Does raising speaker cables off the floor really make a big difference?

Was there a writer's strike?

Every time I hear 'snake oil", I'm reminded of Rain Man.

Thank you for the sane perspective. 👍

@wyoboy, Shopping tomorrow? I feel for ya. That, and having your birthday so close to Christmas probably made your childhood less satisfying than the other kids who had theirs in, say, summertime.

I hope they work as well for you as they have for me since, after all, it was you that got me thinking about it and then ordering the holders from Ikea. I'll bet Ikea is wondering why those tea candle holders are flying off the shelves.😄

I hope your wife hears the differences as well. That would make for some great dinner conversation. 👍

All the best,
Nonoise

@uberwaltz, here is the link I used: https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaesnas-tealight-holder-clear-glass-60259096/

All the best,
Nonoise

Hey @uberwaltz, if your tile is stone, ceramic or a composite of natural mediums, I doubt you'll hear a difference. I'm sure Michael from Tune Land or Geoff would disagree but from what I've read and my limited experience, to wit, synthetic carpets are the worse to lay cables on.

The improvements were immediate and repeatable. There's always a cheap and easy way to determine if you'll benefit from it. Some here have tried foam cups to determine if they can hear a difference. If so, then you can get something a bit more aesthetically pleasing without breaking the bank. 

@ywoboy, the Ikea tea light holders came in just half an hour ago and they offer the same improvement as the Yoplait Oui glass jars but look much better and dig into the carpet better as well. You can invert them as well to see which end holds the cable best. Both ends have that rounded, saw tooth pattern. I have them both ways as no two cables bend and weave alike.

All the best,
Nonoise

@prof, I find it amazing the lengths of inference you'll go to, to have the last word. Enjoy them.

All the best,
Nonoise

@prof ,

Yes, I've gone out of my "bubble" many a time. It helps to keep perspective. One mustn't stop learning.

I did so when it comes to fuses. After my experience with different brands on my previous integrated, it was apparent that they made a difference. With my latest integrated, I went in "knowing" it would and much to my surprise, they didn't. In fact, the one that came with it sounded the best.

As for raising cables, as I've already stated, I've never heard that big a difference, if any, all those years ago. It was only from reading this thread that I thought I'd try it and the difference was plainly evident, and much for the better.

Lowering them to the floor validated my findings. Simple enough thing to do, and repeatable. Now, do I need to have people over to witness it? That would be a silly thing to do and those that know me would end up seeing me in a less favorable light. 😄

As for the tangental, metaphysical argument of do I really hear what I think I'm hearing malarkey, don't go there. I've seen you do this to others as of late which I found a bit distasteful and led me to contribute less as a result. 

To see a topic of discussion devolve into a brow beating of sorts on someone who's syntax was in error or who didn't fully communicate thoughts (due to the nature of this format) as well as others (yet the meaning was there for anyone to comprehend) left a bad taste. 

Can't have that. 

All the best,
Nonoise

He trolling you.
Puddles, indeed.
Oh so clever.
What an intellect.

@khughes, oh I do.....👍

@khughes, Nope, not incited at all. I'd have to consider your comments as provoking or hurtful when they are quite the opposite. I'm just having fun, like you.

All the best,
Nonoise

See you on the Catskills circuit.
All of those podunk towns will lap it up.

It’s both patently obvious and amazing as to what lengths some go to, to frame their argument. All manner of speculation and implications are thrown into the mix in order to avoid the relevant topic at hand.

It’s so simple but they strive to make it so complex.

All the best,
Nonoise

I think there is an awful lot of projection from naysayers as of late. They cling to certain bias diagnosis (from afar) and neglect the ones they fall victim to.

Fear of change can be a large predictor of one's perception to any manner of topic. The lengths one will go to to remain in their bubbles is astounding. 

The results can bring down empires, societies, religions and even audio forums.

All the best,
Nonoise

I've read his stuff before and after rereading his passage on cable risers, he offers nothing but his opinion that it doesn't matter, along with some pictures. Not any different than if he would have posted it here.

A lot of the negative bashing seems to be wholly rote in nature, like a knee jerk response.

All the best,
Nonoise

@wyoboy, Understood: she who must be obeyed....

If all goes well, I'll be getting mine on Monday. I have no reason to think they'd work any better than what I'm using now, but they will look a heck of a lot better, and maybe, there'll be some more improvement once I move all my cables off the floor.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to you sir,
All the best,
Nonoise

Just because people write something, it does not make it so.....

This constant siren call of insanity on the part of the listener is growing old and stale. No amount of sophistry or wordsmanship can mask the emptiness of their arguments.

