Why Vortex HiFi? 

Summary: Key takeaways about intuitive eating

Why you should use Vortex HiFi is also shown in test reports

There are different ways to approach the question of why you should use Vortex HiFi. One is through pure sound evaluation, as the test quotes show. But the best thing is of course to do your own listening test in your own home.

Or you can look at listening itself and the science behind it. You can read about that in part 2. Some of the experts who speak here have decades of experience in hi-fi; Siegfried Nehls has even been in the hi-fi business for 50 years. 

Iraser4, Interview Listening Experience

The Iraser 4 is one of those products that leaves me speechless because of its enormously powerful effect. Also because it can be used in so many different ways - that makes it the ultimate sound tool.

Thomas Krüger, qualified musician, instrument maker, Germany

Vortex HiFi, Interview Listening Experience

Anyone who orders a Ground Optimizer to test will keep it. This shows me that all stereo systems in the world, in every price and quality class, have the same problem even under the most varied conditions. And the Ground Optimizer solves this - which I find sensational.

Sigfried Nehls, HiFi specialist, Germany

Ground Optimizer MK2, Review:

Wow! This word simply has to be right at the beginning of this review. Anything else would not do justice to the experience I have had with the VORTEX Hifi Ground Optimizers over the last two months. And even "Wow!" is an understatement.

Daniel Plassmann, HiFi Today, Germany

VN 30: Test HiFi Lounge:

Forget everything you have learned and tested about device feet so far and experienced in countless listening comparisons!

Carsten Haugk, HiFi specialist

HFO set, GeoPath and OA Card, test:

If you don't focus on the individual characteristics of the sound, with the Vortex units active, it sounds much more natural, expressive, spacious, defined, and with a very beautiful, deep, and refined sound. It's less "hi-fi" and "synthetic , " coming closer to the "real" sound. Every time the units are switched on again, the same beautiful sound image is consistently produced.

Ruud Jonker,Music Emotion, Netherlands

Iraser1, test: 

This can hardly be called an improvement anymore. It's more like a complete "restructuring" of music . The rising cost of...

John van Polen, hifi.nl, Netherlands

Ground Optimizer MK1 Test:  

How much sound potential have I wasted in the past?... even though I listen with a sensitively tuned, very high-quality system? It's not that I was dissatisfied before. I just didn't know how much more I could get out of my system.

Robert Schmitz Niehaus, Listening Experience, Germany

OACard Test: 

Norbert Maurer can rightly be described as a pioneer in the field of research into the effects of low frequency and high frequency radiation on the human body and its hearing. I will definitely not be able to hear without him.

Marco Kolks, Listening Experience Germany 

Ground Optimizer MK2, Review:

Conclusion: I was already impressed by the old version of the Ground Optimizer, otherwise I wouldn't have equipped all the hi-fi systems, TVs and computers in the house with it. But with the new one, Norbert Maurer catapults the effect to such a much higher level that I was at a loss for words at times. Nothing works in our house without the Ground Optimizer MKII. 

Frank Wacker, HiFiToday, Germany 

Iraser4 review: 

Yes, it sounds much 'cleaner' and even though the volume control is set low and I'm not fully focused at first because of the hundred other things that are on the agenda for the coming days, I am quickly and easily swept away by the music. 

Eric von Spelde, hifi.nl, Netherlands

Ground Optimizer MK2, Review

Conclusion: This is by far the most effective grounding optimization I have heard so far. There may be better ones on the market, but to be honest I have no desire to listen any further or to check whether it could be a little better. The degree of gain in musical experience, the naturalness and, for me, perhaps the two most important: the quality and character of the components are not compromised.

Michael van Meersbergen, HVT, Netherlands

Power Optimizer MK1 Review:

" In any case, the BOB filters did their job exceptionally well. So well, in fact, that it was hard to imagine listening to music without BOB filters in the future."

Karl Belkner, Audiophil Online, Germany

Iraser4 Sigma, review

Unfortunately, during the listening marathon I didn't discover the secret of the Iraser 4, which is not the purpose of this report. But if it were already the end of the year and I could award the "Best Buy" for this year, the Iraser 4 from Vortex Hifi would almost certainly be the favorite.

Uwe Mehlhaff, Listening Experience, Germany

Key interviews with developer Norbert Maurer

Interview HiFiToday: Classic HiFi filters are not future-proof.

Interview Listening Experience: Music, Emotions and Stress

Part 2

To understand the benefits of Vortex HiFi products, it is important to know a few things about hearing in general. Vortex HiFi products do not affect the sound or the electrical signal, but make the hearing sensation more natural.

