Hi Eddie. In the mid 70s I ran an up market HiFi retailer in the UK. So called Audiophile cables were just beginning to hit the market. One day the importer of expensive cables came into the shop, I had known him from my collage days. I asked him did he really think his cabled made any difference? He pulled me over to the window and said, "LOOK AT MY CAR" it was a Roller. Of course they make a bloody difference!!
LOL!! :)) People do like be fooled or guided... just look some of pharmaceutic business, vaxinacions, food supplements or food business... we all should be totaly healthy and living 100+ years,,, but we do not. :(
The main thing I look for in interconnects is good construction, with decent RCA plugs. If you don't have a solid connection, it doesn't matter how good the cable is. Bonus points for looking good as well. :)
Thank you for touching on the price point versus performance. Every review every list everything is always about how much something costs. The reasoning behind it I just cannot understand. Nothing has ever grouped into this class of receiver which is the best of, this type of CD player compared against the same types of other companies, etc. If you want something better apparently you have to just spend more money. We've gotten to the point where people are so focused on money that they can literally have something that cost very little in front of them that performs extremely well but because they can't tell somebody it cost a lot of money it's not good. This is a great video.
Thank you! Yes - sometime you can hold 2 things in your hands and see the quality - and many times that does not reflect on the actual price. It is like if something costs enough - you might have something others cannot afford…so then it must sound better;)
Thank you! Yes - sometime you can hold 2 things in your hands and see the quality - and many times that does not reflect on the actual price. It is like if something costs enough - you might have something others cannot afford…so then it must sound better;)
I've tested some cables that made audible "differences".. The measurements showed higher capacitance in some expensive heavy shielded audiophile speaker cable. The difference was not due to an improvement electrically but actually a transmission line design defect. With some speakers this high frequency roll off may be perceived as an audible improvement. Paying for differences is audiophile science marketing trickery, imho..
Thanks for the great feedback Jim! I've tested interconnects and can't see a difference - although I am not done yet;) Speaker cables - I think - will be a different matter. I'd be interested in any cable that you recommend that I test.
Simple proof monster type cable is bullshit. WHY you ask. Open any amp and the wire from the power transistors to the speaker jacks is tiny, like 22 to maybe 18 gauge wire. The weakest link next to the wires inside the actual speaker cabinet. Same wire gauge range internally. Maybe I'm wrong because I noticed my LED Christmas lights look better when I use 6 gauge car jumper cables to provide electric to power the light strings.
LOL - this is great! You are not supposed to look inside;) The engineers have experience in what gets hot and what works - although mistakes can be made. Do your Christmas lights flash? The larger gauge might help the pulsing current make it to the LED. The Gauge is important - oxygen free - Litz - special geometry, and/or dielectric material is inconsequential;)
Bravo!! 1.The biggest point is that you can not see any objective mesurements or independent certificated blind tests on this expensive cable products. No such documentation!! But people like to be fooled and they like to show off. 2. No amp designers like Ken Ishiwata or Mark Levinson and such established "calibers" do not (or did) not recomend -ed some special power chords for maximum performance of their amps. Why? Because that would mean they are really poore designed and they would be bad engineers. 3. Most so called "experts" thinks and according to this explains AC current like water current in the pipes and explains further on this basis how their cable, or whatever special product does filtering or enriching a current. 4. Measurements made by AA channel are really ethusiastic, but they are sooo stubborn about their totaly BS conducted " blind tests" that it is funny or even strange how they can be so serious about their scientific efforts and then so loose, even stupid at interpretations. Yes, it is like lets do the differetiation test about light - bulbs and we will measuere it in 200 or 500Hz interval and then we will see what we see... even TV brands stopped to advertise 100, 200 Hz refreshing capability of their screans, bacuse it is meaningless. 5. ASR measurements also are not the whole objective story or picture about the sound. It is just about if gears are correctly or by hi stadards made or not. With another words, when would be measuremnts conducted in such way, it will be shown that each properly made acoustic guitar has required frequency range, but it will not show the quality or richness of its sound presentation - body resonance, reverb, harmonies... and this also can be measured, but it takes more complex effort, as far as I know about this subject, and I am not a sound technician or engineer. - but i am listening/reading those ones who are. Personally I was very negative surprised about some gears measured great by ASR and they just sound unnatural and poore to my ears. But very clean note edges with mostly no or poore note body - harmonies, usually with hi energetic highs.
