In "Letters", AVSA June 2006, following on previous correspondence, a technician employed by one of the manufacturers of such a device, Bedini, responded to that correspondence. The patent for the device was cited, and in the following issue of AVSA "Letters", two engineers (both experts in the field) published as a letter a brief summation of an in-depth examination of this patent.
Firstly, they found not an iota of a basis for any of the claims contained in the patent document; in fact, it was based on the rediculous. (I must remind that a patent does not necessarily guarantee that a device will work, it only prevents others from using the principles outlined therein for similar work.) In comparison the Bedini "expert" was more belligirent than factual, and no further explanation was given, although in fairness it must be mentioned that the correspondence was terminated. (It is unknown whether such further reaction resulted, or whether in fact the patent analysis was even presented to Bedini.)
The above situation is not uncommon. (It was also inter alia experienced regarding claims and patent contents of certain Audio-Quest products.) One could stop there: If a manufacturer of a scientific device is proved to be ignorant of the basic science pertaining to his product to such an extent, where does one go from there? In defense it is often claimed that "these principles are not yet fully understood" - but again, referring to principles that are just about as well understood as Ohms Law! To be kind, I have yet to see an explanation regarding such devices that does not reveal gross ignorance of science/electronics on the part of the designer - and I have been concerned with a few in my professional life!
I started in this fashion to illustrate a significant general problem. Everything in hi-fi (in this case) is based on well-defined electronic or materials property principles, mostly not very complicated to the informed. How with any reason is one supposed to glibly accept the "merits" of a product, when the designer's every utterence shows that he has no idea even of basic electronics, let alone how his device is supposed to work? (Yes, OK, those who are waiting: Include exotic cables here as well - there; I have said it.)
There is absolutely no effect that any magnetic device can have on a CD or a vinyl record (to mention the other medium for which there suddenly emerged a wonder-cure), because they contain no magnetically susceptible particles. One might as well argue that the law of gravity does not exist. Scientists do not know everything, but they know certain things.
To stay brief, I did not expound on a further problem with these devices: The "information" on the relevant media is a fixed record of digits or grooves, which cannot be cleaned, modified, purified, rectified, glorified, sanctified or whatever by any device. One might as well claim to improve written prose by sweeping something over a page of print. (I am obviously not talking about dirt in a record groove; that did not fall under the claims.)
Alternately, with Joel's observations in an earlier edition of AVSA regarding hearing tests that he did at the time, I cannot find any fault (if those were read by anyone here). They were his honest personal experiences, he even expressed some doubt, and he did not try to baffle us with - you-know-what. That I can respect. The reaction of the particular manufacturer I cannot. Science is neither democratic nor proved by arrogance. I would like to conclude with a vaguely relevant expression by the brilliant Mark Twain:
"Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; truth does not have that limitation."
Edit: Typo
