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IPCEARAcousticenhancer
withEuphoriaTechnologyandProtonVibrationAlignmentField

Activeroomtuningmodules

APROTONICFORTHETROOPS?
[Italianversion]
Manufacturer:IPC++(InnoworksProductCreationLtd.)AudiovisualAER(AudioEngineeringResearch)
Westernmarketsdistributor:ImproveAudio
Product:ProtonicAudioVisualAERAcousticEnergizer
Size:300mmhighx120mmx120mm,1.3kg
Price:$1250.00each
Price:999.00each
CountryofOrigin:China(HongKongTerritory)
Reviewer:MarkWheelerTNTUK
Reviewed:JanuaryDecember2014

ThisisthemostdifficultreviewIhaveeverwritten.Ihaveprocrastinatedformonths.Ihave
exchanged emails with the distributor. I am confident of the functioning of the listening
roomandthesystem.Iamconfidentofthequalityoftheelectricitysupply.Iamconfident
abouttheroomacousticsindeedthisisthebestlisteningroomIhaveeverenjoyed.
"Weallknowwhat'scomingnext,"heckleplebs,stageleft,"TheOldScribe'sgonnatell
ushe'sfoundamagiccablethattransformsaudioandmakesyourearsgrow!
No,yourOldScribestillbelievescablereviewsareutterlyuseless.Youroldscribehas
metmanyaudiodesignersandproductdevelopersovertheyearsandeveryoneofthem
has sincerely believed in their ideas and the products that follow from those ideas.
Sometimesthesedesignershaveploughedalonelyfurrow,treatedwithcontemptbythe
believers in the dominant narrative of the audio cognoscenti, and sometimes hailed as
gurusbyafewwhobelievethemselvestobeenlightened.Somehavemanagedtotreada
line that encompasses both. Witness the controversy that greeted a gentleman from
Glasgow whose views and products began by polarising the audio fraternity but whose
mainproductbecamethedefacto standard reference by which all others were judged
and it remains in production today. Others came along with heretical views about wire,
audiblecapacitors,andevenastilllonelyvoiceespousingenvironmentalfactorssaidto
becorrectedbyknottedbitsofwire,crocodileclipsandlittlebitsofcolouredfoilwiththe
cornerclippedoff.Thenthere'smagicstones...
"Oh no! The Old Scribe's gathered Bluestonefragments from Carn Goedog, Wales"
quoth plebs, stage left, continuing, "Then he's taken them Wiltshire where he placed

quoth plebs, stage left, continuing, "Then he's taken them Wiltshire where he placed
them overnight on the alter stone at Stonehenge before putting them on his audio
equipmenttotransformitspagangoodliness"
No.WhileithasbeenestablishedthattheBluestonesfromPwelli,usedintheconstruction
oftheStonehengemonumentinthesecondphase(from2150BC),hadspecialacoustic
properties,wearenotgoingthere.Thestonesusedintheconstructionofthecolumnsof
theJain Temples of Hampialso ring in a harmonic series, but we are not going there
either.
"So why the waffly preamble then?" whine plebs, stage left, "The Old Scribe's just
ramblingasadisplacementactivity".
When I agreed to review the various AER VIP (Very Impressive Products) featuring
Euphoria Technology and PVA Field (Proton Vibration Alignment Field) I was
expecting something like the once popular room ionisers that briefly occupied
audiophools'homesinthelate80s.Whatarrivedwerewellmadeandfinisheddevices,
aboutthesizeofashoebox.ConstructedfromyourOldScribe'sleastfavouritematerial
for audio, MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), a composite of sawdust and glue.
However,itismerelypresentinthisapplicationtohousethePVAFieldgadgetrywithout
shieldingitelectricallyfromtheoutsideworld.Alittlecircleoftheseresemblesamegalith.
Each Acoustic Energizer costs 999.00 and 5 of them arrived after I had paid a
ridiculous charge from UK Customs & Excise, who for decades have seemed
determinedtopunishindividualBritishsubjectsforhavingthetemeritytoimportanything
from the USA. Audio Engineering Research (AER), a division of IPC, had made the
correct statements on the customs declaration so it was not their fault. Their
representativeinFlorida,NorbertHeuserrepaidthisformeviaPaypal.
TheyaredesignedbyMrVianLi,ofIPCIndustrialTechnology,whoarebasedonMong
Kok,whereTNTaudiowenthiendshoppingin2004.TheyaremarketedintheWest(the
Americas, Africa and Europe) by Norbert Heuser, VP Sales, of IPC globally and
PresidentoftheiroperationinClearwater,Fla.Theyareamongarangeofaudiotuning
devices including CD and LP energisers (test soon), a piezoelectricelectric flat panel
roomtuningdevice,amainspowerconditioner,andtheseroomtuningdevices.