The concept of lifting cables goes way back. I remember when it wasn't considered necessary for natural wood floors or for those who use natural fibers in their rugs. It was never a big deal until some unscrupulous folk started selling ridiculously priced gear to raise the cables. 

'nuff said about that as it can be done on the cheap and it doesn't hurt to try. Like I said before, I didn't hear much of a difference 25 years ago but my gear back then wasn't anywhere near as resolving as it is now. It was on a lark that I tried it, thanks to this thread, and I'm all the better for it. No biggie. Get over it folks.

All the best,
Nonoise

When you say "mix", do you mean not pure enough?

Fellow audiophiles, if you have crummy synthetic carpet, like I do, this is a no-brainer. Around this time of year I shock the hell out of my finger touching anything metallic so I can only imagine what my cables are subjected to.

CD after CD have the clearest and cleanest presentation.

Ever.

I ordered some of those Ikea tea light holders from Ikea and am getting 12 for $11 and change, delivered. With the extra holders, I’m going to elevate my power cables as well. What the hell: I’ll see if even that has a positive effect. If not, it’ll sure look nicer.

This has got to be the cheapest tweaks I’ve encountered in quite a while. I now have no desire to get a power conditioner, like the Niagara 1200 or the Puritan PM-156. Now that’s some money saved. Maybe I’ll buy a decent dress watch with the savings, like a Stowa Antea or something like it.

All the best,
Nonoise

Instead of a discussion, it takes it's usual tack and becomes open mike night, again. All the negative comments gloss over the fact that all of this can be done on the cheap and anyone can try it. Red herrings abound as valid points and dog piling ensues. 

Carry on my tin eared friends
There's no peace when you are done
Close your mind to how things sound
You'll still cry all the more👍

All the best,
Nonoise

@wyoboy, Good luck with them and let us know if it works. 👍
I don't want to find out I'm crazy. 🤪

All the best,
Nonoise

@wyoboy, I took a look at those Ikea tea light holders and they look like they'd be an even better fit for cables than the Yoplait Oui glass jars I'm trying out.

That wavy top can hold a cable more securely than the flat top I have, and the bottom is wavy as well, looking like it would dig into a carpet in a better fashion. I'll check them out this weekend. Thanks for the heads up.

All the best,
Nonoise

Now that's the George we all know and appreciate. 
No need to change your style now.

All the best,
Nonoise

coming from the foaming mouth

But George, that's been your standard way of addressing everything you don't agree with. I thought you'd appreciate the similar style you employ.

All the best,
Nonoise

Did you better half misunderstand and hit you instead?

All the best,
Nonoise

So if one decides to go with cable risers, how long is the break-in period?

Not sure if that is snark, but I'll bite. 🦈

For me, the effect was practically immediate. It could be due to the nature of my synthetic carpet, the weather, or more but just using some small glass jars to raise the cables did the trick.

I've listened to a few more CDs and love what I'm hearing.
No need for fancy stuff.

All the best,
Nonoise

And, somehow, it’s the people asking questions that are the "Know-It-Alls?"

It's one thing to ask a question, another to belabor a point beyond what's accustomed or necessary. 😄

All the best,
Nonoise

I haven’t tried lifting my cables for well on 25 years. When I did, I heard a small difference and thought nothing of it. After reading this thread with all the usual suspects and sides, I tried doing it again, using some Yoplait Oui glass jars.

All it took was 7 of them to lift my speaker cables off the carpet. All I needed to hear, to hear a difference, was about 10-20 seconds into a well known CD to hear the difference, and ended up listening to the whole thing. Cleaner, clearer, period. Removing the Oui jars brought back the veil I had prior to using the jars. More of a smearing, actually.

No cost. Simple to replicate. Trust your ears and leave the arguments to the know it alls.

All the best,
Nonoise

So many chiefs in the kitchen but only a few real chefs.

I wonder if I put magical risers under my drum kit would change the sound?

Not even in the same ball park. If that is what passes for snark, then I despair for my fellow man. Keep up the drumming though......

All the best,
Nonoise

Yea.
Right.
$0.49 candle holders are the cash cow scam of the century.

@dorkwad ,
Before I got the Ikea tea light holders I was using Yoplait Oui glass yogurt jars. The Ikea holders made no difference in sound than the Yoplait jars, but they look much nicer.

Also, I don't think it would make a difference with your tile setup. You can only try it yourself with something cheap for an experiment to see if you would benefit from it, like uberwaltz said.

All the best,
Nonoise