Why high-end cable manufacturers don't post measurements?

From your words it seems there’s a bit of envy over people being able to spend.

ROTFLMFAO! 35 years ago I had $25k+ expended. Today, I could spend $$$$, but since $$$$ has ZERO correlation to musicality, why would I? Do I get a pass for having ≈$5k in speaker cables for my Tri-Amped system?

The more “ opinions” we get, and ones that seem to confirm each other, the more reliable we can expect the results in our homes to be.

You miss the point. Most recommendations are by fan-boy owners. Judging by what I hear in high shops of products recommended here, most systems are terrible at the parameters I value. Conversely, my recommendations would fall on deaf ears. Literally!

It is impossible for anyone to advise on performance of a component vis a vis another in a system other than their own.

Last year, I auditioned some $6k & $12k balanced interconnect cables in a fine dealer system. All Mac electronics, B&W 80?, dual REL subs. A very good system, one I could easily enjoy. Swapping in the $12k between the pre & power amps destroyed the sound field. It sounded like I'd put two graphic equalizers in series, alternated boost & cut and then reversed on the 2nd. Time coherence was destroyed! UNLISTENABLE!!

You might ask, "How did I know which was correct?"

I recorded and mixed the music, receiving a Grammy nomination for my trouble.

b4icu,

"I’d returned and will as many times as I like. Any problems with that?"

Not at all,

"If Amp’s DF is high, at 9’ length, a #0 or #00 is required.
So suggest the calculation, so it improves the sound."

Notice that my observation seems to have been correct. 0, or even 00. I wonder, how come you never noticed it, and still keep nugging.

I have never tried 0, or 00, cables. As you noticed, they are quite inconvenient to work with. Not to mention that I am suspicious about the idea of finishing a thick cable with a thin cable and then pretending it is all thick cable. I may be wrong about that, but I am not wrong about the weight of the cable, connections, and other practical issues, potentially introducing more problems than solving them.

As a side note, my speaker cables are gauge 9 or 10 (I forgot), were in $100-200 range for 2m, and are made by an "audio company". They look very professionally put together. Much more professionally than 0 with a thin strip at the end. Notice that they are not 12 or 14.

EDIT: They are 11, not 9 or 10.

You assume anyone who praises a product is a fan boy, and I have found that if people Did not hear what they expected with a product they are ver vocal about it in a negative way. They will try to return it, or sell it to try something else. I’m sure there’s a small number of fanboys just as there are those who do what you do, and deny all positive reviews. I don’t believe anyone has said that every product works well in every system, in fact, just the opposite. Plus we all like different sounds, more bright, less bright, warm, detailed, etc. thats why there will always be the part where we have to listen, all the measurements won’t give us the final answer. I’m happy for the success you have achieved in your field, but dosnt mean you’re any more correct than anyone else might be. There are engineers on here that will try to proclaim they’re the ones with the knowledge also. I don’t care for some Grammy winners at all, so dosnt mean their style works for me because of their award. In every field there are constants and ideas to build upon. If there weren’t I don’t think we would have evolved very far in any field that worked how you describe. I know for a fact that I can speak to engineers in your field and would find a consensus on certain things and how to approach them without having to start from scratch in every studio, with each genre. So no, we won’t be throwing out reviews, past discoveries and findings, because they are relevant. But as previously mentioned, if it works for you, then by all means. It’s your time, your enjoyment, and your hobby, assuming you are involved in this end of things. 

glupson 08-05-2020 8:48pm

It is only partially true. Most of the manufacturers I have seen do post measurements. Of the length. Some, rare ones I think, do even post gauge. That would be about it, but is hard to catch them saying "never post measurements".

millercarbon 08-09-2020 3:20am

This whole thread is fake and based on a total misrepresentation and false premise. Every speaker cable manufacturer publishes their cable measurements. Otherwise, how would you know if you were buying 8 feet or only 6?

I am honored. I just wrote it with a little less strong words.

@glupson 00 welder's cable is much more flexible than battery cable, but it's still tough to poke the ends into those inadequate spade connectors.

@b4icu Who said I admired Belden?  Belden is one of the biggest manufacturers of bulk cable, of all kinds, shapes, sizes, and price points.  Iconoclast happens to be their most expensive model and the one clearly and very directly aimed at audiophiles.  Hence my observation that in this case, measurements + audiophilia did mix.

Now if only all amplifier manufacturers would publish (accurate) damping factors, all would be hunky-dory.  Right?