Technology
Whatdoesitdo?
They say, "The Acoustic Energizer can effectively reduce energy loss during the
transmission process, enabling sound

transmission process, enabling sound

transmission with high clarity over
distance. With Acoustic Energizer, you
won't miss a thing! Low, mid, and high
frequencies are all retained in perfect
harmony.Now,orchestra,choir,vocalist,
actor,performer,allcanbebenefitfrom
thisrevolutionarydevice.Everynuance,
everybreatharedirectedtoourauditory
nerves. Feel the shock of the high
definition acoustic effect with Acoustic
Energizer. Acoustic Energizer works by
theTheoryofQuantumPhysicswhereby
aPVA(ProtonVibrationAlignment)field
is created to enable the smooth and
effective transmission of sound,
providingexcellentacousticconditionstorenderstrongerresonance,richerharmonics
andfullernuances.Thiseffectisespeciallyapparentinabigvenuelikeaconcerthall
orainaprivatelisteningroomwheretopqualityinreproductionisdesired"
"Hmmm.That'sclearthen,"heckleplebs,stageleft,"Howdotheydoit?
Theyalsosay,"TheseproductsaremadepossibleonlywithEuphoria Technology.
ScientistshavebeenresearchingforalongtimetofindsolutionstoalignProtonsand
ElectronsinAtoms.IPCHongKonghasfoundtheanswerandapplieditsuccessfullyto
many different products... and many more to come. IPC's proprietary Euphoria
TechnologyisimplementedinallIPCproductstogenerateaprescribedandstable
PVA Field (Proton Vibration Alignment Field). An atom has three major particles,
namely Protons, Electrons and Neutrons. The PVA Field created by Euphoria
Technologyalignsthevibrationandmovementofprotonsandelectronsinallmatter
sothattheirphysicalpropertiesarefundamentallyenhanced."
Nowbeforetheobjectivistsstartgettingallhuffyaboutthis,ifyoucannotestablishwhether
acatinaboxisdeadoralive,andyoucannotdecidewhetherlightisawaveoraparticle
andyouarestillonlyatthespeculationstageaboutgravitons(andhowcanamassless
particleexpressmassasforce?),franklyyouhaven'taquarktostandon.Allsubatomic
physics is speculation, in a postmodern sense. Experiments are constructed using
'detectors'thatthedesignersaysdetectaparticular(groan)state,stuffisactivatedthat
theexperimentersayswillexcitethatstate.Thedetectorthendetectsthethingitissaidto
detect.QED.
Ohyes,andthepresenceoftheobserverchangesthethingbeingobserved.Soinatruly