In the HiFi sector, the point of view of sound generation is generally taken. This means that HiFi systems are designed in such a way that they produce as little deviation from the original as possible or influence the electrical signal as little as possible.

This signal-driven way of thinking is contradicted by the practical impossibility of ever artificially generating a sound in the human ear canal via a hi-fi system that corresponds to the sound when the listener's head is in a concert hall.

The unsolved problem – the listener’s head in HiFi – Stereo

Due to the separation of the recording room and the playback room, signal distortions of magnitude that are unpredictable for humans occur. These cannot be corrected by measuring systems, as these must be three-dimensional. The head-related transfer functions (HRTF) and the head-related impulse responses (HRIR) are three-dimensional. In addition, both channels of a HiFi system must be taken into account. For example, the frequency response and time functions in the ear canal are always wrong in HiFi. So if we transmit a signal perfectly with two loudspeakers, it is always completely wrong in the ear canal across the room.

Figure 1 shows head-related transmission functions that vary horizontally. Depending on the angle at which a sound source is positioned to the listener's head, the frequency response changes dramatically. In HiFi stereo, however, all sound sources that are transmitted are always reproduced from the same direction! In addition, the sound is transmitted to the ear from two directions!

Figure 2 shows a measurement of the difference between whether the right ear is being played from a real source standing in the middle or whether the sound source is being simulated with 2 loudspeakers. This is a basic error curve for 60 degrees HiFi (2x30 degrees) regardless of the quality of the frequency band of the loudspeakers. This is because the frequency curve is determined by the listener's head. It is therefore different from person to person. In addition, the curve varies extremely depending on where the real sound source/instrument was standing.

In addition, the ear uses so-called interaural time differences (ITD) and interaural level differences (ILD) for spatial hearing. These must also be the same between the ear canals in the recording room and in the playback room if the signal is transmitted via loudspeakers. These transmissions are also always wrong in 2-channel HiFi!

In HiFi stereo, two channels are recorded. There is no recording process that can even come close to recording HRTFs, HRIRs, ILDs and ITDs. Recording processes can usually only correctly record one of the four physical coding systems used by humans. The recordings are therefore always completely wrong!

If all recordings and playbacks are inherently flawed, why attempt to perfectly reproduce a recording all the way to the loudspeaker? Why linearize a loudspeaker's amplitude frequency response to an extreme degree when we know it's inherently inaccurate due to the HRTFs? A linear loudspeaker is only truly effective for mono playback with a speaker positioned precisely in the center!

Room reverberation prevents the correct relative phase from being perceived

As psychoacoustic studies have shown, the usefulness of a linear time course (relative phase) in a normal listening room is also limited. If you place a loudspeaker in a room with normal reverberation, the reflections of the signal destroy the ability to perceive phase differences. However, this is possible with headphones. Considering the extreme deformation of the phase by loudspeakers and headphones, the question arises as to why you should pay attention to this in the chain. Technically speaking, everything is always wrong.

The natural dynamics are destroyed in HiFi, already on the recording

A special deformation of the music signal is the so-called compression of the dynamics, which is carried out in post-production. In order for music to be played on most hi-fi systems, the loudest and quietest parts must not be too different. The quietest part would push many overtones below the hearing threshold and the loudest part would create extreme distortion and possibly destroy the speakers.

In a symphonic orchestra, volumes of 100-120 dB (SPL) are generated. This is more than most hi-fi speakers can produce without distortion. If you consider that a ppp (as quiet as possible) in music stands for a volume of 10-20 dB (SPL), the dynamic range is around 90-110 dB. The human hearing threshold is around 100 dB SPL at 20 Hz and 10.000 dB SPL at 10 Hz. If people want to hear the entire spectrum of an orchestra, they would have to accept volumes of 120 dB SPL. If you now reduce the general volume, part of the spectrum of overtones, but also of the low frequencies, falls below the audibility threshold and does not exist for humans, even if they are played. The trick here is to compress the dynamic range, i.e. the volume ratio of the loud to the quiet tones is reduced. This means that the quiet sound components do not fall below the hearing threshold and the loud ones do not distort.

The music industry does not simply reduce the dynamics in a "necessary" way, it tries to make the music as loud as possible in order to attract attention and to create a more powerful sound. In order to avoid clipping, not only are the dynamics limited, but clipping must also be prevented with limits. This creates artifacts in the music signal. This tendency of the music industry to increase the volume over and over again is called the Loudness War. 

What are the consequences for audiophile listening?

Loss of dynamics: 

Maximizing the volume leads to a loss of dynamics in the music, making differences between quiet and loud passages disappear. The result is music that is less lively and expressive.

