P. Belt

Seen in an online audio mag....


X" Coordinate Pen

as reviewed by Carol Clark



LOUDSPEAKERS
ReimerSpeaker Systems Tetons.

ELECTRONICS
Clayton Audio M70 monoblock amplifiers. Taddeo Digital Antidote Two and the SCE HRS unit. E.A.R. 834P phono stage. Blue Circle BC3000 preamp w/Tunsgram tubes, and BCG3.1 power supply.

SOURCES
EAD T1000 transport and EVS Millenium II DAC with Audient Technologies’ Tactic and Audi, JPS digital cable. Linn Axiss turntable with K9 cartridge and Basik Plus arm.

CABLES
JPS Superconductor+ interconnects, digital, and NC speaker cables. Nordost MoonGlo digital cable. Sahuaro Slipstream, Blue Circle BC63, Clayton Audio, and JPS Kaptovator AC cables.

ACCESSORIES
Dedicated 20 and 15 amp ac circuits. EchoBuster room treatments. BDR cones and board, DH cones, Vibrapods, Mondo racks and stands, various hard woods, etc.



In Issue 10 of audioMUSINGS (the print version), I presented my findings on one of the theories of Peter W. Belt, in the area of cryogenics. In a future issue I will be revisiting that theory, as I have been provided with additional information. In this issue I will deal with Belt’s "X" Coordinate Pen. I don’t feel qualified to address the theories behind the operation of the pen, so I will simply describe the experiments I conducted and the results. If you would like information on Belt’s theories, visit his homepage at www.belt.demon.co.uk.
My original experiments piqued my curiosity about the pen. I attempted to find one locally, but was unsuccessful, and was provided with one by Belt. The pen is an ordinary red overhead projector pen manufactured by Staedtler under the name Lumocolor. I had several of these pens in my desk at school, but the ones I had contained non-permanent ink, and you need permanent ink. Also, getting the pen directly from Belt is beneficial because it has undergone treatment, and he provides a correction pen so that before-and-after experiments can be conducted. The pen also comes with a special sheet of film, and this film is essential.

As I said, I cannot discuss the scientific theory behind the pen, but here is a quote from the literature provided with it: "The P.W.B. ‘X’ Coordinate Pen has been induced with complex messages and when a human writes a message with the pen, the conditions on the object change in a similar way to the events in the ‘double slit’ experiment, in which the essential ingredient is the pure energy form of the photons and electrons which readily interact with the human observer." Whew! Dave tells me that this sounds like quantum mechanics, so, in an effort to expand my horizons I went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a book called The Quantum World, by J.C. Polkinghorne. It purports to elucidate quantum mechanics for the general reader, and when my schedule allows I will read it, and then will hopefully be able to understand why this pen works.

Yes, dear reader, the pen works, and works brilliantly! Let me describe what I did, what I heard, and more importantly, what an unsuspecting outside party heard when I performed my experiments. As with any such phenomenon, hearing for yourself is believing. Do not discount what you are about to read unless you are ready to try it yourself. According to the literature I received, the simplest way to prove the efficacy of the pen is to sign your name on the outside cover of a compact disc. You use your normal signature, and write it like this: Carol Clark > o.k. You need to include the "o.k." to transfer beneficial thought patterns from yourself to the written message. I scoured my CD collection, and found a CD I have two copies of, the La Femme Nikita soundtrack. Prior to altering either of them, I listened to both to determine if they sounded the same, and they did. I set one aside, and wrote my signature followed by "> o.k." on the case of the second one. You can also sign the label side of the CD, and this will work with an LP as well, either by signing the jacket or the label.

I chose a track from that CD that I am very familiar with, the song called "Gun" by the band GusGus. (Incidentally, this soundtrack is from the television series, not the French movie.) When I listened to both copies of the CD again, the results were so startling that I wrote detailed notes. Vocals on the unsigned copy were hard and plastic sounding, and the high notes were razor sharp. I found myself totally distracted, wishing for the song to end. The treated CD, on the other hand, provided beautiful, mellow-sounding vocals. The high notes throughout were subdued, which enabled me to concentrate on the music. I found the experience enjoyable. As in my earlier Peter Belt experiments, I assumed I was subject to the power of suggestion. I was afraid that I had set myself up to hear what I heard, and that I wanted to hear the treated CD in a positive light. This is where I called on my unwitting accomplice, Dave. I used the eraser pen that was provided and erased my signature from the case, thus letting him hear both untreated copies of the CD so he could satisfy himself that they indeed sounded the same. I chose a different song, "Hanging On a Curtain" by Morphine, since it is a song he is more familiar with. I gave him the red pen and asked him to sign his name, then whisked both CDs away, out of his sight. We then talked for a few minutes, so that his mind would turn away from the CDs. I played the treated CD first, and when it was done he indicated that it sounded very good. The untreated CD went in next, and he almost immediately told me that it sounded worse.

You may now take a moment to roll your eyes and say this is all a bunch of hogwash. Go ahead, get it out of your system. Many of you will think I’ve flipped my lid. I agree that Belt’s claims for this product sound completely ludicrous. All I can say is, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Trust me when I say the result is sweeter, less discordant music.

Now let’s proceed, presuming that you will keep an open mind.

Supplied with the pen was a special sheet of self-adhesive film. Remember, keep your mind open as you read this statement, taken from Belt’s report: "When the ‘X’ Pen writes on this material, a subliminal message readily understood by any human within its vicinity is formed on the material. If the written message is attached to the outer surface of an object such as a loudspeaker cabinet or the outer case of any electronic or audio equipment, a significant change to the perceived sound within the listening room will occur." I cut the film into strips and, according to the directions, wrote the brand name of my loudspeakers on two strips followed by "> o.k.," then took two more strips of film and wrote the name of the speakers followed by "> no." I then chose a recording I listen to quite a bit, "Release," by Afro Celt Sound System. I listened to the song once as a reference. Next, I placed the "o.k." labels on the speaker cabinets and listened to the song again. Marked improvements were noted. Everything sounded sweeter and kinder on the ear. The experience was superb, and highly relaxing. I then removed the "o.k." labels and replaced them with the "no" labels. Immediately after the song started I began to feel agitated, and literally cringed at how bad it sounded. It is difficult to pinpoint exactly what sounded bad, but I could not wait for the song to end, and took off the CD before it was over.

As with the signature experiment, I was afraid I was not judging correctly, so once again I called upon Dave to help. I had not shared any of the literature with him, so all he knew was that I was still experimenting with the red pen. He had not seen the film, so he had no idea what was in store. I asked him to select a CD track he was familiar with, and he chose Lambchop’s song "Interrupted." We played it once without any labels on the speakers, and he reported that it sounded good. While he sat on the couch with his eyes closed, I placed the "o.k." labels on the speakers and started the song again. When it was over, he reported that it sounded better. He was not able to pinpoint exactly what was better, just that the listening experience was more enjoyable. With his eyes still closed, I switched the labels. I started the CD again, and almost immediately he opened his eyes and said "Turn it off!," that it sounded so bad he couldn’t listen to it. His response was sudden and definite, and very similar to my own.

Afterwards, when I explained what I had done, he couldn’t wait to make "o.k." labels for every component we own. So, we now have my pictures housed in the freezer, and pieces of the special film bearing the names of our components and "> o.k." attached to every piece of equipment we own. Crazy? As I stated in my previous article, these treatments cost nothing, or next to nothing, and they improve the listening experience substantially.


WHAT UTTER BOLLOCKS!!