think that first time posters here are company shills considering that if you Google ART it's very close to the top in the results. I'm sure they keep a close eye on this forum. You said to JM5...It would be very interesting to see frequency response measurements in a room before and after the system is installed. Hopefully a future review by someone will cover that and settle this once and for all....(well frankly you will NEVER be seeing that because that would mean hard evidence. I'd be very wary of auditioning this product unless you get a 100% money back promise if you are not satisfied.)

JM% thanks for the suggestion that I get the help I need. I'd suggest you also get some help for your audio neurosis and compulsion buying. You stated to ReF3........I am not certain if measurements would solve this once and for all. The Bass Station should be measurable, but I am not certain things like sound staging and air can be measured any more then two different speakers which measure ruler flat can be shown to sound alike when in practice they do not....(Yes you should be able to measure any acoustic response considering it has to be frequency and phase related that is unless we are dealing with voodoo)

Unlike a lot of audiophiles I have invested in extensive room treatments over the years but this is by far the best system I have found. It did not totally replace my traditional room treatments, but it did displace 90% of them and 100% of the huge and ugly bass tubes........(ohhhhh well THAT explains why your bass response went yup. You removed the tube traps so now you have reverted to how the room originally sounded with standing waves and room nodes. Funny how you think the ART system didn't perform like you thought it should like at the trade show you saw them at UNTILL you removed the tube traps.I guess lots of wishful thinking also went into how they sounded.Obviously you haven't tried the same room now without the ART system and without the tube traps just to double check no doubt. I bet the bass response will be the same :)

So why do I keep responding to this thread? To let others know how silly this concept is and to make them aware that just because someone who "bought" the ART system gives it a glowing revue doesn't mean they actually did buy it. I mean we have to take their word that they did, no proof really.Like most high cost audio tweaks, the main reason for the perceived sound improvement is wishful thinking, the amount of money spent, a religious fervor that what they spent their money on is REAL plus they don't want to think that maybe just maybe they got took by some sham artist. Do any of you also think that audio tweaks like Brilliant Pebbles or Risers to elevate the speaker wire off the carpet are the real deal and worth the money? I'm sure you can find plenty of "testimonials" online saying that they do but come on......deep down you know it's all BS.

Here everyone......check out these websites, plenty of goodies to waste your money on......go ahead I don't mind. It's not my money. :)
Gee I wonder if any of these work to improve your sound?

http://www.machinadynamica.com/

http://www.shakti-innovations.com/audiovideo.htm

http://www.puremusicgroup.com/cart/i...d&productId=93

http://www.6moons.com/archivelibrary/archives.html

http://www.stereophile.com/miscellan...84/index3.html

http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/index.html
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/product/product.html
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/product/...m/quantum.html
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/product/redxpen/rxp.html
http://www.belt.demon.co.uk/product/qrfqc/qrfqc.html

You removed the tube traps so now you have reverted to how the room originally sounded with standing waves and room nodes. Funny how you think the ART system didn't perform like you thought it should like at the trade show you saw them at UNTILL you removed the tube traps.I guess lots of wishful thinking also went into how they sounded.Obviously you haven't tried the same room now without the ART system and without the tube traps just to double check no doubt. I bet the bass response will be the same :)

Once again you are on par for the course, you are again, incorrect. When I remove the resonator from the Bass Station (with or without my bass traps in the room) low frequencies become ill defined and the sound stage closes in around the speakers while moving closer to my listening position.

Also wrong again. When I remove the little gold and silver magnets from atop the Vibratron high frequencies become more etched and "hi-fi" sounding while the mid-range sounds less liquid and musical. When I remove the Vibratron, Satellites and Bass Station resonators from the room completely (the entire ART System), thus returning to a true untreated listening room (save a few panels I have kept on the walls), the soundfield localizes in and around my speakers and the systems wonderful layering disappears. High frequencies become closed in and hard sounding, and the bass is ill defined and flabby.

In case you missed it, John Atkinson the Editor and Cheif of Stereophile magazine, as well as Jason Victor Serinus a Senior Editor at Stereophile, have both gone on record as to the dramatic effect the Synergistic ART System has on the sound of an audio system. Also Norm Lutbeg at Dagogo has written a review. You are an island of ONE.

As to your assertion that the ART System is made in "China", wrong again. Each piece clearly states "Made in USA".

Clearly you have a dizzying intellect. Perhaps you need to snuggle up with your bong, crank your Ozzy tapes, and contemplate the vast conspiracy that prevents you from having all the things in life you KNOW you are entitled to. If only it weren't for the evil capitalists (like myself) that keep you down.

Ahhhhhhhhh JM5 still banging away at defending this CRAP are you? How many of the other "tweaks" I posted above do you have also? Come on......fess up. :)
Bass frequencies become ill defined and the sound stage closes in? Wow you mean all those MONO bass notes become stereo with that lil bing bong thingie? lmao All the rest of your descriptions are typical of an audio nut.....liquid...etched...layering........you should write for Sterophile with those qualifications :) Yes I saw about the Stereophile articles mentioned and big deal. Stereophile has the reputation of raving about anything as long as thye get the advertising dollars. Didn't you read the link I posted about the Tice Clock? They let Tice respond to someone's criticism in an absurd rambling letter and didn't even try to tell the readers that it's all BS pseudo-science.and Norm Lutbeg? hahahahah yes I certantly saw that one too.........he had ALL the wacko tweaks set up in his room......Brilliant Pebbles lmao that's just way too funny, perhaps him and you should try some Coco Pebbles instead at least you would get a meal out of it . and what's with the last paranoid dellusions you have of me ranting about realy wanting "all the things in life you KNOW you are entitled to"? LAMO oh you are one funny guy alrite. Sounds more like YOU trying to defend your foolish spending of money trying to sooth the inner child that yearns for love when all you do is stuff more CRAP into your house as a poor substitute. How am I doing at coming close to the reason you are spending that money on silly objects? lol wow Jm5, you sure are going out of your way to defend this CRAP aren't you? Got any frequency and phase measurements to PROVE that this CRAP works? Thought not. So move along and take your silly little toys with you and please try not to burst a blood vessel reading this. Life is way too short to worry about your mistakes :)

Hey JM5 and as for your comment about me being an island of ONE perhaps you should read this :)

http://techtalk.parts-express.com/showthread.php?t=209253

Now that's a REAL tech forum not some voodoo hoodoo forum you are used to.

http://dagogo.com/SynergisticART-Roberts.html

This is interesting

The above is brought to you by the same site that has the Lutbeg review. No big surprise there folks. Just more baloney. :)

JohnnyR

First, it would be really helpful if when you quote someone in a post, you put the other poster's quote inside quotation marks. Unless of course, you like posting utterly incoherent paragraphs.

"What's the matter Ref3 you own a Rolex and I hit a bit too close to home?"

Nope. No Rolex watches here. However, if I did have one, what exactly did you say that would "hit close to home"? I'm totally missing your point. Was there a point? And for the record, Rolex does donate all their profit to charity the owner Hans Wilsdorf put the company in a trust for the purpose of donating to charity when he died. I guess Hans must have figured he did not need the money anymore since he would be dead. You could have read that if you took the time. But then again, I suppose its easier for you to deny anything and everything that you don't agree with.

JohnnyR stated:

"So why do I keep responding to this thread? To let others know how silly this concept is and to make them aware that just because someone who "bought" the ART system gives it a glowing revue doesn't mean they actually did buy it. I mean we have to take their word that they did, no proof really."

OK JohnnyR, you fully admit you have not heard the A.R.T right? Therefore knowing that JohnnyR has in fact not heard the A.R.T, we all should just take Johnny's word on the subject as the final authority. Why we ask? Not because there is any empirical proof one-way or the other. But because JohnnyR said so!

This is going nowhere.

JohhnyR Stated:
"Gee I wonder if any of these work to improve your sound?"
"http://www.shakti-innovations.com/audiovideo.htm"

OK, so the page you posted shows the following major recording studios and professional recording engineers endorse Shakti Stones:

Abbey Road Studio
Pink Floyd's Astoria Studio
Steve Hoffman Mastering
Moment Records
Stan Ricker Mastering
Doug Sax's Mastering Lab
Paul Stubblebine Mastering
Ram Ghoshal (Moment Records)
Steve Hoffman (DCC)
Stan Ricker (Stan Ricker Mastering)
Doug Sax (The Mastering Lab)
Paul Stubblebine (Stubblebine Mastering)
Phil Taylor (Pink Floyd's Astoria Studio)
James Guthrie (Pink Floyd Recordings)
Gary Garfield (Musical Fidelity)
A. Taguchi (JVC Music)
Paul Baily (Abbey Road Studio)

Showing forum readers a slew of professional endorsements would seem to weaken your case not strengthen it. Did you even read this page?

