An interesting site, Redbeard. As you can see, it is unlikely to shake the faith of those who already buy into what its authors call "cable theology." But perhaps newer audiophiles who are still making up their minds about such things will find the different perspective offered there enlightening.
Showing 8 responses by bomarc
Dandreescu: The problem with your approach, if I understand it, is that you won't be avoiding the placebo effect. You'll be listening to two cables that you know are different, even if you don't know which is which. So if they sound different, it MIGHT be because they really are, or it might be because your brain is overriding your ears (which happens frequently, despite the protestations of some). If you do notice a difference, have a neutral observer play one or the other at random, and see if you can guess which one is playing. If you can guess correctly 8 out of 10 times, they probably really do sound different. Otherwise, it's likely all in your head. |
Dandr: Unfortunately for audio comparisons, our brains are wired to synthesize information from all our senses, rather than to isolate information from a single sense. So if you're just comparing two cables blind, your brain is already telling you, "These are two different cables." It's really easy to make someone think they're listening to two different things when in fact they're not. So no, just comparing the cables blind will not eliminate the placebo effect. For your CD player comparisons, it's important to match levels (with a volmeter; an SPL meter won't do). The same system with as little as a 0.2dB difference can sound different--even though one doesn't sound any louder than the other. Also, remember the limitations of single-blind testing--if there's anybody in the room with you who knows which wire is which, there are all sorts of subliminal ways they can communicate that to you. Try to avoid that if you can. One reason audiophiles don't do more of these kinds of comparisons (besides simply not liking the results) is that it is not easy to really do them right. That doesn't mean that what you're trying to do isn't worth doing--anything is better than non-blind comparisons. You just have to remember that if you hear differences, you haven't definitively proved anything. Overall, though, you have my respect for giving it a try. Have fun (and enjoy the beer) and tell us how things turn out. |
Dandr: For more info on good listening tests, check out: http://www.pcavtech.com/abx and http://www.pcabx.com |
Twl: I suggest you stop railing about science until you make some effort to understand what it is. You've crammed more misinformation into one paragraph than I've seen in a long time. Just because you are uninformed about the current scientific understanding of human hearing doesn't mean the science doesn't exist or is incapable of explaining everything--everything--you hear. |
Sean: The question isn't, can cables sound different? Of course they can, and I know of no one who would argue otherwise. The question is, when they do sound different, can we explain why? And the answer is, yes we can. Now, it might turn out that someday someone will discover that our current explanation is wrong. But, as in the cases you cited, that will happen because we happen upon things we cannot explain, which forces us to look for new explanations. So far, nobody's come up with any unexplainable phenomena. |
Well said, Sean, except that I know of no one with any scientific credentials whatsoever who claims at all wire sounds the same. That canard was actually invented by the "everything sounds different" crowd, because it's easier to refute something that clearly isn't true than to take on the arguments your opponents are really making. |
Jchen--Your understanding of the placebo effect, at least as it applies to perception, is wrong. (It's actually wrong even as it applies to medicine--the placebo effect can work even when the doctor tells you the pill won't work.) Simply knowing that two cables are different can make them sound different to you. In studies of hearing perception, people who listen to the same thing report that it sounds different about half the time. That doesn't mean that all cables sound the same. It just means that when they do sound different, it might be real, or it might be in your mind, and there's no way to know for sure--short of the sort of objective scientific test that will be pooh-poohed here, so let's not even get into that. Now, you're free to say, "I don't think it's in my mind," and buy whatever cables sound best to you. Just don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to denigrate science to justify that. Nobody has to justify anything in this hobby. |