Distortions and artifacts: 

Excessive compression and limiting create unnatural distortion and sound artifacts that affect sound quality. This is particularly problematic for audiophile listeners who value natural sound reproduction.

Listening fatigue: 

Constant high volume can be stressful and tiring for the ear. The lack of dynamic contrast makes the listening experience monotonous and tiring and boring.

Even though there are a few efforts to fight the loudness war, the vast majority of music productions released today are heavily compressed.

But emotions are mostly lost. If an instrument is played quietly, it has a different frequency spectrum than an instrument played loudly. The physical spectrum changes. Emotions are transmitted through the musician's "playing" of his instrument. The musician changes the spectrum by varying his playing technique. However, the dynamic change during compression modulates the spectrum. The instrument no longer sounds as virtuosic and loses emotion. This is a mistake in the recording that no system in the world can compensate for. So HiFi is always wrong in dynamic terms too.

Squaring the circle in HiFi obscures the view of the essential – emotions

The assumption that a perfect transmission of a signal from a hi-fi system from the source to the loudspeaker makes the sound more emotional and accurate is, in our opinion, completely exaggerated and unrealistic. Objectively, the transmission is always extremely wrong! This is also shown by comparing systems with perfect data to systems with drastically worse data. Whether a system sounds "good" cannot be determined from data. Apart from negative extreme cases.

If the signal that the systems transmit is fundamentally always completely wrong, why do some systems sound emotional and touch you, while others do not?

The Vortex HiFi approach is different. We don't look at the always wrong sound, but rather at what the sound does to people. 

Sound and hearing. Can we all hear what is in the room?

Since most people in HiFi always look at music listening from the signal, it is assumed that every vibration is important. This means that no vibration can be added, no vibration can be omitted, no vibration can be weakened or amplified. We question this concept.

To explain this, I use the definition of sound from physics and not from music. A sound is therefore a single sinusoidal oscillation. Sounds are then the regular, harmonious structures in which several tones interact and form patterns. I also do not consider noises, i.e. irregular, chaotic sound structures. Even if these are also formed with the instruments.

It is important for humans to recognise patterns in the many thousands of tones of an orchestra. This is done through selection. Thousands of vibrations reach the subconscious. These form patterns in which some tones together form regular structures. If such a pattern (for example a violin) is recognised, the thalamus assesses whether it makes sense to pass this pattern on to the cerebrum. If so, the cerebrum decides to collect all information about the pattern. The cochlear amplifier amplifies the vibrations of this pattern. This changes the vibrations up to a thousandfold. In return, all other vibrations are weakened or completely suppressed. This active process is called the cocktail party effect. Clarity, richness of detail and audibility arise here in the head – not in the amplifier or in the system.

In order to consciously perceive a vibration, there must be a connection to other vibrations or it must be very interesting. 

There are also many kinds of masking effects. This means that one sound event covers up another so that it cannot be heard. Other distortions are simply beyond our hearing because they are too quiet or outside our range of perception. While a second degree distortion of 1000 Hz is within the audible range at 2000 Hz, a second degree distortion from 10.000 Hz is far outside the human hearing range. 

People don't hear everything in the room. They hear selectively! The brain decides whether they hear something or not! A person's hearing has developed as a sense of distance in order to distinguish enemies from friends. This also requires recognizing emotions in these sound patterns. If there is enough accuracy to recognize this, appropriate hormones are released for this stimulus - which is the purpose of hearing. Hormones then prepare the body for interaction with the outside world. In this way, music and emotions (hormones) are directly, firmly and immediately connected!

What is the reason for music?

Some fundamental reasons to listen to music are:

Emotional regulation: 

Music can help regulate feelings and express emotions. It can comfort, calm, cheer or stimulate.

Mood improvement:

People listen to music to improve their mood. Happy music can be uplifting, while melancholy music can be comforting.

Stress Relief:

Music can be relaxing and help reduce stress and anxiety. Certain types of music or pieces can have a calming effect and lower the heart rate and blood pressure.

Physiological reactions:

Music can elicit physiological responses such as the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and pleasure.

Ultimately, the fourth point is crucial in our view. It is the driver of the others. The audiophile is a hormone junkie. Music or the perception of sounds leads to the release of hormones and neurotransmitters. If this release does not occur, there is no emotional regulation, no improvement in mood and no reduction in stress.

If the right hormones are not released when listening to a system, the audiophile listener will lose the "fun" of listening, regardless of the level of detail or the dynamics of the performance. Simply put: It doesn't have to be right, it just has to "turn you on".

Which hormones are released when listening to music?