Ohyes,andthepresenceoftheobserverchangesthethingbeingobserved.Soinatruly
postmodern sense, I am not reviewing a little bottle of lubricant extracted from rare
SerpentesElapidae.Soopenyourmindsandopenyourears.Ontheotherhand,IPC's
advertisingproseoccasionallymixesuptheordersofmagnitudeofmolecule,atomand
particle.Themaincomponentcostofthisdeviceseemstobethereplacementbattery,
fromwhichwemightinferthatthisiswheretheybelievetheeffectsemanate.
Therefore I will not bore you with the technological explanations because the published
onesaremeaningless.Thisistobeexpected,becausetoreleaseproprietarysecretsis
todestroythecompany'suniquesellingpoint.Iwillboreyouwiththetestregimebecause
this product could not be tested in any of the usual ways for one simple reason. Once
activated, the effects will, according to the manufacturer, linger longer than a typical
listening session. Hence, a change from the 'on' condition to the 'off' condition will not
returntoroomtoitsuntreatedstate.Anotherreviewerquotesaveryprecise120minutes
butIamgiventounderstandfromconversationswiththedistributor,thatthetreatedstate
deteriorates gradually. With any qualitative test, there needs to be either a degree of
'blindness' in the test or an agreement to a conclusion jointly constructed between
reviewerauthorandreviewerparticipant.Thatwouldhavenovaluetoreadersbecauseit
wouldeffectivelybeagroupreinforcingeachother'sprejudices.
Your Old Scribe remembers Keith Howard (then editor of HiFi Answers magazine)
handingmeaselectionofPWBElectretFoils(redonesandblackones)toplaywith.I
carefullyfollowedtheinstructionsandtriedthematfirstinthelocationslikelytohavethe
least effect, planning to add to the cumulative effect. The theory was that if I tried the
biggesteffectpositionsfirst,furtheradditionswouldbebarelynoticeable.InfactIcould
hearnoeffectatallaseachfoilwasadded.Icouldnotreverseengineertheeffectasthey
werenowgluedinplace.Therewouldbeaoneshotchancetoremovethemallandhear
thechangeastheywouldbedestroyedbyremovingthem.Iremovedthemallandthere
wasstillnoeffect.
So this test of the IPC AER Acoustic Energisers aimed for the maximum noticeable
effect,Iwentfromnodevicestoall5IPCAcousticEnergizers,tomaximisetheimpact
ofEuphoriaTechnology.Thebrochurefeaturessetupsfrom1to6,sopresumablythe
manufacturersbelievejustonewillbeaudible.Placementisnotsupposedtobecritical
the instructions show a set up with 1 behind the listening position, 2 either side of the
listening position, 2 behind the loudspeakers, and so forth. Contradicting the idea that
placementhaslittleimpactontheeffectivenessofthedevices,otherreviewershavefound
that changing placement of just one IPC Acoustic Energizer near the loudspeakers,
wouldchangethesizeandshapeofthesoundstage.
Youroldscribewentforthefullonslaughtofall5IPCAERAcousticEnergisersbeing

Youroldscribewentforthefullonslaughtofall5IPCAERAcousticEnergisersbeing
switched on simultaneously, after listening each time for at least an hour to the 'off'
condition,withafullywarmedsystem.
ThetestregimecouldnotbeABAorBABorABXbecause,iftheeffectdoeslinger,
eitherthetestisreallyABBAorBBABorevenABBAAB(where'A'isoffand'B'is
onandtheletterorderimpliesadeterioratingstate).Otherreviewershavetriedremoving
thedevicesfromtheroomtoovercomethis.Thisisinvalidbecausethepresenceofthese
slottedmonolithscouldhaveanacousticeffectwhethertheyareonoroff,sotwochanges
arebeingmade.Furthermore,any effects will still linger. So the test conditions actually
offered to the listener were AAA or AAB or BBB but they also could imagine the
possibilitiesofABA,BAB,BAAorBBA.ThesecondroundofABtestswasdone
withsomelistenerswithoutdeception,whichproducedsimilarresults.
Allfivewerethereforetriedfromtheoutsettomaximisetheimpact.Subsequentteststhen
involvedvariouscombinationsoftheminthebrochuresuggestedlocationsforone,two,
threeorfourIPCAERAcousticEnergisers.Typesofmusicincludedthestalwartsofthe
OldScribetestregime,fromkillertrackstoaudiophileclassics,andthewholeChristopher
Hogwood/Academy of Ancient Music Beethoven cycle and Mozarts requiem, reggae,
scratchy Northern Soul singles and allvalve recordings. Playback was via the resident
Michell Orbe SE, Hadcock GH242SE (silver wired), MusicMakerIIorDynavector XX2
MkII, feeding the Canor TP306VR+ phonostage, the Canor TP106VR+ integrated
amplifier, the modified shanling CDT100C, the Avondale Audio CD player, and the
modified Hammer Dynamics loudspeakers in 18mm birch ply transmission lines, with
customoutboardcrossoverswithhyperlitzinductorsandcouturecaps.
Hence the test introduced a placebo X because the listeners did not know that the
conditioncouldnotchangefrom'ON'to'OFF'.Severallistenerswererecruited,oneata
time on several occasions, whose opinion therefore would not be swayed by that of
another listener. Each listener was exposed to 3 conditions. Once the devices were
switched on they remained on but the participant did not know what the test positions
were.Theparticipantswouldwatchmegetup,walkroundtheroom,pickupeachdevice
appear to do something and put it down again. None of the listeners knew what the
devices were supposed to achieve, nor that their effects are supposed to linger, nor
whethertheAERAcousticEnhancerswereswitchedonoroff.
Becauseofthenotionthattheeffectscouldlingerlongafterthedevicesareswitchedoff,
thetimebetweentestswasneverlessthan28days.Duringthefallowperiod,thesystem
would be used regularly, powered down while not in use, the room would be cleaned,
assortedlaptopsandtabletswouldbeusedandtheairwouldbechangedbyopeningand
closingofdoorsandwindows.Themenandwomenlisteningtothedevicesrangedfrom
teenagetoover60.

