Virtual Salon

How I'd Hate to Be a Cable Customer.

I opened a fresh new magazine today, that I had just been sent, and in it was one of the largest advertisement pullouts I had ever seen for our industry, of audio cables.  It was filled with advertisements, and I'd hate to tell you what those advertisements cost, but if you knew, it would be a lot easier to figure out why some of the prices are the way they are, and why you see us advertise so seldom in large magazines, but the was not my issue.

For some perhaps, I believe a pretty picture of a cable may be all it takes to start the drooling of a seasoned  audiophile.  I read through as they explained how cables work, and you know what?  They seemed to point at a few things that would make a difference, and some of the points had some actual truth to them, and some were highly irrelevant, but added to the flair, even if there was no real description or explanation to help you understand anything about what they were saying.

After reading through it, I noticed it was summed up with the recommendation that you ought to try some high end audio cabling for your audio system, but as I looked through with the advertisers that were presenting their wares, I saw so many completely different ideas, from manufacturers all claiming to make your system better.

The problem that I saw that would make it so hard for me as a customer, was that there really was not enough information in there to tell you how to pick, and the most vital information on how to lower distortion in an audio system through cabling, was completely left out.

In fact, as I peered through I  came back to realizing that if i really didn't understand how cables worked, that articles was not too likely to help me, and I was probably going to pick the cable with the prettiest picture.

As a manufacturer, a designer, an inventor, but mostly a friend, I feel for you our customer, the ones who are supporting the cabling industry.  How difficult must it be for you to find a little truth.

It leaves you with the idea that all of these cables are right, that all of these cables are better, that as long as you spend some hard earned dollars on them, and as much as you can, you are sure to get better performance no matter the design or construction.  Knowing how different all of these approaches to cable construction really are it seems ironic that the pullout itself suggested at all that there really could be a "right" way of doing it.

One part of the article suggests that a simple way of allowing more signal to come through is to increase the gauge size of a wire, however I couldn't help but notice that although it addressed larger gauge sizes lowering resistance to allow more signal to travel, it was not under the proper category, and therefore was made almost elusive.  I couldn't help but feel that maybe that was in support of all the designs that use ultra thin wires with very high conductor resistance, just so they wouldn't feel like they were being picked on.  In fact  I couldn't help but notice how gently the article was written, as if to say, even if a manufacturer isn't doing what we say works in this article, they may have a good reason.  This left me wondering if the good reason might not be that if you didn't support them too, with your purchases and your confidence maybe they wouldn't have the advertising budget to be included with all the rest.

How gently we tread on our advertisers, how far away from the truth we must stay to protect them, how elusive we must write, and the creativity we need, to sum up a technical article with everything probably works if you spend enough money on it.

What makes me upset, and as I am writing this, I wonder how I could ever reach all the people that I would like to reach to help them out of this foolishness of high-end audio cable, and the monster that has been created.   I hope you endevor in truth, to find the product that really does work, and to know why and how it did.

I would like to sound a little more uplifting, but after flipping and reading through I could only feel a little hurt for you, our cable industry customer.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz

The Truth About Science and Cable

I have a question, and a suggestion.

The question is one that you might suspect I should have the answer for,  and I thought I did.  I just thought I would get some of your perspectives.  As we have gained exposure by putting ourselves out there a little bit more, in front of the audio community, it seems a growing number of opportunities to meet all sorts of people with different thoughts on cables.  The ones that puzzle me most are the ones that explain how they believe that cables cannot make a difference.

Am I so troubled with this because I am a cable manufacturer?  Well, maybe that adds to it, but no, that's not really my problem. My problem with this argument is that it becomes very very personal.  As I have said before in an earlier blog, science is defined as the explanation for an observation.  What this topic comes from is mostly audio threads, and audio forums, where people continue to liberally attack people who claim that audio cables make a difference, or attack people who claim that they can't.  The thing that I have seen is that the ammunition being presented unanimously is that the one arguing cables cannot make a difference always argues that they don't know how or why a cable could make a difference.