Hi people I'm Bacccccccccck. Just looking at the responses to JohnnyR you would think it's war zone in here. I wonder which person in here responding is the inventor of the ART system? I would think he would have the balls to make an appearance and not hide his name? I guess not.

Ref3 you make too much a fuss to not be affiliated with the company. Why keep posting if as you said "Personally, I have not heard the A.R.T" then you jump all over JohnnyR for not having heard the same system. Pot calling the kettle black? He posted quite a few links where others have stated that this has to be a stupid concept and or product. All you do is defend something you haven't even heard.He's showing more common sense than anyone else has so far. You're willing to give these a listen even after you admit that it's way over priced. Make up your mind already and we couldn't really care less about Rolex watches, why bring that up?

Shakti Stones? Look at all the studios that are using them. Probably for something heavy and inert to sit their components on not for any other benefit. They probably got them given to them for free just so the company can claim it's an endorsement look at this post for a description of what they do

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/49655-6-shakti-stones-test-data

and here is a parttial post of the article but please go read the rest for yourself. Common sense works wonders when you actually apply it.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.high-end (More info?)


Have any of the EE types here looked at the results of a test
of the Shakti Stone's ability to attenuate EMI, posted
on the company's website?

http://www.shakti-innovations.com/emitests.htm

Googling doesn't seem to show any discussion of same in
the audio newsgroups. Since I can't make heads or tails
of the graphs as presented (to answer even
simple stuff like, how big is the measured effect?),
I'm curious to hear the opinions of those who can.

These results, btw, are being used to bolster the claim that
Shakti Stones might work, over on audioasylum, in the Randi threads.
(The reply)The elephant they're trying to hide in plain view is this: So a big
slab of apparently solid material placed directly on the radiating
antenna attenuates the signal. This is supposed to be a surprising and
significant result why, exactly? It is not exactly an unknown
phenomenon that solid matter blocks radio frequency EM radiation better
than air. Where are the comparisons to other materials and especially
other shapes? I'd like to see a comparison to, say, a simple Faraday
cage made of ordinary sheet steel or aluminum. (More on that below.)

A quick & easy attenuation demonstration you can perform with no
expensive equipment: Take a cellphone with an external antenna,
preferably the extendable type. With the antenna extended, note how
many bars the signal strength meter is at. Now, without changing the
position or orientation of the phone (either of which can change signal
strength all by itself -- you only want to test one variable), close the
fingers of one hand around the antenna so that it is surrounded on all
sides. In most cases you'll lose at least one bar on the signal
strength meter, if not more. (Be sure to give it some time to settle
for both readings; I just did this with my phone and the meter has a
multi-second lag time.)

For a cruder demonstration, just walk inside a cave.


I mentioned Faraday cages above. These are nothing more than conductive
enclosures around an EMI source which cover it on all sides. A Faraday
cage must have no openings larger than the minimum wavelength the cage
is expected to contain. Holes smaller than that do not significantly
affect how much radiation escapes.

Faraday cages are by far the most common method for reducing EMI in
consumer electronics, since you get one for free if you build your
product's enclosure out of metal. For a great example of how much you
can puncture a Faraday cage without reducing its effectiveness, take a
look at Apple's PowerMac G5.


This brings me to the next elephant Shakti doesn't want you to notice.
The major issue in designing an enclosure to contain EMI (or prevent its
entry) is simply avoidance of holes or slits larger than the critical
length. Problems typically arise wherever the enclosure is punctured
for connectors, user controls, and so forth, because many of these items
are large enough to form exit/entry paths.

The theme you should be getting here is that EMI problems require fully
enclosing a device and paying attention to all possible paths in and
out. But the Shakti Stone is just a slab or bar which cannot possibly
fully enclose anything! For all I know it may do an excellent job
blocking what heads in its direction, but it does absolutely nothing for
any other path.

It's like saying that if you put a 3x3 inch square of cardboard next to
a naked 100 watt bulb, you've successfully blacked out that light.
Well, no, you haven't. You've blocked some paths for light to leave the
bulb, but plenty of light will radiate out all the other angles that are
still open. Even objects in the cardboard's shadow will typically
receive some light that originated at the bulb, due to diffuse
reflections off other surfaces and so forth.

And that analogy isn't actually an analogy! Light and RF EMI are both
examples of electromagnetic radiation. The principles are the same in
both cases; the main difference is that visible light is at much higher
frequencies (shorter wavelengths) than RF EMI.


Please feel free to repost this on audioasylum if you like.

--
Tim

fiji5555

"Ref3 you make too much a fuss to not be affiliated with the company. "

Really? I cannot recall ever stating I was or was not affiliated with the company. Perhaps you might like to read the posts again? I summarize what I essentially said:

1. I have never heard the ART.
2. I could see how they could be audible since they are designed to resonate.
3. Just because they are audible, that did not mean that they would "fix" the sound. I also expressed doubt that they could "fix" the acoustics since no two rooms are alike.
4. I stated that my theory is that they resonate in the midrange possibly giving the those who like them the impression of warmth and ambiance. Warmth and ambiance are generally desirable qualities.
5. I said essentially that in my opinion they are too expensive for me to consider purchasing for my own system. Hardly something a company rep would state if they were trying to sell a product!
6. Let's make it official, I work in IT and I am in now way affiliated with any high-end audio company.

So what is the "fuss". Well, it is somewhat obnoxious and childish to dismiss every person who claims to either own or have heard the A.R.T as being a company "shill" on the basis they cannot validate their identity. As long as were leaping to conclusions just for fun, who is to say that anyone who is anti-A.R.T works for a competing company? Why not take this "logic" a step further. Who is to say that fiji555 is not JohnnyR with another sign on? I hope you get my point.

"All you do is defend something you haven't even heard."

Nope, wrong. If you had read the posts, then you would see that I never defended the companies statements. My own personal "theory" is that the product can make an audible resonance. That's not defending the product, thats stating that something that resonates is audible. My comments were open minded. I am willing to leave final judgement open until I had a chance to hear the product for myself. This is something that some posters in this forum are sadly unwilling to do. I do recall defending the right for people to spend their money as they see fit, to enjoy this hobby as they see fit.

"Shakti Stones? Look at all the studios that are using them. Probably for something heavy and inert to sit their components on not for any other benefit. They probably got them given to them for free ....."

Thanks for the long exposition on the Shakti stones! You apparently totally missed my point. JohnnyR was trying to imply that the products were a waste of money, yet he made the rather unfortunate choice to post an endorsement page full of professional endorsements for the product. That is hardly the best a way to paint something in a negative light. But just so you are clear, I don't own, nor do I plan to buy a Shakti for my system. That's not to say that I would ridicule someone who wanted one for whatever reason, nor would I condemn them without hearing them.

You know I don't really care myself if people want to throw away their money on snake oil products. I think it's funny and just plain sad that they would spend so much on a "hobby" for so little in return. What I mean is they already have a great sounding sound system but keep tweeking and tweeking it by adding rubbish add ons that do nothing.If that's all they have to look forward to in their lives then that says something about what they feel is important hmmm? Sure you can defend their right to spend their money as they see fit but please note also that they aren't protected from ridicule for doing so.I and others also have the right to say what we think about those decisions. I find it foolish and a sign of weak intellect.
Ok Ref3 go listen to the ART system and report on it then. I'd wager that if you listen to it at the dealership that you can't be sure they aren't playing some trickery like switching a speaker out of phase or adjusting the frequency response so it appears that the ART system is responsible for the apparent change in tonality. The only way to truly test it is to take it home and try it out on your system but like I said, I doubt they will be willing to let you bring it back if not satisfied. Oh and be sure to post some frequency and phase response measurements too because otherwise it will only be another "he said she said" situation with no proof offered.
As far as the Shakai Stones link that JohnnyR posted , I see nothing wrong with it. So the "professionals" at the studio have them? Big deal. You think that by just being a recording engineer that they are immune to snake oil comapany's BS and that they are superior in their intellect? I bet some of them have done some really stupid things just have all of us. So JohnnyR posted ONE link that appears to support the Shaki Stones as being relevant out of all the others you ignore to comment on and that proves something? Yes it proves that most if not all pricey tweeks are rubbish. I prefer to keep my belief system rooted in my religion NOT my audio system doo dads.
Ref3, if you are willing to go listen to anything that people claim then you are going to be one busy guy for the rest of your life. Hey, I just might have a "special" box of tweeked crayons that are supposed to make my speakers sound like a live performer right in my living room............see what I mean? You have to be able to draw a line somewhere by clear and logical thinking. Just by giving these sham artists a listen, you are giving them credibility.

oh and BTW who's to say that Ref3 is isn't the same person with another sign on also.........paranoid much?

