2. cables
  3. 124957-818

Are audiophiles still out of their minds?

I've been in this hobby for 30 years and owned many gears throughout the years, but never that many cables.  I know cables can make a difference in sound quality of your system, but never dramatic like changing speakers, amplifiers, or even more importantly room treatment. Yes, I've evaluated many vaunted cables at dealers and at home over the years, but never heard dramatic effect that I would plunk $5000 for a cable. The most I've ever spent was $2700 for pair of speaker cables, and I kinda regret it to this day.  So when I see cable manufacturers charging 5 figures for their latest and "greatest" speaker cables, PC, and ICs, I have to ask myself who buys this stuff. Why would you buy a $10k+ cable, when there are so many great speakers, amplifiers, DACs for that kind of money, or room treatment that would have greater effect on your systems sound?  May be I'm getting ornery with age, like the water boy says in Adam Sandler's movie.
dracule1
phusis's avatar
phusis
1,229 posts
 
faster61woman
3 posts
06-05-2016 8:04pm
I'm wondering, why all of the hoopla over expensive wire/fuses? Why don't we fuss over acoustic treatments more?

I'm far more in agreement with you on this than not, relative to some aspects. Room acoustics is a big factor and contributor to the overall sound of ones audio system, but I much prefer tweaking acoustics with "natural" environmental aids than those typically pre-manufactured that absorb sound more than they diffuse. Diffusion to my ears leaves a vital element of energy and "aliveness" intact, though a certain (preferably minimum) amount of absorption seems necessary. Taste is another factor, I guess; to me the threshold of the level of absorption hits earlier than others, but where the reverberative nature of the acoustics may still be too prevalent I seek to minimize via diffusion. It's a balance that takes some trial and error to attain, where my preference into acoustical behavior is tilted towards that which is slightly more alive/reverberative. The careful arrangement of plants, bookshelf, rugs (a big cow skin on a wooden floor in my case) and furniture can bring you a long way - indeed I prefer natural materials to achieve this. Added to this my speakers are all-horn equipped which makes them more directive in nature, and so downplays some much of the contribution of the room. 
dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
Phusis, although you can try "natural" acoustic treatments as you describe it, they are nowhere nearly as effective as absorbers and diffusors that are made based on mathematic calculations from acoustic theory. For example, book selves filled with books do minimal or no diffusing. I was dissapointed when I found out.  Believe me, I've tried using plants, rugs, bookshelves, couches, etc. In a problematic room, these don't come anywhere close to real diffusors and absorbers. 
dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
Uncledemp, all of my acoustic treatments come from GIK Acoustics.  Go to their website which has plenty of informative material on acoustic room treatments.
uncledemp
792 posts
 
Thanks for the leads, guys. I'll read up- I have a lot to learn.
david12
1,454 posts
 

I was wondering, should there be a warning over threads like this, perhaps a skull and cross bones, or "Warning, minefield, enter at your peril." Perhaps it would reduce long term health costs, particularly Blood Pressure meds.

 Like Spring following winter, so it seems the same unanswerable threads seem to come up again and again.

 My cents worth:

Do Cables make a difference? Yes I am sure they do, having heard convincing demos at various shows, particularly one by Zensati. Mind you, their top cables come in at over $30,000, each that is, not for a whole set.

Is it worth spending loads of money on cables?  Well it's your money, you decide. For myself, if I had 10 or 20,000 dollars to spend on cable, which I don't, I would sleep better if I gave it to charity instead, but that's just me.

 There, I feel better for getting that off my chest.


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