Thanks for your fantastic feedback! Everything we can hear can be measured. I think the challenge is to find what it means and how we can interpret it into what we like. It is foolish - or from non-technical types that think we can hear things that we can not measure. The truth comes when those that say "you just have to listen" - but then are afraid to do a double blind test.
This reminds me of when my wife and I bought a violin for our daughter. We drove over 100 miles to get to a place that was highly recommended for violins. I wanted a good violin for my daughter, but since she was just learning, I wasn’t going to buy a Stradivarius. The shop owner pulled three violins off the shelf. One was about $500, another about $1,000 and the last $2,000 which was the limit of what I was willing to spend. Now, I am not a musician at all, but my wife played a couple instruments in high school. However, I generally can tell good music from bad. The shop owner said he would play all three and lined them up in order from least to most expensive. He played the first one and it sounded so-so. He played the second one and it sounded quite nice so I was really expecting the third one to sound fantastic. The third one didn’t sound to me as good as the second. He then asked us if that last one seemed like it was worth the extra money. I looked at my wife and I could tell she was conflicted the same as I was, however, being an engineer, I tend to say what I think. So, I told him that I was no musician, but to my ear the $1,000 violin actually sounded better than the $2,000. He then got a silly grin on his face and admitted that he had lied about the last two and the middle one he played was the $2,000 one. So, I ended up buying that one as it really did sound the best. However, I admit that I figured he was going to embarrass me and tell me I didn’t know a great violin from a good one when I picked the “$1,000” one as sounding best and there certainly was some mental pressure to pick the “$2,000” one. However, unlike audio cables, better (and thus more costly) violins really do sound noticeably better, even to an engineer who has no musical talent. 😁
This is an amazing story! Thank you!! This goes to show that a blind test is worth while - and you passed - not so hard right?! I would expect the art and work that goes into a wood instrument would pay off. Thank you for this great story!
I'm not one of the cable believers, but had a go at making speaker cables from CAT5 cables. Replaced my bog standard oxygen free copper cables with my new CAT5 cables, and I do think they sound different. Would be nice if you could test CAT5 as speaker cables. Either way I'll go on enjoying my placebo improvement.
Apparently, the switching power supply for the water heater in my camping trailer doesn’t adhere to the 20 kHz rule. I can clearly hear it whine when the water heater kicks on periodically. And I’m probably close to your age at 64 having started my engineering career in 1983 so my hearing is hardly fantastic.
Thanks for the great feedback! Yes some old switchers - especially if they are inverters - can be noisy. Sometimes it is the mechanical harmonics - like inductors and transformers.
This is one area of "audiophile" circles I do not understand. I've seen cables that run a thousand dollars a foot that "enhance the top ends" or "deepen the low ends" or whatever other claims the manufacturer wants to make. I've tested some of these cables and... no real difference. Even the "12 conductor, oxygen-free, crystal magnetic, fairy stranded cables." Background: I'm a pianist, I have been my entire life. I went to school for music, got my master's in music. I've worked in a dozen different recording studios and recently (3 years or so ago) built my own. I spent a fortune on a Neve mixing desk, and a Steinway Model B (okay, that was more for me than the studio, but it lives in the studio.) I spent a fortune on speakers, and mics, and soundproofing but guess what I didn't spend a fortune on? XLRs/Speaker cables. Sure, you can lower the resistance in the cable which will help power delivery but... that's about it.
Well said - by a pro! thank you!! I do believe the speakers will give the best benefit per dollar, and the mic obviously has a gigantic effect...the cables just don't - and it is a shame that people spend so much on a part of the system that has no measurable benefit.