Hi Ref3, glad you think me and Fiji are the same person. We are twin sons of different mothers Bwahahahahaha! Let me know when you test those ART CRAP pieces okie dokie? Oh that's right you won't. oops my bad.

ref3,
I did a little experiment last night to see if any one of the ART pieces were exceptional without the entire system in place. I found that the Bass Station all by its self did a good job of tightening up the low frequiences. When I added a satellite in place of the expensive Vibragron along with the Bass Station I got a much more layered sound field, better air and decay and tighter bass still.

This seems to the be the best combo for a less then total treatment.

I must say that this whole concept is just silly but reading how some of the supporters in here defend it is giving me some good laughs! It seems science and common sense weren't taught in the schools when some people went there. Don't some of you think that they sell this stuff just to make money off gullible people? I think I'll start selling zip cord as exotic cable and bump up the price to about $200 per foot.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone Frank :) Hope you enjoy the bizarre escapades of JM5 and others! Yeah it's funny alright. I think JM5 has stopped talking to me awwwwwwwwwwwww. I guess reason just doesn't appeal to him but then again maybe he will be interested in buying some of your exotic cable, heck you could give him a discount and drop the price to $175 per foot.

Anyone who is really serious about wanting to make their room sound better should read this link
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html
I am stating from the beginning that I am NOT affiliated with NOR do I work for NOR do I even know Ethan Winer or the company Real Traps. I'm not saying for anyone to purchase any products that they sell. All I am saying is that just by reading that link and applying what they say, you can build your own room treatments and save a TON of money doing so. :) Now isn't that what a REAL audio hobby should be like, using something you can build yourself that actually works? :)

Fiji5555 said:

"oh and BTW who's to say that Ref3 is isn't the same person with another sign on also.........paranoid much?"

Moments later... JohnnyR said: " Hi Ref3, glad you think me and Fiji are the same person. We are twin sons of different mothers Bwahahahahaha! Let me know when you test those ART CRAP pieces okie dokie? Oh that's right you won't. oops my bad.

Ref3 Said:

As long as were leaping to conclusions just for fun, who is to say that anyone who is anti-A.R.T works for a competing company? Why not take this "logic" a step further. Who is to say that fiji555 is not JohnnyR with another sign on? I hope you get my point.

I see that you did NOT get my point I suspected that you would not, that is why I even highlighted it. with "just for fun" and "I hope you get my point. " Sadly it seems you did not.

You folks were trying to dismiss anyone who states they like the ART or that disagrees with you as company sales persons or shills.

I was applying your tactic of dismissing someone to your own IDs to make the point how silly that logic is. I find it very ironic that you are OK with dismissing others as salespersons or shills but when the tactic is applied to your IDs you get defensive. Kind of ironic don't you think?

JM5 Said:

ref3,
I did a little experiment last night to see if any one of the ART pieces were exceptional without the entire system in place. I found that the Bass Station all by its self did a good job of tightening up the low frequiences. When I added a satellite in place of the expensive Vibragron along with the Bass Station I got a much more layered sound field, better air and decay and tighter bass still.

This seems to the be the best combo for a less then total treatment.

JM5, thanks for checking that is interesting. I hope to get a chance to make empirical and objective judgements about the A.R.T. by hearing them in a room for myself before making any conclusions. I don't know of any dealers in my area, but maybe someone will have them at AKFEST09 and then I maybe I will get my chance to hear them. I do find it interesting that the Bass Station makes that much of a difference. I do have to admit that the one piece of the A.R.T. that I am the most skeptical about is the Bass Station.

Your wit is astounding Ref3. Please feel free to ignore all logical posts by me and Fiji5555 in the future and PLEASE do buy the ART system instead of building your own room treatments. I'm sure they will love you for it. Oh yes I am so defensive that I had a cow and I had to go see a shrink for help afterward lmao.

Heh heh JohnnyR stop driving away the customers lol.
A bit about the AK Fest: Started in 2004, the AKFest was a meeting of Audiokarma.org members and a few exhibitors. Hmm well I don't think the ART system will be in attendance there simply because I looked at the website and Audiokarma seems to be a resonable bunch of people from what little I saw. There's hope for the human race yet :)

Prior to the ART System I had over 10k worth of Real Traps and Tube Traps in my listening room; my room looked ugly and sounded nowhere near as holographic as it does now.

YMMV.

Well JM5 you removed the best type of room treatment and now have standing waves in abundance and reflections all over the place. No wonder it sounds more "holographic". You went from one extreme to the opposite! Perhaps you over did the Tube Traps and Real Traps and should have used less? 10k worth sounds like overkill to me.

Anyone else want to buy my WalMart Stainless steel salad bowl room treatment? lol Due to the recession I am now offering the complete set at "only" $300. hahahaha

I have this much debated system, albeit my own version, and I have something to say to you all. I would normally not get involved in a discussion of this type as most of your minds seem to be made up. This is actually a first for me, and I have no agenda other than to relate my experience, which a couple of you seem desirous of. We live in a self-willed world where people are free to invent whatever truth suits their personality. If we only knew how much more we are than personality, i.e., ego. The Truth is the Truth, period. ALL of this audio stuff resides in the realm of opinion. Do you realize that there are a whole host of audio lovers out there that swear by gear that is over 30 years old? What about the old timer who likes to hear his favorite oldies over his table-top radio or eight-track car stereo, and nothing else will fit the bill the way he wants to here those songs?
Sparked by a failed woofer, I have been tweaking and modifying my system without abate for the past two years. Changing power cords, interconnects, and speaker cables to a high purity mono-crystal copper was a no brainer--had to be done. Also I rewired my speakers with the same copper--even took it a step further and wired my speaker cables directly to the crossovers. The change is not even comparable to the previous. It's a different sound all together, and I happen to like it, although I can see why someone may like the previous sound better. But who listens to the system most? I do. In addition, all of my components sit on a basic set-up of bearing and race. Shop wisely and the cost of this stuff is manageable. DIY has the best deals and personal reward, especially if one can verify that the result is honestly better than some of the more arrogant retailers' product options.
For whatever reason though, out of all that I have done, I am more attracted to this current topic of dealing with resonance than anything else. Resonance is like a fact of life, but what do we do about it? Well, we can do all kinds of things about it. Musical instruments are a product of this pondering. To sing in a music hall or to sing in the forest (a forest with no echo)? The conclusion that suits me is to minimize resonance that has the most effect on image focus and then try to affect what remains with a more pleasing tone, thus the extensive use of wood in damping my components. The ART system, in a word, gives more ambience. There is also a strange effect that some high frequencies seem to be mimicked by the satellites. In other words, it's as if a tweeter was placed in the wall, and there is still image focus remarkably. The ART system, for me, was the next logical step in striving toward an unattainable goal, and I don't regret it. It's obvious what offends some of the characters who post here, so I'll avoid getting overly dramatic. Here's what I did. I bought a Vibratron and six Gravitron satellites. I ruled out the Bass Station for now because I modified the bass response on my speakers with shorter ports. I don't need more bass. I placed the satellites in the recommended way with the additional ones suspended from magnets imbedded at the 1st order reflection points of the ceiling and the other one used to improve a less than ideal placement of another satellite. I have been spending time listening and taking them away just to be able to write a bit more concisely here, although the effect was immediately apparent to me and worth keeping. To anyone who expects a miracle, save your money. To those who realize that it never ends, and that we don't want it to end until we are at the ideal, singing in the halls of Heaven, give them a listen. Who said you can't return this stuff by the way? I am happy with or without the ART system. I've been happy with my stereo from the beginning, most happy when completely ignorant and unconcerned, I can't help but notice. It's all relative, and when you're a hermit like me, duality and all the nonsense that goes along with it draws back to a single focus--the point of which is a love of music and the sound of my own voice singing to it. Lighten your load you guys. Stick to what suits YOU and forget about changing anybody's mind. The world has always been full of snake oil. Look deeper into that cliche. Some people like to be deceived, and you won't change that. It's their root. The mysteries of the universe are yours when you just let go of needing to add to it, which is my only point in writing all of this. There is no need. What we do here is either for pain or pleasure. Your choice. The really good stuff has yet to be invented. Hasn't it occurred to anyone yet that it's all crap here on planet earth? Now let's have some insults hurled at me for fun, shall we ?!!!! Here's bait. I bought my Acoustic Art system at . You won't get to me though because I have found at least a modicum of common ground that I resonate to in virtually every one of these posts. I could probably have a peaceable conversation with any one of you. Trust me, you will know the snakes when they come out and try to anoint you with their oil. Till then, peace. There's already a war going on-equally as frivolous as this discussion which distracts us from our true love-music.

