The Bybee iQSE (photograph courtesy of Bybee Technologies)
iQSE Disks or Quantum Signal Enhancers by the legendary Jack Bybee is quite a tweak at an affordable $150 per 4 inch x 2 inch disk. You can read a full report on these from Larry Cox in Positive Feedback. I found all new uses for these that I feel need reporting. First of all: go buy at least two and start the fun!
I tried them on top of a tube gear chassis as directed, and on my circuit breaker box, etc., with limited results. It was obvious something was going on and that experimentation was in order. I liked the added clarity and tighter imaging suggested by the iQSE, but there was just not enough of it to warrant a recommendation. Other reviewers found more to like here...but they do not live in my house.
I tried all kinds of gear, placing the disks inside and out, and here is where the magic occurred! I left the four disks I had in these positions.
Photograph courtesy of Larry Cox
On my new Townshend Allegri+ passive line-stage, I got tighter imaging and blacker backgrounds. It was subtle, but obvious. I just placed an iQSE on top of the unit and enjoyed the improvement. There is no active circuitry, not even a power cord here, but I heard what I heard. I did not get equivalent results on my E.A.R. 912 Preamp. If you have a passive line-stage or switch-box, you should go for it.
If you have a solid state phono stage, try it! I placed it on my E.A.R. 324 and heard some improvement in imaging, air, and clarity. It was not a huge change, but certainly $150 worth and then some. LPs got more mellifluous and that was fine by me. On the other hand, I had no luck and noted no improvement on my tube phono stages or MC step-up transformers.
Photograph courtesy of Larry Cox
I have a classic FM tuner collection and I tried the iQSE’s on my lovely Dyna FM3 Stereo Tuner and Scott 350, both tube and analog. I placed an iQSE inside on the chassis of the Scott 350 and on the outside of the cover of the metal covered Dyna. Both tuners got quieter and more detailed! Better than subtle, it sounded like the sun had set and it was still daytime! The Dyna was now as quiet as my Mac MR-71, and the Scott was close. This was unexpected and terrific. No real improvement noted on solid state tuners or digital tuners. There may have been a slight improvement on my Marantz 10B, but it was too close to call. The less sophisticated classic tube tuners were the ones that were most improved.
Got a Scott, Dyna, or Fisher FM Tuner? Get the iQSE and tuck it in. FM Tuners are a way to get FREE music in most major cities, particularly Los Angeles. For example, KUSC is now playing hi-rez material, LPs, and live material, exclusively.
I happen to love tweaks, and am an unabashed Bybee fan. He is having quite an Indian Summer in his career, and is creating more audio enhancements than ever. Thank you for the iQSE, Jack! It has my solid recommendation.
Bybee iQSE
Retail: MSRP USD $150 each
BybeeTech
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"Retail customers, please do not contact Bybee Technologies to place orders. Retail orders should be placed with authorized Bybee resellers. Click HERE to place an order with one of our business partners."
