Hey OP what Transparent model cables did your dealer give you. And have you already listened to your system with these cables? I remember checking out bottom of the line transparent and I was not impressed. This was a long time ago though.
I see the issue with ABX blind testing
I’ve followed many of the cable discussions over the years with interest. I’ve never tested cables & compared the sound other than when I bought an LFD amp & the vendor said that it was best paired with the LFD power cord. That was $450 US and he offered to ship it to me to try & if I didn’t notice a difference I could send it back. I got it, tried it & sent it back. To me there was no difference at all.
Fast forward to today & I have a new system & the issue of cables arises again. I have Mogami cables made by Take Five Audio in Canada. The speaker wire are Mogami 3104, XLRs are Mogami 2549 & the power cords are Powerline 10 with Furutech connectors. All cables are quite well made and I’ve been using them for about 5 years. The vendor that sold me the new equipment insisted that I needed "better" cables and sent along some Transparent Super speaker & XLR cables to try. If I like them I can pay for them.
In every discussion about cables the question is always asked, why don’t you do an ABX blind test? So I was figuring out how I’d do that. I know the reason few do it. It’s not easy to accomplish. I have no problem having a friend come over & swap cables without telling me what he’s done, whether he swapped any at all etc. But from what I can see the benefit, if there is one, will be most noticeable system wide. In other words, just switching one power cable the way I did before won’t be sufficient for you to tell a difference... again, assuming there is one. So I need my friend to swap power cables for my amp/preamp & streamer, XLR cables from my streamer to my preamp, preamp to amp & speakers cables. That takes a good 5-10 minutes. There is no way my brain is retaining what I previously heard and then comparing it to what I currently hear.
The alternative is to connect all of the new cables, listen for a week or so & then switch back & see if you feel you’re missing anything. But then your brain takes over & your biases will have as much impact as any potential change in sound quality.
So I’m stumped as to how to proceed.
A photo of my new setup. McIntosh MC462, C2700, Pure Fidelity Harmony TT, Lumin T3 & Sonus Faber Amati G5 & Gravis V speakers.
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@benanders Lots of things have been “demonstrated” one way or another but doesn’t make something “ubiquitous.” I’ve heard consistent differences manually switching between many cables and did not need instantaneous switching to hear it, and these difference were consistent, clear, and repeatable. Some people, apparently like yourself, don’t possess the ability to do this so can’t trust their own ears, but it’s a very useful method for those of us who can. |
I'm with audphile1 on this one. Start improving the room before you mess with the cables. Sub in front center between speakers can't be good. If it's temporary and you don't use it, move it out. Dual subs on opposite walls outside of speakers would be where to start. The rubber floor would seem to me to be way too absorbing. With all the absorbing material you already got, you would benefit greatly by adding a lot of diffusing, specially on first reflection points and rear wall. Your front diffuser between the speakers produce very little diffusing. People usually place it there for something to look at. It does very little for audio. Once you get more clarity and better soundstage with the appropriate amount of diffusing, you will be able to tell the difference between cables much better. And I am not talking about diffusers/absorbers like the front ones, but pure diffusers.I am only speaking from my personal experience as I learned a lot about acoustic treatment in my house of stereo. I always appreciate audiophiles who pay attention to the room so I applaud you. However you have quite a ways to go yet. It took me over two years to get it right. Enjoy the journey. |
@soix your arguments are falling on deaf ears. |
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