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.
gdaddy1, machines that take measurements only tell part of the story. They cannot tell you the level of musicality or the enjoyment level you may experience. There are many audio pieces/cables that measure terrible but sound spectacular. All I know is that when I change my cables the difference is not Suttle but quite substantial. This is not always based on cost. |
OP...Try this link https://shunyata.com/technology/ Do you hear differences in different audio cables? |
What is the issue here? If phd can hear such cable differences, and you can not, what other option is there? Would it be any different if phd could see a deer more clearly from 500 yards with his binoculars than you could with yours? It is his eyesight/binoculars vs. yours. What validation do we need here? Are we then going to be told by a youtube video that a bunch of optical instruments will be used to essentially show that both binoculars are the same, and that anybody is a fool to have paid $40 rather than $2000? Ah, my eyes show me that there is a difference in clarity, but that's only because I started with the $2k then tried the $40 and then back to the $2k. As the youtuber told me, it's all in the brain and that I will believe anything to justify my $2k purchase. The video tells me that I have to do a blind test 9-12 timess to have any chance of proving that any observed differences were not biased by the price. For whom am I doing this blind test? For myself? To prove that I can ace a cognitive test? If one cable is seriously subtractive, why am I wasting my time? The other youtuber argument is that I am hearing so much new information that my brain is overwhelmed by the mulitude of changes, dynamics, detail, etc., while comparing cables. But that during a blind test, such differences will not result in repeatable observations. What? If a cable immediately causes a piano decay to be dramatically truncated, I don't need to hear such a flaw a second time, but typically I will confirm against the reference anyway. After that, it's out. And often times, the reference is much less $. Essentially the video is worhless as the measurements he made have nothing to do with the audible differences I hear with my current cable set vs. many others I have tried. How does the instrument identfy if the notes are being smeared from one to the next vs. a distict silence between them? How is the instrument going to show me that one cable will allow me to discern lyrics when the other does not? Iroinically, in the end, he talks about these differences, identifies them, acknowledges them, but immediately dismisses them. Sounds like a throwback to Julian Hirsh in the Stereo Review days......everything sounds the same. Why did I bother for 50 years when I had it all with the Marantz receiver, Pioneer speakers and cables that came in their boxes?
Why is frequency response often the only parameter discussed when measurements are taken. I am aware that my hearing does not cover the top octave. So I certainly don't care about 100khz or 1Mhz. My interest is in the 200hz-5Khz range where all that rich harmonic content exists. At least the youtuber talked about noise. But again, he dismissed the improved resolution as just in our brains......nobody will hear this in blind testing anyway. I would love to get in contact with the youtuber. He can bring a bag of his $7 Amazon interconnects, speaker cables and power cords, and his $50 power conditioner too, since they also don't affect the sound quality. And he can bring that Kimber cable too; I have no experience with Kimber ICs. We can install all of his cables into my system, and can play his music for 2-3 hours. The system would be fully warmed up then. Then switch to my cables. He would realize that in 30 seconds, there would be no need to continue the "test". Objective, subjective, scientific, conceit, condescension, arrogance, snakeoil, etc., pick your word here, @total111. None will be relevent as the differences, the musical presntation, to use his words, "would overwhelm his brain".
phd, I agree here. All we can do is try to share our experiences to the readers who are looking for sonic improvements as we have over the years from the mentorship of many A'gon members before us. |
Exactly @phd — glad you said that. For differences reported between two already-adequate cables, where measured differences are genuinely below audibility thresholds, the most likely explanations are perceptual. That doesn't make them imaginary — but it does locate them in the listener rather than the wire:
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