a great take on big$ cables

Pabelson:

Just because you don't know the science doesn't mean the science doesn't exist

Then we finally agree! You and I don't know why it sounds different. That doesn't mean it sounds the same, only that we haven't reached that level of analysis or technology. I couldn't agree more!!!

science and engineering is still a little behind when it comes to measurement...

any cable or piece of gear will pass signal... the question is it letting the "emotion" of the performance through (pretty "delicate" signal that cant be measured by NO INSTRUMENT !!!!!. when you find one, please let me know..)

some people are tone deaf and in some audiophile circles some are tone/emotional deaf..(to find out, go buy a couple favorite albums and go listen to it on a Linn turntable in a really nice high end system... if you are not touched by what you hear(assuming the system is correctly set up... then you might be "emtionally tone deaf"..

a lot depends on what a listener is "listening for"..... julian hirsch (aka stero review -a otl futterman amp sounds like a pioneer reciever) was case in point...

We all know its in our mind. Cheap wire ... expensive wire, copper ... silver, tube ... SS, good hearing ... poor hearing. The fun is in the journey and the discovery process. I could end my year-old sojourn into this audio hobby right now if I wanted to. My modest system sounds damn good, but I like trying new components, including the wire family. Hell, most of us could save a lot of $$$ by getting hypnotized into believing our current audio system sounds perfect. It all comes back to our mental perceptions and my mind tells me to keep trying cables, amps, speakers, tweaks, etc., because ITS FUN!!!. My only fear is that my wife will insist on a couch session before I can get my amps cryo'd. So keep up the debates cause their a lot of fun too.

I should make a disclosure: I will shortly be introducing a new cable that smooths out the quantum time smearing effect. This effect happens because there are many parallel universes where our multiple selves are listing to music at the same time, producing an interdimensional resonance in a previously unknown tiny organ in our brains. If that resonance is disturbed, it can make us feel that something is wrong. Due to quantum time effects, some of those universes get out of sync by a few tiny time quantum steps, causes smearing of the inter-dimensional image and disturbing the resonance. This is why so many people are alternately happy and unhappy when listing to their systems. My cables use a proprietary quark-based dithering technique to smooth out this quantum staircasing and restore the resonance, bringing back the feeling that everything is fine.

The resonance can also be enhanced with my secret nutrient formula based on a 6000-year-old Assyrian recipe that uses 100% natural ingredients. Just down a few bottles of this while you are listening to my cables, and I guarantee you will feel good about your music. You won't even have to turn on your system to feel the effect. In fact, all you need are the cables and the nutrient to have a pleasant evening.

You guys act like it's all real, as though facts and truth are the same thing. Rocks are hard, that's a fact (yes, yes, I know that not all rocks are hard, but let's pick nits later). But truth is a concept, like beauty. Its really all in your heads. Are we really what we seem? Or could be we be artifacts living in something like the Matrix? Or just the dream of a sleeping god? Ultimately there is no way to know; one can obsess about it and either go nuts or found a religion, or one can just get on with having the experience. If it feels real, treat it like its real. Our brains use data from all our senses together. Close your eyes, hold your nose and taste a lemon; it'll taste different, but it's still a lemon. The fact that your senses act synergystically does not invalidate the experience. And not knowing why also does not invalidate the experience. You don't need to know why a rock is hard to get bashed in the head.

I'm an engineer, and there have been many times in the past that I've confused facts with truth, it's an occupational hazard. When someone refers to the studies like those on Mr. Russell's website, they are bringing just as much preconceived baggage into their experience as anyone else, under the illusion that they hold The Truth. So what if copper1 is the same as copper2? Duh! What does that have to do with cables that are made by people in different ways to acheive specific effects, and just happen to use conductors? Are all cars the same because they are made of metal and plastic?

Double blind testing is needed when there are subtle differences, and remember that "subtle" will vary: a trained perfume maker would not need double blind testing where a pig farmer might.

These different cables whack me right in the ear, I don't need to close my eyes to be sure I'm not being swayed by pretty colors or esoteric theories (although I bet scientific studies would show that things sound better if you're happy!).

Whew! Sorry for the rampage, I just drank some coffee (and actually I have done double blind tests to see if premium coffee is any different). Come to think of it, I've done a lots testing of beer too. It's all different, but that's OK with me. Savor the experience.