Akiko Audio Tuning Sticks

Argonaut

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2013
2,380
1,618
530
N/A
Apologies, I neglected to inquire whether anyone is using or has tried these products?
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,448
13,476
2,710
London
Mono and Stereo recommends them too
 

Argonaut

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2013
2,380
1,618
530
N/A
Mono and Stereo recommends them too

One of a handful of positive reviews kicking around the Net it would seem, it would also appear that they are finished in the same material as the GPA Monaco 2.0!
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Apologies, I neglected to inquire whether anyone is using or has tried these products?

Yes, I use two of them. I am pleased with them and they were worth the expense. Although the difference is obviously very subtle, the result is a very slightly more relaxed and focussed sound. They are obviously not up there with something like an Entreq box but they serve a different purpose and are much more flexible in implementation. For my own part, in each of my systems, I have the stick connected to a free mains plug in my power boards (which are Gigawatt and PS Audio).

I would consider these to be the last sort of tweak to apply as they are significantly more subtle than things like power conditioning, cables, grounding, etc.

In a practical implementation, I have found they coexist very synergistically with those little Isotek plugs you stick into free mains plugs.
 

bonzo75

Member Sponsor
Feb 26, 2014
22,448
13,476
2,710
London
Do you have the PS audio regenerator? How does it compare to the gigawatt?
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Do you have the PS audio regenerator? How does it compare to the gigawatt?


No, unfortunately I only own relatively modest equipment. The Gigawatt is just the PF2 and the PS Audio is the Dectet. I actually had little choice with getting the Dectet since I actually needed every single one of the 10 outlets as it is used with my workstation which has several storage drives attached, let alone the connection requirements for the actual audio components and the workstation itself. I did make some sonic comparisons between these two entry level products but they won't be of value to you unfortunately. I am, however, a big fan of Gigawatt and would one day like to buy their serious stuff.
 

Argonaut

Well-Known Member
Jul 30, 2013
2,380
1,618
530
N/A
Thank you for the feedback FF, Yes I also read these to be more subtle impact devices than revelatory, still, for a reasonably priced series of products perhaps worth a shot.
 

Fiddle Faddle

Member
Aug 7, 2015
548
2
16
Australia
Loads of goodies on this site, I got some WA quantum chips coming. Can't wait to put them in, I wonder how much better things will be when I do....

:D

I'm not making a specific comment on those as I have not tried them. And I keep an open mind these days so long as what is on offer appears either bordering on reasonable, remotely plausible and has a money-back guarantee and is easy for the end user to test - preferably blind if they are experienced in that sort of thing. Afterall, I use L'Art Du Son conditioning fluid before I burn my expensive Japanese SPMPT CD-Rs and I have a couple of those Akiko sticks. But what I really object to (and what gives almost all tweaks a bad name) are reviewers who go so overboard in print as regards perceived efficacy of the said tweaks that it beggars disbelief. Soundstages collapsing, music burning holes in the ears once the tweak is removed and stripping walls of paint when that just-installed tiny, purple, heart-shaped translucent swami crystal is moved from the fridge in the adjoining kitchen to the dog kennel in the backyard (but the audio system still seems to work OK if it is put in the cat litter tray).

Seriously, no tweak (I do not count adding a whole component such as a power strip or even an Entreq box as a tweak because they are full-blown additional components) is going to do anything more than very subtly change the presentation. And that is fine - I don't think any genuine tweaker really honestly expects much more and most of the fun is actually gained from trying to get that last 0.5% improvement which is what many of them can actually achieve. So why do these reviewers spoil it all and make tweakers the laughing stock of the mass market audiophile by stating their systems are all but made or broken when a magic foil sticker is attached to a surface mount capacitor that controls the laser servo in their CD player. It just gives the sceptics more ammo when going into battle with their placebo arguments. Which is a real pity if whatever tweak we are talking about does actually work.

Plus, I think people reviewing these things should go to the same sort of trouble I did in the Entreq thread. Actually post two otherwise identical high res music files - one with the tweak and one without so that people can actually hear the difference themselves. If reviews were done in this manner, then although it might not give an end-user an accurate idea of how much it might effect their own system, it would at least prove the tweak made a change in presentation to the reviewer's system (i.e. that at least in one system, it really did work). Way better than claiming a little foil sticker managed to shift the earth's orbit another 100 km away from the sun...
 

spazmatron

Banned
Dec 4, 2015
190
0
0
Somerset, uk
I'm not making a specific comment on those as I have not tried them. And I keep an open mind these days so long as what is on offer appears either bordering on reasonable, remotely plausible and has a money-back guarantee and is easy for the end user to test - preferably blind if they are experienced in that sort of thing. Afterall, I use L'Art Du Son conditioning fluid before I burn my expensive Japanese SPMPT CD-Rs and I have a couple of those Akiko sticks. But what I really object to (and what gives almost all tweaks a bad name) are reviewers who go so overboard in print as regards perceived efficacy of the said tweaks that it beggars disbelief. Soundstages collapsing, music burning holes in the ears once the tweak is removed and stripping walls of paint when that just-installed tiny, purple, heart-shaped translucent swami crystal is moved from the fridge in the adjoining kitchen to the dog kennel in the backyard (but the audio system still seems to work OK if it is put in the cat litter tray).

Seriously, no tweak (I do not count adding a whole component such as a power strip or even an Entreq box as a tweak because they are full-blown additional components) is going to do anything more than very subtly change the presentation. And that is fine - I don't think any genuine tweaker really honestly expects much more and most of the fun is actually gained from trying to get that last 0.5% improvement which is what many of them can actually achieve. So why do these reviewers spoil it all and make tweakers the laughing stock of the mass market audiophile by stating their systems are all but made or broken when a magic foil sticker is attached to a surface mount capacitor that controls the laser servo in their CD player. It just gives the sceptics more ammo when going into battle with their placebo arguments. Which is a real pity if whatever tweak we are talking about does actually work.

Yep :)

I am happy to receive ridicule, it's amusing ammunition for me
Reviewers go over board on most things, they spout the same crap about a £100 ic as a £10000 dac. It's all contextless irrelevant nonsense imo. Designed to make you feel your always missing out so you buy what ever they are peddling, make no mistake they are in the selling business as much as the dealers.

I respect the no tweek no foo guys, I just can't help myself. Often things end up in the trash and what stays is rarely life changing like you rightly point out.
 

Marcus

Member Sponsor
Oct 5, 2012
559
552
1,155
Although the difference is obviously very subtle, the result is a very slightly more relaxed and focussed sound.
I tried these years ago an I agree with above observation from FF. It's impact on the sound is VERY subtle! One of the tweaks you easily live without. That's why I removed it and if anybody is interested...:)
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing