Himalayan Salt Lamps as HiFi tweak - Snake-oil or Not?
- Thread starter CKKeung
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Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Place directly on equipment where possible. I use cork, then slate mass dampers. Otherwise use card or cork to prevent marking. Light switched on.I just ordered12 of them
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
So Himalayan Salt lamps improve sound, and they do so by drying out the air? "They act as giant dessicants , reducing moisture in the air and thus air density and we all know that sound travels sluggishly thru thick air." Let's think about this...
First off, do they actually dry out the air? Have you ever noticed puddles of water surrounding your lamp? No? Weighing your lamp before & after being turned on for a while would certainly affirm that it didn't absorb any water, let alone the quantity of water one would need to significantly reduce a room's humidity level.
If lowering the humidity in a listening room actually did improve sound in some way, then a dehumidifier would be the proper tool to accomplish that task. Also, surely audiophiles would always be talking about how much better their systems sound in the winter because cold air is less humid than warm air.
Himalayan Salt Lamps as HiFi tweak - Snake-oil or Not? You have your answer -
First off, do they actually dry out the air? Have you ever noticed puddles of water surrounding your lamp? No? Weighing your lamp before & after being turned on for a while would certainly affirm that it didn't absorb any water, let alone the quantity of water one would need to significantly reduce a room's humidity level.
If lowering the humidity in a listening room actually did improve sound in some way, then a dehumidifier would be the proper tool to accomplish that task. Also, surely audiophiles would always be talking about how much better their systems sound in the winter because cold air is less humid than warm air.
Himalayan Salt Lamps as HiFi tweak - Snake-oil or Not? You have your answer -
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
If you live where it gets cold in the winter.So Himalayan Salt lamps improve sound, and they do so by drying out the air? "They act as giant desiccants , reducing moisture in the air and thus air density and we all know that sound travels sluggishly thru thick air." Let's think about this...
First off, do they actually dry out the air? Have you ever noticed puddles of water surrounding your lamp? No? Weighing your lamp before & after being turned on for a while would certainly affirm that it didn't absorb any water, let alone the quantity of water one would need to significantly reduce a room's humidity level.
If lowering the humidity in a listening room actually did improve sound in some way, then a dehumidifier would be the proper tool to accomplish that task. Also, surely audiophiles would always be talking about how much better their systems sound in the winter because cold air is less humid than warm air.
Himalayan Salt Lamps as HiFi tweak - Snake-oil or Not? You have your answer -
I live in Tn. doesn’t get cold here like other places. I use a humidifier sometimes and have various Himalayan salt lamps and night lights throughout the house. System sounds great so I guess the combo works.
My audio system sounds great & I don't have a Himalayan salt lamp in my listening room. Coincidence? I don't think so...
I don’t have them in my listening room either. The ones I have are in the bedrooms and scattered throughout the house. The lady of the house got these a long time ago.
I got one of those lamps for my mother a few years back. They're attractive. It's just bogus to claim that they improve audio in some way. I'll add "in my opinion", but some things I just know to be true without having to scour the internet for research data...
This is not about drying the air. It’s about reducing the noise floor due to EMI/EMF. The considerable length of cabling in our homes acts as an antenna. Noise is picked up through sockets and switches throughout your house. The Himalayan Salt reduces these EMI/EMF noises.
EMF is defined as either “Electromagnetic Field” or “Electric and Magnetic Fields”. EMF is, under either definition, a thing, an agent, or a force. EMI is defined as “Electromagnetic Interference”. EMI is the result of an electric or magnetic field acting on a device, causing it to malfunction.
There are a number of other materials and minerals that are used by the military to combat EMI and to lower the noise floor. These materials can be used to help reduce noise in our homes with very real benefits for sound systems. I’ll leave it at that unless anyone asks for advice or makes more positive comments.
EMF is defined as either “Electromagnetic Field” or “Electric and Magnetic Fields”. EMF is, under either definition, a thing, an agent, or a force. EMI is defined as “Electromagnetic Interference”. EMI is the result of an electric or magnetic field acting on a device, causing it to malfunction.
There are a number of other materials and minerals that are used by the military to combat EMI and to lower the noise floor. These materials can be used to help reduce noise in our homes with very real benefits for sound systems. I’ll leave it at that unless anyone asks for advice or makes more positive comments.
Are you aware of any credible data / measurements from a trustworthy source that would support your claim that a Himalayan salt lamp reduces EMI in an audio system that's sitting nearby?
The story I've heard is: The act of heating the salt lamp with a bulb is supposed to generate negative ions. Some engineers say that negative ions can 'potentially' bond with EMFs, reducing them. There is science to support this theoretically. But I've also heard that the salt crystal will use up it's negative ion generating potential, and has a fairly short useful life (like a month of continuous operation). I'm not sold on any of this, but it's what I've heard from people that are less 'woo' oriented.
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Some of the contrary things I've heard about this is that negative ions that are generated have a very short lifespan in the air, so don't really have the potential to interact with either people or EMFs. And also humidity is a big influence, making reliable influence and observation.difficult. I believe humidity changes in a listening room are one reason sound varies over time in a lot of systems. Humidity influences the strength of electrostatic fields which is core to a lot of electrical function, especially how Electromagnetic Radiation moves around the outside of cables.
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That's just speculation, of course. There's a big difference between hypothesizing a plausible reason for a hoped for result, and actually measuring lower EMI noise.
I have a Greenwave Broadband EMI Meter. I also just ordered a Himalayan salt lamp. (Since I haven't had much luck finding Christmas gifts for my wife, I thought that the lamp might make a nice stocking stuffer.) I can borrow the lamp & measure the EMI in the power line going to my audio gear after Christmas. I have zero expectations that the lamp will reduce EMI, but since I already have the meter I'm willing to test this.
Republicoftexas69
Well-Known Member
Should lookup the review ASR did of the Greenwave broadband. Even Amir had a hard time covering it. The Greenwave is good at one thing at least: Supporting a whole industry of "EMR Specialists" and selling consulting and solutions in this area.I think ASR might be missing you.
So, as I understand this....you have ZERO experience with salt lamps, yet you are spewing your thoughts?
Please tell me that this not the case.
Tom
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