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.
"This used to be among the absolute best forum. Now its a food fight filled with newbies who are no more audiophile than my 7 yr old niece. But they know it all, like I did when I was 17-18." Wow! This and similar comments from others in this thread should make people in the industry, hoping to lure new users to the audiophile world weep. |
Let me see if I can throw some light on where @exflute was coming from. To him all music is not the same. For him pure unamplified live acoustic music is different from other forms. He's a classical musician. I think he's got a good point and one I can understand. For him electronic artifacts are an interference to his listening pleasure, be it an electric guitar, a tape recorder, a digital set-up, whatever. That's not unreasonable surely. After all, we all admit there is no perfect hi-fi system; in fact more are a poor substitute for live music. But its all we have. I am not prepared to concede, as quite a number here have posited, that exflute's ears are good for playing in a professional orchestra but bad for hearing cable differences.
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There are people who are in this hobby and claim that there are not differnces between cables, or that digital transports sounds the same or that diy dacs or speakers sound good or better than hi end products. Perhaps I would argue with them, if I had extra time to spend on unknown people and unimportant subjects. On the other hand, there are people who are not in this hobby and to whom any properly configurated hi fi system may sound almost the same and who are not burdened by its imanent idiosyncracy. It would be wise if every such statement should be taken within its context and with proper understanding of its origin. On the other hand, op has raised some interesting questions, perhaps even unintentionally. Some food for the thoughts... Does hi fi have meaning beyond listening of unamplified music (other than classical, jazz or similar) Does anybody really believe that hi fi reproduction can sound like a 'real thing'?(except for the tone and timbre of instruments)...Stereo does not exist in the nature...(there are excellent mono systems, I know) Hi fi is all about creation of illusion of 'live event' and no matter how big is your room, I doubt that anyone can fit in a symphonic orchestra...Somebody even wrote that his reproduction is even more real than the live event...which is fine if you are fan of hyperrelism...but, some might call such way of expression as artificial, with every right... Naming hi fi as a tool which will help as hear the recordings as they were made is another myth. Nobody, except the mastering engineers knows how something sounded before its been worked on. We can only compare the recordings with our imaginary references, that were made on live events or perhaps by listening different gear. In any case, the op does not deserve the personal attacks. Hi fi should be fun and enterteiment, a hobby (no matter how pointless or expensive it might be) and not the extension of someone's ego... |
@alexatpos The following 'In any case, the op does not deserve the personal attacks. Hi fi should be fun and entertainment, a hobby (no matter how pointless or expensive it might be) and not the extension of someone's ego...', are my sentiments exactly, each to there own, and each to using the equipment and ancillaries where they are most satisfied. In the OP there is a reference to a experience that potentially caused the thread creator to be aloof, this is possibly something expressed by all to some degree, who have spent time close to the retail side of HiFi. The results the thread creator has perceived during their own trials with Cables are their experience, perception and assessment, I accept their findings.
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