So What Is Real?


There is a newsletter I subscribe to because the guy seems to talk about reality and not what some sales dude wants to sell you. mwaldrep@aixrecords.com   Now the funny thing to me is that all these cable specialists of high dollar remedies for flawed playback are somehow going to magically change what you hear and will then rise above the abilities of the music file limitations and recording engineers. A dumb wire that is used to create the hi-res recordings so sought after is not somehow suitable for the playback of the same. The following is from Waldreps newsletter and I fully agree. I love this guy and he is a light shining through all the smoke and mirror BS of high end audio. I confess I too am a cable denier and incapable of hearing " further uptick in micro-dynamic jump " but love the delicious word salad these guys create to try to describe something that is not there. I can see the cable guy sitting there with his buddy. Wow did you hear that uptick in micro-dynamics!!  You just know that's how he would talk, right?
  As an aside here how does one become a professional listener? What is the criteria for attaining this lofty goal? How do you know when you have arrived and what governing authority sets down the requirements for such a thing so you know  you are not deceiving yourself and others? Is it a nebulous category that is assigned to you when you spend a certain level of money or do you have verifiable and provable abilities above the norm as recognized by a large group of people including recording industry engineers, professional sound installers and high end audio system owners? In other words anyone but cable sellers?

  The following is from "Dr. AIX Post for January 25, 2020"

 " Cable Nonsense

What is it that Art Linkletter used to say? Kids say the darndest things. Well, it seems some FB audio group administrators, audiophiles, high-end audio salespersons, audiophile society officials, and manufacturers also say things that make little or no sense when talking or posting about cables.

I usually steer clear of FB posts or online magazines that promote high-end audio cables. It's just never safe to present with science, established electrical engineering theory and practice, or objectiveness when cables are concerned. A recent exchange on a familiar FB audio group page resulted in a member calling me a "cable denier" because I advocated for science and physics in evaluating power cords.

The thread basically dismissed my comments because I'm a member of the professional audio engineering community. Audio equipment salespeople, FB administrators, high-end audio marketing managers, and the general audio buying public are claimed to be better and more reliable sources of information when it comes to recommending expensive accessories and cables. According to the gentleman below, they are capable of listening in ways that audio professionals can not.

One commenter wrote:

"Mark is a pro and speaks just like one, but he is not a professional LISTENER, like you (Writer's NOTE: the guy offering the ultra expensive power cords), I and so many others in the high-end industry. Interesting is that most so-called experts are also naysayers who work in the recording industry, not in the high-end industry."

What does this statement actually claim? That professional audio engineers and producers do not know how to listen? That spending one's professional life in front of speakers in a control room doesn't require listening?Maybe...just maybe...the engineers responsible for producing the recordings that are played back in these guys high-end systems are correct in their assessment of power cords and expensive USB/Ethernet cables. Image that!

Can you really trust a gentlemen that just launched a new cable company that offers a 6-foot power cord for $3150? Oh and this person also believes that cables are directional! BTW They are not.

Here's a couple of additional comments...

"Cables can make a difference. I’m glad I can hear those differences it truly enhances the experience. I have been a dedicated audiophile and in the industry for over 45 years and have been able to identify those differences since my first experience with Smog Lifters in the 70’s. I search for and usually discover great products that deserve special attention by people looking for the last bit of resolution and coherency. I’m truly sorry for those that wouldn’t hear the difference."

Here's a comment from an individual that swapped a normal Ethernet cable for an expensive one.

"...the Vodka seemed to remove a layer of film for superior textural reveal. There was also a shade more tonal depth and recording space ‘air’. Most noticeable of all was a further uptick in micro-dynamic jump."

I don't know about you but I cringe when I hear people talk about audio in such terms. And this after listening to a commercial album and then stopping, swapping the cable and relistening. It's unbelievable.

I could pull quotes from cable reviews all afternoon but I think you get the point. When anyone starts spewing nonsense about power cords, digital interconnects, or network cables, run away. Keep your wallet in your pocket and unsubscribe from that group or online magazine. Their motivations are suspect. They either want to sell you something (usually at very high cost) or are dependent on advertising dollars from the companies they write about or the individuals they interview.

"
mahlman
Randi got the million from Johnny Carson when he died to go after spoon benders and dowsers. A quick search turns up Randi’s net worth at 1.5 Million. Most likely Randi got cold feet thinking, gee, I know the Challenge is rigged but maybe these crazy audiophiles really can hear the difference between $25,000 cables and bog standard cables. After all, Randi didn’t know anything whatsoever about audio. He just saw audiophiles as a rich source of entertainment and self promotion. Besides, he didn’t run the James Randi Educational Foundation and host retreats on his yacht in the Caribbean on just his looks. Of course Randi would say it was Fremer who got cold,feet. Duh!
Now, I had recently seen a comment/claim/or? of one, inferring that they had 'liquid metal cables'....!?...*huh?*

The only 'room temp' metal I'm aware of....is mercury.

And, mercury isn't the sort of thing I'd want around the house in any quantity, being poisonous 'n all.  Fun to slosh around in a jar, but...

Any knowledge or thoughts on this?

Curious minds....all that...;)
So I'll give my own personal experience here and my opinion based on that. 

Starting out in audio I was using an old NAD integrated and some well reviewed $100 Pioneer speakers. Switching from Monster copper to Transparent Audio entry level cables (~$2-300) made a huge difference. Volume was louder, the detail came into focus. Undeniably better. Someone listening from the other room could hear the difference. It was like i opened a valve and the amp didnt need to work as hard. So based on that experience I believe cables matter. 

Later on, still using the Transparent cables, but with a much more expensive set up I replaced a Mogami interconnect (~$40) with a Nordost (~$300) connecting my DAC to my tube amp. More subtle but noticeable difference. 

What does that teach me: like everything else in this hobby:
 
(1) Trust your ears. Mine tell me cables make a difference. Just because some egg head cant explain why, doesn't mean its not real. 

2) Diminishing marginal returns - true in cables just like it is true in every other component.  
I hope I have the right Geoffkait here . Anyway I came across your blog completely by accident while reading Greta Thunberg’s idea for the world economies though I don’t agree with your own ideas of climate crisis action I did leave a comment on your blog and never got a reply.

Because your completely off the grid i want to tell you your approach is far too radical by quitting your career , going all out vegan and moving into a tree house , please reconsider don’t go away forever,  I enjoy reading your comments here on Audiogon ...
That’s weird. I don’t even have a blog. I’ve always wished there were more of me, though. 🤗