Bybee Golden Goddess "Super Effect" Speaker Bullets

[chessman]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Randy
We are probably arguing because your OP used the term "voodoo" which is pejorative in the audio community or must about anywhere else. In context it says those who do not hear or believe what you do must be wrong. There are very few absolutes in this hobby, it is just what each of up prefers to hear.

Jim

I picked "voodoo" precisely because of the prior controversy and, therefore, tried to limit comments to actual experience. Maybe I shot myself with my own gun?

At any rate, I appreciate the civility of the diverse opinions stated so far. And I am incredibly curious about the two tester's experiences.

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by chessman

I picked "voodoo" precisely because of the prior controversy and, therefore, tried to limit comments to actual experience. Maybe I shot myself with my own gun?

At any rate, I appreciate the civility of the diverse opinions stated so far. And I am incredibly curious about the two tester's experiences.

I concur, if I switch over to the Golden Goddess I would do my Strads first as I would only need one pair.

My Theater would require at least six pairs.

[shindostevesan]

Originally Posted by dpod4

I'm going to do some more critical listening today with both the VAC tube amp and the CJ Pr 350 driving the Magnepan 3.7 with Bybee golden goddess se bullets in and out of the system. I will say Michael Vice has been very balanced and accommodating with all my questions and desire to potentially get a refund if these don't work in my system.

At first blush the positive effects (whatever the tech is or isn't) are:

- a smoothing out so less harshness (or some would say tone control to the darker forgiving balance of the spectrum)
- bass sounds relatively more deliberate and punchy and articulated
- I am picking up more nuances and hard to hear details.
- more orderly imaging and soundstage

Negative effects
- shorter and lower
soundstage
- less air and shimmer around vocals and instruments; less "open sounding"




Attachment 13645

This is basically what I'm hearing at 10 hours, although haven't picked up on the negatives yet. Maybe a lessening of sibilants... More to come.

[shindostevesan]

Although lessening of sibilants is not a negative, it may be associated with less "air and shimmer around vocals..."

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Still-One

Dan
I disagree, we don't know that PPP's aren't filtering anything different than any other black box in the loop.
Why would you roll tubes if it wasn't altering the signal that it is output to your amps? Tube A limits or allows certain frequencies to be heard versus Tube B's frequencies.

The blacker backgrounds we refer to is usually greater dynamic range delivered by filtering out noise.

Jim.......I understand the point you are making, although regenerating AC prior to powering our audio components is a totally different subject than adding an unknown circuit of unknown quality between the final stage of amplification and the speakers, or between a source component and a preamp.

With respect to tube rolling verses a Bybee box in the speaker cable run, a 12AX7 tube from one manufacture to the next is not a new unknown circuit in the signal chain. It is still a 12AX7 tube, albeit different metallurgy, construction techniques, getter and vacuum qualities from each maker. Tube rolling is not adding additional circuits to the signal chain that the manufacturer did not design into the component.

[McPlanar]

So here is a link to some pretty deep ideas on what these products are affecting. It appears to me that there main function is to filter out 1/f noise which is down at the quantum level. We are talking pretty heavy physics about something that was discovered back in the 1920s. This is way beyond me but it's still a good read if you want to learn more about the topic. By choosing different types of wires and cables in our systems are we already altering the sound? Remember that a wire can't add anything it can only remove or alter the sound. Our final choice in whatever speaker cable, IC, power cord is the final step in making our (your) system sound the way that is most pleasing to you. This really is rocket science when you are at this level.

From the Physics Hypertextbook "1/f noise (the same as pink noise?)
1/f noise ("one-over-f noise", occasionally called "flicker noise" or "pink noise") is a type of noise whose power spectra P(f) as a function of the frequency f behaves like: P(f) = 1/fa, where the exponent a is very close to 1 (that's where the name "1/f noise" comes from)."

1/f noise - Scholarpedia

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by McPlanar

From the Physics Hypertextbook "1/f noise (the same as pink noise?)
1/f noise ("one-over-f noise", occasionally called "flicker noise" or "pink noise") is a type of noise whose power spectra P(f) as a function of the frequency f behaves like: P(f) = 1/fa, where the exponent a is very close to 1 (that's where the name "1/f noise" comes from)."

[McPlanar]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Good one Dan,

Originally Posted by shindostevesan

Although lessening of sibilants is not a negative, it may be associated with less "air and shimmer around vocals..."

It's definitely easy to tell when they the GG bullets are in or out.
With them plugged in, music is definitely more relaxed and "easier" to listen to...less sibilance but not less information. Very soft low level details sound more accessible/natural/organic, but bigger vocals/instruments don't seem to have as much energy/air/space around them. My Maggies sound bigger, rounder and taller without the Bybees in the chain. With the Bybees in the chain my Maggies sound more structured, articulate, orderly and sweet/delicate. It also seems with the Bybees inserted, the volume drops a bit.

This has been listening to an SACD I know very well via the new (not broken in) CJ 350. I'm going to switch over to VAC tubes and see what happens there.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by dpod4

It's definitely easy to tell when they the GG bullets are in or out.
With them plugged in, music is definitely more relaxed and "easier" to listen to...less sibilance but not less information. Very soft low level details sound more accessible/natural/organic, but bigger vocals/instruments don't seem to have as much energy/air/space around them. My Maggies sound bigger, rounder and taller without the Bybees in the chain. With the Bybees in the chain my Maggies sound more structured, articulate, orderly and sweet/delicate. It also seems with the Bybees inserted, the volume drops a bit.

This has been listening to an SACD I know very well via the new (not broken in) CJ 350. I'm going to switch over to VAC tubes and see what happens there.

I think your observations are in line with what happens whenever we insert certain components in our systems. You get benefits but they come with accompanying nits. I found this with PPP's, the MEN-220, and using the C-1000 instead of a CD direct to the amps, etc. You usually weigh the plusses and minus.

Jim