Shun Mook

[Mike]

Ok, here we go, I can see an argument brewing already! :D

I had my first experience of this stuff yesterday, namely the Mpingo discs. I have absolutely no rational explanation for this but cannot deny what I heard.... even with a head full of cold and snot!

Discuss.... (if you dare) :eyebrows:

[The Grand Wazoo]

I could discuss the morality and wisdom of using Mpingo timber in any product at all, but I suspect that's not what you're driving at!

[Mike]

How the hell would I know?.... As far as I can tell, it's all bloody sorcery! :confused:

[Mike]

Ah... I asked Mr Google and he came up with this:


In Tanzania and Mozambique, two of the last places in the world where the African blackwood grows in commercially viable quantities, locals know the tree by its Swahili name, mpingo, or by its Portuguese name, pau preto. From these countries, the timber makes its way to opera houses, jazz clubs, concert halls and festivals around the world.
Musicians know the wood as grenadilla, the material of choice for bagpipes, oboes and clarinets. What many don’t know is that the tree is often logged illegally and that stocks of the species are dwindling.


I see what you're getting at Mr Wazoo.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Aha!
A very high proportion of it is illegally logged and nothing is done to replace those trees. It's the timber equivalent of shooting elephants for ivory or just for fun.

[Mike]

Aha!
A very high proportion of it is illegally logged and nothing is done to replace those trees. It's the timber equivalent of shooting elephants for ivory or just for fun.

I sympathise with your views, Chris, I too have very strong opinions on conservation and have been involved in many (often heated) arguments on the subject. However, you are quite correct in your supposition that that's not what I'm driving at...


My point is: How the hell does a few grams of the stuff placed on top of HiFi equipment (including a Krell amplifier that weighs as much as a fully grown man!) alter the sound?


As far as I'm concerned (from and engineering point of view) someone should be strapped to a ducking stool and/or burned at the stake! :scratch:

[Ammonite Audio]

I have had a number of these Mpingo discs for many years, and am now unconvinced that earlier heard 'improvements' were in fact real, rather some sort of expectation bias came into play. I still have them placed around the system, but removing them makes no difference to my enjoyment of music. They are strangely lovely little things to handle, though.

[NRG]

Didn't you bring those to my house many years ago Hugo? Or am I thinking of somebody else?

AFAIK recall they made no difference at the time and when we thought they made a difference they weren't actually being used!

[YNWaN]

How the hell would I know?.... As far as I can tell, it's all bloody sorcery! :confused:

If you substitue the word sorcery with the word bollocks you have pretty much sumarised my view of the monks.

[Ammonite Audio]

Didn't you bring those to my house many years ago Hugo? Or am I thinking of somebody else?

AFAIK recall they made no difference at the time and when we thought they made a difference they weren't actually being used!

Yes, I did! At the time you had a much modded squeezebox with your system gear in a separate room from the speakers. I was a believer then, but now I'm a rational sceptic.

[Joe]

From the spoof foo site referred to in another thread:

Today's Random Audiophile Axiom: "Work on the premise that if something's almost impossible there must be some way to do it."

My view is that if there's no rational/scientific explanation for why something 'works' then the likelihood is it doesn't actually 'work' and the effect is all down to psychology.

[NRG]

Yes, I did! At the time you had a much modded squeezebox with your system gear in a separate room from the speakers. I was a believer then, but now I'm a rational sceptic.

:D Ah yes. The gear is still in a separate room. Mel was also there, the research scientist (I think) from the WAD forum and who lives close to me...must get in contact with him again...

[doodoos]

I had one of these discs for a long time, convinced that it had made a positive difference when first used. One day I removed it expectong the soundstage to collapse. Nothing changed. I sold it.

[Gordon Steadman]

I now refuse to use blackwood on any of my instruments. The thought of using it for this sort of thing (i tried very hard not to say rubbish there, did you notice?) is just appalling.

I have an old blackwood plate that someone gave me as they were tired of it!! I must hang it somewhere in the music room to see if it has any effect. As it has 'ethnic' carving of elephants on it, I suppose there is room for an 'elephant in the room' joke here somewhere.:doh:

[User211]

I've got some being sent to me... but BE WARNED. I have test kit to measurebait (measurebate?) it with.

Not sure when they'll turn up, mind. I am prepared to be Shun Fooked, though, from all the reports.

[Mike]

So far most comments seem to fall in line with my own previously held views on this sort of thing; I'd put them in the same mental compartment as the Peter Belt stuff of the 80's. i.e. I'd dismissed it as "bollocks"!


The interesting thing is, I didn't actually know what was going on. I'll explain...



A chap from 'The Wam' was interested in listening to some Soundlab 'statics and got in touch (via Mr SDDW) and jumped on a train all the way from Kings Cross on Sunday. Complete with a bag on his back and an Audio Research Reference 3 pre-amp in his arms. I wasn't expecting that! Andy was there too with his Modwright LS36.5... This should be interesting, thought I. :) Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have a stinking cold at the moment and couldn't really do much 'critical listening' so was popping in and out with supplies of coffee. While I was in the kitchen Andy called out "Mike, come and listen to this", so I popped back in where Kedar (the chap from London) was crouched in front of the rack fiddling about with something I couldn't see. As his fiddling continued the soundstage was altering so I went over for a closer look and that's when I had my "WTF moment", there were three of these things sat on top of the pre-amp which he was moving around.

Very, very strange and I have no explanation. :scratch:

It's something I would have liked to try again but now I'm aware of the possibly dubious ethics regarding the source of the material it's unlikely to happen. Interesting though! :)

[AlanS]

So far most comments seem to fall in line with my own previously held views on this sort of thing; I'd put them in the same mental compartment as the Peter Belt stuff of the 80's. i.e. I'd dismissed it as "bollocks"!


The interesting thing is, I didn't actually know what was going on. I'll explain...



A chap from 'The Wam' was interested in listening to some Soundlab 'statics and got in touch (via Mr SDDW) and jumped on a train all the way from Kings Cross on Sunday. Complete with a bag on his back and an Audio Research Reference 3 pre-amp in his arms. I wasn't expecting that! Andy was there too with his Modwright LS36.5... This should be interesting, thought I. :) Anyway, to cut a long story short, I have a stinking cold at the moment and couldn't really do much 'critical listening' so was popping in and out with supplies of coffee. While I was in the kitchen Andy called out "Mike, come and listen to this", so I popped back in where Kedar (the chap from London) was crouched in front of the rack fiddling about with something I couldn't see. As his fiddling continued the soundstage was altering so I went over for a closer look and that's when I had my "WTF moment", there were three of these things sat on top of the pre-amp which he was moving around.

Very, very strange and I have no explanation. :scratch:

It's something I would have liked to try again but now I'm aware of the possibly dubious ethics regarding the source of the material it's unlikely to happen. Interesting though! :)

Like to say how refreshing to find you being ethical about the items. There was a thread on another forum where the OP was totally indifferent to ethics and just wanted to evangalise the Sun Mooks almost deriding people for not buying and trying out of their ethical position!

Well done sir