So What Is Real?
What is it that Art Linkletter used to say? Kids say the darndest things. Well, it seems some FB audio group administrators, audiophiles, high-end audio salespersons, audiophile society officials, and manufacturers also say things that make little or no sense when talking or posting about cables.
I usually steer clear of FB posts or online magazines that promote high-end audio cables. It's just never safe to present with science, established electrical engineering theory and practice, or objectiveness when cables are concerned. A recent exchange on a familiar FB audio group page resulted in a member calling me a "cable denier" because I advocated for science and physics in evaluating power cords.
The thread basically dismissed my comments because I'm a member of the professional audio engineering community. Audio equipment salespeople, FB administrators, high-end audio marketing managers, and the general audio buying public are claimed to be better and more reliable sources of information when it comes to recommending expensive accessories and cables. According to the gentleman below, they are capable of listening in ways that audio professionals can not.
One commenter wrote:
"Mark is a pro and speaks just like one, but he is not a professional LISTENER, like you (Writer's NOTE: the guy offering the ultra expensive power cords), I and so many others in the high-end industry. Interesting is that most so-called experts are also naysayers who work in the recording industry, not in the high-end industry."
What does this statement actually claim? That professional audio engineers and producers do not know how to listen? That spending one's professional life in front of speakers in a control room doesn't require listening?Maybe...just maybe...the engineers responsible for producing the recordings that are played back in these guys high-end systems are correct in their assessment of power cords and expensive USB/Ethernet cables. Image that!
Can you really trust a gentlemen that just launched a new cable company that offers a 6-foot power cord for $3150? Oh and this person also believes that cables are directional! BTW They are not.
Here's a couple of additional comments...
"Cables can make a difference. I’m glad I can hear those differences it truly enhances the experience. I have been a dedicated audiophile and in the industry for over 45 years and have been able to identify those differences since my first experience with Smog Lifters in the 70’s. I search for and usually discover great products that deserve special attention by people looking for the last bit of resolution and coherency. I’m truly sorry for those that wouldn’t hear the difference."
Here's a comment from an individual that swapped a normal Ethernet cable for an expensive one.
"...the Vodka seemed to remove a layer of film for superior textural reveal. There was also a shade more tonal depth and recording space ‘air’. Most noticeable of all was a further uptick in micro-dynamic jump."
I don't know about you but I cringe when I hear people talk about audio in such terms. And this after listening to a commercial album and then stopping, swapping the cable and relistening. It's unbelievable.
I could pull quotes from cable reviews all afternoon but I think you get the point. When anyone starts spewing nonsense about power cords, digital interconnects, or network cables, run away. Keep your wallet in your pocket and unsubscribe from that group or online magazine. Their motivations are suspect. They either want to sell you something (usually at very high cost) or are dependent on advertising dollars from the companies they write about or the individuals they interview.
"On a not-so-related note.... here's our speakers for the '30's...*G* https://www.wired.com/video/watch/scientist-explains-how-to-levitate-objects-with-sound |
On a completely unrelated note I have compared CD with 320 kbs AAC and after switching back and forth for a while I had to realize I couldn’t tell the difference. And my system is pretty good. Schiit Vidar amp, Maggie LRS speakers, Oppo 203 UDP. This was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted the CD to be better. But it just isn’t. Nor is high-rez (IMO). I compared a 24/192 bluray of Supertramps "Crime of the Century" with a CD of the same. Again, no difference. And again, not what I had hoped for. So I’ve got the feeling that for me to attempt to hear the difference between speaker wires would probably be a waste of time. My wires are rocketfish 16ga. "oxygen-free copper" (whatever that means) and they’re each six feet long so it seems to me (after all I’ve read about wires) that they probably do not influence the sound at all, but that’s just me. |
Levitating objects with sound is kind of passé ever since they levitated a frog 🐸 in a magnetic field. https://youtu.be/KlJsVqc0ywM |
@hombre, "On a completely unrelated note I have compared CD with 320 kbs AAC and after switching back and forth for a while I had to realize I couldn’t tell the difference. And my system is pretty good. Schiit Vidar amp, Maggie LRS speakers, Oppo 203 UDP. This was not what I wanted to hear. I wanted the CD to be better. But it just isn’t. Nor is high-rez (IMO). I compared a 24/192 bluray of Supertramps "Crime of the Century" with a CD of the same. Again, no difference. And again, not what I had hoped for. So I’ve got the feeling that for me to attempt to hear the difference between speaker wires would probably be a waste of time. My wires are rocketfish 16ga. "oxygen-free copper" (whatever that means) and they’re each six feet long so it seems to me (after all I’ve read about wires) that they probably do not influence the sound at all, but that’s just me." Definitely not just you alone. As far as I'm aware no human ears have ever been able to reliably identify those 'differences' either. I once compared the same recordings coming off my Sony NWZ something MP3 player with my Marantz CD6000 ki CD player. I initially found it disturbing to discover that even with immediate switching from one to the other they sounded alike. It was a difficult feeling to describe, like a sudden and profound disappointment. I had wanted to hear that my MP3 player was reasonably close to my highly regarded CD player, but not that close! Even now, years later it still slightly rankles that an MP3 player (playing the same 320 Kbps files) can sound identical to a CD player playing the original CDs! I accept that everything between the recording and our ears does make a theoretical difference, but from day one I never got into this hobby for mere theoretical differences. I mean like, what do you prefer, 679 grains of salt on your fries or is it 680? |
