I don't really understand the motivations of cable-deniers. Are they trying to "save" everybody from pointlessly spending money? Surely participants on this site can make up their own minds. The one responsible thing to do is to urge everyone to buy from vendors who allow a home trial and return privileges. Then they can make up their own minds. If that's not it, then it must be because they want their personal opinion to win out. What else could it be?
Cable curmudgeon
I'm not an 'audiophile" but I like to think I have a good ear having been a professional musician (principal wind player in major symphony orchestras) for 50 years. A number of years ago going into an excellent audio equipment store I talked with, what seemed, a knowledgeable salesman. Being a musician experienced in audio systems but not expert on all the equipment out there I had some questions concerning high (over-priced?) end cables. The salesman assured there was an audible differencet in a demo room switching back and forth etc. After a few minutes I noticed the sound coming out of only one channel. He complemented me on my "good ear." Hmmm? A few years later when setting up my home system I investigated speaker cables. Two sets of Monster, stranded standard cable, solid core copper (used for alarm system) attached with like connecters. There was a difference. However, not in terms of better or worse: bass and treble were acceptable as was clarity loud and soft. Differences were esthetic- like asking "whose the best tenor" (I like Plácido). Now I know as a musician used to live (i.e. un-amplified) music that all I hear coming out of a loud speaker is perforce ersatz. But most everything today comes out of a loud speaker whether a rock concert or a hi-fi system so perhaps my opinion is curmudgeonly. But, for me, spending oodles of money on hyped cables, well... I liked the solid core for my alarm system- still do.
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@exflute - You are correct, you did kick an ever-present hornet's nest. Its all good when people share their personal experiences but things tend to go off the rails when people try and tell others what they should be hearing or make collective judgement decisions about the value of something. Whether a cable, fuse, or tweak is "overpriced" is a subjective assessment that can only be made by the buyer with respect to their own experiences, system, and budget. I like to say that we all vote with our wallets - purchase and live with what makes you happy. As some here have wisely said, the only person you need to satisfy is you. I also agree with @baylinor that seeing a poster's virtual system allows me to have better perspective on their posted viewpoints.
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Some claim that, as you probably know. But I think they’re really here just to argue. That’s why they can be so consistent.
Exactly!
Of course the naysayers have rationalizations for why that isn’t acceptable either, such as vulnerability to "confirmation bias." Again, their goal seems to be to simply perpetuate an argument. As for those asking others to post their systems, I’m sorry to say that I’d never do that here. I was doxxed once on this site. I do have some photos of my system on the Friendly Forum for High-End Audio, where the high-jinx that is common here would never be tolerated. |
@bruce19 The reason higher-end manufacturers don’t include better power cables with their products is that the cables are very listener and system dependent, and most audiophiles either already have or will buy good aftermarket PCs that best meet their tastes/needs. Plus, including better PCs would significantly increase the price of the product, which is not consumer friendly if many are likely to replace the PC anyway.
@clearthinker You continue to be absolutely clueless as to the actual point I was making, and I just feel sorry for you dude. And my only intention was not to put the OP down (although I admit that was a nice side benefit) but rather to explain why his inexperience in high-end audio does not put him in a position to make an uninformed claim like expensive cables are all “hype.” It’s certainly his right to have that opinion, but that he did so with overconfidence and arrogance was what prompted my more pointed comments. And his argument about un-amplified music being different from a home audio system is wrongheaded and ridiculous. A home system’s job is to, as best as possible, recreate what the recording engineer intended and laid down on the master — PERIOD. Whether the music is live, dead, amplified, or un-amplified is completely irrelevant to the agnostic task of an audio system to accurately reproduce what it’s fed. If the OP had more experience he would recognize that better audio systems, given a good acoustic recording, can absolutely bring a live feel and experience to the home listening environment, but his closed-mindedness will likely prevent him from ever experiencing or realizing that. Ok, I’ve waisted enough time on you. Maybe someone more knowledgeable and experienced here will explain to you what my original post actually addressed in terms of the OP not being qualified to make definitive assertions regarding high-end audio as I’m not inclined to educate or deal with you any further. Peace out. |
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