10:34 Skin Effect at low kHz that's great. I bought a litz audio cable for $20 to make my setup look fancy. Someday I'll use it with I2C at 100-400 kHz where I can actually measure lower line loss.
Thanks! Remember, the digital signals are designed to carry some noise and be totally OK. That’s why they are digital - 2 levels which makes them immune to much of the noise.
If a cable has capacitance and the speaker has a coil "inductance" there would be a resonant frequency and dependent on the run of cable maybe it does make a difference. Your test was on a short run of wire. I am way to cheep to pay for expensive cables.
Thanks - great feedback! The testing that I have done has focused on interconnects. I will do testing on speaker cable - and I will take into account the crossovers;)
I think there is a benefit to using better cables, but then the whole cable scene got hijacked by people that realised audiophiles are not engineering types but have excess money and who can be sold virtually anything using select technical buzz words. I use audiophile stuff (Kimber mains, van den hul interconnects plus a used silver based XLR for pre power connection) because I want my system to be without obvious engineering compromise as far as I can get it, but not by buying ridiculously priced cables.
Thanks for this great feedback! It sounds like you are a very reasonable person making decisions based on a solid foundation. I will talk about connectors in a video to come - and offer a cost effective solution - to insure a solid system;)
I switched from monoprice 12 gauge to Belkin 10 gauge. Hooked belkin to left speaker and monoprice to right. Monoprice had better highs with less midrange. Belkin less highs more midrange. Brought in wife. She heard the difference and preferred the monoprice. I heard a difference but I don’t know why?
Thanks for your feedback! I’d love to measure these cables to see if there is a difference in the impedance across the audio band. What length did you use? BTW, the reason people talk about double blind tests is that - maybe your wife walks in and sees your smile - and wants to hear what you hear. That’s one way that placebo works. Not to say that is what happened - but it does. Go to an audio show - and watch how people get excited about the person talking about the tech that they are going to play for you. It is intoxicating and fun to be around a bunch of people excited about audio. ;)
Have you gone into a hifi shop and listened? How about hooking the stuff to something that plays music? Keep it simple, drop all the test equipment and use your ears on a stereo. All you keep touting is what you see. Had no idea stereos were to be watched. Contempt prior to investigation.
Thanks for your feedback! This video is about a 1 million dollar challenge that was never accepted. There have been others - but yet - no ‘audiophile’ will put up their reputation to do a double blind test. You gotta ask whys??? But then - if you believe the companies making cables are not loving this craziness….well, at least I can save the new audiophile some bucks. So many Audio clubs across the world - and none can publish a competition where they could tell the difference in a double blind test. To answer your question - yes, I did have an expensive (resolving) system and I put in the expensive interconnects - and wow - I loved them. But then months later - for fun I put the old (free) cables back in - and I was surprised that it sounded the same. The placebo affect is live and real. As an engineer - we use equipment to verify our designs. The audio equipment that you plug the cables into - it is actually designed by engineers - who actually use test equipment to verify their designs. As an engineer - I’d love to find some proof - some test that shows a difference…I’d be famous. But those believers will keep buying their amps and DACs and so on - that engineers designed - but they will keep ‘believing’ that their cool expensive cables make a difference - even though they don’t show up in the measurements….
You could literally put any cable installed that is touted to be the greatest cable in the world and the only reason it sounds different is because you sit 2 in to the left of where you were before you put that cable in. Even the quote-unquote published peer reviewed report put out a year ago tested wires and showed nanosecond differences at a megahertz or higher. All the terms like skin effect and cable capacitance and resistance is not going to make a difference at 20 kilohertz or less. These are factual statements. People who sell cables either no and they're ripping people off, or they're ignorant and they're ripping people off. All of the nonsense, audio power outlets, audio fuses, audio power cables, speaker cables RCA interconnects all of it has become just pure modern snake oil. I hate to think that somebody got taken for really expensive cables in the placebo effect kicks in and then they behemantly defend their purchase because who wants to feel stupid for buying or being swindled more likely into believing that a $5,000 interconnect is going to change everything if your system cost a quarter million dollars. It's crazy. I don't even blame people that buy this stuff I blame the people selling it because they are disingenuous liars that are ripping people off. PS audio sells a five pack of $10 hospital grade outlets for $200. That's insane and that's just a drop in the bucket of the garbage that is pushed. I want everybody to enjoy their system. You are free to spend your money however you want and enjoy things however you want. That's the beauty of freedom. But facts are facts. Feelings are not facts.
