I have used several of the Shakti Stones over the years with very successful results. The reduction of distortion caused by the interface of electronics operating through proximity and interconnection makes for a tremendous improvement in listening enjoyment. Your white paper explanation and the increased understanding of signal flow, disturbances and restrictions pretty much covers the why it works part.

Basically, then, my reason for this communiqué is to thank you for the availability of the Stones... but there is one other. In thinking about the process, it occurred to me that, since most everything has some additional useful connections to related and unrelated fields, this technology might be beneficial for direct use in alternate electronic applications. The question of whether the miles of wire utilized in automobiles and their computer boxes could benefit from this, might be something to delve into since they do not utilize the purest wire or the highest-grade components. My analysis went along these lines.

In order to create a fuel-air ratio acceptable enough to pass stringent smog tests, manufacturers run their fuel injections close to the lean edge, so, the motors often have flat spots in acceleration or surge problems at steady throttle. Many drivers are oblivious to this, or believe it’s indigenous is in the cars nature to act in this way, and that’s that.

Well, I discovered it doesn’t have to be that way. If you guessed that by now that a placement of the Shakti on top of the computer box made a change in the car, you are what they call "right on". In both of my BMW’s it smoothed out the injection so much it was like changing the main control chip. Granted, with every enthusiastic change we all look for improvements everywhere rather then a backward step, so in all honesty, without an exact dynamometer test, it is difficult to tell if I gained mega-horsepower. However, I will say the cars are so much smoother in the flats, and less strained in acceleration they just have increased a couple of power percentage points. Mainly, the acceleration curve is now linear without previous gaps in the RPM range, and this is what I wanted. Clearly the stone upgraded the electronic performance by reducing the RFI which clarified the signal transmission.

I have not had a chance to try it on another car brand, but, most systems operate in the same fashion, and since my previous experience proves the Shakti Stones are not system dependent, the results should be a carbon copy improvement or even better. We’re all aware that making something more exacting helps it to become more efficient in whatever it was designed to do in the first place.

It is acknowledged that enhancements cost money, but when measured against the cost benefit improvement, (especially when your cars systems need not be invaded in any way), this simple placement upgrade is more than a bargain. Using them for a 2 months now, I feel they are a necessity, and unless I miss my guess, it may be only a matter of time before car manufacturers discover the intrinsic merits - probably a short time.

To me, you have more than a specialty item, so I believe that you have a tremendous untapped market that is presently unrealized.

Since people often struggle all their lives to be a hero in a moment, I heartily recommend that you pursue further research and testing in this particular field and in other electronic applications. It should be most rewarding.

Sincerely,
Bernie Fried

Although I have enjoyed the improvements Shakti has made to my hi-fi, I was skeptical that your product could result in a noticeable improvement in my 2000 Chevy Tahoe V8. The vehicle at 5,000 pounds is just very heavy.

After checking with my mechanic on where the ECU was in my car, I proceeded to try two On-Lines. I know your instructions say that you can just place them on the outside housing, but I’m handy with tools and decided to put them inside. This involved opening some plastic tabs, then a spring clasp and finally using T-sockets to open the ECU’s four screws.

Once inside, I was able to gently bend back the main board ¾ of an inch and the largest chip was right there near the edge. I placed one On-Line on that chip and the other On-Line a few inches away near some smaller chips. All told about 15 minutes for the install.

The engine was warm from being used during shopping over a four-hour period and I was very familiar with its performance. The engine started with a snap that it never had before. It felt like the spark plugs had just been changed! The occasional slight miss and shudder on idle was completely gone. On acceleration the sunglasses went flying out of the ash storage area, which used to happen only under full throttle acceleration. There was more power and a more synchronized sound to the exhaust. The engine was definitely running better, probably 3 to 6 hp better and I would guess a proportionate mileage improvement is likely (if I can resist punching the gas with the new found power). It was about the same improvement as adding a K & N air filter or intake manifold airfoil to my former car, a Corvette. This simple mod was worth doing because the ECU seems to be working more accurately. This mod may end up costing me money, though, because the extra power reminded me how much I miss my Corvette. My skepticism is gone, your device really works.

Bill Swenson

Dear Ben:

I’m reporting my initial reactions and experience with Shakti in an automotive application. Miata’s CPU is located under a protective shield at the top of the passenger-side floor board, Requiring removal of the carpet and five bolts. I elected not to engage in that process, and instead mounted a Shakti Stone on top of the protective shield. It’s easy to slip the Stone in between the carpet and the protective shield, and the rubber base of the Stone seems to hold the it in place against the metal shield just fine.

The initial drive seemed to reveal instantly noticeable new ‘pep," and smoother overall acceleration. The Miata, already ever-eager to go, just seemed more so. What I didn’t notice at first, but seems to confirm that much is going on, is that with the stone in place, I didn’t find myself so quick to reach over and click off the air-conditioning compressor which is SOP for accelerating from a stop in the Miata if you don’t want noticeable AC drag at start up. Lo and behold, it seems the stone has compensated, at least in part, for the usual loss in horsepower that running the air conditioning brings. Then, with the air compressor off, as I already noted, the car seems to have more power across the, board, more accelerator-responsiveness, a smoother acceleration overall, with micro-hesitations or dropouts that sometimes appear, especially when the car is not fully warmed up, seeming to be—gone. Notably, in the 2,000-3500 R.PM range (the weakest torque range of the Miata, compelling enthusiasts to zip around at 4,000-6,000 rpm to get the best performance) is improved in a way that makes one almost forget about it. There seems to be a more natural power curve coming into and out of the 2,000-3,500 range. Remarkable.

Well, I took the Stone off to see the difference, and, sure enough, because the car was still not fully warmed up, it had the usual stuffy kind of pre-warmed-up acceleration that I’m used to experiencing for the first few minutes of driving the car. It’s not bad, of course, it just seems that the stone minimized or eliminated that loss of performance during the initial warm-up phase. So I put the Stone back on, and added two On-Lines to the cable leading to the CPU. I can’t comment on whether there seemed to be any additional difference by adding the in-lines with the Shakti Stone in place. But I will try a run with the On-Lines on and the Stone removed, and let you know how that goes.

If the effect I’m getting remains consistent over time, and if all 1990 Miatas and beyond will have the same response, it’s a wham-bang winner. I’ll report again soon, and I’ll talk to Ric about testing his 2000 Miata, too.

Sincerely,
Jeffrey S. Mintz