Sorry if any of this sounds condescending. It's what you all have created by the manner in which you speak to each other.
un/believer/I/we/ONE

Sorry for the extra post, but somehow the link I intended to highlight didn't show up. Maybe I'm just too stupid for this computer stuff. Maybe the computer is just too stupid in not being able to read my mind. Anyhow I bought my Acoustic Art system and allot of other stuff at www.tweakgeek.com. Couple that with so and so's list above, and I think you'll have some fodder for deciding what is and what is not snake oil. Mike is the man there, and I like him. I sometimes even get a deal which I guess you could interpret as a pay off. Again though, the Truth is the Truth, period. I'm writing of my own initiative I assure you, with the intention to return his courtesy and hard work. Don't my words have the ring of truth? Or do some of you just enjoy playing Accuser? How I love our cliches. They always fit in so perfectly. The best tweak ever is an altered state. Have a beer and cheers to you all!

melancholy,

Wow, and I get accused of smoking stuff and rambling on lol

you said:
"Sparked by a failed woofer, I have been tweaking and modifying my system without abate for the past two years. Changing power cords, interconnects, and speaker cables to a high purity mono-crystal copper was a no brainer--had to be done. Also I rewired my speakers with the same copper--even took it a step further and wired my speaker cables directly to the crossovers. The change is not even comparable to the previous. It's a different sound all together, and I happen to like it, although I can see why someone may like the previous sound better. But who listens to the system most? I do."

THAT about explains the rest of your post too...power cords......cables....interconnects.....gosh you mean you didn't point your woofers towards Sirius the dog star? Sorry man but I can see why you think the ART sysstem does something......it's called belief and you really WANT it to work so in your mind it does. You will always be able to find someone willing to sell you more and more tweeks to "help you out". Funny how it always seems to involve a good chunk of money to get those "tweeks" hmmm?
Oh and if I can save someone their hard earned money by informing them of all the snake oil BS then I think that's a much more noble cause than just ignoring the obvious BS salesmen.

you also said:
"Stick to what suits YOU and forget about changing anybody's mind. The world has always been full of snake oil. Look deeper into that cliche. Some people like to be deceived, and you won't change that. It's their root."

How very true that is......at least you admit to being taken in. :)

last you said:
"The best tweak ever is an altered state. Have a beer and cheers to you all!"

If that's the case then why not just have 2 beers and forget all the BS tweeks? :) Have a good life man and don't spend too much money on those "improvements"

Fiji555 / Johnny R / Ethan Winer
You two (3?) are clearly one. You are also clearly shills for Ethan Weiner the biggest "WIENER", and certainly the biggest WHINER in the business.

Anyone who is really serious about wanting to make their room sound better should read this link
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html
I am stating from the beginning that I am NOT affiliated with NOR do I work for NOR do I even know Ethan Winer or the company Real Traps.

As someone who first invested heavily into your Real Traps room treatments, and now the Acoustic ART System, I find your repeated attacks offensive Ethan. You attack these amazing products and all who relate their findings all over the web including Stereophile's and AudioCircle's forums. As others have done in response to your protests, I too will quote William Shakespeare. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Hamlet Act 3, scene 2, 222-230

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! OMG JM5 you have TOTALLY lost it! I don't know either Fiji or Ethan. Apparantly you can't come up with any good defense or reasons for using the ART crap so you resort to accusations instead of answering my questions.So be it :) and as to why you keep posting on here over and over and over well that's just proves what a nut job you really are. I'm sure Etan Weiner would agree if in fact he ever reads this post. He probably has much better things to do like making products that work. IF you had taken the time to read the above posts carefully, you would have seen where Fiji said nothing about buying mr Weiner's products but instead said that anyone could BUILD their own using the web pages posted. "So I suggest getting your head out of your ass and learn something" JohnnyR Act 1 Scene 1 BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

First of all it's Winer, JohnnyR not Weiner lol and like JohnnyR says I also don't know either Johnny or Ethan Winer.
It's a shame that people like JM5 has such an attitude towards Mr Winer since he did buy what $10k worth of room treatments from his company. What's the matter JM5, didn't your golden ears clue you in that you had too many room treatments spending that much money? Well I suppose you do like the "Fad of the Month" tweek and will soon tire of the ART system and buy something else even more ludicrous.
Yes, if you had read carefully, you would have seen that I never said for anyone to rush off and buy anything from Real Traps. All I said was for people to read some real science for a change instead of the voodoo snake oil of the ART system. There's plenty of good info on Mr Winer's site for anyone with the ability to build their own room treatments. Hey if you want to throw away $3000 on the ART stuff then by all means feel free to do so.
I find it amusing that you kept talking to Ethan as if he was on here reading your remarks. You sure continue to give me and others plenty to chuckle about. Please do send us more witty insights into the big conspiracy going on here.
Oh and has anyone else noticed how SLOW Ted is on getting his website set up and updated? I guess he's run out of cliche's and or buyers.

The only question valid on this thread is, how many of us like the ART system and how many of us do not? You may as well flip a coin as to whether there's any truth to it.

Did I not say, 5555, that I was happiest when ignorant and unconcerned of tweaks or technology, implying that I miss those times when I was more focused on music than the components? Is it not obvious that the whole of audio is completely subjective? Our understanding of the "science" from which ALL this "crap" arises is very rudimentary and also very changeable-not the TRUTH. Study the progress made in quantum physics over the past twenty years. I believe the good stuff has yet to be invented because we don't yet completely understand our so-called reality. The first principle in what I would point out with quantum physics is that intention is everything. Your real tool in life is intention firmly grounded in intuition & imagination along with a mind that knows how to follow of its own free will. Faith then springs forth very naturally into knowing, and you find yourself connected with your own life again, which can be better than any movie, I might add. For me, material life has become a striving for balance between the hard and the soft, science and belief, matter and spirit.
Fiji, you seem to presuppose our stupidity, as if we just cannot comprehend that belief plays a role in our choices. It does, and it's a welcome friend in life. Yours would be a world without light or color if I could take you to the end of the line on virtually all your arguments. And you know that's not true of you is it? If you will consider what I'm saying, this arguing should indeed have an end. Do you think that you are an exception and able to separate yourself from the symbiotic relationship between fact and belief? They are inextricably entwined creating the very fabric of our existence. And you wouldn't want it any other way. Or would you? Again, there are allot of people who prefer gear that's over 30 years old. These folks may be fully aware of the latest/ greatest and even have the money to spend if they choose. But they have noticed that their gear sounds more pleasant and natural. In today's audio field, some seem to get off on just solving whatever is preconceived as a problem. Yet the final result somehow loses the emotional impact of the music that it was intended to improve. But there is so much going on these days, good and bad. The ART stuff, I think, is a precursor to a new focus of development, i.e. resonance in all its various manifestations and how to deal with it favorably. I don't mind buying what currently adds to my enjoyment, but may later be crap in comparison to what is offered. The price IS outrageous, but that's a result of economy, not the fault of Ted Denney. Your tactics can so easily be turned back upon you. I've put myself at the zero point-the middle-where my opinion may live free on its own. The more I know, the more frustrated I become with what I have and what is even available. The less I know the more I feel confined to my own experience, as if a new world awaits but I can't get to it. Who's to say that we should have ever digressed beyond using our own voices and things immediately found in nature to create music? Who are we to think that we could embellish upon the true science which is whatever mechanism explains the natural universe as well as whatever lies within it and beyond it?
For now we pacify ourselves with toys like suckling children. We create things that we have no true connection with. Didn't you take the tactic in this thread that we should all be ashamed of ourselves for spending so much money on this crap and that we might think of helping someone out? Honestly, is this true for you? Have you ever really tried to help someone? That doesn't work any better than all this audio crap. People will take you over every time just like whatever salesman selling whatever product. Hand out sandwiches in the street. "Don't you have anything else?" Hand out a warm stocking hat to a transient. "Is that made with natural fibers?" Give someone money that says they need food. They buy a bottle of cheap wine. Try and be a real friend to your friends and you find they prefer you to be their mascot. Let go and quit trying. That's religion, and some of you would have made very fine and proper agents for the inquisition. Do what's in front of your face to do, minding thy own business until it's obvious that you should do something for another, and the world will go on into the next generation. I know I'm preaching, rambling, and even contradicting my own words in effort to sway you, but this thread is now delving into stupidity. It all ends up like this these days. It's as if we choose a topic we are most comfortable with in order to get at the real topic of our interest-how to get through this life. I REPEAT, THE ONLY QUESTION VALID ON THIS THREAD IS, HOW MANY OF US LIKE THE ART SYSTEM AND HOW MANY DO NOT? And God grant that I come up with the wackiest tweak, the Tweak of All Tweaks, that stupefies us all in its simplicity and effectiveness, and sends us back to the elementary to relearn whatever we lost sight of, without which this life has become so utterly boring. I'll post it here, free, just for you Fiji. I mean that.
Choice and exercise of fee will is not deception. At least I admit to being taken in? Doesn't make any sense. Change of power cords has no real effect? Let that one resonate amongst all those partaking of this squabble. There's no hope for a snake that puts his own tail in his mouth (back atcha with your own implied insult to me-scathing--but it may suit you more). Align my woofers to Sirius the dog Star? Your using words like muscle and calling it intellect to cover your intention. I'd rather by punched. It's more straightforward than your arguments. Ironically it's you who insists on aligning your woofer/ mouth to Sirius the dog star. I'm rambling and must be on something? My sentence in Caps highlights the intention which brought me here. The previous list of posts explain why I wrote all of this. Two beers was a good suggestion though. Thanks! Reason and Faith, will they ever at last agree? We'll see........Sssssshhh, but I think the point is that they were never meant to be separate.