No but try double blind testing or measuring with oscilloscope. Balanced audio advantage on long cables is easily proven. If I bought a silver-rhodium cable, I'd placebo effect myself too.
As a lifelong tech myself, I would say techs are often audio enthusiasts themselves. Most would be shocked by the amount of mid-end audio equipment I have, and enjoy. I also have a large amount of good test gear, and if I can't measure it, there is no way in heck flawed human ears can hear it.
I think you're hit and miss on this one. Ive found that some cables matter up to a point but that point is pretty low. Interconnects matter in so far as poorly constructed poorly made cables pick up noise or introduce noise but with decent wire put together well interconnects sound the same. Cable directionality and shielding has mattered for me IRL but that again comes down to noise from tubes, computers and, powerstrips filled with ac and dc powersupplies. There have been tests with skedra headphone cables that have audible measurable impact on low impedance headphones and iems but those are outside the norm. In terms of power supply cables and speaker cables so long as you have decent material put together correctly totally agree that there should be no differences.
Thank you for your feedback! I also thought interconnect shielding would be important. I’m not done investigating, but did you see this video where I tried to couple noise in a home made cheap cable? Interconnect Cable Shielding - Do Cables make a difference? Proof is here. #audiophilecables #qa403 th-cam.com/video/qjQ5gPAIi1k/w-d-xo.html
12:23. THE SIGNAL GOES INSIDE AND FIRST THING GOES THROUGH IS THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE INPUT CAP AND ALSO THE INPUT IS PULLING OR AMPLIFING AND DRIVER YOUR PORTABLE WALKMAN IS PUSHING SO DIRECTIONAL IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT
This actually proves my point. Aluminum capacitors are made for DC not AC, so when there is a DC offset - they have to be positioned with positive side to the DC offset. They can handle AC ripple on the DC - but have to be used back to back (or front to front) to handle AC - as AC goes both ways equally. Thanks for helping prove my point.
23:55 ANOTHER REASON YOU...ARE. WRONG A OLD ANALOG SCOPE DOESNT SHOW HALF THE DETAIL A NEWWER SCOPE DOES SO RIGHT THIER YOUR THERORY OF CANT HEAR WHAT CANT MESURE
Where did you get the idea that an old analog scope doesn’t show as much detail? Digital scopes are cheaper to make and now with higher higher bits in the A/D with higher memory - they are getting as good as an analog scope - kind of:)
This was a well-rounded educational video, I read every comment from your viewers while the video was playing and was lmao, you have a very educated group of followers that are not buying into this audiophile cable BS… I actually subscribe to GR-researxx so I can get more humor out of life when he says buy my crossovers and sht because it’s better… he actually posted a before and after video on(TH-cam with its insanely compressed audio) Like you could actually hear the difference…definitely not..
LOL - thanks for this feedback! I watch GR research because he is a well meaning (I think) likable character - but when it comes to cables - he is up in the night;)
Hi Eddie. In the mid 70s I ran an up market HiFi retailer in the UK. So called Audiophile cables were just beginning to hit the market. One day the importer of expensive cables came into the shop, I had known him from my collage days. I asked him did he really think his cabled made any difference?
He pulled me over to the window and said, "LOOK AT MY CAR" it was a Roller. Of course they make a bloody difference!!
That is a fantastic story;) LOL love it!!
LOL!! :)) People do like be fooled or guided... just look some of pharmaceutic business, vaxinacions, food supplements or food business... we all should be totaly healthy and living 100+ years,,, but we do not. :(
HI EDDIE, LOVE THE RANTS, KEEP THEM COMING. Awesome video. Thank you.
Thanks, will do! I appreciate you!