So let's re-define science.  Let's make up a new definition, we'll call it the explanation of the observation that I can't observe until I've explained it. I think if we were to agree on this, it would solve a lot of the fighting.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz

News for the month and what's up in 2008

We have made a lot of changes and although many of the things that we're doing for 2008 started in 2007 we hope that as we continue to launch 2008 marketing, headed up by Brad Blackmere, you will find our commitment to you our customer and getting you what you needed, wanted and doing it more aggressively than we have ever done in the past.  2008 is surely the year that you will find yourself with more Virtual Dynamics than ever.

Our key in marketing, and what we are doing today, is to try to help educate audiophiles on the potential that Virtual Dynamics has for dramatically increasing the quality of music reproduction.

In looking around the audio scene today you will find a lot of really cool products, and I think, overall, that most products are getting better.  I don't think I have ever been more excited than I am about some of the new products that are hitting the absolute mark, and to me that is, cleaner, clearer, more realistic sounding audio.

Of these new products that I have come across, which absolutely deserve the mention, are first and foremost, Wadia digital corp.  Wadia builds CD players that are as profoundly different as the new 581, these guys deserve applause.  I have gone to show with the Wadia gear several times, and have always just loved it, but I will admit that with the newest products from Wadia used as my source I just don't think I have ever been more satisfied about listening to music.

Frank Tchang, from Acoustic Systems Resonators is a genius in his own right.  He has developed a revolutionary new product that at first look makes every mind doubt it, but no music lover can possibly deny these amazing little products, and from the reports that I've heard back form CES 2008, it sounds as  if Frank's new speaker may just be as miraculous.  If you've ever met him he is one of the craziest, kindest and nicest people in audio.

Anyway, back to topic.  Marketing can lead you to making decisions on amazing products like these by helping you to clearly understand them so you can decide whether they fit your lifestyle needs.  Great marketing begins with intent. Our intent is inspired by marketing guru Philip Kotler's quote's "Marketing is not the art of finding clever ways to dispose of what you make. It is the art of creating genuine customer value."   With our videos, forums, blog, website advertising, and every means that we can we hope to share with you why Virtual Dynamics is  an audio product with genuine value.  In a word revolutionary.   I don't mean to boast, but I have learned to be confident about what you know, especially when you have poured your heart and your soul into knowing it.

I am often asked  who do  you compete with, or who is a competitive manufacturer?  The answer is still, after 6 years, I don't know.  Why?  Well in part, the culture of our company. We are a collaborative culture company rather then a competitive culture company. I believe that selling more cables will not make our cables better. As an artisan you get better by redefining and innovating the standard for world class in your genre.  I urge you to investigate what Virtual Dynamics is doing.  We are not a cable company, we are a technology company, who is designing, manufacturing, selling and promoting the most advanced technology audio products that we know of in the market today.  In the rapidly growing cable market there are new pieces of wire showing up almost daily to compete for the wire market.  Brad's mission is to share with you information that helps you to clearly understand what genuine value in a cable looks like.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz

Linipur Video

I wanted to take a moment to address our Linipur Video .  In watching the video I realize that we have not completely helped you to understand what the problem is in using stranded audio cable, so I wanted to take a moment and help you understand just a little better, what we are trying to explain.  First, it might be important for you to think about how many times a driver modulates per second and what it takes to get accuracy from an audio system.  Let's say that we are trying to recreate 20,000 hertz.  In order to recreate this frequency we need to accurately move a diaphragm 20,000 times per second.  One modulation too many, or one modulation too few, and you have not hit your mark, meaning that you have not accurately reproduced this tone.

