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Response to the Shakti thread below

Posted by drclark on November 3, 2001 at 11:35:23

I have known Ben (Shakti-Innovations, a real company that pays taxes and has dealers throughout the world) for several years and have found him to be one of the most honest and open individuals in the industry. He is also an extreme audio-nut who is driven to getting the best sound from his system. This has led him into developing the Stone and On-Lines to address issues with EMI and his system. EMI that he found was depriving him of enjoying and hearing music at its fullest. He has spent a considerable amount of time and money, testing and verifying that they do in fact reduce EMI. Why? Because Ben is an honest guy who believes that what goes around comes around. He is not the type to rip people off. If he makes it and sells it, it is because it works as is stated. His need for a patent is no doubt out of fear that someone else would copy him and crowd the audio accessory market. The audio market is very finite, so I see this as just being a good businessman.
As to the affect in other people’s systems, much is based on the components used, the environment it is found in, and one’s own reaction to the effects of EMI. I have tried a few Stones and On-Lines here and there, and heard very subtle results. Positive, but not sure if it was really worth the trouble. I have talked to other people with the same reaction, so has Ben. He knows that his products are not universal. That in some situations, their effect will not be audible – but it will be measurable. On the other hand I know people who use just a few to very good effect. Sometimes a few are not enough, sometimes it is. Unfortunately for me, using them everywhere was quite an eye-opener. Good for Ben, bad for me. I now use about 30 On-Lines and 18 Stones - which I paid for. The results are quite amazing. Way more musical information with nn hyped detail. The noise floor is way, way down. But that is here in my system with my ears. Hey, if it doesn’t work for you, no skin off my nose. I can live with that, but can you accept that it works for me and others?
As to the use of Shakti products on an automobiles’ CPU (or even a computer), this was expressed to Ben by an end user, who was more over the top then Ben was concerning tweaking. This person tried them on his engines CPU and felt that the car ran better with improved gas mileage. Whether it is the feeling of a car running better after a “wash and wax,” I do not know, but he was so excited about this that he felt a need to let Ben know. Even Ben was skeptical at first, but since it does reduce EMI, he thought that perhaps it would improve the performance of a CPU. Going from this Ben had a few other friends try it with positive results, ran the idea by some people in the automotive industry who felt it made sense, and so found that perhaps there was something to this. He has spent a considerable amount of money researching this and feels that the results do warrant Shakti products as a performance accessory for cars. I know Ben to not be the kind of guy to market his products (nor to buy others’) based empirical evidence. Nor is he in the position to throw money away. He wanted measurable proof, so he had tests done that he felt would substantiate this use of the product.
As to the validity and reliability of the tests, I can only speculate that if they were good enough for the companies who performed them- which I understand they were, and Ben is happy to pay for them – which he did, well if they are not good enough for you, then so be it. That’s your choice, though the arguments suggested here as to why they should be ignored are open to rather weak.
I understand the car enthusiast is way more into tweaking their car (appearance and/or performance) than we are into tweaking our systems, so if gaining a few HP is worth the cost, well that is up to them to decide.
Much has been said here to infer that Shakti products are potentially “snake-oil,” that his patent means little if anything, his testing is worthless, and as such he is just out to make a buck off the unsuspecting fool. Your opinions are not founded on knowing the company, the person behind it, nor having much experience with the product. Which means, opinions are like bowel movements, we all have ‘em.
Dave Clark
audiomusings
BTW, While Ben is a friend of mine, I have no financial interest in his company. Just wanted to present another side to the story.

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