PHENOMENAL
Electrical,
mechanical and magnetic phenomena do matter in audio. Some visitors
of my pages certainly do remember the loudspeaker cable debate which
started around 1978. The first experiments were done by a few freaks
who would buy the thick cables used to connect car batteries, then
isolate them and connect them between amplifier and luidspaker cabinet,
at best directly to the circuit board of the power amp and the loudspeaker
filter, eliminating bananas, sockets and binding posts. They reported
about the audible benefits. There were well known reviewers who laughingly
wrote that the moon had to be in the right position to hear the differences,
ridiculing the seriousness of those who have a deeper sensitivity.
Today it is generally accepted that impedance, resistance, long crystals,
dielectricum, bronze, copper, tellurium, rodium, silver, mass, resonances,
and what not, do matter.
Today
only fools do not know that resonances occur in all sorts of materials
and that grounding (as instructed by the designers of Goldmund)
is of a blatant significance; that lead can be a disastrous material
if used unwisely; that electrical currents have their effects; that
electro-magnetic fields generated by transformers do deteriorate
the digital to analog conversion in a CD player; that... you just
name it.
Going
a step further is discussing the benefits and also the drawbacks
of certain AC Power Line Filters or specific Power Conditioners.
But that is still talking about materials inside the chain
in connection to dynamics, audio frequencies, the frequency
curve, the extension of the frequency band and the reproduction
of transients and the possible harmonic distortion, all occurring
within the system. That is still standing with both feet on
the ground.
It is true,
a shiny design is very appealing. But fortunately there are also those
who do hear the intrinsic value of the various combinations of materials,
the composition of components, the topology on circuit boards, and the
way a specific component is constructed, be it an amplifier, a cable,
a loudspeaker.
When evaluating equipment we often have discussed the phenomenon that
on certain days the reproduction is lacking in detail, firmness and
definition. Those are the days when the air is humid, and a moist blanket
is draped over your electrical and acoustical world. The energy has
seemingly been neutralized by the rain. The tension which gives firmness
is missing.
When
it is freezing cold and the air is dry, we noticed that the reproduction
gained in sharpness, firm detail and assertiveness. That is bullocks
to many. Roughly 85% of listeners content themselves with restricted
information and maintain that they do not hear the differences.
As said, this group includes a few reviewers as well. If they
are happy with it, happy they shall be, like that music lover
who wrote his "views on digital and analog" on the Bearac
Blog. But to the good hearing crowd it is a serious and aknowledged
phenomenon.
I mention this, because there are newcomers to the game who themselves
are experiencing some of these symptoms, ocurrences, and phenomena.
Needless to say that the other 15% are considered to be the fools.
Well, let me tell you, I belong to that last category. And you
may as well.
Now
your brain has the ability to filter out disturbances, distortions,
disorder. Classical collectors of historical material can easily
listen to the background noise of an old record. But they frown
their eyebrows if the sound is not harmonic. The brain gives priority
to the essence of the sound. Sensitivity of hearing has led to
many experiments. We witnessed demonstrations of CDs being treated
with a demagnetizer. It ruined the sound of the instruments and
the orchestra. It took hours for the CD to be "normal"
again.
In
the early nineteen nineties the Audio Engeneering Society
(AES) held their meeting in the Netherlands, in the city
of Leiden. A member demonstrated the effect of Tourmaline
when placed on the binding posts of the loudspeaker system.
Again the sound was more liquid, but also weaker, lost some
of its harmonics. Although many in the audience said they
could hear it and preferred the sound, my editor and I gave
our firm opinion.
Many
of these trials stem from the desire to make the sound reproduction
(especially from digital sources) better, to make it more
analogous. Specific materials can be used of course. But
the application should not be implemented afterwards, but
incorporated during the design stages. Silver cable can
be very good, but you have to design the loudspeaker systems
specifically while they are connected with silver cable
and determine the positions and relations between the units,
the shape of the baffle, the volume for proper loading,
the filter sections, etc. Chunks of tourmaline on the binding
posts? OK! But you have to put them right there from the
start when constructing the system.
I relate these old facts so the younger audiophile gets
an idea that many experients he is doing and discussing
in forums, have already been explored by earlier generations.
To err is human, but to forget about the past is a mistake.
It means that the technique of today is the result of a
development which he should not ignore.
It
all depends what your personal reference is. Not long ago I spoke
to a visitor from Taiwan. He is an analog adept. I advised him to
attend a concert in the Concertgebouw. He told me that a few days
ago he already had witnessed the orchestra in the great hall on
two occasions. And he added: "One distinctly hears the Philips
sound." Indeed the Philips engineers used the hall for many
recordings, but they also knew to convey in their recordings the
spaciousness of it. Living in Amsterdam, the Concertgebouw is my
favourite sound reference, and then sitting in row six or ten preferably.
In any case not too far away from the orchestra. There you have
the left right experience, the impact of dynamics, etc. I once attended
a concert of the New York Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta in Lincoln
Center's Avery Fisher Hall and was rather disappointed about the
acoustics.
