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The Shakti AIR Stone is our best selling noise-reduction accessory of all time!
Exceptionally effective, this low profile, compact device uses patented technology to improve resolution, restore tonal balance and drastically lower the noise floor of any component.
Although its formal name is the Shakti Electromagnetic Stabilizer Stone AIR, virtually everyone calls it the Shakti Stone, for short. The reason this device is so effective is right there in its name, the AIR Stone stabilizes electromagnetic fields generated by your component as well as absorbing external interference. The AIR Stone incorporates three internal trap circuits each of which is dedicated to capturing a very wide range of noise from Electromagnetic Fields down in the 50-60Hz range, through to Radio Frequencies (RF) and all the way out to the Microwave spectrum!
Humans can't hear any of these ultra-high frequencies, of course, but surprisingly electronic circuits are absolutely affected by them! Removing this noise delivers an effect quite similar to opening the windows in a stuffy room! Suddenly there's more air in the recording, more space around instruments and voices, every recording sound more real and more life-like. The AIR Stone allows the system to generate more natural dynamic range, much improved focus and a natural flow to the music which audiophiles dub "liquidity". There's more depth to the soundstage, better decay as notes fade away and imaging becomes rock-solid.
Speaking of imaging, try the AIR Stone on your video devices! The improvement in color saturation, black levels, razor-sharp focus, impressive depth of field and huge reduction in noise/"crawlies" is quite impressive. Movies, TV, even Gamers will benefit!
One last thing to consider, Shakti makes a complementary product, the "Air On-Lines". These feature the same tech that's in the Air Stone, but miniaturized and in a different form factor. This means they can be used in places where a larger Air Stone simply wouldn't be practical. For instance, attach Air On-Lines to the center of your cables and experience a similar reduction in noise!
There's almost no limit to where you can use the AIRStone! That being said, please use common sense: if your component has a vented chassis, please don't place the AIRStone so it blocks air flow.
Also, we've found that placement can be important to getting the best results out of the AIR Stone. Sometimes you get lucky just plopping it on top of a component, however, some components need a bit more experimentation. If you're having difficulty hearing the effect of the AIR Stone on a component, try moving the AIR Stone so it's sitting directly above the unit's power supply and let it sit for a couple of minutes. The effect is usually pretty dramatic. Ultimately, let your ears be your guide, wherever the Air Stone sounds best to you is where it should go!
The question we get asked the most is "Does the AIR Stone really work?" The answer is a resounding "YES!"
The second most asked question is "Is it OK to buy another one to put on my other component?" Absolutely! Most clients who buy an AIR Stone will end up with multiples because the effect is cumulative and removing noise from the system is always beneficial!
Back in 2016, when Shakti updated the original Stone to the current technology, they added the term AIR to the description, but they didn't really explain what it meant. We all thought this simply meant this new version would be lighter weight, however, that wasn't it!
AIR = Active Intermodulation Reduction
The original Shakti Stone was very effective, however, it was designed in the early 90s, an era prior to WiFi and Bluetooth and Satellite Radio and all the myriad frequencies our systems are perpetually bombarded with now. Once it became clear that a more powerful tool would be required to protect modern systems, Shakti redesigned the Stone to be far more potent in handling not just a wider variety of signals but also much higher amplitudes of same. Although the AIR version features many of the core technologies of the original Stone, the AIR version is vastly more competent and a lot more effective.
The AIR Stone is composed of three separate elements, each of which is tasked with devouring a particular bandwidth of energy.
Magnetic Flux Field
Starting with the lowest frequencies, each Shakti AIR Stone receives a special circuit intended to absorb and mitigate EM frequencies in the audible spectrum. Most prevalent are those created by power transformers and other devices operating around 50-60Hz, however, this filter will also remove frequencies up to the outer limits of human hearing as well. The sonic improvement this filter offers in terms of clarity, especially when it comes to voices or piano, is unparalleled. This filter is what generates that jaw-dropping improvement in refinement and purity you hear when first inserting the AIR Stone.
Quartz Crystals
This material has some very unique properties, especially when it comes to mitigating Radio Frequencies (aka RFI). Traditionally, Quartz acts more like a deflector, offering very high levels of shielding, but only across a very narrow spectrum. Shakti found a way to expand the properties of these crystals to deliver much broader spectrum absorption, creating astonishingly effective RFI protection. This filter creates the AIR Stone's large and well defined soundstage, as well as pin-point holographic imaging.
Microwave Traps
These lightweight, composite pyramidic shapes hide a series of active antennae designed specifically to trap microwave (aka GHz) frequencies. By channeling these ultra-high frequencies away from the gear and then consuming them, the AIR Stone creates a near vacuum state for the gear to operate in. The result is an astonishing improvement in low-level detail, micro-dynamics and fine-grain resolution.
A Shakti AIR Stone doesn't simply clean up the EM and RF fields around your component, it removes distortion, grit and grain to reveal the musical truth hidden in the noise.
We know that some of you are tech geeks, so we've provided the actual description of the original US patent application (US5814761A)
Abstract (aka proof of concept)
A passive Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) dissipation apparatus typically utilized with an active host component to reduce self-generated and externally-generated electromagnetic interference and to improve the performance of the host component is disclosed. The apparatus includes a housing and a circuit located within the housing. The circuit includes a plurality of pyramidal-shaped resonating chambers having internally conductive surfaces covered with a layer of electrically resistive material, a plurality of quartz resonators each mounted upon a damping compound, and a plurality of permanent magnets each including a magnetically permeable bar. The electromagnetic interference is dissipated in the circuit over a broad range of frequencies in the form of heat. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of permanent magnets and the corresponding plurality of permeable bars are mounted within a common chamber located immediately below the base of each of the pyramidal-shaped resonating chambers. Each of the quartz resonators is placed upon a separate portion of viso-elastic damping compound arranged upon one of a pair of non-conductive plates. The pair of plates are then manipulated so as to sandwich the pyramidal-shaped resonating chambers and the permanent magnets and corresponding permeable bars. The sandwiched combination forms the circuit which dissipates the electromagnetic interference and is then positioned and sealed within the non-conductive housing.
Dimensions (HWD): 1.5x5.25x6.5"
Weight: ~2 Lbs