Un/believer/I/We/ONE/Nothing at all to you all/ and my last post unless requested or if I find my ultimate Tweak for Fiji's sake

Holy Crap Melancholy, please take your meds or at least go find some lol

Belief is for things as religion NOT audio. Lets not bring quantum physics into this as some snake oil salesmen try to use such terms for their bogus gear when in fact they don't even come close to using such a thing but simply like to throw that term around so they sound more "smart"

you said:
"The ART stuff, I think, is a precursor to a new focus of development, i.e. resonance in all its various manifestations and how to deal with it favorably. I don't mind buying what currently adds to my enjoyment, but may later be crap in comparison to what is offered. The price IS outrageous, but that's a result of economy, not the fault of Ted Denney"

Oh really? $3000 for a set of bells and things that prob cost him $50 to make? Wow the economy sure did increase that in a hurry.PLEASE lets not be ignorant here.He set the price from the beginning simply to make as much money as possible from gullible people like you and JM5, STOP defending his product and pricing.

you said:
"Didn't you take the tactic in this thread that we should all be ashamed of ourselves for spending so much money on this crap and that we might think of helping someone out? Honestly, is this true for you? Have you ever really tried to help someone? That doesn't work any better than all this audio crap. People will take you over every time just like whatever salesman selling whatever product. Hand out sandwiches in the street. "Don't you have anything else?" Hand out a warm stocking hat to a transient. "Is that made with natural fibers?" Give someone money that says they need food. They buy a bottle of cheap wine. Try and be a real friend to your friends and you find they prefer you to be their mascot. Let go and quit trying. That's religion, and some of you would have made very fine and proper agents for the inquisition. Do what's in front of your face to do, minding thy own business until it's obvious that you should do something for another, and the world will go on into the next generation. I know I'm preaching, rambling, and even contradicting my own words in effort to sway you, but this thread is now delving into stupidity."

wow........just wow. YES I have helped people before and still continue to do do. You sound like a troubled person that has no friends or purpose in life so you keep spending buying "things" in hope that will fill your empty soul. Yes, it sure has delved into stupidity but that's of your own doing

you said:
"I REPEAT, THE ONLY QUESTION VALID ON THIS THREAD IS, HOW MANY OF US LIKE THE ART SYSTEM AND HOW MANY DO NOT?"

Errrmmmmmm no, actually the only question is why do people delude themselves into spending money on this garbage?
The rest of your rambling reply was beyond my comprehension but then I wasn't toking on a doobie lol
YES power cords do NOTHING to improve the sound of a component! You think that a 5 foot piece of wire will compensate for the 50 plus miles of power cable that comes before the wall outlet? LMAO

Thank goodness I have an education and a firm clasp of science and physics and common sense. Hey like I told JM5, if you want to throw your money away on this stuff then please do so.

Did I miss anything?........*Looks around*........ohhhhh, same S*** different day I see.:) Hahahaha!

You called? I didn't want to continue in this, but I said I would come back if requested. Interesting though, I didn't think it would be Johnny and Fiji calling to me--Empty Soul and Full Of BS. So let's get truly crazy and continue to spiral down away from the intended topic of this thread. I use "crazy" only as another relative term-me crazy beside Fiji and Johnny who are, of course, the example to us all of what it is to be sane& smart! No wonder WWIII is inevitable. Fiji seems strangely certain that I have an empty soul. Agreed, almost, but not completely sure because I'm still alive. I look at it this way, and I'll remind you of my own words-"nothing at all to you all." Johnny logs on yesterday, "looks around", and blurts out, "same BS, different day", yet nothing was written yesterday except what he wrote. A subconscious indictment of his own mumbo jumbo? But you didn't mean it quite like that did you Johnny? And you don't like being talked to like this do you, Johnny? Quite irritating, huh Johnny? But It's better than TV, and my meaningless life affords me plenty of time. You would like to be able to express your own intention, wouldn't you, rather than have someone do what I just did. The whole "you said" way of communicating is an effective way to win an argument but not an effective way to communicate. It's amazing, Fiji/ nemesis what you focus on in my writing and choose to attack. I already guessed what was coming from you two, and so prepared myself. My discussions, if you would just try to comprehend them, travel within a closed circle. I affirm and negate almost everything I say, which really is the nature of all that which resides in the sphere of opinion. All of audio is subjective. Though state of the art, does everyone like KRELL? You two, in effect, provide a trampoline for me to bounce up and down on. It's good fun and not hard. Here, I'll use one of you as an example. What motivated you, dear Johnny, to write that? Soooooooooooo arrogant. I don't think that your name is Ethan or Johnny. I've come to the conclusion that you're the guy everyone knows. I can only hint so as not to offend. His initials are A.H. (get it! Good!) Both you and Fiji share a remarkable style in writing and the difference is so seemingly artificial. But I have no choice but to believe you when you say that you are not the same person. Same company that may loose its niche because of ART? Who knows?! AND WHO CARES?!!!! We all know now what you two think, how you think, and we know that this is obviously your territory. Live In a prison of the mind/ science if you wish. I just can't get over your statements, and I am really pondering them for some reason because if they were true………..Well, if they were true, I could just somehow find a cheaper way to deceive myself and get the same effects of all these "BS tweaks". But alas, I actually hear a profound difference between my DIY power cord and the stock one the component came with. Always open to a fair fight boys, but bullies just need to be taken down….for the sake of……what shall I say……science? Fact is I don't TRULY give a S@#$ about ART, my stereo, my life or anything at all but my empty soul.

and yours too

woooooooooooo nice one Mr Melancholy.......A.H. is that Arnold Hartsford? Glad you like your pricey power cord, sure makes for a complete fulfilling life doesn't it? I guess Fiji hit a nerve or sumthin. Gosh and golly what's this world coming to? Awwwwwwww now me and Fiji are bullies lol see you on the playground kid and be sure to hand over your lunch money or else. Seriously dude please get some HELP ok? I don't know half the time what you are talking about. I guess Ted loves your testimonials though. Well I gotta get to bed , you tuckered me out reading through your reply. Oh my poor brain.

