The Audio Science Review (ASR) approach to reviewing wines.


Imagine doing a wine review as follows - samples of wines are assessed by a reviewer who measures multiple variables including light transmission, specific gravity, residual sugar, salinity, boiling point etc.  These tests are repeated while playing test tones through the samples at different frequencies.

The results are compiled and the winner selected based on those measurements and the reviewer concludes that the other wines can't possibly be as good based on their measured results.  

At no point does the reviewer assess the bouquet of the wine nor taste it.  He relies on the science of measured results and not the decidedly unscientific subjective experience of smell and taste.

That is the ASR approach to audio - drinking Kool Aid, not wine.

toronto416

@devinplombier "Pure copper makes an excellent spade connector"

A pure copper spade will have uneven bumps resulting in poor connection.

@samureyex

Are you telling me silver and copper sound the same? They have different electrical properties, different capacitance and inductance, so the question is, do you think they both sound the same?

No, I am just suggesting that your assertion that speed is faster in silver is wrong.

Capacitance and inductance are primarily characteristics of the cable construction.

If we narrow the debate to speaker cables (that is high current, low frequency domain), in my opinion there should be an audible difference between cables if they differ in say resistance (as copper and silver cables of the same diameter would).

The primary reason is that loudspeaker impedances vary greatly with frequency, especially in cross-over regions. The impedance of the speaker and the resistance of the wire are in series. Changing the wire resistance means relatively more or less power is delivered to the speaker over different parts of the audible spectrum, changing the tonal balance for those with golden ears.

Also pure copper is far from an "excellent connector". For the same reason you stated, its softness and malleability, the opposite of what a good connector represent.

The malleability of pure copper means that those ’uneven’ bumps present on any surface get squished into the holes, providing more contact area especially in spade configuration. The ideal connector has no discontinuities and no contamination - I am thinking of friction or pressure welds.

Of course it is no good if it breaks!

@richardbrand Ain't no way the binding post will even up your bumps. Even if it did, you still wouldn't want a pure copper spade, the oxygen and humidity will destroy it over time.

So this circles us back to the initial point. A good connector would have a mix of different metals, which will inevitably cause different degree of signal degradation. How much will depend on the technology and alloy involved. 

Now you have 2 cables of varying signal degradation, in which universe would you expect them to measure and sound the same?

@devonplombier

"@richardbrand that's a cute story. Are you making that up? 🤔"
That story is just that - a story. It is not correct.
By the way, even though Grange is the dearest Aust wine it is by far not the best.