Dopamine:

This neurotransmitter is closely linked to the brain's reward system and is often released when you listen to music you enjoy. Dopamine promotes feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

Serotonin:

Music can also increase serotonin levels, which can lead to improved mood and general well-being.

Oxytocin:

Known as the "cuddle or bonding hormone," oxytocin is often released during social contact. Music, especially playing music or singing together, can promote the release of oxytocin, which strengthens social bonds.

Endorphins:

These body's natural painkillers can be released by listening to music, especially during physical activity such as dancing. Endorphins lead to a feeling of well-being and can relieve pain.

Noradrenaline:

This hormone is involved in arousal and alertness. Exciting or stimulating music can increase the release of noradrenaline, which leads to increased alertness.

Cortisol:

Although cortisol is often known as a stress hormone, listening to calming music can lower cortisol levels, reducing stress and promoting relaxation.

Summary Hormones

If you look at the hormones and neurotransmitters that are released when listening to music, you can summarize that they are hormones that give you a “good feeling” that you want more of.

But what happens when you listen to music through a hi-fi system?

Mark Levinson published research that was carried out at his company Daniel Hertz. He showed the physiological reactions to music that occurred when listening to music on a hi-fi system with a digital source. The reactions of the central nervous system, liver and kidneys were examined. Levinson describes that without music, these bodily functions were "normal". When a digital system was played, the measured bodily functions of all participants deteriorated drastically.

Even though Mark Levinson's approach is signal-based, measurements show that the sound problem is not auditory in nature, but is based on stress and changes in human physiology. Mark Levinson's Daniel Hertz devices do not measurably change the audio signal but they do change the stress, according to him.

The physical approach is also that of Vortex HiFi, which Norbert Maurer has been pursuing for 20 years! 

Since physical reactions to environmental events are studied in environmental medicine and building biology, we have also conducted research in this area. 

We were able to determine that stress occurred when all kinds of electrical devices were active. So it's not just hi-fi devices that cause stress, but generally switching power supplies, digital circuits and signal transmissions such as WiFi or other digital communication devices. We can measure this stress with a computer-assisted ECG, the HRV-ECG.

Figure 3 shows how the vitality of the autonomic nervous system changes when we reduce interference from the power grid to humans by using our simplest interference suppression plug.

Blood tests also show that hi-fi devices and other devices, especially those that work digitally, cause red blood cells to clump together, creating the so-called rouleau effect. These significantly enlarged blood structures have great difficulty ensuring blood flow through the capillaries. 

This has fatal consequences for vital functions in general and for hormone production in particular. And we know that hormones are the reason we listen to music!

In picture 4 you can see red blood cells as they appear in modern households. Electromagnetic and geopathic radiation causes stress, which in turn leads to jamming of the red blood cells.

In picture 5 you can see red blood cells in a room with Vortex HiFi interference suppression. The red blood cells are floating freely.

Liver

The liver also has a complex capillary system called sinusoids. These sinusoids are special capillaries that collect blood from the portal vein and hepatic artery and carry it through the liver tissue. As the blood flows through the sinusoids, an intensive exchange of nutrients, waste products and other substances takes place between the blood and the liver cells. This capillary system is crucial for the liver's detoxification function as well as for the synthesis of proteins and the storage of nutrients.

kidneys

The kidneys have a highly developed capillary system that is part of the nephronal system. Each kidney contains about a million nephrons, and each nephron consists of a glomerulus and a tubule system. The glomerulus is a network of capillaries where the filtration of blood takes place. This capillary network is crucial to the filtering function of the kidneys, as it allows the exchange of water, electrolytes and waste products.

Inner ear

The ear, particularly the inner ear, also contains a complex capillary system that is crucial for the functions of hearing and balance. These capillaries ensure the necessary supply of oxygen and nutrients to the specialized sensory cells, thus helping to maintain hearing and balance functions.

Hormone production

But it's not just the liver, kidneys, or inner ear that don't function optimally under the influence of electrical devices; all organs and glands that produce hormones rely on the tiniest blood vessels, through which individual red blood cells can just barely pass. These tiny blood vessels are the capillaries.

Why are capillaries needed for hormone production?

Nutrient and oxygen supply:

Capillaries supply the necessary nutrients and oxygen that the cells of the glands need to perform their functions, including hormone production.

Removal of waste materials: 

They also enable the removal of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste from the cells of the glands.

Hormone absorption and distribution: 

Capillaries play an essential role in the absorption of the hormones produced into the bloodstream. Since hormones are usually produced in very small amounts, it is important that they enter the blood efficiently and quickly to reach their target organs and tissues.