Melancholy, any time you post online you open yourself up for responses. If you are so thin skinned then take my advice and don't. Other than this I have nothing more to say to you since you seem inclined to be so defensive about matters I no longer care to talk about. Sorry if you got your feelings hurt but hey,you decided to keep blathering on and on about this. Try to find some peace and happiness in your life. :)

All in good humor, gentlemen, and good faith. It takes us all. Both of your last posts, though still somewhat insulting, give me a better sense of what you're about, and I think all of us were somewhat entertaining ourselves at the expense of the other. This is the end of the line for me as well on this thread, and the internet for awhile too I think. We don't use it enough to justify the ever rising costs. That will probably warrant another insult or two, but oh well. There is so much misunderstanding of intent on here, why do you think I chose melancholy? Words just don't express what I'm trying to say. Could have also called myself Verbose for bothering to try. To whoever was willing to wade through all the above posts to get to this, there are a couple of loose ends to tie up before I can let go. I've had the ART system up now for over a week. Still happy with it, and won't be sending it back. At one point I had 9 satellites and two Vibratrons to play around with. No questions on why that happened please. The effect was way too much! Not good. It was like listening in a cave in case anyone was wondering if there is a limit to the benefit of what these devices do. The added ambience/ sense of space that even three satellites provide is worth considering for those who are unwilling or unable to buy the whole system. I almost decided to take that course myself, but the Vibratron's effect quickly grew on me. Placing satellites at the 1st order reflection points on the ceiling may not be for everyone, so don't think that you're missing out necessarily. I like the added sense of height though. With or without, I like the sound of my system. With or without, my soul is still empty. HAHAHA! For the sake of peace on earth, I think the overlap between the two extremes in this discussion can be summed up as spend your money on tweaks of this sort if you have the money and don't worry about anything but the music if you don't. Always, BUYER BEWARE! Diminishing returns is very real with these and solely up to the one shelling out the money to decide if it's worth it. Out of all that I've done to my system, this stuff was admittedly a really close call because of the cost. I remind everyone that every single antagonist on this thread has not, and by their own account, will not try these out. Now control yourselves Fiji and Johnny cause I'm truly logging off, and well, because we're not really enemies as far as I know.

Adios Melancholy,

I find it sad that you still think this ART garbage does anything to improve the sound but then again you also believe your diy power cord also makes your sound better so that just goes to show how deluded you are. It isn't an insult as much as it's just the facts
No, I won't be listening to the ART system because I have much better things to do besides wasting time on this stuff which is pure snakeoil.
Too bad you feel the internet is no longer any use to you.You should use it to find REAL tweeks that work and educate yourself. Say hello to Ted for me, I'm sure he will soon have many more "tweeks" that will only set you back a few thousand more :)

First the mockers……always that way…….I wonder why? "Out damn'd spot" to quote Shakespeare as the others have. Getting at the truth is a process of weeding out lies. Here we go again.

There you are, standing at the door, barring the way to what would have otherwise been a peaceful departure. I thought we weren't talking anymore? By all means have the last word but not like that. My friend, you began this on high ground but by your own freewill, you hurled yourself into the sea. Now I notice you trying to regain the place from which you fell, but at my expense. You talk about science, yet you apparently don't understand how that word has been defined. Science is systemized exploration, trial and experiment. Much of what we have was built from ideas that were born from intuition, then trial and experiment, with understanding and explanations coming after. I remind you, sir, that your OPINION is already known, and I comprehend you. Why do you keep repeating yourself? It only causes me to repeat myself in a different way. I REMIND YOU, SIR, YOU HAVE YET TO TRY THE PRODUCTS THAT YOU CONDEMN AT A GLANCE, AND THAT VIOLATES THE MOST BASIC DEFINITION OF SCIENCE. Why do I even have to explain this? Sound coming from a stereo is a complex mechanical operation. Changing something/ anything in the mechanics of its operation will alter the sound. Changing something/ anything in the pathway that the sound travels post stereo will alter the sound. That you may or may not be able to hear it is purely subjective. What you have chosen to attack is definitely audible, and you're missing out by your own choice. You want measurements. What shall I measure? And how would I do that? And if the result does not explain what I am hearing, what do I measure next? Everything can be measured, but do we yet, can we yet, measure everything? Of course not.
I think what's going on here is vendetta. In my mind and heart that is the only explanation of such vitriol and blind hypocrisy. Keep it at least cordial next time will yah? Call it what you will, but I may choose to keep this going as long as you keep using words like blather, delusional, crazy, etc., just like a salesman arguing against another company. If you have something to teach, share some websites on topics that you affirm as truth. I am always willing to learn, but this banter just needs to stop. It fundamentally doesn't make any sense to argue your hypothetical statements vs. my belief that I'm hearing an improvement. I have looked at the Ethan Winer website, and I can get a sense of how you like your information delivered. Admittedly, the ART system explanation looks like foolishness compared to that, but the proof for me is in what I hear with my own ears. I've been at peace all along with my beliefs. You sound just plain angry, not sad at all, and for no apparent reason, like our delusional kings and emperors of old.

What we have opened ourselves up to regarding future posts from other members was our own doing, agreed? I don't know who's going to get heckled more…..and I don't really care. Maybe I'll learn something. Please choose your words more carefully to avoid dealing with me again. It's not hard. Just be a gentleman.

Here's my 2 cents Melancholy, you are basicly delusional and to be quite frank, a nut job.Why should Fiji or me try something just because YOU say it's so marvelous? People are always saying something is great online but then that's just more BS coming from people who "want" to hear something.Just let it go and admit you CAN'T leave without having the last word about the subject. Hey you spent LOADS of money on this crap so sure you want it to sound good. Honestly, you need help.

Requested again! I'll try and adhere solely to the topic you've brought up-my pride?- to avoid unnecessary provocation. Hey Johnny, maybe you're right about having to have the last word. I stated rather childishly that you guys would not get to me. That was before I knew what was in store from you two. I admit that I'm rattled but not so much in a personal way. I've been trying to figure out how you give yourselves permission to speak to people in the manner you do as well as to find out if I could persuade you to stop. Delusional of me indeed. Do you do this publicly in addition to the internet spectacles? Neither of you guys regard anything of substance that I've written back to you-just more attacks. I've confronted you with fundamental questions that turn your repeated statements into rubble, and you return with insults every time. But, objectively, I can see that there is just no meeting of the minds. We think too differently to try and continue to communicate with type. Face to face may also be impossible, I suspect, as you seem to be convinced that the difference between us could only be explained by madness on my part. I leave the future of this discussion in someone else's hands (your hands currently). In addition, I could not help but think to myself in consolation, what goes around comes around, which led to remembered times in my life when I shut people off in a similar manner and all the trouble that caused. Thanks for the inadvertent life lesson. I needed to see this. It may have caused me more serious trouble if I continued unaware in life of how different we can be. Pretty sure my intention was pure though…….I even went to the website that you mentioned somewhere above. I'm not sure what your point is with that offering as it's just more of the same in a limerick kind of snobbery toward those not like-minded. Last words? I DO NEED HELP. WHAT SAY YOU ALL……..the end?

Wow here we go again lol

Melancholy you said:
"I've confronted you with fundamental questions that turn your repeated statements into rubble,"

No actually all you've done is ramble on endlessly and make no sense at all. If this was a discussion about religion then MAYBE it would have fit in but it's about audio and science and basic facts. Please leave the pseudo-science out of it.

You said:
"I even went to the website that you mentioned somewhere above. I'm not sure what your point is with that offering as it's just more of the same in a limerick kind of snobbery toward those not like-minded"

Hahaha sorry you can't grasp what reality is then. Snobbery? I'd think more along the line of being realistic and not being gullible.

Anyways Melancholy, you'll always buy whatever you want regardless of if it works or not. Too bad you can't spend some time and effort educating yourself to what is real and what's not. Try taking a course at the local college on electrical and electronics sometime.

The BAAS (Bay Area Audio Society) is hosting a meeting this Friday March 13th featuring live demos of the Acoustic ART System. Perhaps Fiji and Johnny can attend and try and convince every one in attendance that we are not hearing the benifits in real time instead of shilling after the fact.

I have a complete ART system in my listening room and hear much the same results with and without the ART system as others have posted so it will be interesting if Ted Denney of Synergistic can perform a mass hyponisis. Hopefully Johnny and Fiji can protect us. What do you say guys- are you in?

*Yawn* I do hope they don't let Ted set up the whole system but instead have individuals that everyone trusts do it instead. Otherwise there is the possibility of "shenanigans" if you know what I mean. Please do take frequency and phase measurements also. Without that it means nothing. I'll be interested in reading about the setup and who's house it's in and how the test was done. Sorry but I live on the east coast and can't attend, otherwise I would be there just to see what kind of "magic" Ted is going to attempt. My guess he is going to attempt mass hypnosis plus attempt to make your billfolds much lighter hahahahah.

