Cables will make a difference

[Om]

Psychoaccoustics.

 

[ifor]

Interesting post this - good post to end this thread on.....

This is never going to be a clear debate, ever.

Technically (speaker) cables are all equal presuming that the shielding is ok and thickness is adequate for the given length to ensure speaker resistance is greater than that of the cable under normal operating conditions. A couple of mm thick being fine for most domestic applications. Interconnects and mains leads have even less effect due to their usual lengths and the nature of their operation. An audio signal is still just electricity at the end of the day and all of the scientific rules applicable to electricity are just as relevant to audio. A speaker has many, many feet of "normal" cabling inside the cabinet and in particular the drive unit coils - all part of the same signal path.

But...

There's the placebo effect, many people hear differences where there technically shouldn't be any, based on many factors - visual, perceived quality etc. Even skeptical people can often hear these differences despite "knowing better". The fact is that the placebo effect is a real effect though - if you think you hear a difference you DO hear a difference. Psychoacoustics dictate that the brain plays a large part in sound perception, not just the mechanics of the ear. Those people that think they are hearing a difference and prefer one technically similar item to another are right, it's what they really are hearing, it's their perception and it can't be argued. This effect is far stronger with audio perception than visual perception.

Science is right, the methodology is all tried and tested, all Hi-Fi works under the basic rules of physics, there's no magic - but science also accepts that the placebo effect is real, therefore those that argue that cables can't really make a difference are, in most circumstances completely right - but so are those that say they can hear a difference in cables despite the "facts". There will never be a definitive solution to this debate due to those factors.

It's as good a post on the subject as you're likely to get and yet is being ignored by most posters.

 

[fr0g]

Interesting post this - good post to end this thread on.....

This is never going to be a clear debate, ever.

Technically (speaker) cables are all equal presuming that the shielding is ok and thickness is adequate for the given length to ensure speaker resistance is greater than that of the cable under normal operating conditions. A couple of mm thick being fine for most domestic applications. Interconnects and mains leads have even less effect due to their usual lengths and the nature of their operation. An audio signal is still just electricity at the end of the day and all of the scientific rules applicable to electricity are just as relevant to audio. A speaker has many, many feet of "normal" cabling inside the cabinet and in particular the drive unit coils - all part of the same signal path.

But...

There's the placebo effect, many people hear differences where there technically shouldn't be any, based on many factors - visual, perceived quality etc. Even skeptical people can often hear these differences despite "knowing better". The fact is that the placebo effect is a real effect though - if you think you hear a difference you DO hear a difference. Psychoacoustics dictate that the brain plays a large part in sound perception, not just the mechanics of the ear. Those people that think they are hearing a difference and prefer one technically similar item to another are right, it's what they really are hearing, it's their perception and it can't be argued. This effect is far stronger with audio perception than visual perception.

Science is right, the methodology is all tried and tested, all Hi-Fi works under the basic rules of physics, there's no magic - but science also accepts that the placebo effect is real, therefore those that argue that cables can't really make a difference are, in most circumstances completely right - but so are those that say they can hear a difference in cables despite the "facts". There will never be a definitive solution to this debate due to those factors.

Your top-posting is hugely irritating. Nobody wants to scroll to the bottom first. Then read, then scroll up, try to find the quote, then read, then scroll up again etc...

sort it out please! P

 

[pauln]

Interesting post this - good post to end this thread on.....

This is never going to be a clear debate, ever.

Technically (speaker) cables are all equal presuming that the shielding is ok and thickness is adequate for the given length to ensure speaker resistance is greater than that of the cable under normal operating conditions. A couple of mm thick being fine for most domestic applications. Interconnects and mains leads have even less effect due to their usual lengths and the nature of their operation. An audio signal is still just electricity at the end of the day and all of the scientific rules applicable to electricity are just as relevant to audio. A speaker has many, many feet of "normal" cabling inside the cabinet and in particular the drive unit coils - all part of the same signal path.

But...

There's the placebo effect, many people hear differences where there technically shouldn't be any, based on many factors - visual, perceived quality etc. Even skeptical people can often hear these differences despite "knowing better". The fact is that the placebo effect is a real effect though - if you think you hear a difference you DO hear a difference. Psychoacoustics dictate that the brain plays a large part in sound perception, not just the mechanics of the ear. Those people that think they are hearing a difference and prefer one technically similar item to another are right, it's what they really are hearing, it's their perception and it can't be argued. This effect is far stronger with audio perception than visual perception.

Science is right, the methodology is all tried and tested, all Hi-Fi works under the basic rules of physics, there's no magic - but science also accepts that the placebo effect is real, therefore those that argue that cables can't really make a difference are, in most circumstances completely right - but so are those that say they can hear a difference in cables despite the "facts". There will never be a definitive solution to this debate due to those factors.

It's as good a post on the subject as you're likely to get and yet is being ignored by most posters.

Truth hurts.

 

[ifor]

Interesting post this - good post to end this thread on.....

This is never going to be a clear debate, ever.

Technically (speaker) cables are all equal presuming that the shielding is ok and thickness is adequate for the given length to ensure speaker resistance is greater than that of the cable under normal operating conditions. A couple of mm thick being fine for most domestic applications. Interconnects and mains leads have even less effect due to their usual lengths and the nature of their operation. An audio signal is still just electricity at the end of the day and all of the scientific rules applicable to electricity are just as relevant to audio. A speaker has many, many feet of "normal" cabling inside the cabinet and in particular the drive unit coils - all part of the same signal path.

But...

There's the placebo effect, many people hear differences where there technically shouldn't be any, based on many factors - visual, perceived quality etc. Even skeptical people can often hear these differences despite "knowing better". The fact is that the placebo effect is a real effect though - if you think you hear a difference you DO hear a difference. Psychoacoustics dictate that the brain plays a large part in sound perception, not just the mechanics of the ear. Those people that think they are hearing a difference and prefer one technically similar item to another are right, it's what they really are hearing, it's their perception and it can't be argued. This effect is far stronger with audio perception than visual perception.

Science is right, the methodology is all tried and tested, all Hi-Fi works under the basic rules of physics, there's no magic - but science also accepts that the placebo effect is real, therefore those that argue that cables can't really make a difference are, in most circumstances completely right - but so are those that say they can hear a difference in cables despite the "facts". There will never be a definitive solution to this debate due to those factors.

It's as good a post on the subject as you're likely to get and yet is being ignored by most posters.

Truth hurts.

But both "sides" should be equally "hurt".

 

[DocG]

Your top-posting is hugely irritating. Nobody wants to scroll to the bottom first. Then read, then scroll up, try to find the quote, then read, then scroll up again etc...

sort it out please! P

Hey Frog, you actually read Thompson's posts?

That's so sweet!*angel*