Eddie outstanding rant, thanks. I totally enjoy these never ending debates on what individuals can hear when it comes to cables. Thank you, Danny
Thank so much!! It is crazy people debate this for years but run from challenges that could make them a fortune:)
The main thing I look for in interconnects is good construction, with decent RCA plugs. If you don't have a solid connection, it doesn't matter how good the cable is. Bonus points for looking good as well. :)
Great point! I appreciate you!
Totally agree 👍💯
Thank you!!
Lol, I love that Rock Crushers...😂
LOL - thanks!
Thank you for the rant !!
It's great to get grounded and learn a bit of critical thinking.
I subbed after listening to so much good common sense 😀☺
Thanks for subbing! I appreciate you!
Eddie , Excellent Video , Very Enjoyable .
Kind Regards
Thanks so much!!
Love the rock crusher analogy 😅
Thanks LOL
Thank you for touching on the price point versus performance. Every review every list everything is always about how much something costs. The reasoning behind it I just cannot understand. Nothing has ever grouped into this class of receiver which is the best of, this type of CD player compared against the same types of other companies, etc. If you want something better apparently you have to just spend more money. We've gotten to the point where people are so focused on money that they can literally have something that cost very little in front of them that performs extremely well but because they can't tell somebody it cost a lot of money it's not good. This is a great video.
Thank you! Yes - sometime you can hold 2 things in your hands and see the quality - and many times that does not reflect on the actual price. It is like if something costs enough - you might have something others cannot afford…so then it must sound better;)
Thank you! Yes - sometime you can hold 2 things in your hands and see the quality - and many times that does not reflect on the actual price. It is like if something costs enough - you might have something others cannot afford…so then it must sound better;)
I've tested some cables that made audible "differences".. The measurements showed higher capacitance in some expensive heavy shielded audiophile speaker cable. The difference was not due to an improvement electrically but actually a transmission line design defect. With some speakers this high frequency roll off may be perceived as an audible improvement. Paying for differences is audiophile science marketing trickery, imho..
Thanks for the great feedback Jim! I've tested interconnects and can't see a difference - although I am not done yet;) Speaker cables - I think - will be a different matter. I'd be interested in any cable that you recommend that I test.
Thanks!
Wow. Thank you for your amazingly support and generosity!!
Simple proof monster type cable is bullshit. WHY you ask. Open any amp and the wire from the power transistors to the speaker jacks is tiny, like 22 to maybe 18 gauge wire. The weakest link next to the wires inside the actual speaker cabinet. Same wire gauge range internally. Maybe I'm wrong because I noticed my LED Christmas lights look better when I use 6 gauge car jumper cables to provide electric to power the light strings.
LOL - this is great! You are not supposed to look inside;) The engineers have experience in what gets hot and what works - although mistakes can be made.
Do your Christmas lights flash? The larger gauge might help the pulsing current make it to the LED. The Gauge is important - oxygen free - Litz - special geometry, and/or dielectric material is inconsequential;)
Bravo!!
1.The biggest point is that you can not see any objective mesurements or independent certificated blind tests on this expensive cable products. No such documentation!! But people like to be fooled and they like to show off.
2. No amp designers like Ken Ishiwata or Mark Levinson and such established "calibers" do not (or did) not recomend -ed some special power chords for maximum performance of their amps. Why? Because that would mean they are really poore designed and they would be bad engineers.
3. Most so called "experts" thinks and according to this explains AC current like water current in the pipes and explains further on this basis how their cable, or whatever special product does filtering or enriching a current.
4. Measurements made by AA channel are really ethusiastic, but they are sooo stubborn about their totaly BS conducted " blind tests" that it is funny or even strange how they can be so serious about their scientific efforts and then so loose, even stupid at interpretations. Yes, it is like lets do the differetiation test about light - bulbs and we will measuere it in 200 or 500Hz interval and then we will see what we see... even TV brands stopped to advertise 100, 200 Hz refreshing capability of their screans, bacuse it is meaningless.