Hmmmmm I just Googled the Bay Area Audio Society and read the piece about More Crys Of Snake Oil.........too bad Mr Walters didn't think the scientific articles were of much help.
He said:

"I will also hasten to add that I agree with very little of what is said in these pieces "

Doesn't sound like a rational guy to me

I liked the ILIKEJAM website with the ridiculous tweek items out there. I do hope no one in your society OWNS any of those :)

I had wondered out loud if either Johnny or Fiji would attend and "shill in real time" but they did one better- "shilling prior to" and only 8 minutes after my post! I'll say one thing for sure- they certainly keep close tabs on this thread, and the last word.

Lets be realistic Aslan........oh wait you stopped doing that a long time ago didn't you? You expect me to hop a plane and fly to California just to give Ted a chance to show how real his garbage is? You're a joke. I bet you are really Ted aren't you? Yes I do keep a close eye on this thread because otherwise idiots like you would keep shilling people over and over. What's the matter?.........you didn't answer ONE question I brought up above about how the test is being done or who's house and the set up. THAT alone tells me it's going to be a ruse. Oh well I didn't expect anything less. How about sending the ART system to a REAL reviewer like Peter Aczel at The Audio Critic. He will give it a fair test with measurements no less......but wait .......no I'm sure you will come up with some lame excuse for not wanting him to even look at it. Oh I know what that excuse is........he would reveal it for the SHAM it really is.......hahahahah.

melancholy,
Pay no attention to fiji5555 and JohnnyR. They attacked me as well (obviously), accoused me of only posting to this thread which is ironic since they both created their accounts to post to this thread, were nasty, abusive, and behaved like spoiled adolesent boys.

As others have concluded they are most likely the same person who post all over the web regarding the ART system with the same award winning writing style and a complete refusal to try the ART system- just insults to any and all who share their experience. All under the guise of "helping the common man".

When I first posted I had only heard the ART system at the Rocky Mountain Fest. Since then I have added a few pieces to my system(Gravatron Satellite and Bass Station) The effect is increased image focus, and significantly tighter bass. Don't let these A Holes get you down. They (he) obviously have an agenda.

BTW if you are in the Bay Area check out the BAAS web site and see if you can make it to the ART demonstration this Friday- if you can, I'll see you there.

Hey Asian, you seem like a right Ahole yourself Bwahahahahah. Paranoid much? What a jerk. PLEASE do continue to give Ted all your money, I'm sure he is laughing at all of you suckers behind your backs.

"As others have concluded they are most likely the same person who post all over the web regarding the ART system with the same award winning writing style and a complete refusal to try the ART system- just insults to any and all who share their experience. All under the guise of "helping the common man"."

Gosh Asian, it must be a conspiracy of ONE on the internets wanting to defame the ART CRap System huh? LMAO what a joke you are. PLEASE, there are plenty of other people who don't fall for this BS. Take your pills and calm down.
I see you STILL haven't answered Fiji's questions about the testing method but then I wouldn't expect anything less from you since you have plenty to hide.........TED.

Excuse me you arrogant fcuk but how the hell am I supposed to know the way the demonstration will be conducted?!!!

I heard the ART System at RMAF, investigated them, tried them from my local dealer, and later fell in love with what they do for my enjoyment of music- who the HELL are you to treat me like this? Or anyone else? Why don't you go and troll over on the Stereophile boards and treat John Atkinson, Jason Victor Serionus, and the countless other posters who, like me, have shared their ART experiences?

WTF is your PROBLEM? RICHARD.

Bwaaahahahahaha! What's the matter Asian did I hit a nerve? :] My my such language from you.Tsk tsk what would your mother think? :0 That's right you have NO IDEA how the test is going to be done but my guess is Ted with BE IN CHARGE so there's no hope of an honest test."Countless other posters" huh? Hahahaha the sheep don't stray too far from their beloved leader now do they? Oh I forgot to mention it's ALL about the money over at Stereophile. Have fun at the ART "demo" and be sure to kiss Ted's ass while you are "swooning" at every word he says xD

This has been an interesting thread. At first I thought "you've got be kidding me" this can't possibly work. But when I read the repeated attacks against everyone who posts something positive about the ART System I thought I'd give it a try so I called the cable company a call. Guess what, this works EXACTLY as everyone says it does, perhaps even more so.

Highly recommended. Prior to the ART System could not think about accoustics in my listening room. Now I am hearing what my expensive system can really do. I don't care how or why it works, it just does and that's good enough for me.

*Snicker* yeah right "John" well I'm convinced now lmao......let's see you JUST read about this stuff like the last couple of days and went and bought it and have it in your living room already......wow you were eager to spend $3000 in a flash huh? lol Yeah right........try pulling my other leg next time, it has bells on it. .....so mine and Fiji's "attacks" convinced you go listen to it?.....I call BS......say hello to Ted for me when you go into work tomorrow :]

No I did not just happen upon this thread, I've been following it for a while now. I first read about the ART System when I got an email news letter from The Cable Company back in November. Same as the OP who started this thread in the first place.

I find it absurd that you attack everyone who posts here and interesting that you are so concerned with this product. That's what got me thinking you're most likely a shill and this piqued my interest enough to see what all the fuss is about. In a way I am indebted to you and your inane posts- Thanks!

John,

I'm sure Ted thanks you for giving him $3000 for his $50 product. Please spend more money on his "wonderful" products.Hahaha
A shill? I find it funny that I FIRST accused others of being such as that and THEN they try to turn it around and make it look like I work for another company. Sad, sad, sad that people are so ignorant and inspired to spend so much money on a gimmick. Try some REAL schooling and education before getting into audio next time.

I've given the ART system a listen and wasn't impressed to be honest. I don't see how they can justify the cost nor the claims. Just my 2 cents.

Here is an interesting thread NOT populated by industry shills.

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=65703.0

Oh my even more laughable John. You sent us to the biggest SHILL of all Mr Ted D the owner of the garbage ART system and I don't quite understand your continued use of the word SHILL in this thread since you obviously are one yourself.
The Audio Circle is certainly VERY well known online for being filled with Audio's BEST known kooks and delusional people. I go there often just to read the funny posts and to have a good laugh.

The "famous" Ted said:
"Regarding their price, they are very difficult to fabricate with the correct "tone" to perform to spec. When we started production we had "only" a 50% rejection rate on resonators that measured to spec (no we will not post the secrets of what we measure for). Since then that number has swelled to nearly 90%- this means that 9 out of 10 resonators forged must then be destroyed because they do not measure up and this has led to a back order status. On top of this each resonator must be heat treated, by hand, and the person who does this is yours truly. The heat treating process is very time consuming and of the resonators that I heat treat, not all exhibit the proper tone so we have more waste. After the heat treating process violin lacquer is applied in a climate controlled clean room and this is not cheap. All in all the manufacturer of the ART System is a very labor intensive process done 100% in the United States- not Asia, also expensive. The final treatment- Quantum Tunneling with a large purpose built, solid-state Tesla Coil is also time consuming and the expense that went into the development of that technology was significant."

Quantum Tunneling .........lmao yeah right Ted lets throw some bizzare sayings that mean absolutly NOTHING into the conversation......what's the old saying?....."If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, confuse them with bull shit"
Your production methods sure aren't very productive are they? Sounds like you really don't KNOW how to make your own product but then again we have no idea if you really trash "bad" components or not......sure does make you sound like you have good quality control though lol
I notice that not everyone in that thread was amazed by the product nor even wanted to buy it.......good for them!

John, dude. That was like major funny shit. Thanks for the laughs :) Oh I think I understand what Quantum Tunneling is now.You buy a tesla coil and shoot 2 million volts through your products no matter what you are building and it makes them all uber super duper fantasical hahahahaha. I bet they don't even bother turning that thing on unless they are giving tours and interviews.

Waiting on Aslan's orgasmic review of the Bay Area Audio Society's listening of the ART Garbage System. I'm sure they got their panties in wad over meeting the "amazing" Ted. hahaha

He he I like this thread because it shows how silly people can be buying silly products.

WARNING to all potential buyers of the ART CRAP System.........your dignity and well being of mind will be destroyed if purchased. Please educate yourselves before listening to modern day shysters and snake oil salesmen. They are trained to push your buttons to get you to buy buy buy! Maybe CNBC has a hand in getting people to buy buy buy! Like Mr Cramer LMAO! Bwahahahahahah!

