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In Reply to: RE: Crystals I have used posted by Paul_A on November 26, 2010 at 06:54:34
Paul,
I've gotten best results so far with amethyst, second with pink or green tourmaline, third with clear or pink quartz, fourth with silica gel (which I gather is pretty much a quartz).
All of the above were treated. Untreated results differ. Since I know you treat your crystals (or so I recall), did the results you posted all involved treated ones? If not, please clarify.
Today I visited Al Sekela and we tried out several additional crystals untreated (we had no time to treat them) on his Wadia, which already has a passle of treated amethyst, quartz, silica gel and tourmaline. When we removed a bag of treated silica and replaced it we found that it does have a nice effect, but not the strongest.
We tried large untreated crystals of natural topaz and Al didn't like the sound. I was equivocal. Small crystals didn't seem to do much. But these were untreated.
Tumbled and smallish amethyst had the strongest, most consistent and most pleasing results by far, again even when untreated.
A small bag of untreated green and pink tourmaline had a nice effect, but was especially good when paired with the amethyst.
I'm just relating a quick and dirty experiment in a system that is highly revealing, already treated with a lot of crystals, and a known quantity with a familiar reference recording for us both.
I have not yet repeated these trials with my own very different system.
Follow Ups:
Tourmaline is strongly piezo electric, and the lighter colors seem to have a greater piezo effect.
Amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, Aqua aura, topaz are all members of the quartz family with slight chemical contaminants causing the color variations.
Aqua Aura is simply clear quartz with a plasma gold flash applied, a very thin one so that the crystal gets that distinctive bluish tint. That gold flash is conductive, however and is quite effective in strong EMF fields with great deal of inductance, as induced current would be attracted to the conductive surface.
IIRC, I once came across a passage in a mineral book stating that topaz was electrically unstable, and could, in the presence of strong electrical field actually change color. There something about the crystalline structure having a "hole" in the lattice work which was the cause of such properties. As such , that would make it ideal for the absorption of EMI fields.
Stu
When you say treated, I believe you are talking about putting the crystals in oil. This should loosen the crystals' connection to whatever they are resting on, and allow them to vibrate more freely. I've never done this, but I have always taken care to be sure that my crystals are free to move. Inside my preamplifier, they are attached with silicone adhesive, which is reasonably flexible. Elsewhere, the crystals are small and rounded, so the vibrations should cause a very slight rocking.Additional observations:
-I jammed some aqua aura crystals into a crack in my speakers, which limits their ability to move. These crystals had a very strong positive effect, so I don't believe that having highly unconstrained movement is essential for crystals' effectiveness. The literature that comes with QR8s says that they experimented with different adhesives that allow more or less vibration. They (Acoustic Revive) seems to think that the optimum amount of movement is something to be arrived at experimentally.
-I have found that too many crystals in a given location can introduce distortion, so I've thinned out my rock garden. Perhaps they interact with eachother at close range.
-I have found that some quartz had no effect while other pieces were quite strong. For example a necklace made of small smoky quartz pieces and a new age rose quartz "egg" had no effect. Why this is so is a mystery to me. The egg is big and the smoky quartz is polished. Beats me.
-I have thought that small size would enhance a crystal's effectiveness because of its smaller inertia, but some 2"x1/4" laboratory grade quartz discs work quite well, despite their flat shape's not allowing them to rock back and forth. I guess it's time to call a physicist.
Edits: 11/26/10
What Kind Of Oil Is Suitable For The Treatment ?
Thanks in advance for your input.
The oil is not a treatment! It merely "floats" the crystal to some extent, making the piezo quality easier to accomplish ( EMF causing the crystal to generate movement). The crystal need to move a bit inroder toharness the piezo effect and be effective.
Stu
/
or a $150 "hifi" from Costco.
/
That crack even exists on a Bose Lifestyle System. Just look a little closer and you'll see it.
I don't have a Bose Lifestyle System, but there is TINY space between the grille covers and speakers. I put in felt pads there to help prevent Buzzing, the grilles are held in place by magnets. Something hard might help create more chance of Vibration caused buzzing. Also, wouldn't oil on crystals make them less likely to vibrate, the oil damping rather than freeing vibrations? I have a McIntosh/Kef system, with only a slight upgrade in power cords, and a PS Audio Outlet and Quintet as tweeks. Also Sims Navcom Silencers under all components. Maybe I'll try some crystal tweeks. I loved having a bowl of water between the speakers, but it's bit of a hassle, and haven't done it in some while.
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