Living with Alan Maher CBFs

[rollo]

  Its been 6 weeks now since I revamped the CBF positioning. Three at the incoming wire bundle. One for each leg. Then one each for each circuit at the panel. One in the dedicated outlet box [ behind the duplex in the box] for the amps and Preamp. One on duplex that feeds the CDP and TT, one on another outlet on that same circuit. One on the dimmer switch for the lighting.
  I have a dead quiet background a bigger more defined soundstage, better bass, more separation between instruments. More dynamic, but.
  Which brings me to my observation. It sounds brighter. There seems to be something up. Am I experiencing something different than anyone else utilizing the CBFs.

charles

[mdconnelly]

Charles,

I've got a number of CBFs and can't say I've ever attributed them with increased brightness.  I've also not tried any of Alan's newer CBFs... I quit buying after the Signature and Infinity versions.  Which do you have?

What I like about the CBFs is that there is no breakin time and, generally speaking, they convey a quieter, more relaxed presentation.  I tend to think there is a point of diminishing returns but that likely depends upon where you put them. 

I will say that despite the quality of my system, and the number of Alan Maher or other power conditioning accessories in my system, or any number of other tweaks, I still have days where the sound of my system is worse than it was the day or two before.  Whether that is due to power issues, or my state of mind, or the health of my ears is anyone's guess.

[rollo]

  It was not the CBFs. The addition of the CBFs allowed me to hear more than before. SOOOO it was another synergy issue that arose with our new found resolution. It was an IC. Once changed out the issue gone baby gone.
  Now the combo of Triodes Labs cords and the CBFs, oh my. PI Uberbuss up next.
charles

[mdconnelly]

Charles, will you be using a Triode Pete BUSS cable on the Uber Buss or an 8 or 10awg WE cord?

I'm currently using his BUSS cord on my Uber Buss.  While it is certainly well made, I'm not really hearing too much of a difference over the Black Sand Silver Ref cable (an excellent PC is its own right) that I had been using on the Uber.  I will say that I like both Pete's BUSS cord and the Black Sand far better than the Pangea AC-9 I had tried there before.  The Pangea seemed to be doing exactly the opposite of Pete's cords - less relaxed, less musical and less dimensional -- particularly with vocals.  Strange ...  Pehaps it just needed a lot more time (although I certainly left it there well over 100 hours).

I understand Pete may be toying with inserting the equivalent of the CBF crystals into his cable terminations.  That should prove interesting.

[evan1]

  It was not the CBFs. The addition of the CBFs allowed me to hear more than before. SOOOO it was another synergy issue that arose with our new found resolution. It was an IC. Once changed out the issue gone baby gone.
  Now the combo of Triodes Labs cords and the CBFs, oh my. PI Uberbuss up next.
charles

Pete recommended to me no CBF's but what the hell if you say its better I'll give it a try

[rollo]

   An 8 Ga. on the buss. The Blacksand is an excellent cable as well but over my budjet.  Hopefully I will be able to buy the Buss shortly. Evan use those CBFs sparingly with Petes cords as they tend to brighten  the sound when too many are used. Stick to the panel circuits and wiring bundle. I did not like the result of putting two on the PC and one in the duplex outlet in conjunction with the ones at the panel. Just too much IMO.
  A Spec grade Hubbel 5262 duplex also adds to the mix. Or a Jena which is cryoed.


charles

[tmazz]

Speaking of Alan Maher, has anybody heard any lately about him or his company?

I tried to go to his web site (alanmaherdesigns.com) on Monday and all I have been able to get back since then is a no such domain error message. When I tried to go to his facebook page the system can find it, but it is completely blank.

Any ideas as to what's up?

[StereoNut]

Speaking of Alan Maher, has anybody heard any lately about him or his company?

I tried to go to his web site (alanmaherdesigns.com) on Monday and all I have been able to get back since then is a no such domain error message. When I tried to go to his facebook page the system can find it, but it is completely blank.

Any ideas as to what's up?

If you go to the Info. link on his FB page it lists a new e-mail address: alanpmaher@hotmail.com
I sent him an e-mail the other day when I saw both his website and FB page were down, but never heard back...??? 

[mfsoa]

I guess you guys missed the Alan Maher hi-rez fiasco chronicalled on AC?

My short version, hopefully somewhat close to the facts:

He was reselling some sort of "re-mastered" music, I guess on thumbdrives, claiming that since he is not in the US and is not reselling the tunes in their original format (he is not duplicating them on CD medium) then he has the right to violate every known copyright law known to mankind.  Folks pointed out that he has no right to resell these titles, and some made inquiries with ASCAP or whomever.  In no time, any mention of the titles was gone from his website, and now his whole website is down.

That's my recollection of events.

-Mike

[StereoNut]

Link: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=92141.0

[mdconnelly]

Yep, Alan's website went down right when the MaherPhile albums he was 'selling' were exposed for what they were.  I think he was essentially upsampling CDs using his various conditioning circuits,  but he was quite mysterious about the details so I certainly can't speak with any certainty. 

The fact that he's no longer on Facebook speaks volumes.

[rollo]

   Oh well good while he lasted. Soon " heritage". Removal of the CBFs. Why you ask? To see what they are actually doing. Will I be missing something ? Will I not? [ plucking the Daisey] One at a time. So [2] at the circuits [ one each], [3] [ hot,neutral,ground] on the wire bundle and [1] in the duplex outlet box [ manana ]
   My only concern is that if I do not like the result of removal do these suckers need 21 days again  .
I'll wait until I get an  answer.   



charles

[StereoNut]

Charles

Just curious...

 • Which CBF(s) did you remove and from where? 

 • How long did it take before you could determine whether their removal did (or did not) change anything?

 • If there was a change in the sound of your system, was it for the bad or the better?

 • Does the order or combination of which CBF's are in place vs. what was removed make a difference?

 • If you only remove a CBF for a short span of time (e.g. a 1/2 hour, because after listening to a few songs you realize your system doesn't sound as good) and then put it back, does it still take a full 21 days to "come back" fully or not as long?

Thanks!
Bill

[mdconnelly]

FWIW and just my take - I haven't found the need for lengthy time for the CBFs.   While it is totally true of all of Maher's active tweaks that actually plug-in to filter the AC in some manner, my experience with the CBFs is that a small yet noticeable difference is there fairly soon.  My "understanding" (or, more likely,  lack thereof is that the CBFs are somehow taming RF/EM fields. 

Of course, like many other tweaks, I wonder if anyone fully understands how (if?) they really work.

[rollo]

  You guys will appreciate this or at least have a good laugh. Last night I was pumped to remove the CBFs one at a time.
  Sat down for a listen and all seemed proper. Puzzled as to why when I have not been pleased off late with the sound even after a month of CBFs in place.
  The Nervosa creeped in and I just couldn't remove them. Well maybe they took longer, Well this, well that. Do they have to break in again  WTF.
  The bottom line the nervosa was so strong I just couldn't do it.  Like the Audio Gods are going to haunt me or something. Now I'm wondering if they ever stop changing when and if the magnetic fields change. Oye!!
  Some nights its awesome and others, Eh."Tonight, Tonight won't just be any night"  It's gonna happen.



charles