So how does that relate?  Here is what we are trying to explain.  Imagine a single modulation of a driver, like the very first outward movement in the goal for 20,000 driver modulations per second.  If this frequency was coming from the CD player and then split into several different conductive pathways, like those found in all stranded cables, the positive charge of the AC waveform that is first flowing through is going to find several different conductors, all with different resistances, unless they are superconductors it is almost unthinkable that any two conductors, no matter how hard we might try, could be exactly the same in resistance, nor is it reasonable to suggest that any two millimeters, centimeters or meters of even the same conductor would have exactly the same resistance, so, back to our conductor and our signal.  The signal flows through each conductor at a slightly varying speed, this is part of what resistance is known to do, change speed.  That one little push represented by a small amount of electrical energy in a very fast and short burst may be traveling through thirty different conductors, and therefore, 30 different routes to get to its destination, the pre-amp. 

To make an analogy, it would be like going from north to south New York, down 30 different routes.  All of them will eventually get you to south New York, but each route will take a different period of time based on how many traffic lights, how many cars, pedestrians, whether it is a highway, or a city street, bridges, and maybe even the odd traffic jam.  Understand that electrons certainly encounter every bit as much of a unique circumstance moving through each of the conductors as what we explained in New York traffic.

So what we are defining for you is a simple understanding of why this first signal is going to have a problem being accurate.  Once you split the signal up into 30 different conductors you have created 30 different smaller versions of the original signal that all have to follow a different route and endure different circumstances (or resistance) to get to their destination.  What comes into the next component, let's say the pre-amp, is 30 separate signals.  Se your preamp doesn't understand, or care, that you think it is only one signal, it simply processes all 30 and outputs them once again, one after the other.

Immediately behind this signal to push the driver forward is the signal that will be telling the driver to come back, so we'll come back to this thought.  As the signal leaving the pre-amplifier enters the next conductor, and let's say it has 30 strands, the first signal of the 30 that arrived from the CD player, will enter into each and every one of the 30 new conductors from pre-amp to power amp, the second signal that was slightly behind the first, also enters into all 30, in fact, in their turn all 30 of the first 30 signals enter into the next 30 conductors, building 900 new signals.

The first one to arrive at the power amplifier will be the one that came down the most conductive pathway from CD to pre-amp, and then found the most conductive strand in the next interconnect, from pre-amp to power amp, and it will be activating the transistor with a positive charge, telling them to send the positive position of the AC waveform down the wire, the next will come down the second most conductive pathway from cd player to pre-amplifier, down the most conductive pathway from pre-amp to amplifier and so on and so forth, until all 900 have finally arrived.  But remember, now, that that negative was right behind, and it of course it too followed down the most conductive conductor of the first thirty, to most conductive conductor of the next thirty , and while the first 900 signals of positive are making their way through negative signals are already beginning their trip.  The conflict becomes the greatest when these confused signals are activating both the positive and negative transistors at the same time.  This is also true for tubes.  When a positive transistor is charged as well as the negative transistor, the push will be the sum of whatever the negative transistor is taking away from the positive transistor.  This is know as intermodulation, or non-linear distortion.  Because of the confusing signals and the time delay and the resistive values being built by igniting both the push and the pull transistors at the same time, it is not possible to not affect the sound of the audio system, because the  original signal has been changed, and will never be the same again.

Of course, this is even far more complicated than what I have explained, but it is simple and gets straight to the facts, and the fact is, that although cables can change the sound, are they honestly making the sound better?  You have to know enough about conductors to be able to decide this, so we decided to try and help.  Using this method of carrying the signal of course it is highly unlikely, unless the conductors were all superconductors with no resistance, that we could create the exact 20,000 hertz signal that we were trying to create.

If you still don't quite get this, we would be happy to explain it more over the phone.  Give us a call so we can tell you more about Linipur, and our solutions to this problem.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz

New Videos!

Hello folks,

I'm excited today.

We're rolling out our new technology section and the new technology videos that cover our conductor design and the dynamic filtering treatment.