Fine adjustment:

The close interlinking of capillaries and gland cells allows hormones to respond quickly to changes in needs.

Feedback mechanisms: 

Capillaries also allow hormones to travel from the blood back to the glands and act as feedback signals. This is important for regulating hormone production through negative feedback loops.

In summary, capillaries are essential for the functioning of hormone-producing organs and glands because they enable the exchange of substances between the blood and the cells. 

If blood transport in the capillaries is made more difficult by the roulette effect, hormone production and hormone regulation are impaired.

Why are the physical deficits that both environmental medicine shows and our measurements confirm so critical for hearing?

Let's summarize: 

When you listen to music, positive hormones are released. The reason you listen to music is to release hormones, or in other words, to feel good. 

Modern digital hi-fi systems, but also the digital environment, impair the production of hormones through the occurrence of the rouleau effect and the associated insufficient blood circulation in the hormone-producing tissues. 

Biochemically speaking, hi-fi systems (and the rest of the environment) negatively change the perceptual chemistry. 

The Vortex HiFi products recreate a natural perceptual chemistry.

But what about the stress that Mark Levinson reports and our measurements show? How does stress affect music perception?

Overall, stressed individuals often experience music more intensely, negatively, and with less detail, while relaxed individuals can enjoy music in a more balanced, positive way, and in all its diversity. Stress affects the emotional, cognitive, physiological, and social response to music, which can significantly alter the overall experience.

We see this in the hormones, which are the drivers of positive physical and psychological reactions.

How does the hormone secretion change in a music listener who is stressed compared to someone who is relaxed?

Dopamine:

Under stress : Dopamine release can be reduced, which impairs the ability to experience pleasure and reward through music. Stress can disrupt the brain's reward system, potentially leading to a muted positive response to music.

Listening to music without stress: Music can increase dopamine release, leading to joy and satisfaction.

Serotonin:

Under stress: Chronic stress can impair serotonin production, which can lead to mood swings and depression. This can diminish the relaxing and mood-enhancing effects of music.

Listening to music without stress: Music can increase serotonin levels and contribute to an improved mood.

Oxytocin:

Under stress: The release of oxytocin can be suppressed, which can impair social bonds and feelings of connection. This can reduce the social and calming effects of music.

Listening to music without stress: Music can promote the release of oxytocin, which strengthens social bonds and fosters feelings of trust and security.

Endorphins:

Under stress: Stress can reduce the production of endorphins, which impairs natural pain management and well-being. Music may be less effective at relieving pain and creating a feeling of euphoria.

**Listening to music without stress:** Music can increase the release of endorphins, leading to a feeling of pleasure and pain relief.

Noradrenaline:

Under stress: Stress increases the release of norepinephrine, leading to heightened alertness and attention. This can cause music to be perceived more intensely and possibly as disturbing.

When listening to music without stress: Noradrenaline is kept at a lower level, resulting in a more balanced listening experience.

Cortisol:

Under stress: Cortisol is the main stress hormone, and its levels are elevated during stress. High cortisol levels can impair the relaxing effect of music and contribute to an overall negative perception.

Listening to music without stress: Music can help lower cortisol levels, which contributes to relaxation and stress reduction.

Summary Stress Hormones and Music

Stress can significantly alter the secretion and action of the hormones and neurotransmitters normally released when listening to music. This can reduce the positive effects of music on mood, relaxation and social bonding. To reap the full benefits of listening to music, it is important to reduce stress and create a relaxing environment.

Summary why Vortex HiFi

1. Basically, the music signal in the ear canal at a concert is always extremely different than in the listening room at home. The sound is always heavily distorted by both the recording technology and the playback technology, including the room.
2. Hearing is an extremely complex process of amplifying sound patterns, but also suppressing sound in the room. Music perception is extremely selective. It does not matter whether there is a vibration in the room or not, but whether this vibration reaches the consciousness from the subconscious via the thalamus and what is then done with it - amplified or suppressed.
3. Music is listened to because of hormones, the "happiness makers". Audiophiles are hormone junkies. Music produces a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters that create positive feelings.
4. Hi-Fi systems and the digital environment have a negative impact on fundamental body functions. These negative effects do not occur when listening to music from natural instruments - on the contrary, music heals!
5. The electromagnetic environment and especially digital hi-fi systems cause measurably increasing stress. Under stress, all the positive hormones that make you listen to music are weakened. Musical perception under stress is less emotional, less detailed and more boring.

Vortex HiFi products can both improve the circulation problems of today's environment and reduce stress. This results in a natural, detailed music perception with the full range of emotions.