You know that the live performance is an important reference. People
who play one or more acoustic instruments have a better knowledge
of what sound is like and how a recording should sound. But even
for them there is a danger that the audio set is going to be the
reference.
ADDING
A NEW COMPONENT TO YOUR AUDIO SET
The
human being is susceptible to changes in his life. Following
a new diet, moving to a new home, buying a new component...
Discovering an influence which was hitherto unknown can shed
new light on one's place on this earth. But it is for every
individual to find out if changes are to the benefit of the
personal existence or not.
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When
a friend sent me a link of a page featuring the Ultra Low-Frequency
Pulse Generator RR-77 of Acoustic Revive and added the annotation:
"I think these people are crazy", my curiosity was sparked.
The immediate thought was: How can you presume insanity if you do
not investigate?
IN
TUNE WITH THE UNIVERSE?
The researchers
and designers of Acoustic Revive let us walk into a complete
new dimension. It is the knowledge of a basic phenomenon occurring
in a much larger realm than our listening rooms. And it is the application
of it to our music systems, if we want to. The phenomenon we are dealing
with is Schumann Resonance which occurs in the earth's cavity, the
space in between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere,
55 Miles above it.
SCHUMANN
RESONANCE
This
cavity has a very low fundamental electro magnetic frequency which
is brought about by the discharging between the positive ionosphere
and the negative surface of the earth. This discharge produces an
extremely low frequency (ELF). Although it was German scientist Winfried
Otto Schumann (May 20, 1888-September 22, 1974) who suspected,
predicted and finally calculated that frequency (eventually with his
students), it was in fact Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 –
January 7, 1943) who discovered the discharge phenomenon. Enlightening
in this respect is
Earth Breathing, a comprehensive article about the phenomenon
which is an essential ingredient of biological life. Schumann calculated
that in the cavity an electromagnetic frequency occurs of round and
about 7.8 Hz.
I literally
quote from Tony
Smith's website:
"The fundamental frequency of the Schumann resonance
is roughly the fundamental frequency of a spherical shell
whose inside boundary is the surface of the Earth and whose
outside boundary is the ionosphere, acting as a spherical
shell electromagnetic waveguide cavity. The
fundamental frequency ought to be roughly the time it takes
electromagnetic radiation to go all the way around the spherical
shell.
Since the speed of light is about 300,000 km/sec., and one
cycle is the circumference
of the Earth, which is about 40,000 km/cycle,
the fundamental frequency should be on the order of:
300,000
km/sec
_____________________= 7.5 cycle/sec
40,0000 km/cycle
A cycle/sec is just a Hz, so that 7.5 cycle/sec is 7.5 Hz.
The Schumann Resonances are actually observed by experiment
to occur at several frequencies between 6 and 50 cycles per
second; specifically 7.8, 14, 20, 26, 33, 39 and 45 Hertz,
with a daily variation of about +/- 0.5 Hertz.
The 7.8 Hz observed fundamental resonance is close to the
rough theoretical estimate of 7.5 Hz."
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Electromagnetic
radiation is a form of energy. It has properties of both an electric
and a magnetic wave and travels through a vacuum with the speed of light.
The space between the surface of the earth and the ionosphere is not
exactly a vacuum but comes close to it.
DISTURBED
Scientists
have found that the Schumann Resonance and the other resonances mentioned,
are an essential ingredient of life. It is a natural occurrence. This
electro magnetic field has always been there right from the moment when
the earth had settled. In theatrical terms one could say that it is
not just a prop but a basic part of the set. The resonance is said to
be essential to the proper functioning of the human brain. (It has an
effect on the Alpha waves produced in the brain.) However in industrial
regions, in large towns and big cities, this electro magnetic field
is generally disturbed, obstructed, is weak, or it may be missing and
does not occur in one's existence. This impairs the well being of every
living creature in that region, be it human, animal or plant. It is
said that the absence of the Schuman resonance could make you ill.
(NOTE: In contrast, high electromagnetic frequencies and radiation generated
by industrial plants and components, have a negative effect on the human
brain, although the electricity companies and the manufacturers of cell
phones do not want to admit this. Research seems to prove that high
electro-magnetic frequencies (pulses) do transport heavy metals, which
are normally filtered out, to the brain and have a negative health effect).
LISTENING
TEST
So there is an effect of the Schumann Resonance on the human brain.
The workings of the RR-77 was easily established by listening to music,
first with the RR-77 switched off, and then with the generator switched
on. The instruction is that the RR-77 is to be placed at more than 1.50
m above the listening room's floor. That was simple enough by extending
a record shelf, just enough to place the RR-77 on.
But was it the brain effect? Or was it something else? How could I find
out? I decided to do a few tests with the RR-77 Generator. My ears would
be used as a measuring probe. First of all I put on a record and listened
to the familiar sound of my system. Then I connected the RR77 to the
mains and put on this same record. There was a distinctive difference.
The first impression was that there seemed to be some sort of congestion
I had not been aware of or at least did not think it was disturbing.
The congestion in the sound was in the mid high frequency band. Now
with the RR77 switched on, this congestion was gone. Now the notes sounded
without restraint. The sound opened up.