Rick and I have been working on these when we've been able to grab a few moments for the past few months, and it's exciting to see a new phase of our message come online.  I hope you enjoy.

Linipur: Video
Dynamic Filtering: Video

-Brad

Fighting with a Stiff One

Over six years of selling Virtual Dynamics audio cables we have run into the comments from a few customers saying, jeez, these things are really stiff, big  and heavy.  After clarifying with them that they are talking abut Virtual Dynamics audio cables and not their Christmas lights, I will usually answer with a soft giggle and a "Yes, they are..."

of course, the next question is always, "why don't you make them lighter?"

So, I thought I would share with you why I don't make them lighter.  The simple answer is, the honestly if there was any way that I could do this without compromising the cable's sound I would be the first one to jump on the bandwagon, but it is a big bandwagon, and there are literally thousands of manufacturers building the thing that I refuse to.  Light, flexible audio cables.  Products that do not meet my standards.

I will admit that, from a marketing point of view, Virtual dynamics sucks.  We're not a company that gives customers what they want, in fact, the sole purpose of creating Virtual Dynamics' audio products was to introduce customers to what they really needed and desired above all things, if they are truly an audiophile, and that is, better sound.

Alright, better sound to some is debatable, elusive and not achievable, but I am definitely, and with all certainty, not in that camp.  To me, the idea that some audio products are not better than others, or some cables are not better than other cables, is as ridiculous as square tires for your car.

So what am I getting at?

Well a few of you who have talked to me in person, know that I use the square tire analogy quite commonly, and I would like to explain it and where it came from, but first let me take you on a little adventure. I have been on talking to hundreds of audiophiles from all different regions and walks of life.  I have asked on question over the last year quite consistently to consumers looking for audio cables, some who own cables in the tens of thousands of dollars... I ask them one simple question, to see what answer I might get.

The answer is consistently, and pretty much, I can say at this point, without exception "I don't know."

The question, "Why do cables change the sound of your audio system?"

So why are virtual Dynamics cables so big and thick?  Bet you thought I forgot that was the topic, huh?  well, it is this, there is only one possible realistic and irrefutable way to absolutely and with all certainty ensure you lower the total resistance of a conductor, and it is to increase the gauge size.  I will repeat, so that you might understand my motive.  There is no other reasonable, logical, proven, available method of getting more signal from point A to point B than to increase the gauge size of the conductor. Not in audio anyways.  DO superconductors do this?  Sure, but we are nowhere near that technology in audio, in fact, we are not even embracing the known technology and understanding that Gauge size of your conductor is absolutely and fundamentally the single most critical thing you could possibly do to increase signal flow.

No kidding.

You know what?  I bet you already knew that.  So, why is not the body of audio demanding that cables be made from thicker, heavier, bigger wire, and how is it possible that manufacturers are not trying to educate consumers on this one simple yet profound truth?

Well, consumers have demanded that cables be light and flexible, and they will buy them regardless of how much sense it makes to have tiny flexible conductors.

Virtual Dynamics made a commitment, okay, I made a commitment, long ago, that my mission wasn't to become the best marketer.   I am not even close, nor do I care to be, but I do, with my whole heart, care to provide you with the very best audio cable performance that could be had, and if I knew of a way to better what I had, I would offer it for you.  I understand full well that the industry is using things like six nines pure copper to achieve better conductivity, but if you do your homework, you'll realize that no one is talking about conductivity, just copper purity.  No one is saying "hey, we're more conductive than the next guy. we'll actually let more signal through."

Why?  Why is it that we're not saying "we're twice and conductive, we're 300% more conductive as audio manufacturers with our technology of high purity wire?"

Well, here is the simple truth. One of the most conductive conductors on the marketplace, as far as material goes, for copper wire, is electrolytic tough-pitch.  It's rating for conductivity is actually 101%.  It is a technical marvel and is only 99.95% pure.  It is recognized by the entire wire industry as being, well, you get it, it's a very cool wire technology product, because it is 1% more conductive than any other 100% conductive copper, but let me let you in on a little secret, that this rating of conductivity is restricted to and guided by one simple common factor.  Gauge-size.

