2. cables
  3. 166070-159469

What do we hear when we change the direction of a wire?

Douglas Self wrote a devastating article about audio anomalies back in 1988. With all the necessary knowledge and measuring tools, he did not detect any supposedly audible changes in the electrical signal. Self and his colleagues were sure that they had proved the absence of anomalies in audio, but over the past 30 years, audio anomalies have not disappeared anywhere, at the same time the authority of science in the field of audio has increasingly become questioned. It's hard to believe, but science still cannot clearly answer the question of what electricity is and what sound is! (see article by A.J.Essien).

For your information: to make sure that no potentially audible changes in the electrical signal occur when we apply any "audio magic" to our gear, no super equipment is needed. The smallest step-change in amplitude that can be detected by ear is about 0.3dB for a pure tone. In more realistic situations it is 0.5 to 1.0dB'". This is about a 10% change. (Harris J.D.). At medium volume, the voltage amplitude at the output of the amplifier is approximately 10 volts, which means that the smallest audible difference in sound will be noticeable when the output voltage changes to 1 volt. Such an error is impossible not to notice even using a conventional voltmeter, but Self and his colleagues performed much more accurate measurements, including ones made directly on the music signal using Baxandall subtraction technique - they found no error even at this highest level.

As a result, we are faced with an apparently unsolvable problem: those of us who do not hear the sound of wires, relying on the authority of scientists, claim that audio anomalies are BS. However, people who confidently perceive this component of sound are forced to make another, the only possible conclusion in this situation: the electrical and acoustic signals contain some additional signal(s) that are still unknown to science, and which we perceive with a certain sixth sense.

If there are no electrical changes in the signal, then there are no acoustic changes, respectively, hearing does not participate in the perception of anomalies. What other options can there be?

Regards.
anton_stepichev
dletch2
455 posts
 
I also don't understand why these folks think that the biases they suffer are endemic to the human race



Because they are. You may not understand this, but that does not make it any less true. Application specific knowledge reduces bias. The people who get the most abuse on these forums are those most immune to bias. This is not conjecture, but has been shown repeatedly in subjective testing fields.


I have never avoiding blind testing, and because of that, I know, for fact, that audiophiles, just like everyone else are susceptible to bias, and expensive systems and listening experience appears do not inoculate a person from bias, no more than a sugar solution inoculates against a virus. Lifelong audiophiles with expensive systems are just as susceptible as anyone, and if they have convinced themselves of their infallibility, then they are even worse. I believe @Mijosytn in another thread pointed out that there is the ability, if desired, to train yourself to be better to pick up changes, but this is beyond the capabilities of most audiophiles as they cannot generate the controlled changes necessary, and as obvious in this thread, are unwilling to remove their eyes from the equation.



millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
I wonder, in your scientific and philosophical inquiries, have you ever studied the phenomenon of people incapable of noticing their own circular reasoning?
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Actually, to put it in simple words, direction of cables (speaker and interconnect) does not matter.

By the way, it also sounds the same one way or another. I tried.

In short, if you are so passionate about defending directionality of cables, go volunteer in local soup kitchen, read to disadvantaged children, or do something else valuable.

"Grandpa, what are you proud of?"

"I showed that guy on the Internet forum how ridiculous he was and that cable direction will give you blacker blacks."

"I am proud of you grandpa. I want to be just like you."
djones51
4,947 posts
 
.
I also dont understand why these folks think that the biases they suffer are endemic to the human race
I always suspected some here thought they weren't human.
pip_helix
30 posts
 
I remember reading in 1976 in French ,the first edition, the" fractal objects" of Mandelbrot and all the book was about measuring in a way...

The first chapter was: How to measure brittany coast...

 One of the most beautiful book i read...

The book became legendary after that, a milestone in science....

I guess once the world realized that YOU of all people had read, approved, and were moved by Mandelbrot that it was inevitable his book would become “legendary....a milestone in science.”

A golden mind to go along with your golden system and golden ears. 


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