gentlemen:
i have the anjou pear interconnect cable breaking in. |
hi doug schroeder:
i will make you a wager. allow me to select a stereo system and two pair of interconnect cables.
i will bet you that i can detect the differences between the cables between digital source and preamp. of course i would be blindfolded.
how much do you want to bet ? |
hi muralman:
since you have no knowledge of a recording, your method of detecting distortion is subjective, hence opinion, which is subject to disagreement.
if you insist on using the term "better", it must be quantitative in nature, hence some kind of objective measurement. perhaps you can use white noise and a spectral analyzer. |
i really do not have the facility to conduct a blind test, unless one of the intrepid audiogon members wishes to pay me a visit and conduct the experiment.
i have specific sonic objectives. if the cable furthers those objectives, i will be favorably inclined. if i prefer the cable to my reference interconnect it will be an accomplishment.
the question for me will be, do i want to purchase the cable ? |
hi brizon:
what evidence do you have that all cables sound the same ? as you know, you can't prove a hypothesis only disprove it. if your hypothesis is that there exists no difference bwteen the sound of cables, you would have to test all combinations of cable. if you tested say, 100 pairs of interconnects and ecah test failed to show that there was a difference between two pair of cable, that would not prove that all cable sounds the same. you hafve made a very unscientific and unsustainable statement.
certainly you are entitlee to your opinion. all i would have to do would be to select two pair of interconnect, a stereo system, several recordings and perform a double blind test and fail to support your hypothesis. i bet i can do that. |
by the way, i returned the anjou pear interconnect to the manufacturer. |
hi brizonbiovizier:
i would like to propose an experiment. unfortunately you and i are thousands of miles apart.
i would like to demonstrate that i can discern differences between two cables. remember, all it takes is one double blind test to disprove the null hypothesis. |
brizonbovizier is fortunate he lives in england. otherwise i would be ready to submit to a blind test, with two pair of cables of my choice and a stereo system of my choice, to prove him wrong about cable differences.
however, is perception reality ?
if a difference is not heard does that mean that all cables sound the same ? does such a position apply to all phenomena ?
it is possibles that there are differneces which cannot be perceived. that does not mean they do not exist. |
hi tbg:
we are all subject to two types of errors, namely perceiving what isn't there and failing to perceive what is present. it is difficult to determine when an error is made.
the point is to assume that mistakes will be made and not worry whether a difference that is perceived is true or not.
one makes decisions on the basis of confidence, usually as result of induction. sometimes the confidence is not justified.
risk is the name of the game and unfortunately the occasional dissatisfaction from a component purchase. |
hi brizonbovizier:
you are correct on the need for multiple tests. if we were not separated by the atlantic ocean, we could design an experiment to be performed , say 50 times. that way, i could clean your pocket of most of your waging money.
you also raise the question of reliability of perception. the notion that one can be confident of one's perceptions may be open to question. anytime we hear a difference based upon sense perception, we may not always perceive such a difference over multiple repititions. so you could apply your logic to other components as well.
as a practical manner, there is a risk when purchasing components. we may deicde we don't like its presentation after some period of time, evn though we may have auditioned the component for 30 days prior to purchase.
one cannot be certain of one's perceptions. they are a lot like opinions. they are probably true and probably false, and it is difficult to test them. |
high muralman1:
most interconnects do not attenuate the highs . they are either very extended or accentuate the treble.
for example, nordost, synergistic research tesla, crystal cable, virtual dynamics and poema cable, definitely are not soft on top.
as someone who has auditioned and reviewed many cable products, i cannot recall encountering a cable that was rolled off in the treble. can you provide the names of a few ? i will audition them myself, unless of course i have already heard them or owned them. |
well stated, tbg.
i have suggested blind testing but mr b avoids the subject.
practically speaking, if you can hear a difference and are confident that you do during a number of listening sessions, it should be sufficient. if you then purchase the cable and it remains in your system for a period of time, that also should be sufficient. blind tests are imlpicitly or explicitly rigged to make it difficult to observe differences. |
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i would take the challenge, provided, i could select the speaker cable and determine the components of the stereo system. the design of the test would need to give me the opportunity to distingish the difference between two cables and be so "rigged" that it would be virtually imposssible for me to identify the two cables. i would insist on no cone speakers and no solid state components.
\i would select the sources and be involved in other details.
i might make a private wager with you mr. b. do you have the gumption to put your money where your mouth is ? or would you like to make a personal wager ?
i hear a lot of talk, but i detect you are afraid to bet yourself. |
i would challenge randi, provided i could design the experiment and select the components as well as the sources. otherwise, anyone can design an experiment to increase the probability of a desired result. |
hi slanselm:
2 things:
after some period of time, are you still satisfied with the monster cables ?
the double blind test you conducted (on your own ??) may have been flawed. however, the fact that one can detect a difference between cable does not justify the purchase of either cable.
a better test would be, which cable do you prefer?
assuming a properly designed blind test with a meaningful sample of recordings, what is the result ?
by the way, whatever test you design, replicate several times. |
hi winstonsmith:
you are a wise a generous human being.
regardless of the reason for selecting a particular brand of cable or for that matter any component, the important question is how long will you remain satisfied with the product ? how long will you keep the cable and when you sell it, why ?
it certainly is helpful to be favorable inclined to the components in your stereo system. it is costly and emotionally draining to buy and sell after a short period of time.
if anyone has a "formula" for a longevity of satisfaction with a stereo system, please come forward. |
