Do your ears deceive you?

Long ago a friend went crazy over a couple speakers designed by a Professor of Engineering.  The Prof claimed to have found the magic enclosure dimensions and configuration for flat 20-20K response from a single 4 inch driver.  Also claimed a perfect stereo image regardless of placement.  The friend was dead serious believing the claims.  Actually sounded like what you would expect from a 4 inch driver in an enclosure about the size of 2 cigar boxes.

In another discussion a person referenced a speaker cable blind test conducted by "experts" as proof blind tests are the only valid method to identify if differences exist.  Two cables at very different price points were evaluated.  Listeners heard a difference.  Therefore because it was a blind test the results must be valid and statistically significant.  Only problem, 3 music tracks, 3 listeners, 2 cables of large cost disparity.  A poorly constructed test that proved nothing.     

The tendency to believe those with knowledge, authority, or the badge of "expert" is very strong.  Those factors contribute heavily to individually held bias. 

Cable skeptics have an obsession with cost over synergy which is the key with cables. Dedicated lines also help with subtle nuances, what % of skeptics have dedicated lines? 

For those audiophiles following this thread and are still on the fence as to what to believe, there is no easy-to-grasp one answer fits all. Some cables in fact do not make a difference, regardless of their cost; some do, but in very small degrees of improvement; others degrade the signal, to audible effect; some are good enough to hear the jump in sound quality enough not to want o live without; some listeners, as with the way they see, listen very very well, while just as many others are not as able to catch or observe things they see or hear; most cables cannot be spoken of in isolation of the systems they sit in, together with the impedances that come before or after, as they are part of a profound relationship of the entire signal chain; the rare few do perform at such a high level, the entire signal chain may matter less. 

The first vital thing in all this, is that the effect of all cables, however impactful one may feel their improvement to sound in their system, is often considerably smaller and subtle in relation to everything else to be considered in a system. The second vital thing is, commonly, regardless of how small the difference may be, its specific nuance of difference to sound realism can be so great, it cannot be unheard if one has sufficiently developed listening ability to discern that difference.

The last vital thing is in being very honest knowing what kind of a listener you are, and if developing better listening skills while putting effort to understanding the specific signal chain making up your entire system, is worth the time and passion in your quest for hearing the sheer realism of reproduced sound in playback equipment. If indeed it is not worth your time and money, it would be obviously silly to put money into equipment, cables or anything one does not hear the benefit of. Sit back, calm down, and don’t waste your time trying to persuade others to be like you - it is perfectly ok not to driven by the pursuit of the highest levels of sound realism.

But if your passion drives your chase of the dragons tail in this crazy and wonderful hobby of ours, know it will be a very very difficult journey, fraught with countless demos, experiments, frustrating moments, and wasteful decisions, as there as so many variables and relationships in any signal chain to consider. There is no easy road here. Just know the journey will be absolutely worth its while.

In friendship - kevin 

@kevn,

Not a bad explanation but it’s a lot simpler than that.

If your system is of sufficient quality, one can absolutely hear a difference in cables.

It’s easily demonstrable.

My issue isn’t whether or not someone can hear a difference, my issue is that if one CANNOT hear a difference in their system, then no one else should be able to either.

Or similarly "I can’t measure it with a multimeter, therefore it cannot exist."

I don’t know why a tiny little fuse makes a difference in sound quality in a $6000 amplifier or preamplifier. All I know is that it does. $200-$300 for that improvement is a bargain.

I don’t know why 2 different strands of copper wire (or silver, or whatever) sound different than a coat hanger. All I know is that they do.

I don’t know why a $10 power cable sounds different than a $500 power cable, but it does.

I don’t owe anyone an explanation. I don’t care what equipment anyone runs, or what anyone else thinks. I don’t need double blind testing, nor am I seeking anyone’s approval. I don’t need a bunch of people to come over and tell me which ones THEY like best, or if they can hear a difference at all. I don’t care what anyone ese thinks. What matters to me is what I hear, and what I think.

Herd mentality.

Buy what you want, listen to what you like. If cables didn’t make a difference, why do I have boxes of extra cables sitting around? And btw, not all of them are the "cheaper" alternatives to what I’m currently using. Some cables sound better with certain pieces of equipment than others. THAT’S why I have boxes of cables sitting around. So when I swap a component in/out (which I do fairly often, especially CD players), I have options to experiment with, TO FIND OUT WHAT SOUNDS BEST.

Those of us that believe cables play an important role in fine tuning an audio system are not trying to convince anyone. Time, effort and money are needed that could derail the casual Audiophile in finding out the truth. In conclusion fine detail and subtle nuances are IMO what HEA is about. Not everyone has the same level of passion and interest in this hobby/lifestyle.