RECORDING
Now
the question is: Does the Schumann Resonance have an effect on the working
of components as well? And to what extent?
I had to isolate my ears and brain to find that out. This is what I
did.
I chose a record with prominent and clear high mid frequency content
as that was the region which had demonstrated the difference in the
first place. Tsuyoshi Yamamoto's Misty, a Three Blind Mice pressing,
fullfilled the job (TBM 15PJ-1026).
Recording
music with the RR-77 switched off and on.
I put a blanc disc into the tray of the Tascam CD-RW900 and recorded
the beginning of "Misty", the RR-77 not connected. Then I
interrupted the recording and switched the RR-77 Generator on. Now I
recorded the same passage. In both instances the music was not reproduced
by the loudspeakers during recording. I did not use earphones.
PLAY
BACK
In
order to check if there is the slightest influence of the RR-77 Generator
on components, I played back the two short recordings on a Denon CD
player. The RR-77 switched off of course, in order to eliminate
the slightest influence on my brain (if that influence was ever there
and measurable). I also did not want to add any possible influence generated
by the R-77 for a second time while the reproduction took place.
Playback.
The RR-77 Generator switched off.
I had experienced the difference when listening with and without the
R77. Now, what would I witness by only listening to the two recordings?
If there was any effect of the R-77 on components, these two recordings
would tell.
When
playing the two CD-recordings it was immediately obvious that the noise
spectrum (surface noise) is very different. With the RR77 Generator
on, slightly more noise was being heard through the simple 2-way speakers
which were used for the test. It was clear that at the same time the
piano had more air. And again the congestion was gone.
I must admit that at the time of trying the RR77, we had extremely high
temperatures and the ferro fluid tweeter of the 2-way loudspeaker system
was rather liquid and did not give much resistance to the coil compared
to when temperatures are average. The compliance of the phono cartridge
was altered also because of the tropical weather. So my experiences
and findings were a sort of magnified, but nevertheless indicative of
what the RR77 does.
EFFECT
The
sound is more liquid, has a more stretched out high frequency content.
The frequency band seems to be larger, wider. Slightly more hiss was
noted, but that was caused by the two low budget two-way systems used
for evaluation. In high end loudspeaker systems this will not be noted.
Again there was no congestion, there was more airiness, more space.
Many of you readers know that if you add a subwoofer to your stereo
loudspeaker systems (I mean a good one and connect it in phase!), the
high frequencies are rendered in a more refined fashion, and the mid
band becomes more airy and detailed, it opens up. A subwoofer added
to your system will give you a totally new experience. Sound thinking
would tell me that there is a certain analogy. By adding a very low
frequency, in this case the Schumann 7.5 Hz. electro-magnetic resonance,
the high frequencies are sounding more freely, less constrained. Listening
to some beautiful violin recordings, symphonic climaxes and energizing
jazz, I noticed that specifically old mono recordings did benefit from
the RR-77. But naturally perfect pressings from the 1970's and 1980's
showed ease and realism. Transients were laid open as it were, and exact,
there was more insight, but no delay in time.
ASSESSMENT
The
recordings showed that the influence on elelctronic components was significant.
The Pulse Generator and the Tascam CD-recorder were about 4 meter apart.
Of course this distance is not important, has no value.
The addition of the RR77 to an audio system is not so much a matter
of taste. In fact it is the choice of the individual to combine the
RR-77 with his audio set in order to bring the reproduction possibly
to a higher level. To what level depends on the rest of the audio system,
specifically the loudspeakers. Also important can be the question: Where
do you live.
I guess that there could be less urgency if you live somewhere in the
Alps, on a plain in Spain, or in Clark County, Nevada. But if you live
in the midst of a heavily populated and industrialized region where
nature is in less harmony or really disrupted, the RR-77 can be considered
as an important component. It certainly depends on what you are used
to hearing and if it will add to the truthful reproduction of music
in your home. And finally there is the health matter since the RR77
Generator can have a beneficial effect on sleep and the working of the
brain. One morning I got up and noticed that I did have a good night's
sleep. Suddenly I remembered that I had installed the RR77 the day before.
ADVICE
I cannot say that you should have the RR 77 incorporated in your home.
But if you suspect that after reading this page, it may be beneficial,
go to your dealer and ask if he can give you one Acoustic Revive RR-77
Pulse Generator on loan for a week end. That is the best way to find
out and to decide. I have been living with the RR77 for over two months
now and I will continue to subject myself to its workings (not only
for my audio set but also for my well being I tend to think). I may
even update this review in due time as I will give the RR-77 on loan
to a few friends who are also very much into audio, one is a critic,
another a manufacturer, and the third one is just a music lover. I will
ask them to give their evaluation.
The
Acoustic Revive RR-77 Generator is a very small component. It only measures
14 x 16 x 4 cm (W x D x H) and weighs 200 gr. The pictures on the right
show the unit and its innards with the labyrinth and the small section
with components. The power consumprion is 2 Watt and the generator runs
on 12 Volt DC.
If
you want information on the RR 77 Generator and other products of Acoustic
Revive, visit their website: http://www.acoustic-revive.com/english/index.html.
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