Van den Hul health ring?! A joke?!

[Anonymous]

idc:chebby:Andrew Everard:

MENISCUS:So where is this ring supposed to be placed ???

"When ordering please measure and specify the ring's required circumference so that it can slide over your hand as a bracelet (with your hand slightly squeezed)."

Oh fine! Now you tell us.....

Her hifi must sound brilliant! I was a bit confused as to where the ring went, but a lovely nurse got it back for me..............

Does it get your ears to match tweeter hight if you have tall stands maybe??

 

[basshead]

''The rings are to be positioned at specific places in the room and on the equipment and the results are almost immediately audible.''

'ALMOST immediately audible'??? so you can almost hear a difference, they almost work?

 

[idc]

Do you mean on the wall. like this....................

 

[Alec]

Andrew Everard:

I'm not too sure how different this is from those copper bracelets people wear.

Me either.

Ahem.

 

[Alec]

Halloway:chebby:

A lot of people still remember the 'damage' Peter Belt did to the credibility of certain journalists and publications at the time.

I'd not previously heard of Mr Belt. I'm having a very entertaining time reading about him via Google. He's a one, isn't he?

Isnt he just. Still, takes all sorts.

 

[Henley]

They're a spin off from AJ's research into Phase 2 Carbon and it's filtration properties. He is currently working on technology that will, hopefully, improve the lives of those residing in third world countries. Through this, he has found that the rings work in certain cases and is prepared to be open to ridicule in an attempt to help others.

Whether you believe in the rings or not - who cares?

Do VDH advertise in What Hi-Fi? No, we do.

Are the rings imported or promoted in any way - No

Have we influenced the What? team to defend VDH - No, it's not worth it.

If you're looking for a conspiracy or an attemt to delude - read the Davinci Code.

 

[Anonymous]

A potentially interesting product but one that would need to be considered objectively. If ever there was a case for blind testing, this is it.

 

[Alec]

Blind tests could only fuel the fire.

 

[Anonymous]

On the contrary, if blind tests showed that people could consistently hear a difference/improvement, it would make a case that could not easily be refuted. If it did not, then the smoke and mirrors would be equally apparent.

 

[Alec]

Multiple, flawlessly performed blind tests may get somewhere near making a case that isnt easily refuted.

Google the aforementioned Mr Belt and you will find at least one very well written critique of blind tests.

 

[Craig M.]

might be tricky to perform a blind test when it's wrapped round your wrist!

unless you cut your arm off, but it might not work then!

 

[Alec]

Craig M.:

might be tricky to perform a blind test when it's wrapped round your wrist!

unless you cut your arm off, but it might not work then!

Now thats a point.

A really obvious one.

Which i missed.

Damn

 

[JoelSim]

al7478:Craig M.:
might be tricky to perform a blind test when it's wrapped round your wrist!

unless you cut your arm off, but it might not work then!

Now thats a point.

A really obvious one.

Which i missed.

Damn

Nothing that couldn't be solved with a blindfold and a local anaesthetic

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Craig M.:
might be tricky to perform a blind test when it's wrapped round your wrist!

unless you cut your arm off, but it might not work then!

Not so. Just use a placebo. Grab 30 people off the street -- or 30 HiFi journalists why not -- give half of them genuine Van den Hul health rings, give the other half dummy copies that look and feel identical but are not made of "Phase 2 Carbon" (was there ever such a thing?). Let them evaluate. Ask them individually if they think the ring has any effect. If there are more 'yes' answers in the genuine product group, there might be something in it, and worth probing further. If not, then probably not...

Or use a double-blind trial where neither the test subjects nor the people handing out the rings know which are real and which are fakes, to avoid giving (unintentional or not) subconscious cues which bias the test subject.

If someone ever got around to doing this, perhaps they should test HDMI cables, equipment racks and optical cables while at it...

 

[JoelSim]

storsvante:Craig M.:
might be tricky to perform a blind test when it's wrapped round your wrist!

unless you cut your arm off, but it might not work then!

Not so. Just use a placebo. Grab 30 people off the street -- or 30 HiFi journalists why not -- give half of them genuine Van den Hul health rings, give the other half dummy copies that look and feel identical but are not made of "Phase 2 Carbon" (was there ever such a thing?). Let them evaluate. Ask them individually if they think the ring has any effect. If there are more 'yes' answers in the genuine product group, there might be something in it, and worth probing further. If not, then probably not...

Or use a double-blind trial where neither the test subjects nor the people handing out the rings know which are real and which are fakes, to avoid giving (unintentional or not) subconscious cues which bias the test subject.

If someone ever got around to doing this, perhaps they should test HDMI cables, equipment racks and optical cables while at it...

I don't think there's any doubt about racks, mine was a revelation.ÿÿThat isn't to say that there aren't some duds out there too though.

ÿ

 

[gbhsi1]

ha ha- a joke indeed!

 

[JoelSim]

gbhsi1:ha ha- a joke indeed!

gbhsi1, perhaps you could pop a couple over the tweeters of your Neats?

ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

im gonna buy a health ring a new hifi rack some new hdmi cable and some mains cable
then burn them all in for two months do some serious listening to all my up grades ill keep you
all posted on the improvements??????

 

[Anonymous]

RA will burn in cables for you for a modest fee. They'll also cryogenically freeze them and I'm sure they'd do the same to the health rings, if you asked nicely.

 

[SHAXOS]

Yes, but there is still a problem with this theory. You could find something that is truly unrelated, i dont know, lets call it a "Super hi fidelity drink". Grab 30 people off the street give half of them this " fidelity drink" and give the other half water. You could quite easily get more than half saying they hear a difference with the unrelated drink. Its difficult because the difference in percieved audio quality is so small also in many cases it cant even be measured as its subjective. But, i think common sense should prevail in such issues and if some people want to buy 'magic rings' to improve their stereo then good luck to em! PS. These said people should come and buy my "Super audio fidelity drink" also! It neutralises audio defects in the brain giving a purer sound! Bargain at 5 pounds per 330ml can!

Peace out!

 

[Anonymous]

Where can buy some of this Hi fidelity drink? sounds really good to me...I'll take a pound of Audio Sausages too

 

[Anonymous]

SHAXOS:Yes, but there is still a problem with this theory. You could find something that is truly unrelated, i dont know, lets call it a "Super hi fidelity drink". Grab 30 people off the street give half of them this " fidelity drink" and give the other half water. You could quite easily get more than half saying they hear a difference with the unrelated drink.

Right, not easy to blind test between drink and no drink. But one can do a blind trial between your special drink and an undistinguishable dummy which is missing the active ingredient... Anyway, this discussion is getting a little out of hand...

 

[Alec]

storsvante: Anyway, this discussion is getting a little out of hand...

Oh dont be silly!

 

[JoelSim]

Red wine is a hifi drink, beer less so. In my opinion.

ÿ

 

[idc]

A nice cold Stella for me and later a strange brown beer from a novelty fathers day pack of real ales.

The only way that ring will work is by making the listener more relaxed and happy and from that their music will sound better.