Any forum members own the Furutech LP demagnetizer?

Just curious if anyone has bought one of these and what
you think!

 

I know that Michael Fremer said that it actually worked. He seemed surprised, but very convinced.

 

Ha Ha Ha!

No. I think it's ridiculous. It's things like this that make audiophiles the target of that ridicule.
-Bill

 

How does vinyl get magnetized?

 

How does one know which audiophile products one is permitted to ridicule without first-hand experience and which products one is not?

 

I have not heard one.

The whole idea seems silly BUT Michael Fremer says that he uses his regularly and that it makes a substantial improvement. While I don't always agree with Mikey, he is certainly not a screwball. I'd like to see some other serious reviews (Jeff, you should regard this as a hint).

 

I don't own the Furutech, but the Walker Audio Talisman Magnetic optimizer is approved by Tom Port. Tom says it really works and at $189 would be the one I tried if...it really works.

The only way to know is to try it yourself, right?

 

I had the chance to see this and the CD version in action in a store. They both worked in that there were definite audible improvements afterwards. Not sure that either merits the asking price or the additional effort it would entail. Or maybe I'm just not OCD/rich enough for one!

 

Well, funny you should mention that. Our technical editor who has a PhD in Physics and a EEE said that because the carbon black in an LP could hold a minute charge, and we are dealing with a cartridge that deals with a signal that is quite small, theoretically, it could work.

We went in to the demo room at CES which was done on a great system and performed by none other than Mr. Hodges from Classic records. Seeing I had Mr. Science with me, we were ready to give him a ration of you know what...

We listened to a passage of some jazz (can't remember what it was) for about a minute. Took the record off, leaving the volume where it was, performed the 30 sec demag cycle and put the record back on.

The results were pretty dramatic. I would say it was the equivalent of going from a thousand dollar cartridge to a four thousand dollar cartridge.

Everything got a lot less grainy, and the presentation opened up quite a bit. The music sounded much more organic and real.

The Talisman works on the same principle, but is more cumbersome to use and I wouldn't get that baby anywhere near your cartridge. I have the Furutech about 12 feet from my turntable.

Bottom line, I bought it on the spot. Yes, I got the industry guy discount, but it was still a four figure purchase and honestly I would pay retail for this one.

I still can't hear enough of a difference with CD's though. I tried one of the smaller ones from another MFR and it didn't work. I tried CD's with the Furutech with equal results. If it's there, it's such a small diff, I can't hear it.

Because a CD has nothing to hold a magnetic charge, our guess is that perhaps the demag operation does a bit of anti-static thing to a CD. However, I still can't hear a noticeable difference using the Furutech on CD's... It's more of that "Do you hear something, I don't know..." kind of thing. But the LP demag works very well and everyone who's given it a listen has been pretty blown away, even a few friends that were VERY skeptical.

If you have a decent table and cartridge, this would be my suggestion for your next upgrade! I would suggest buying it from a dealer that will give you a good demo, or an online retailer that offers a return policy, should you not find it to be to your liking.

But I must say I was surprised, and I don't always agree with Mikey either...

 

Stewart, a local record collector friend here in Atlanta has been using a standard Rat Shack demag device on LPs for years. He claims it works well but I have not tried it myself. He's quite amused at what the audiophile firms are getting for these things.

 

This make sense to me because black carbon is conductive.

Great report, Tonepub.

 

Hvae you ever tried it on a clear vinyl LP?

 

Jeff - thanks for the report. Have you heard or used the Talisman? Is it a 2-3 minute operation versus the Furutech 30 seconds? Any info is appreciated.

I am a chemist so the carbon black issue is what I thought of when I first heard about these, coupled with the low cartridge signal it made some sense in theory. But we all know how theory works sometimes...

Glad to hear it is a valid device for those that can afford or desire to spend the time messing with on vinyl. Beyond static I don't see any use on CDs for this.

 

I have to confirm Jeff's findings. We played with it the other day and I was amazed at the improvement. The de-magnetized LP sounded much louder and dynamic. More information was coming through in the grooves as well.

Again, you should probably refrain from making any negative comments until you have heard it for yourself. It was not a subtle tweak, but a substantial improvement to the sound.

 

Do you realize how depressing this is? We have a product that, at face value, cannot work. It is ridiculous on the face of it. And, yet, respected audio reviewers are (presumably) staking their reputations on it.

The implication is that we have a necessary upgrade that will, absolutely, fail to meet the most lenient WAF standards. Nearly a year later, I am still catching hell for the VPI 16.5 record cleaner. God help me if I show up with a $3000 record demagnetizer! (I'll find my skull being repeatedly 'demagnetized' by the nearest cast-iron skillet available!)

 

Sorry Jeff! Did what I should have done first...went to Walker Audio's site and read about this. Like you I am a bit concerned about how this gets used so close to the cart. Interesting!

CD wise - I suppose gold CDs might have some effect due to the conductivity of gold, but magnetic charge? I don't know...static only is still my guess. Try it on some gold DCC CDs and let us know.

 

My wife thought the Furutech was "cute". Not sure if I like that, but hey..

I am really intrigued about the clear album! Good one! I gave it a try on a copy of Synergy - Chords and Grand Funk - We're an American Band (sorry about the music choices, but they were the only transparent albums I had..)

Sure enough, no difference! So I would think it is the carbon thing....

And I guess I'm curious as to why this product "Cannot work". The Furutech is not 3000 dollars, it's 1800 bucks, retail and I'll bet a dealer might give you a little bit of a deal.

Why is it ridiculous? Anything with carbon in it, holds a charge. Kind of basic science, actually. I'm sure anyone with a bit of engineering know how could probably build one for a few hundred bucks, maybe less. It's up to you whether you want the slick packaging or not. Also, I'm sure the Walker device works quite well too. I just really liked the convenience factor of the Furutech.

And, I've been very happy with the other Furutech items I own and have in for review, so it was an easy purchase...

Again, definitely equivalent to going up a few major notches in either a cartridge or perhaps going from cheapie Chinese tubes to some very good NOS tubes.

As always, you need to hear it and see what you think, but it was not a subtle difference by any means!

 

Static charge and magnetism...are they the same thing?

 

Nope. Totally different.

 

One is electricity, the other is magnetics. Volt vs. Gauss.

To discharge electrostatic - is usually done with grounding. With vinyl, you can use the static gun to neutralize it.

To demagnetize – a device which utilizes an alternating electrical current to eliminate any residual magnetism in parts passed through or over its surface.

 

advertising.

 

Are there any 'before and after' samples on the web?