5. ASR measurements also are not the whole objective story or picture about the sound. It is just about if gears are correctly or by hi stadards made or not.
With another words, when would be measuremnts conducted in such way, it will be shown that each properly made acoustic guitar has required frequency range, but it will not show the quality or richness of its sound presentation - body resonance, reverb, harmonies... and this also can be measured, but it takes more complex effort, as far as I know about this subject, and I am not a sound technician or engineer. - but i am listening/reading those ones who are.
Personally I was very negative surprised about some gears measured great by ASR and they just sound unnatural and poore to my ears. But very clean note edges with mostly no or poore note body - harmonies, usually with hi energetic highs.
Thanks for your fantastic feedback! Everything we can hear can be measured. I think the challenge is to find what it means and how we can interpret it into what we like. It is foolish - or from non-technical types that think we can hear things that we can not measure. The truth comes when those that say "you just have to listen" - but then are afraid to do a double blind test.
This reminds me of when my wife and I bought a violin for our daughter. We drove over 100 miles to get to a place that was highly recommended for violins. I wanted a good violin for my daughter, but since she was just learning, I wasn’t going to buy a Stradivarius. The shop owner pulled three violins off the shelf. One was about $500, another about $1,000 and the last $2,000 which was the limit of what I was willing to spend. Now, I am not a musician at all, but my wife played a couple instruments in high school. However, I generally can tell good music from bad.
The shop owner said he would play all three and lined them up in order from least to most expensive. He played the first one and it sounded so-so. He played the second one and it sounded quite nice so I was really expecting the third one to sound fantastic. The third one didn’t sound to me as good as the second. He then asked us if that last one seemed like it was worth the extra money. I looked at my wife and I could tell she was conflicted the same as I was, however, being an engineer, I tend to say what I think. So, I told him that I was no musician, but to my ear the $1,000 violin actually sounded better than the $2,000. He then got a silly grin on his face and admitted that he had lied about the last two and the middle one he played was the $2,000 one. So, I ended up buying that one as it really did sound the best. However, I admit that I figured he was going to embarrass me and tell me I didn’t know a great violin from a good one when I picked the “$1,000” one as sounding best and there certainly was some mental pressure to pick the “$2,000” one.
However, unlike audio cables, better (and thus more costly) violins really do sound noticeably better, even to an engineer who has no musical talent. 😁
This is an amazing story! Thank you!! This goes to show that a blind test is worth while - and you passed - not so hard right?!
I would expect the art and work that goes into a wood instrument would pay off. Thank you for this great story!
I'm not one of the cable believers, but had a go at making speaker cables from CAT5 cables. Replaced my bog standard oxygen free copper cables with my new CAT5 cables, and I do think they sound different. Would be nice if you could test CAT5 as speaker cables. Either way I'll go on enjoying my placebo improvement.
LOL - thanks for the tip;)
Love the shirt 👍
Thanks!!
The open drink glass near electronic equipment gives me OCD. 😂
LOL - it is a great way to keep people at the edge of their seat;)
Apparently, the switching power supply for the water heater in my camping trailer doesn’t adhere to the 20 kHz rule. I can clearly hear it whine when the water heater kicks on periodically. And I’m probably close to your age at 64 having started my engineering career in 1983 so my hearing is hardly fantastic.
Thanks for the great feedback! Yes some old switchers - especially if they are inverters - can be noisy. Sometimes it is the mechanical harmonics - like inductors and transformers.
This is one area of "audiophile" circles I do not understand. I've seen cables that run a thousand dollars a foot that "enhance the top ends" or "deepen the low ends" or whatever other claims the manufacturer wants to make. I've tested some of these cables and... no real difference. Even the "12 conductor, oxygen-free, crystal magnetic, fairy stranded cables."
Background: I'm a pianist, I have been my entire life. I went to school for music, got my master's in music. I've worked in a dozen different recording studios and recently (3 years or so ago) built my own. I spent a fortune on a Neve mixing desk, and a Steinway Model B (okay, that was more for me than the studio, but it lives in the studio.) I spent a fortune on speakers, and mics, and soundproofing but guess what I didn't spend a fortune on? XLRs/Speaker cables.
