Recently redid my entire audio signal path with these babies and it's amazing to hear the difference in sound.This post is a review of remarkable new technology from Jack Bybee. But it's also a sketch of his intriguing concepts and the rarely profiled man behind them.I first met Bybee more than twenty years ago, adopting his AC filtering in the mid-1990s. I've followed his work with keen interest ever since, acquiring several of his innovative products in retail, custom aftermarket or OEM applications over the decades. I recently invited Jack to demonstrate one of his newest tweaks in my system, and we had a chat over lunch.Bybee's first commercial products emerged from Cold War-era military-industrial research. The stealthy shadow contest of nuclear submarine detection, location and evasion demanded ever-quieter circuits, lower electronic noise and greater signal-to-noise ratios. Practitioners summed up the problem as: 'reducing 1/f noise, from DC to 2000hz.' Obviously this is an area of great concern to audio enthusiasts being the most sensitive range of human hearing.One approach Bybee and others have used for reducing electronic noise in circuits involves exotic blends of rare-earth metals or their isotopes. In my experience, such technology effectively reduces noise in AC and DC circuits. Introducing Bybee quantum filtering to a system, one might at first hear an apparent high frequency roll off or darkening of the sound. But in my experience, after sustained listening, what's missing, what has been attenuated, is noise from DC to 2000Hz. What is removed by quantum filtering is not upper range audio but previously unperceived noise buried in the signal. Random electronic noise in circuitry obscures signal detail, timbre, and location cues, bleaching tone color. By taming disordered low-level noise, Bybee's quantum filtering unmasks details and expands dynamic range.
Installing Bybee's technology into components further extends the benefits of quantum filtering. Bybee DC Music Rails demonstrably achieve up to 45 dB of noise quieting in electronic circuits. I've auditioned several iterations of Bybee quantum noise filtering. Yet, that's only one of several notable audio innovations from this modest, soft-spoken inventor. Now there's his Stein Harmonizer. A stand-alone passive room conditioner, it influences the acoustic behavior of air molecules. The Stein Harmonizer is thought to change the sound of a listening room by acting upon the 'alignment' or 'polarization' of oxygen atoms utilizing activated quartz. Taking an intuitive leap, Jack conceived a different approach. Reasoning that oxygen is about 18% of atmospheric gases, Bybee sought instead to influence nitrogen atoms, which make up about 80% of air molecules.Researching the behavior of nitrogen gas in an anechoic chamber, Bybee devised a crystal material that he says impacts the time alignment and phase distortion of air gases thereby 'propagating a more direct signal' and 'overwhelming phase distortion.'I note that dissenters rarely actually test the validity of the claims they dispute with direct observation of their own. And, frankly, most of us don't exactly understand how our cars, cell phones, computers or medicines work, but we appreciate their enhancements to our daily lives.
Jack's newest invention contains a mystery material placed inside audio components, 'internal Quantum Signal Enhancers' ($150). They're small blocks (4 inches wide x 2 inches deep x 1/2 inch thick) containing a proprietary crystal substance that has a powerful influence in close proximity to electronics. They function similarly to his earlier, slightly larger Quantum Signal Purifiers but with a far stronger effect.The crystals activate the C-13 carbon atoms influencing protons in a predictable manner, 'aligning certain molecules by reducing proton spin.' Listening demonstrates their usefulness. The benefits of iQSE in my system are improved overall detail and dynamics. Bass coherence and punch, especially the leading edge of low bass, is enhanced. Acceleration of bass attack is noticeable enough to change the apparent pacing of familiar music.Soundstage depth, definition of instruments and the space around them are enhanced. Location cues are more vivid, apparent listening space is expanded with added depth behind the speakers. Sonic images have greater lateral extension aiding the 'disappearing act.' I perceive the music floating more freely, yet at the same time being more solid and better grounded. Not surprising since these are the very qualities that Bybee products have generally contributed to my systems for years.Surprisingly, images on television from the cable box and DVD player (excluded from my AC conditioner) were more vivid. Greater color saturation and detail were conspicuous.
>Jack Bybee responds that the iQSE are not POWERED by the lithium battery. But he is considering removing the battery, since it's confusing:>'The original QSEs, were fabricated w/o batteries. I add a small lithium battery latter to further improve the effectiveness, the battery added only about 5 to 10% additional energy to the QSEs. I only did this, at no additional cost, because I wanted my customers to get more bang for the buck.>The battery insertion is not active its is not in any kind of circuit drawing any energy?.in essence it is just setting there. Why it added an extra bit of effectiveness is unknown but the hypothesis it is somehow interacting with the matter that makes up the Bybee developed material. Try explaining that to the general audiophile public. The life of the battery is the same as if the battery is just setting in your drawer some place. Look up shelve life of lithium batteries on GOOGLE and you will see the shelve is over 10 years.>Everything has a resonance frequency and I theorized the resonance frequency of lithium was close to that of one of the materials utilized in the QSEs and that by adding the battery it would be possible to increase the oscillation of the QSEs making them ever more effective. Instead of a lithium battery I could have added powered lithium but would have been very dangerous.
