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Buyer Beware

This is my first post on Audiogon Forum but I have been a audiophile for almost fifty years. I like to buy and sell used equipment because it gives a chance to try a much wider range of products. Recently I wanted to try different USB cables and in that process I purchased two products from Mad Scientist Audio. One was their Black Magic and the other was the Ultra version. Both were purchased used from different sellers. I own two systems and decided to keep both. In both systems I use a AMR DP-777SE dac. In the system using the standard Black Magic USB the system was not using the built in volume control. About 2 month after purchasing the cable I tried using the internal volume control in the dac and it only worked at full volume. Thinking the dac was faulty I sent it back to TMR (great company) for evaluation. They tested it for 2 weeks in every configuration possible and determined it was working as it should. When i got the unit back (after a cost of approx. $200) I determined that the problem was the Black Magic USB cable. I contacted Bob at Mad Scientist Audio by email multiple times and he replied that his cable is incompatible with 1 in 50 produces and mine must be the 1. I then tried it in two other systems and also had the same results. Either the volume control didn't work or  I would get cracking noises. after many emails back and forth Bob would not exchange the cable for a working one and only offered to sell me a Ultra cable at a discount. I don't know what his profit margin or warranty policy is but I have never experienced this especially with a cable manufacture, I offered to send it back to him so that he could access the problem but in the end his last email read "Therefore I don't think it's worth you wasting anymore money trying to fix or exchange your cable." Very disappointing. The cable is now in the trash. I know that this is a small boutique manufacture but with the controversy regarding cable costs and  if expensive cable are necessary I thought that buy telling my story maybe it would alleviate this situation with this company. 

sdorfman58

Showing 4 responses by lordmelton

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
1,070 posts
 

There is no "Black Magic" about USB cables, they either have 2 or 4 internal wires. They can be easily tested with a multimeter for continuity.

There is no special resistance or impedence, only other possibility is earth, are the cable ends showing continuity?

If the cable doesn't work in anything and you can prove damage the seller should give you a refund. I think it's very unfair to cast aspersitions on the manufacturer.

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
1,070 posts
 

Why do they do it? We have cable derangement syndrome and probably it is associated with TDS.

Who is the patron saint of lost causes. What are they trying to save us from.

Should we spend our hard earned cash on hookers, booze and blow instead of cables?

In my 40+ years of audiophilia I've found that cables are a great investment and actually can increase in value.

When your super duper amp has blown it's caps and your SACD player can't be fixed, you'll get a great deal on your used quality cables 10-15 years later.

Maybe part of the problem is these naysayers don't have a really resolving high end system or their system lacks synergy.

Anyway they can glory in the resplendence of their bell wire.

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
1,070 posts
 

@kennyc @devinplombier 

I don't believe anyone is putting anyone else down but the naysayers are not just unique to the audiophile scene, they are in the wine, exotic car, art etc. scenes.

I can't afford to pay $100M for a Francis Bacon painting but I can appreciate it and not be an ass and say my print is just as good.

Everyone knows that a Tesla is faster than most supercars but it's a different ball game.

The younger generations who were weaned on earbuds, MP3 and uninspiring pop music are unlikely to find audiophilia a worthy and rewarding pursuit.

Exorbitant cost isn't always synonymous with great sound but it usually is.

Most audiophiles have built their systems over many decades, trading their way to better gear and cables. So it does rub me raw when someone says they can't hear a difference and your money was wasted on that streamer when you could have bought some flavour of the month $100 black box instead.

 

lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
1,070 posts
 

@devinplombier 

What I would add is it's all about synergy. You need to get your system in synergy before adding expensive cables. Get your dealer to give you cables on a 30 day loan, a few days is not enough. (I'll get hammered for this but I've found British amps and speakers work well together).  Your next upgrade should be power cables, next IC's and finally speaker cables.

It took me years to realise that my speakers were the problem, in my present system. Changing the speakers made a massive difference. If I was a young guy with 2-3 kids and a mortgage that would not have been possible.

I don't use room correction at the moment but a good friend has been raving about a mid-priced system he heard and he said it was amazing, so that's the next rabbit hole...Lol.

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