What do we hear when we change the direction of a wire?


Douglas Self wrote a devastating article about audio anomalies back in 1988. With all the necessary knowledge and measuring tools, he did not detect any supposedly audible changes in the electrical signal. Self and his colleagues were sure that they had proved the absence of anomalies in audio, but over the past 30 years, audio anomalies have not disappeared anywhere, at the same time the authority of science in the field of audio has increasingly become questioned. It's hard to believe, but science still cannot clearly answer the question of what electricity is and what sound is! (see article by A.J.Essien).

For your information: to make sure that no potentially audible changes in the electrical signal occur when we apply any "audio magic" to our gear, no super equipment is needed. The smallest step-change in amplitude that can be detected by ear is about 0.3dB for a pure tone. In more realistic situations it is 0.5 to 1.0dB'". This is about a 10% change. (Harris J.D.). At medium volume, the voltage amplitude at the output of the amplifier is approximately 10 volts, which means that the smallest audible difference in sound will be noticeable when the output voltage changes to 1 volt. Such an error is impossible not to notice even using a conventional voltmeter, but Self and his colleagues performed much more accurate measurements, including ones made directly on the music signal using Baxandall subtraction technique - they found no error even at this highest level.

As a result, we are faced with an apparently unsolvable problem: those of us who do not hear the sound of wires, relying on the authority of scientists, claim that audio anomalies are BS. However, people who confidently perceive this component of sound are forced to make another, the only possible conclusion in this situation: the electrical and acoustic signals contain some additional signal(s) that are still unknown to science, and which we perceive with a certain sixth sense.

If there are no electrical changes in the signal, then there are no acoustic changes, respectively, hearing does not participate in the perception of anomalies. What other options can there be?

Regards.
anton_stepichev
I thought the original experiment was reversing a wire in a tube amp and not measuring a difference but hearing a difference? The conclusion was signals unknown to science and humans sixth sense and no other conclusion was possible.... well except the obvious..
If musical signals are terribly fragile maybe we should help them along by ambulance. 
If musical signals are terribly fragile maybe we should help them along with good sound systems/stereo/hi fi etc etc etc....

There, fixed it for you....and you’re welcome....

Not to jump to conclusions but your quip about the fragility of musical signals leads me to believe you really haven’t spent much time around microphones and recording sessions...is that a correct assumption ?

Cheers
Yes that's a correct assumption. Very little around mics and no recording. Why, are musical signals not fragile around microphones and recording sessions? 
All of the above (or below). And way more. He has Google


alexberger
389 posts
04-30-2021 4:47pmHi @dletch2 ,

What kind of knowledge do you have?
Are you psychoacoustics specialist?
Have you read any book about psychoacoustics?
Do you have any knowledge of electronics or acoustics or the human brain science?