teenagetoover60.

Results
Within the parameters of the test changes always being in condition from 'off' to 'on',
withoutlistenersknowingthis,theresultswerearangeofreportedeffects.Resultswere
reportedusingthejudgingsystemandverbaldescriptions.Thenetchangesfrom'off'to
'on' ranged from a total across 24 parameters of minus 3 to plus 4. The total changes
betweenidentical'off'statesandidentical'onstates'wereinthesamerange.Inrespectof
thejudgingsystem,experienceshowsthatanyreportoflessthan7istinyandunlessitis
consistentlyrepeatedtimeaftertime,isnotareliablereportofdifferencebutwithinthe
typical range of changing experience of the same thing over time. As in any subjective
judgement, the phenomenology of each encounter demands repeated encounters to
ensureconsistency.
ThefiveIPCEARAcousticEnergizersweretriedinnumerousdifferentpositions.High,
low,invariousconfigurationsandevenoneontopofeachspeaker.Othershaveclaimed
thatchangingthepositionofthemneartheloudspeakerendoftheroomorbetweenor
behindtheloudspeakerscanaffecttheshapeofthesoundstage.Listenersheardnomore
effectthananyslottedshoeboxsizedobjectmightachievebydisruptinglocalreflections
andthiswasmuchlesseffectthanmyoldtrickofplacingorremovingaportableCRTTV
betweentheloudspeakerstodemonstrateroomtuning.
ThedistributorsclaimthatthereisanoquibblemoneybackguaranteeontheIPCEAR
AcousticEnergizers,unlessitiscontradictedbythetermsandconditionspointthatany
returns must be agreed in writing. After I had undertaken the review, Your Old Scribe
searchedandfoundthesepictures.Makeofthemwhatyouwill.

Conclusion
Iwasdeterminedtogivethesedevicesafairhearing.AstheresultsemergedIreceived
regularcommunicationsfromtheFloridabaseddistributor.Theseincludedinterviewswith
the inventor, Mr Vian Li, notices of awards received from other journals and gushing
reviews. Audiophiles hate to be in the position of 'NOT HEARING A DIFFERENCE'
because they infer from it that their golden ears might turn out to be iron pyrites.
Reviewers,whohavereputationsforidentifyingtinynuances,haveevenmoretoloseand
dread the day that they could not hear any difference made by 5k of exciting new
technology.
Usingmyratingscalethereporteddifferencesrangedfromminus3toplus4.Eachminus
reportwasfollowedbyaremarklike"Whateveritisyoujustswitcheditoff"wheninfact
every test went from the "off condition" to the "on condition". On my measuring scale
differencesofthismagnitudearetypicallyreportedwhennochangeismade.Generallya
differenceofmorethan7isneededbyeachlistenertocreateasignificantdataset.This
contradicts the gushing online reviews, from our more commercially glossy rivals and
reprintsfromenthusiasticreportersinthepaperaudiocomics.
ThebiggestquestioniswhyIPCAERchoseaudiotolaunchtheseproducts?Surelysuch
anideahasmoreusefulapplicationsthanaudioandthesamequestionaroseforPWB
products.IPCAERdoesapplytheirideastomanyotherareasofendeavour.Thereare
Protonic Boat Engine Boosters, 'isole' fitness booster (a shoe insole), car engine
boosters,Coachbooster,Truckbooster,askinproduct'ispring',the'ivoice',theiravoice