Sure, you can lower the resistance in the cable which will help power delivery but... that's about it.
Well said - by a pro! thank you!!
I do believe the speakers will give the best benefit per dollar, and the mic obviously has a gigantic effect...the cables just don't - and it is a shame that people spend so much on a part of the system that has no measurable benefit.
Barely a half a beer rant.
LOL - Maybe I should have drank faster;)
10:34 Skin Effect at low kHz that's great. I bought a litz audio cable for $20 to make my setup look fancy. Someday I'll use it with I2C at 100-400 kHz where I can actually measure lower line loss.
Thanks! Remember, the digital signals are designed to carry some noise and be totally OK. That’s why they are digital - 2 levels which makes them immune to much of the noise.
If a cable has capacitance and the speaker has a coil "inductance" there would be a resonant frequency and dependent on the run of cable maybe it does make a difference. Your test was on a short run of wire. I am way to cheep to pay for expensive cables.
Thanks - great feedback! The testing that I have done has focused on interconnects. I will do testing on speaker cable - and I will take into account the crossovers;)
I think there is a benefit to using better cables, but then the whole cable scene got hijacked by people that realised audiophiles are not engineering types but have excess money and who can be sold virtually anything using select technical buzz words. I use audiophile stuff (Kimber mains, van den hul interconnects plus a used silver based XLR for pre power connection) because I want my system to be without obvious engineering compromise as far as I can get it, but not by buying ridiculously priced cables.
Thanks for this great feedback! It sounds like you are a very reasonable person making decisions based on a solid foundation. I will talk about connectors in a video to come - and offer a cost effective solution - to insure a solid system;)
I switched from monoprice 12 gauge to Belkin 10 gauge. Hooked belkin to left speaker and monoprice to right. Monoprice had better highs with less midrange. Belkin less highs more midrange. Brought in wife. She heard the difference and preferred the monoprice. I heard a difference but I don’t know why?
Thanks for your feedback! I’d love to measure these cables to see if there is a difference in the impedance across the audio band. What length did you use? BTW, the reason people talk about double blind tests is that - maybe your wife walks in and sees your smile - and wants to hear what you hear. That’s one way that placebo works. Not to say that is what happened - but it does. Go to an audio show - and watch how people get excited about the person talking about the tech that they are going to play for you. It is intoxicating and fun to be around a bunch of people excited about audio. ;)
Have you gone into a hifi shop and listened? How about hooking the stuff to something that plays music? Keep it simple, drop all the test equipment and use your ears on a stereo. All you keep touting is what you see. Had no idea stereos were to be watched. Contempt prior to investigation.
Thanks for your feedback! This video is about a 1 million dollar challenge that was never accepted. There have been others - but yet - no ‘audiophile’ will put up their reputation to do a double blind test. You gotta ask whys??? But then - if you believe the companies making cables are not loving this craziness….well, at least I can save the new audiophile some bucks. So many Audio clubs across the world - and none can publish a competition where they could tell the difference in a double blind test.
To answer your question - yes, I did have an expensive (resolving) system and I put in the expensive interconnects - and wow - I loved them. But then months later - for fun I put the old (free) cables back in - and I was surprised that it sounded the same.
The placebo affect is live and real.
As an engineer - we use equipment to verify our designs. The audio equipment that you plug the cables into - it is actually designed by engineers - who actually use test equipment to verify their designs. As an engineer - I’d love to find some proof - some test that shows a difference…I’d be famous. But those believers will keep buying their amps and DACs and so on - that engineers designed - but they will keep ‘believing’ that their cool expensive cables make a difference - even though they don’t show up in the measurements….
You could literally put any cable installed that is touted to be the greatest cable in the world and the only reason it sounds different is because you sit 2 in to the left of where you were before you put that cable in. Even the quote-unquote published peer reviewed report put out a year ago tested wires and showed nanosecond differences at a megahertz or higher. All the terms like skin effect and cable capacitance and resistance is not going to make a difference at 20 kilohertz or less. These are factual statements. People who sell cables either no and they're ripping people off, or they're ignorant and they're ripping people off. All of the nonsense, audio power outlets, audio fuses, audio power cables, speaker cables RCA interconnects all of it has become just pure modern snake oil.
