James Randi vs. Anjou Pear - once and for all

There are many things about this challenge that make it difficult, if not impossible, to obtain the natural result that anyone would hear in their own system if they tried the same cable comparison under normal circumstances.

Leaving aside the exclusion of anyone who isn't famous, the number of unusual requirements for a valid experiment make the listening situation an unnatural one. Things like wearing a blindfold, or having an acoustically transparent curtain between you and your speakers, along with the stress of being on camera and under the scrutiny of strangers who will act as scientific observers to determine if you win $1 Million, all insure that the listener will be unable to relax and hear the way he would on any given night when enjoying music at home

What this could be called is an experiment to see how much distraction and stress a listener can undergo and still be able to hear differences that are otherwise obvious.

I can think of lots of things that are easy to do under regular circumstances, but become very difficult to perform with cameras, an audience, blindfolds, and a cool million dollars at stake.

BTW, Shadorn, have you ever tried comparing something like original Monster cable (or some other basic fat stranded cable) to any solid-core speaker cable (like Audioquest)? Without regard to which is better, are you saying that you are unable to detect any difference?

Shadorne,

I think you are selling your ears short. Without getting in to exotic expensive cables, just try a set of some of the least expensive solid core cables in your system. I can't say that you will surely like them better, but I think you will easily hear a difference.

Years ago I used to keep a pair of original Monster speaker cable around along with the entry level Audioquest solid core wire. I would do comparisons for people who were sure that they couldn't tell the difference between any cables. To simplify the comparison I would take a single speaker and play about one minute on one cable and then switch to the other. The difference was so obvious that many of the listeners would start giggling.

The interesting thing was that some of these listeners were not audiophiles and had no idea what a Monster Cable or an AQ cable was. They had no "horse" in the race. For these people the listening comparison was tantamount to a blind listening test, just minus the stress that would normally accompany such a test for an audiophile who is concened about the outcome.

Shadorne,

Just as some manufacturers may over-hype their products in their advertisements, be careful not to under-hype or underestimate the effect that various stressors can have on a person's ability to perform what is an otherwise relatively easy task.

I'm not sure I understand your position. Do you believe that there are no discernable sonic differences between any audio cables?

A small and barely audible difference is the most that could be expected

Well, at least that's a start.

Shadorne, I'd try some of the entry level Audioquest like Type 2 or Type 4. Both are solid core copper cables with the Type 4 being a heavier gauge. You can buy them raw for a few bucks a foot and not have to pay for termination.

Within the realm of slight audible differences, I find that these solid core cables sound a bit tighter in the bass than stranded cables generally. Solid core cables also tend to be a little smoother in the highs. No hocus pocus.

Shadorne
Wire geometry will most affect highs.

You can't have it both ways. Either you believe all cables sound the same or not. Take your pick.

If they sound different, then arguing about how big the differences are is just silly. A subtle difference to you may be a bigger difference to someone else. Also, unless you have listened to and compared many different cables to each other, you have no basis of knowledge on the subject.

Which leads us right back to the fallacy of the double blind test where the listener's ability to hear is hindered by the unnatural requirements of the test itself. The only thing those tests prove is how bad the testing methodology is at actually discovering the truth.

I have always felt that a long term double blind test that allowed a listener to enjoy music through his own system comfortably over time, would have a much better chance of actually meaning something. The problem is that it is just not practical to set up.