2. cables
  3. 177425-173981

Cable curmudgeon

I'm not an 'audiophile" but I like to think I have a good ear having been a professional musician (principal wind player in major symphony orchestras) for 50 years. A number of years ago going into an excellent audio equipment store I talked with, what seemed, a knowledgeable salesman.  Being a musician experienced in audio systems but not expert on all the equipment out there I had some questions concerning high (over-priced?) end cables. The salesman assured there was an audible differencet in a demo room switching back and forth etc.  After a few minutes I noticed the sound coming out of only one channel.  He complemented me on my "good ear."  Hmmm? A few years later when setting up my home system I investigated speaker cables. Two sets of Monster, stranded standard cable, solid core copper (used for alarm system) attached with like connecters. There was a difference.  However, not in terms of better or worse: bass and treble were acceptable as was clarity loud and soft.  Differences were esthetic- like asking "whose the best tenor" (I like Plácido).  Now I know as a musician used to live (i.e. un-amplified) music that all I hear coming out of a loud speaker is perforce ersatz.  But most everything today comes out of a loud speaker whether a rock concert or a hi-fi system so perhaps my opinion is curmudgeonly. But, for me, spending oodles of money on hyped cables, well... I  liked the solid core for my alarm system- still do.

 

exflute

Showing 6 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,087 posts
 

wesheadley

I really didn’t mean to rile up the MAGA loving or the placebo-denying crowd ...

Huh? The only one who seems riled up here is you.

I’m just pointing out the obvious ...

No, you're engaging in a silly argument. Please don't pretend otherwise.

I have tried multiple cables from decent to very expensive ... it’s just trading one set of micro-differences for another with NO relationship between price and ultimate sonic quality ...

So you acknowledge the differences in cables. Good for you!

The only issues, then, are how important those "micro differences" are to each listener and whether they think any are worth paying for. You clearly think the differences are trivial. What isn't clear is why you expect your opinion to be universally accepted. You probably endure a lot of frustration in your life, so good luck to you.

cleeds
6,087 posts
 

wesheadley

The reason I’m cable critical is because of the industry’s long history of false claims and rampant over-charging.

So you’ve developed a self-justified righteous indignation, which you then believe entitles you to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Good luck with the frustrations in your life.

cleeds
6,087 posts
 

 

twoleftears

I don’t really understand the motivations of cable-deniers. Are they trying to "save" everybody from pointlessly spending money?

Some claim that, as you probably know. But I think they’re really here just to argue. That’s why they can be so consistent.

Surely participants on this site can make up their own minds.

Exactly!

The one responsible thing to do is to urge everyone to buy from vendors who allow a home trial and return privileges. Then they can make up their own minds.

Of course the naysayers have rationalizations for why that isn’t acceptable either, such as vulnerability to "confirmation bias." Again, their goal seems to be to simply perpetuate an argument.

As for those asking others to post their systems, I’m sorry to say that I’d never do that here. I was doxxed once on this site. I do have some photos of my system on the Friendly Forum for High-End Audio, where the high-jinx that is common here would never be tolerated.

cleeds
6,087 posts
 
clearthinker

You are incorrect.  My post was not derogatory to Soix.

It's silly for you to be arguing with me. If you truly believe that your post was not derogatory, take your complaint to the moderators. They're nice people. They will explain to you exactly how it was derogatory.

cleeds
6,087 posts
 

bruce19

What a shame, you merely told @soix that you disagreed with and did not call him derogatory names ...

You must not have seen the now-deleted post. It was derogatory.

... cables are one of the best profit centers in hi-fi, perhaps that explains the ferocity which some defend them.
It seems to me that the "ferocity" is from those who insist there's no difference between cables.
cleeds
6,087 posts
 
+1 @teo_audio. You really summarized this well.

 

You left off one characteristic, however. These same people will recoil in feigned bewliderment when one of their vile, insulting, degrading posts is deleted by a moderator. "A moderator just removed my previous post.  What was wrong with it??" they "innocently" ask, while then accusing others of publishing "bile."

Hey, wanna know why your post got scrubbed? Ask the moderators. They'll actually tell you. But of course, it's easier to blame the participants here than accept responsibility for your own behavior.

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