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Most Important, Unloved Cable...

Ethernet. I used to say the power cord was the most unloved, but important cable. Now, I update that assessment to the Ethernet cable. Review work forthcoming. 

I can't wait to invite my newer friend who is an engineer who was involved with the construction of Fermilab, the National Accelerator Lab, to hear this! Previously he was an overt mocker; no longer. He decided to try comparing cables and had his mind changed. That's not uncommon, as many of you former skeptics know. :)

I had my biggest doubts about the Ethernet cable. But, I was wrong - SO wrong! I'm so happy I made the decision years ago that I would try things rather than simply flip a coin mentally and decide without experience. It has made all the difference in quality of systems and my enjoyment of them. Reminder; I settled the matter of efficacy of cables years before becoming a reviewer and with my own money, so my enthusiasm for them does not spring from reviewing. Reviewing has allowed me to more fully explore their potential.  

I find fascinating the cognitive dissonance that exists between the skeptical mind in regard to cables and the real world results which can be obtained with them. I'm still shaking my head at this result... profoundly unexpected results way beyond expectation. Anyone who would need an ABX for this should exit the hobby and take up gun shooting, because your hearing would be for crap.  
douglas_schroeder
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knownothing
1,536 posts
 
dynaquest4, I wasn’t being sarcastic.  I was projecting what I perceived as jinjuku’s (and your?) priorities.  Your most recent post supports that perspective.

As for durability, I can and have made power cables with hardware store parts that would pass current after decades of hard use, but did not sound as good as some more exotic designs.  Your statement is sweeping compared to your specific knowledge of recording engineers intent.
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
Knownothing your points are spot on and I have learned to ignore those that just cannot hear differences and then make the mistake of assuming the same for all others and all other systems. Audiophiles around the world know better and really don’t pay attention to these rather few dogmatists. 
jinjuku's avatar
jinjuku
226 posts
 
I have learned to ignore those that just cannot hear differences and then make the mistake of assuming the same for all others and all other systems. Audiophiles around the world know better and really don’t pay attention to these rather few dogmatists.
So when can we do this in your setup?
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
6,436 posts
 
I did over the past week. Ethernet cables and the power supplies to our computers, usb cables, modems, routers, usb cards etc. Amazing how everything’s matters in digital. Everything. 
dynaquest4's avatar
dynaquest4
445 posts
 
granny! It is not that "we" cannot hear the any difference, it is because there is no difference (that matters). Cables/wires cannot "upgrade" the audio program. All they can do is preclude outside interferences or influences that might "leak into" bargain basement low quality connects and change the audio signal passing through it.

If you have a significant noise or distortion issue, expensive cables aren’t going to fix it. I chuckle when you guys say: "Oh I changed to such and such exotic wire and the improvement was breathtaking." Breathtaking? Really?

"We" hear no difference over basic good quality connects because physically, logically and scientifically significant improvements are not possible. You hear the difference because you desperately want to.😉😉

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