Mr Hosehead,
Interesting thread - thanks for the link. None of this surprises me in the least - least of all the venom. Fremer sounds like an emotional fellow and this is just the type of person who writes good objective reviews.
If Randi has brains or good advice then the test will be with ordinary wires of short lengths ( no capacitors, diodes, resistors, inductors in the cable) furthermore he should use an easy speaker to drive (close to 8 ohms with no nasty dips to destabilize the amp) and a low output impedance high quality amp (run at levels far far below clipping). The test should also require music not test signals.
In this configuration, Mr Fremer will have a very tough job indeed, as the audible differences are known scientifically to be extremely small. And as you say other tests in the past have shown similar results - no detectable audible difference ( although we all know that a very slight difference must exist ).
Clearly Randi does have an objective....to show that triple figure cables are not materially different in their audible characteristics from the already exotically priced Monster Cables. This is probably why he is primarily focussed on two very high $$ cables...after all it will make a good press story whereas two similar priced cables might make no splash at all.
The stakes are high for both parties...if Fremer wins it would be tremendous vindication for the kind of reviews we read in Stereophile.
Personally I hope this verbal abuse from Fremer is not intended to leave him a way out of the test....he now simply claims it is impossible to work with a "LIAR" and a "Sack of Sh*t", as the test will be rigged anyway.
Interestingly this is the exit or avoidance strategy that many paranormal psychics etc have used with Randi in the past.It is a win win for them. They gain publicity by accepting Randi's challenge and then back down over a number of months, one excuse after another...