I hate to think that somebody got taken for really expensive cables in the placebo effect kicks in and then they behemantly defend their purchase because who wants to feel stupid for buying or being swindled more likely into believing that a $5,000 interconnect is going to change everything if your system cost a quarter million dollars. It's crazy. I don't even blame people that buy this stuff I blame the people selling it because they are disingenuous liars that are ripping people off. PS audio sells a five pack of $10 hospital grade outlets for $200. That's insane and that's just a drop in the bucket of the garbage that is pushed.
I want everybody to enjoy their system. You are free to spend your money however you want and enjoy things however you want. That's the beauty of freedom. But facts are facts. Feelings are not facts.
No but try double blind testing or measuring with oscilloscope. Balanced audio advantage on long cables is easily proven. If I bought a silver-rhodium cable, I'd placebo effect myself too.
As a lifelong tech myself, I would say techs are often audio enthusiasts themselves. Most would be shocked by the amount of mid-end audio equipment I have, and enjoy. I also have a large amount of good test gear, and if I can't measure it, there is no way in heck flawed human ears can hear it.
I one hundred percent agree with everything you said here. - please don't get me started on the audio fuses;)
I think you're hit and miss on this one. Ive found that some cables matter up to a point but that point is pretty low. Interconnects matter in so far as poorly constructed poorly made cables pick up noise or introduce noise but with decent wire put together well interconnects sound the same. Cable directionality and shielding has mattered for me IRL but that again comes down to noise from tubes, computers and, powerstrips filled with ac and dc powersupplies. There have been tests with skedra headphone cables that have audible measurable impact on low impedance headphones and iems but those are outside the norm. In terms of power supply cables and speaker cables so long as you have decent material put together correctly totally agree that there should be no differences.
Thank you for your feedback! I also thought interconnect shielding would be important. I’m not done investigating, but did you see this video where I tried to couple noise in a home made cheap cable? Interconnect Cable Shielding - Do Cables make a difference? Proof is here. #audiophilecables #qa403
th-cam.com/video/qjQ5gPAIi1k/w-d-xo.html
A god amongst prophets!
Oh - you are too kind;)
12:23. THE SIGNAL GOES INSIDE AND FIRST THING GOES THROUGH IS THE NEGATIVE SIDE OF THE INPUT CAP AND ALSO THE INPUT IS PULLING OR AMPLIFING AND DRIVER YOUR PORTABLE WALKMAN IS PUSHING SO DIRECTIONAL IS DEFINITELY IMPORTANT
This actually proves my point. Aluminum capacitors are made for DC not AC, so when there is a DC offset - they have to be positioned with positive side to the DC offset. They can handle AC ripple on the DC - but have to be used back to back (or front to front) to handle AC - as AC goes both ways equally. Thanks for helping prove my point.
23:55 ANOTHER REASON YOU...ARE. WRONG A OLD ANALOG SCOPE DOESNT SHOW HALF THE DETAIL A NEWWER SCOPE DOES SO RIGHT THIER YOUR THERORY OF CANT HEAR WHAT CANT MESURE
Where did you get the idea that an old analog scope doesn’t show as much detail? Digital scopes are cheaper to make and now with higher higher bits in the A/D with higher memory - they are getting as good as an analog scope - kind of:)
This was a well-rounded educational video, I read every comment from your viewers while the video was playing and was lmao, you have a very educated group of followers that are not buying into this audiophile cable BS… I actually subscribe to GR-researxx so I can get more humor out of life when he says buy my crossovers and sht because it’s better… he actually posted a before and after video on(TH-cam with its insanely compressed audio) Like you could actually hear the difference…definitely not..
LOL - thanks for this feedback! I watch GR research because he is a well meaning (I think) likable character - but when it comes to cables - he is up in the night;)