Wow 5 days since any new ART shills posted. Maybe they decided they can't win against science and logic? Bwahahahahaha Suck it up Ted and company.

Oh my gosh......I found the thread over at Audio Circle where Aslan posted about the ART Grabage Sysytem last year. He said he had over $10K worth of traditional room treatments in that thread. Sound like someone else on THIS thread? yep...JM5 said just the same thing up above. Hahahah BUSTED Aslan and JM5. More proff that Ted and Company are BS artists along with their shills.

http://www.audiocircle.com/circles/index.php?topic=61258.0

Read the whole thing. you'll notice that NOTHING ever came about promises of home demos and reports......sound familiar?

Anyone still interested in the ART ssytem should also check these products out lmao

http://www.nathanmarciniak.com/elemental/

Ok so I waded through all 39 pages of the Stereophile thread and Ted promised actual measurements at the CES show........well where are they? I won't hold my breath. xD

Hahahah look at this posting folks http://baasnotes.com/blog/2009/03/18/event-synergistic-art-system-power-conditioner-and-cables/

They had 30 audiophiles at the listening as described by Aslan up above who "agreed" that the ART CRAp Sysytem worked......thank you so much guys for the "detailed" report lmao. Listen if you want to be taken seriously then post some freaking measurements and detail how the test was done ok? Oh and thanks by the way for mentioning us here at this thread so more people can truly see how useless your products really are! :)

Well you have to understand Fiji that these people who belong to Baasnuts. Oh excuse me Baasnotes :p hear differences in cables and powercords also so no wonder they heard "something" with the ART CRAP. THey could have handed out magic popsicle sticks and they would have bought those also Bwahahahahaha!

Johnny the fact you can't or won't hear differences between cables and power cords speaks volumes.

Yes it does Sound Hound, it means he has good common sense unlike you :) Think about it. You expect a 5 foot long power cord to make up for the miles and miles of wire that brought the electricity to your house? LAUGHABLE. I don't suppose you ever did any double blind listening tests on cables either now did you? Thought not. Too scared you might not be able to tell your expensive cables form Radio Shack ones :)

Common sence? No. blind dogma yes.

Bwahahaha! So which shill are you Sound Hound? I bet you OWN some "high end" audio store and came on here to "defend" your products lol. Yes common sense which isn't too common among audiophiles it seems. Too bad you never took the time to learn about science and physics and what is possible what is snake oil. You didn't answer Richard's questions but then I never expect people like you to do so. Just more "amazing" quotes form the "informed" hahahaha. I always got a good laugh from Audio Circle forums where the sticky is.."This is a non double blind discussion forum".....*sigh* you see, they don't WANT to know the truth because it would cut into the dealers profits who sell the snake oil crap. If they weren't afraid of actually taking such a test then they wouldn't have that posted there. THAT'S pretty sad when science takes a back seat to "golden ears"

JohnnyR you seem the simpleton who lives in a small black and white world of absolutes.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/philippe_starck_thinks_deep_on_design.html

Sound Hound that's an interesting video link and there's nothing wrong with new designs and products BUT it has NOTHING to do with what we are talking about simply because most of what the high end "tweeko audiophiles" buy and use is pure bullshit. JohnnyR has it correct in this case and you are STILL not answering any questions because you refuse to do so...Sad sad sad. Absolutes are true in audio......well if you educate yourself that is. America has fallen behind on science and physics because we don't teach it anymore in schools. Too bad you didn't learn anything.So what do you sell? Come on tell us. I bet it's cables and pricey "do dads" that "clarify" makes the original music soure give us orgasms lol. Go peddle your idiotic ideas to the gullible and lame because there aren't any here unless the minions of Ted show up again :)

Hey Sound Hound yes I live in a world of absolutes when it comes to science and snake oil salesmen and you can ABSOLUTELY BITE ME. Bwahahahahahahahaha!

No responses in over a week :) I guess Ted and Company know better than to argue with the FACTS

For those of you who really want to LEARN instead of following blindly, read this http://seanolive.blogspot.com/2009/04/dishonesty-of-sighted-audio-product.html

It has been rumoured that filling those little cups with snake oil gives another huge boost in soundstage depth, bass deepness, wrap around imaging, warmth, liquidity quantumphysical fields and world peace!

Bwahahahahah nice one DrLex :) I'd be happy if they did anything besides sucking the money from the gullible's wallets.

JonnyR you are probably right that at least one of these guys is Ted, but how can you be so absolute about something you have never heard. Why so negative, you seem bitter towards the industry in general.

Bitter who me? lmao I think it boils down to the manufacturer of said products to PROVE to us that they work not the other way around. Ted promised in two other forums to post acoustic measurements from as far back as January and still NOTHING has been posted. All he does is set up a few choice demos where nothing is told about who or how it was done. You know it's very easy to "talk" a group into believing something if you choose your words and actions very carefully and smile a lot lol Did you look at some of the links posted throughout this thread? The high end audio industry has a history of charlatans and right out crooks that produce crap but still find someone that is willing to spend their money on such crap.When audio magazines are set up on the principle of accepting advertising from the same products that they "review" then you have no one policing what gets said or if it's even true. What really sticks out as a warning is the refusal of many to even consider double blind listening tests as a means of determining if they really CAN hear a difference between let's say coat hanger wire and Monster cables. :) They argue against the one sure way of proving if what they are saying they hear is really there. Sounds pretty fishy to me. Getting back to Ted's Crap products, if you have or had taken any physics in school then you would know that such a tiny product cannot possibly effect the low bass notes of a room........NEVER. Read up more online about how acoustics works and it will slowly dawn on you that Ted is making is Crap pure and simple. All his products rely on voodoo hoodoo fancy words like Quantum Tunneling and using Mr Tesla's name to make it sound more legit. Well let me tell you the copyright of using Tesla as a reference ran out years and years ago. He could have said Galileo or Magellan or even Bob and it would be ok to do so. If you go to audio forums and read you'll see that it's always a select few that talk about how cables and power cords sound different. How sad that people rely on idiots like that for actual reviews.

Ok I stumbled across this link a few days ago and you know what? It probably explains 99.9% of the reasons why "tweaks" do "work" lol Maybe some poor lost Audiophile who spends too much money on cables and other odds and ends will come to their senses :)

http://www.ethanwiner.com/believe.html

That's a great link Fiji :) Too bad that most "audiophiles" won't believe it though. They are more gullible than the Republicans that voted Bush into office two terms running . Bwahahahahah! What no responses from Ted and Company in wayyyyyyyyyy over a month now? I guess they gave up. I hope they did. Still no frequency or phase responses after allllll this time. What a shocker (sarcasm). Het Ted where are youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu? hahahahaa

Yoooooooo hoooooo Teddy boy lmao.........where are youuuuuuuuuu?
Just as I thought, he's just full of BS Bwahahahahahaha! Awwwwwwwww what's the matter Teddy, are your sales in a slump due to people THINKING for themselves? Hahahahahahahahaha!

Hey what happened guys? You lil wussy jokers stop defending Ted's junk? GOOD..........keep moving.

Dear all,

Just want to drop by and make a quick note from Bangkok, Thailand.

A bit of background...
I just came back from a BAV 2009 (Bangkok Audio and Visual Expo 2009) here in Thailand. There was a room apparently tuned with Acoustic ART system and I was interested in what OTHER people have to say about acoustic art. So I did the usual google search and finally arrived here. (being listed at the top of the search help!). So I registered and yes, this is my first post.

After hearing it my self,the way I heard the sales man go on about how great acoustic art systems are I though I must be deft. In my subjective opinion listening to the sound being played. Acoustic ART system doesn't work. The room demoed was still poorly treated (or untreated).

Here are some proof that I am not making this up. :)
http://www.htg2.net/index.php?topic=50792.msg584535#msg584535
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/553/img2935t.jpg

Cheers
Sardion

Welcome Sardion, thanks for telling us and others how Ted's Crap really is! Bwahahahaha another blow aginst Acoustic Art's junk. I hope they soon fold and go out of business. :)

The event was held in a hotel where individual exhibitors set up their systems in rooms that are very similar to each other. This some what guaranteed fairness.

It was an easy call. Although the speaker and the electronics are different between each exhibitors, the different between acoustic art system and room that are well treated using traditional methods are VERY different.