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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 3 responses by mitch2

mitch2
4,207 posts
 

@exflute - You are correct, you did kick an ever-present hornet's nest.  Its all good when people share their personal experiences but things tend to go off the rails when people try and tell others what they should be hearing or make collective judgement decisions about the value of something.  Whether a cable, fuse, or tweak is "overpriced" is a subjective assessment that can only be made by the buyer with respect to their own experiences, system, and budget.    

I like to say that we all vote with our wallets - purchase and live with what makes you happy.  As some here have wisely said, the only person you need to satisfy is you.  I also agree with @baylinor that seeing a poster's virtual system allows me to have better perspective on their posted viewpoints.

 

mitch2
4,207 posts
 

@cleeds 

As for those asking others to post their systems, 

Just for clarity, I am not asking you or anyone else to post their system here but, for those who do, seeing their virtual system usually allows me a better understanding of their viewpoints.  I am sorry your information was doxed. 

mitch2
4,207 posts
 

Why all the animosity? “Flat earth crowd,” “obscene profits,” “sales poetry,” - who cares what others think about the cables you use? This is not a contest, but you can vote with your own wallet to buy the cables that sound best in your system - it’s all good.
I owned AZ Double Barrel Shotgun SCs and thought they were pretty good but then found other cables I liked better - multiple solid core OCC wires in foamed polyethylene. However, I also like heavy gauge old stock Western Electric speaker cables, manufactured Furutech speaker cables, and cables I made using Jupiter copper in cotton wire. I sometimes switch between them for fun.

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