The most detailed speaker cable??

Let's try to interpret (rather than be sick). What Rsbeck seems to be claiming is that a connecting wire, in and of itself, cannot be "detailed" or otherwise because a wire passively connects components and only carries a signal (I'd also add the connections there). So the effects (detailed, etc) shouldn't be attributed to the wire but, rather, the components around the wire. Also, whatever the measured deviations in the signal transfer, they are so small that they couldn't be perceptible.
What Sean is saying is that, I agree the wire is passively connecting components, but, you sould look at the case as a network. In the case of speakers, for example, the load seen by the source (amp) is the wire+ x-over + drive units. In this respect, the wire can impact on the load and therefore effect the AF response perceived through the spkrs -- and, you CAN measure differences (if you like).

Rsbeck's incredulity comes from applying logic to confirm or disconfirm a claimed material event ("I perceive a difference"), while Sean is trying to focus on the claimed material event ("I perceive a difference") and confirm or disconfirm it using electrical circuits...

At the end of the day, EEs know their electrical circuits well -- so this shouldn't be such a contentious issue. Unfortunately, few EEs are interested in thoroughly researching AF it seems -- hence the endless discussions and zero definitive conclusions! (Although I remember that Aball is researching s/thing similar -- but again, NOT in the AF range)

>>but, you sould look at the case as a network.<<

Exactly what I am saying. Look at the entire chain. A speaker cable cannot
deliver more detail than what it is given -- it cannot CREATE detail, so I
recommend looking at upstream components. To think otherwise is magical
thinking. A Speaker is far more likely to LOSE detail, fail to resolve it, or
introduce distortion than a speaker cable and most listening rooms have
similar problems. So, I recommend looking at the entire chain. That this
should be controversial only shows me that people get riled up awfully easily
when discussing cables -- which is part of the cable phneomenon.

>Are we all fools?

Maybe. REG would say you (we) are, though he probably wouldn't use that term. If you blindly trust only what you hear and you don't also THINK and QUESTION, then I would have to agree.

Rsbeck, please don't go away.

Rsbeck's last post was spot-on: cables cannot add detail or, for that matter, character to what flows through them. Yes, you need to be aware of impedence, etc., but that's it. By all means, use nice and appropriate cables. However, more careful attention to other components -- primarily the amp and speakers -- will have a far greater impact.

And, yes, having said that, please re-read "bryanhod"'s comments -- aside from the juvenlie invective, it is based on absolutely nothing factual. He claims to have listened to hundreds and hundreds of cables. That's fine. This is a hobby for some people, and some people really get into it, there's a pride of ownership factor, and, of course, a significant placebo effect.

I know quite a EE's, have a graduate degree in physics, and know several amp designers, sound systems designers, producers, etc., quite well. I don't know of one who buys into 99% of this stuff or, for that matter, who spends good money on "high-end" cables. Unfortunately, the "trust your ears" dictum is very misleading, precisely due to issues of suggestion, pride, enthusiasm, etc. Psych 101.

I highly applaud manufacturers who stand up for what's right in this matter -- and this means some of the biggest guns in the business, such as ARC, Mac, etc.

"A speaker cable cannot deliver more detail than what it is given -- it cannot CREATE detail / to think otherwise is magical thinking. "

This is EXACTLY why i want Rsbeck to listen and compare some Nordost to his reference i.e. heavy gauge zip cord within the relaxed confines of his own system, that he's highly familiar with. If he can hear more detail with the Nordost than with the zip cord, that would mean that the zip cord was LOSING detail by his own definition. If it was losing detail, that would mean that the measurements that he keeps referencing either weren't accurate to begin with and / or weren't telling the whole story.

Then again, and as Yoda would say, "talking to a brick wall, i am". He'll talk the talk but he refuses to walk the walk. Sean
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