Huh.  If you increase the gauge size, at all, you will supercede this conductivity, so why not just double the gauge size and make the conductor far more conductive than you could ever do with high-tech, and high-purity conductors.

So why are cables from Virtual Dynamics, so stiff and heavy, because we are building what you need, you are ignoring purposely what you have asked for because we know it is neither what you really want, or good for you.  We respect you, and we love that you share this hobby.  We want to get you closer to the truth of the original sound, and if we have to fight you to get you there, you will find a bleeding, battered, torn up, kicked and pushed-around Rick Schultz laying on the street somewhere begging you to just increase your gauge size. 

It's funny that audio isn't full of simple little truths, but I will guarantee you that this simple little truth that I have shared today will make some people very very angry, and, in fact, although it is the simplest law of physics for conductivity, some will even try to argue it.  Because what I'm telling you is not good for everybody, it only meets one real need in the audio marketplace, and that is to educate and help you, the consumer, build better sound.  If that was not what I was doing, I certainly would not want to tell you, and would argue this simple fact even though the sheer idea is ridiculous.

So, finally, what was I babbling about with square tires, well nice you see the logic of things, some thing make little sense.  It is simple to see the logic behind the good old fashioned round tire, but let's just say, for argument's sake, that all the major tire manufacturers launched, this year, a brand new revolutionary tire.  The concept was that it was different than anything made in the market before.  It had a revolutionary new rubber, and a tread pattern that was certain to turn heads, it was lightweight and leak resistant, but let's just say, to own this new tire, you would have to be certainly of a little more wealth.  These new tires do not come cheap.  They are 30x more expensive than the good, old fashioned tire of the past, the round tire, oh yes, did I mention that this new tire, was square?  Why oh why do the tire companies not do this?  The marketing, I mean with a good push, could make it sound like a marvel, a technical creation beyond the driving enthusiast's wildest dreams.  Well, let me pose this.  You might just look at that square tire understanding the basic physics and say "What the ^&%*?" and I would suggest a few other people, may be with you on this. 

So now, really, can you blame me if I might have a little bit of the "what the ^&%@" over this whole idea of thin, light, flexible cables.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz

Blog Revived!

Hello everyone.  For those of you who had entertained our blogs, welcome back.  For those of you that are new, welcome.  I am Rick Schultz, company President, and designer of Virtual Dynamics audio cables.

I thought I would start off with a little background for you of what Virtual Dynamics is.  We commonly get confused with high-end audio cable companies, and rightly so, as our main product that you would observe, indeed, replaces a typical audio cable.

For many years, I was an aspiring audiophile, looking for that next product that would better the sound quality of my audio system, but it needed to be something that I could afford and that really would make a positive difference.

Virtual Dynamics was born out of that desire. 

My goal was to actually improve an audio component through applied technologies. Today, the ways that we try to achieve this have become too numerous to mention, but our first focus was on understanding how vibrations would interact with the performance of audio equipment.  By this I mean, if you change the way that vibrations behave in audio components, you change the sound of your system.  By this time, I rarely meet a person who is not aware of this already through some means, or some company, whether it be racks, cones, cups or some sort of device to plant your gear on, but when I first started, this idea was very new.  That was about 6 years ago.

I'll add, at that point in time most everyone I talked to had not tried an aftermarket power cord, with an elect few having enough daring to throw some money in the power cord direction and see if change could be had.

Again today, it would be pretty obvious that most everyone in high-end audio has experienced and likely owns some sort of aftermarket powercord.

So, times change, and people who used to think that it was impossible for a cable to change the sound of their audio system, just a few years back, people just like myself, have become aware that audio has room to grow and new doors will open to us, even if we don't initially believe it.