boosters,Coachbooster,Truckbooster,askinproduct'ispring',the'ivoice',theiravoice
enhancer,surelyabouttogetanairingonthoseTVcelebritycoachingshows.
"Whataboutthe354or910'iwand',resemblingabatteryoperatedvibrationdevice
forjoyfulinsertion?"inquireplebs,stageleft,betrayingtheirclassicaloriginsbypuerile
questions,"Itislistedjustabove'irelief'ontheparentwebsitechortlechortle!"
The IPC EAR Acoustic Energizers with EUPHORIA TECHNOLOGY are
recommendedelsewhereonIPCwebsitestoprovideenergyindailytasksandpromote
bettersleep.Itmakesmoresensethatthisisaproductdevelopedforanotherpurpose
andoneoftheteamhappenstobeabitofastereonutandtrieditoutinhis(orlesslikely
her)listening room and heard exactly what they expected to hear. It transpires Norbert
used to be a proaudio distributor, so that is why this technology got tried in an audio
context. The 'iwand' is described as working like acupuncture using noninvasive
techniques and traditional acupuncture does have an evidence base for pain relief and
some psychological conditions including smoking cessation. It is essential to examine
newtechnologieswithanopenmindandthistestemployedmanyopenmindswhohadno
ideawhatwasbeingtested.
Your old scribe has an optimised listening room. It is made from and furnished with all
naturalhighqualitymaterials.Itmaybethattherewouldbemoreeffectinlesserrooms.
My position as a qualitative researcher (fundamentally the role of the audio reviewer),
inclinedtowardsaphenomenologicalaccountofexperiencemeansthatIdotakeother
reviewers'experiencesseriouslybutIjustdonotheartheeffectsthatotherreviewershave
described.Listenersofdifferentages,genders,racesandreligiousbeliefs(somevalve,
some transistor and some classD) consistently failed to report difference, despite
thoroughtestprocedures.
YourOldScribereallywantedtobethefirstwithascoop.YourOldScribereallywantedto
bring a breakthrough product review. Sadly Your Old Scribe and his chums could not
summon up the aural wherewithal this time. There have been several moments in the
decadethatYourOldScribe'sbeenscribblingforTNTaudio.comwhenIhavesaidtoan
enthusiasticdesignerproprietor,"I'mnotgoingtowritethisreview,becausethisproduct
needs a more development". However, this product has already come to market with
someextraordinaryclaimsthatarenotmetinmylisteningroom.
Musicenjoyedduringthisreview
OnVinyl:ThewholeHogwood/AAMBeethovensymphonycycleand
theirMozartRequiem,onL'OiseauLyre.

Santana:Moonflower,LP
LittleFeat:TheLastRecordAlbum,asusualasthebestLPto
testmusicalarticulationinthepresenceofoverwhelmingbass
LP
SamandDave:compilation,LP
TheGreatSociety:###,LP
BigBrother&TheHoldingCompany:CheapThrills,LP
GratefulDead:VintageDead,LP
GratefulDead:HDCD
GratefulDead:Axomoxa,LP
GratefulDead:AmericanBeauty,LP
GratefulDead:BluesforAllah,LP
LouReed:MetalMachineMusic,LP
LouReed:Streethassle,LP
LouReed:TheBells,LP
MilesDavis:DooBopLP

Copyright2014MarkWheelermark@tntaudio.comwww.tntaudio.com
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