Why!? Please Tell Me Why!

[Nordkapp]

8 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

Other than the above, just buy fanciest, most expensive Phaatie-est cables and enjoy the warm euphonic glow of confirmation bias at its best 

The thread that keeps on giving. Much to the annoyment of others. Gonna get me some of those big snakes!!! Then my stereo will sound great!!!

[gmgraves]

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

Well, we should mention that:

 

1.  a USB cable can transmit EM noise or create a ground loop

Try to avoid USB for audio, myself. Bought an older Mac laptop for my stereo because it had a SPDIF Toslink connection built into one of it's 3.5 mm audio I/O ports (haven't used it since last summer's PROMs concerts on the BBC, so I don't recall off hand which it is - senior moment). 

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

2. speaker cables can affect sound when used with coneheads (which present a complex impedance)

Beyond Dan Ackroyd and Jane Curtin, I don't know what Coneheads are. But lots of speakers respond to different types of speaker cables.

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

3. Interconnects can pick up RFI/noise - the simple solution is to use a Balanced cable (and if your equipment only provides for RCA connections, then consider that the manf. is not serious about SQ, no matter how much they charge).  Also, Benchmark recently noted that Star-Quad helps even more.

Very true. But it would have to be a pretty powerful field to get through the shielding. Most people have no problem with that. I agree with using balanced or Quasi-balanced cables and a star-ground arrangement if one has those kinds of problems. Otherwise, regular, coaxial interconnects of good build quality will suffice. 

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

Other than the above, just buy fanciest, most expensive Phaatie-est cables and enjoy the warm euphonic glow of confirmation bias at its best 

Amen.

[gmgraves]

6 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

The thread that keeps on giving. Much to the annoyment of others. Gonna get me some of those big snakes!!! Then my stereo will sound great!!!

I think it will sound better than great! Don't you know that with the right set of cables, a Dynaco Stereo 120 transistor amp will be transformed into a Nelson Pass XS 150? 

[Ralf11]

Coneheads are speakers with cones and small motors in them; also, people who listen to those type speakers

 

I don't use USB either - bad for my liver

[Nordkapp]

Maybe GUTB should start a "USB Sucks" thread. I hope to be USB free within a year or so. Till then I shall suffer on. Although when I spin those small, shiny polycarbonate discs, I feel joy. 

[Allan F]

1 hour ago, Nordkapp said:

If said cables are "altering" sound, then they are effectively adding or subtracting  something. That said, yes I desire the most neutral interfaces as possible. 

 

They are subtracting from or degrading the original sound recording to whatever extent. 

[fas42]

2 hours ago, Albrecht said:

Nope....

 

No cable, - designed well or not has a sound. But different cables effect the sound of the system. It has nothing to do with competence or incompetence, - but design goals....

 

What is not well designed is how audio systems are plugged together - the barely adequate integrity of how the components are connected, and how aspects within components are implemented all adds up to a plethora of weaknesses and problems areas - yes, it all works, and meets specs; but; still leaves plenty of room for all sorts of interference effects to impact - just enough to be audible to most people.

 

Playing with cables and all the other gee whiz accessories then just alters the balance of the audible anomalies - "everything matters".

 

It's a bit like a trailer full of things that haven't been tied down properly - everything shifts as you drive along; you stop and add more bits of rope, inexpertly; jam things together, put extra "stuff" in to try and stabilise. It never really works, and the journey is a tiring one ... the real solution was to expertly lock everything in place when loading, make it "tight as a drum" - and then any road can be tackled, with no drama, ever.

[Allan F]

26 minutes ago, gmgraves said:

I think it will sound better than great! Don't you know that with the right set of cables, a Dynaco Stereo 120 transistor amp will be transformed into a Nelson Pass XS 150? 

 

Of course, George! And you know that is primarily because of the ability of the right set of cables to eliminate the Stereo 120's infamous crossover distortion.

[Ralf11]

yes, you just cross the cables in the opposite way and the crossover distortion vanishes !

[gmgraves]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

Coneheads are speakers with cones and small motors in them; also, people who listen to those type speakers

 

I don't use USB either - bad for my liver

Yeah, you don't want to get a chill on your liver! Thanks for the definition. I should have known. Not one of those either!

[gmgraves]

1 hour ago, Allan F said:

 

Of course, George! And you know that is primarily because of the ability of the right set of cables to eliminate the Stereo 120's infamous crossover distortion.

Of course, one's Stereo 120 can't sound like a Pass Xs150 if it still has that crossover notch! (by yimminy!)

[marce]

16 hours ago, Albrecht said:

Nope....

 

No cable, - designed well or not has a sound. But different cables effect the sound of the system. It has nothing to do with competence or incompetence, - but design goals....

Then all bets are off because it is not Hi-Fi (high fidelity) but is adding distortion, so we are not here to get the best sound but create effect boxes!!!!!

[marce]

16 hours ago, Allan F said:

 

Rocket science has nothing to do with sound. Cables do affect sound quality, and its not because of incompetent designers or designs that fail to fully account for basic circuit characteristics.

What is it then....

[marce]

16 hours ago, Albrecht said:

""Proper cable design does not require compromises."

Beyond saying not much in that sense, - like what do you mean by "proper" or "compromises?," - sure, - whatever, - and i never said that cable design does...

 

" A cable has very basic circuit characteristics that can all be fully accounted for in design"

Yes, - so? Again never said anything to the contrary....

 

To say it another way.. and to get specific. Cardas Clear and Nordos Valhalla are two very different designs, - both can affect the sound of a system, - in some systems, - they may cause the system to sound the same. In others, - (depending on amps/speakers/sources), they can make the system sound different. They have different resistance levels, different shielding, etc..  One is not designed or engineered poorly, the other is not necessarily better designed or Better engineered.... Through testing, and analysis...  the engineers from both companies and their dealer networks,  their customers, on other listeners know through many, many, tests the above to be true.

 

Your argument falls apart under the truth of what every listener knows, - that cable manufacturers are not propagandist liars bamboozling people with products that will not affect any changes in a high end audio system.

Yeah right....

[shtf]

On 4/16/2018 at 4:23 PM, Nordkapp said:

So this image was posted earlier in another thread. I believe it was from AXPONA 2018. Regardless, can someone please comment on what in the hell the purpose of these "cables" could possibly be. I'm no E.E, but I have plenty of ideas of what one could use them for, other than electrical signals. These damned things just make me sad for our entire hobby.

 

 

Seems obvious to me that TAS and Stereophile still have a few die-hard subscribers.  I could probably fit 75-100 of my Audio Tekne speaker cables into that dialectric.  But I'll bet dollars-to-donuts at least 50% of those visting that room were enamored with the cables and in the end, isn't that what sells?