A fresh approach to cable analysis


Here’s an interesting idea that I wish someone would do. Start a YouTube channel in which you take full range of power cords, interconnects, and speaker wire ranging from cheap to top-of-the-line and carefully dissect them and expose how they are constructed and with what. In the past, we have been through all the arguments about measurements and subjective evaluation, and that gets us nowhere. I think, looking at the physical construction of these chords, which I assume almost no one ever does, especially on the more expensive ones, would produce some surprising results and really be hard to argue with. I’m sure manufacturers would hate this idea, but I don’t think there’s any way legally that they could challenge it. 

bruce19

Wow, you two guys (total111 & seymour-krelborn) are really going at it. Not sure why, though. Total111 is not a cable denier as he has started threads and discussed topology and the science behind it. 

Total111, I have two 25' runs (one might be 3-4 feet shorter than the other) of Audioquest Type 4 Hyperlitz cable for sale. Seriously, $150 for both of them. If you don't like them, send them back (on your dime but I will refund you for the total amount otherwise). DM me.

And if I can keep your attention for a minute, understand that if you bring religion (C.S. Lewis) into the argument, you have just defeated yourself. While Lewis was a great novelist- and he did not oppose science specifically- he was one of history's fiercest critics of scientismthe ideological belief that science is the only reliable method of knowledge and that the physical universe is all that exists.

Meaning, IMHO, he was a cable denier! How could he not be? Anyways, trying to be funny, but let's face it the best he could do in his audiophile timeline is a Zenith console.

There is no double blind test with reference to God's existence. Cables are a physical entity that have electrical properties and behave differently from one another in metallurgic tests, which is at its core, science

Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto!

Religion has zero science behind it. It is why the Church and State need to be kept separated. It protects religion and also protects those that have differing ideologies on religion.

The "State", like cables, are a physical, tangible entity. And while religion has physical buildings, "church" conceptually represents a system of spiritual or supernatural beliefs, doctrines, and moral frameworks.

So State and cables are here and now, relatable, measurable, and adhere to physical metallurgical properties. Jesus, on the other hand, is slated to come back..maybe Sunday morning? I will set my alarm!

I guess one who has an issue with cables, yet believes in God, is going to have some explaining to do. Not trying to instigate a theology discussion here, but being as pragmatic as I possibly can. 

@goodlistening64 

Wow, you two guys (total111 & seymour-krelborn) are really going at it. Not sure why, though.

Because @total111 is a deceitful, cable denying propagandist.  I gave numerous examples of him being deceitful, and fabricating stories.  I quoted him and explained each occurrence.

People come here to learn, and @total111 misleads them.  That is despicable, and should never be allowed to fester.

@goodlistening64 

Thanks for the kind words — and the cable offer, genuinely appreciated! But I’m happy with what I have. I looked at that AQ earlier and like it. But not enough 😉😉 
On the Lewis point: I wasn’t bringing religion into the argument at all. The quote — “if you think you are not conceited, it means you are very conceited indeed” — is a psychological observation about human nature, not a theological one. It could just as easily have come from Bertrand Russell or Daniel Kahneman. I cited Lewis because he said it well, not because of what else he believed. A quote from a smart person doesn’t import their entire worldview into the argument.
That’s actually the same principle at stake in the cable debate — judging the idea on its own merits, not the source. 😄

 

I want to offer something that may surprise some people in this thread: a genuine concession.

The cable/crossover interaction is a legitimate variable that I think deserves more credit than the objectivist side typically gives it. The vast majority of us run passive speakers with crossovers, and a crossover is a reactive load. (Hence my choice of speakers never includes any such interference... ;-) ). Different cables present slightly different impedance characteristics to that load, which affects how the crossover filter behaves and how the amplifier sees it. In a genuinely poor pairing, you could theoretically drift into the ~1dB range — and that's audible. That's not magic, that's measurable electrical interaction, and it's real physics.

So my honest position is this: cables can matter at the margins in specific reactive load conditions. That's a much narrower claim than the high-end cable industry makes — but it's defensible, and I'll own it.

Even so, a zip cord of adequate gauge will handle the vast majority of those interactions just fine. The crossover doesn't care about the brand name on the jacket.

I came here to have an honest discussion, not to "deny" anything. Anyone who read this thread carefully knows that. I'll leave the characterizations others made about my motives without further comment.

@seymour-krelborn  "People come here to learn, and @total111 misleads them.  That is despicable, and should never be allowed to fester."

I bet you'd like to censur him. I feel your frustration.

People do come here to learn but for some reason you don't like science as proof. Using instruments that can measure far beyond the capabilities of audible ranges of human hearing.

Instead you prefer to rely on your flawed imagination and your ears. Yes, everyone including you has bias. You're not exempt from bias. You particularly have a superiority bias clearly obvious in your posts. Since YOU hear it, therefore it is true!!  Probably the most dangerous bias there is.

@total111  +1.