Cable curmudgeon


I'm not an 'audiophile" but I like to think I have a good ear having been a professional musician (principal wind player in major symphony orchestras) for 50 years. A number of years ago going into an excellent audio equipment store I talked with, what seemed, a knowledgeable salesman.  Being a musician experienced in audio systems but not expert on all the equipment out there I had some questions concerning high (over-priced?) end cables. The salesman assured there was an audible differencet in a demo room switching back and forth etc.  After a few minutes I noticed the sound coming out of only one channel.  He complemented me on my "good ear."  Hmmm? A few years later when setting up my home system I investigated speaker cables. Two sets of Monster, stranded standard cable, solid core copper (used for alarm system) attached with like connecters. There was a difference.  However, not in terms of better or worse: bass and treble were acceptable as was clarity loud and soft.  Differences were esthetic- like asking "whose the best tenor" (I like Plácido).  Now I know as a musician used to live (i.e. un-amplified) music that all I hear coming out of a loud speaker is perforce ersatz.  But most everything today comes out of a loud speaker whether a rock concert or a hi-fi system so perhaps my opinion is curmudgeonly. But, for me, spending oodles of money on hyped cables, well... I  liked the solid core for my alarm system- still do.

 

exflute

You may as well walk around with a transistor radio if it doesn't really matter. When you've made up your mind you are incapable of learning anything more.

I often wonder how many times a fine component is auditioned with mismatched cables and discarded as [pick your poison]?

 

@exflute I sat on the other side of glass and mated cables to microphone to preamp. As you heard, they differ. Better? In what context?

Well you ruffled some feathers there.  But I checked and you live in the US so you actually have a right to your opinion.  In my cables I like lots of fragrant tobacco, rich soil, white flowers, smashed minerals and metal. Medium-bodied and saucy but racy acidity.  Most cables I find boring.--Jerry

@carlsbad ....*G* Well, you've either described a beautiful lounge while preoccupied by a very interesting red wine....or a cable that should be used 'elsewhere', where I'll leave up to you... ;)

On the other hand, I'm not going to be a party to lit the fire under yet another 'wire war' that can go on like a bad redux of War and Pieces....

*sigh*(channeling

....of the audiodefiled variety...)

"I want to reach a higher plane

where things will never be the same....'

Respectfully, J 

rsf507:

"@exflute sounds like you have great 👂"

Not if he thinks Domingo is the greatest tenor.

Oh and exflute, if you think all concert halls allow you to distinguish between the various instruments of an orchestra, then all I can say is that you may not have toured in all that many countries. There are halls that are dead and others where the acoustics are totally alive. In the latter category I would place Die Wiener Staatsoper and Das Festspielhaus in Bayreuth.