Virtual Dynamics, as a company, has always kept an open, investigative commitment to understanding WHY these changes might take place.   First, and foremost, we are interested in the very basis of science,  and the basis of science starts with an observation.

Like Tweety, the young bird, who "tawt he taw a putty tat" and was in doubt of himself until he was able to look and observe again, and with all certainty, that he did, he did indeed, see a putty tat.

Now, honestly, who the $#^% are we to say he didn't, just because we personally don't believe in "putty tats."

Do you know that this argument, is actually, at it's core, an explanation for the very foundation of science itself, and more scientific a response than many of us who have sworn "that couldn't make a difference."  All we are saying, when we exclaim our disbelief for poor old Tweety bird and his observation of a putty tat, is that I do not trust that he is honest, and in fact some people simply cannot put any faith into the poor Tweety bird.

Our lack of faith in Tweety is not a scientific reason, in fact is not a reason at all, for why Tweety bird could not have seen a putty tat. 

I hope you are following me, because as you read through most people who are still skeptic about advancements in audio technology are often unaware that they are making statements like this:  Tweety, although you have many times explained to me that you thought you saw a putty tat, I never have.  Yes indeed Gramma will back you up, but I'm sure she's only saying that because she loves you.  Oh, and that big dog, who also agrees that, indeed, a putty tat has been stalking you,  I don't find him credible either.  Dogs are known to be liars and make up big stories.  Didn't you know?  In fact, of all of the hundreds of cartoon animals, animators and millions of people who have watched the show, and say, "yes indeed tweety, that was a putty tat you saw, I saw him too,"  I think they are all liars. And furthermore, if I ever watched your show, which I never will, because I believe the whole thing is a hoax, it will only prove the point I already know and have made up my mind firmly about, "There is no damn putty tat!"

So, what has this got to do with audio?   We don't know how many thousands of people have already observed that cables make a difference, we do know that science  and the scientific body, accepts  that any reasonable person observing would make for a credible witness.  So the thousands  become an incredible testimony to what science now gives as solid observation.

Remember, it would take just one.

One lab tech observing a cancer cell being repaired would be enough to start a whole world of change, if only we could understand why.  In the audio argument too often we've doubted the lab tech's observation.  We would go to great lengths to help verify and recreate this observation.  Why is it that in audio we go to such great lengths to accuse the poor lab tech, even though thousands upon thousands have reported hearing the exact same thing.  Isn't it time we move on?

By whatever means we have at our disposal, let's investigate why we observe these differences.  Virtual Dynamics started with this idea and continues today to be enthralled with observing, and sharing with others the observations.  We are committed to understanding why we have observed, and even if we don't believe in putty tats, and I must admit, sometimes we are skeptical, if by chance I hear any little bird calling, I want an opportunity to see for myself.  I want to be found being wise, in at least taking a look.

I have that in my power, and I realize that it is my responsibility.  I challenge that if making your audio system better is your desire, or you are open to the idea and would simply like to know, put skepticism behind you and observe for yourself.  You never know when you are going to get your first look, that moment where you may exclaim "oh my goodness, there really is a putty tat.  There was a putty tat all along."

In closing ,for today, let me add that there is a time to be skeptical.  We want to verify that the lab tech saw something repeatable and real.  That Tweety wasn't just imagining things, because yes, that can happen, but even by the time that Gramma and the fierce bulldog corroborate poor Tweety's story we have pretty credible grounds, and maybe even enough evidence to win this argument in court, because one person's lack of observing is not greater than 2 people's observation.  It has become majority rules, and by far the majority has ruled, that it is a little late to be a skeptic for audio cables making a difference today.  Sales from high end audio cables number in the millions, if not billions,  of dollars per year, and continue to grow.  It is a little  late , in fact by several years, to be a nay-sayer now.

So we invite you, give it a try and see what everybody is ranting about.

Keep your ears tuned,

Rick Schultz