Do cables really make a difference? Apparently not...

SHAXOS

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I always thought that a cable could never make that much difference as long as it is half decent. Not being an expert on the subject i went along with the masses. However, i found the other the other day a piece about people not being able to tell the difference between 'hi-fi' cables and coathangers.

What do you What HiFi guys have to say about this blind test done with coat hangers and "audiophiles" could not tell the difference? Just a one off?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
 

nads

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Err more like "people can not tell the difference between Monster cable and Coathangers" yes there is a difference, to a level, in some cables. been there done it.
 

Alec

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fr0g - LOL! but as to me (and its all about me...), how great it is to be a relative noob, and relative pauper to boot! I can be completely unconcerned with such things. The most ill ever do is "upgrade" my single wire cable to "better" single wired cable up to a max of £10.00/m. No other choice, so i dont care. I'm not even tempted to find out if more expensive cables make a positive difference, as that way lies poverty! Oh dear, ive bin on't sauce again. There really should be some kinda sensor that stops me. Maybe itll be a feature of the new site.
 
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Anonymous

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somehow i think the aftermarket cable industry will still be sleeping well tonight. seriously what a rubbish "article" (i feel dirty just calling it that). anyone can right anything they want on a blog - it doesnt make it true! i saw nothing to demonstrate that any tests of anything had been carried out - just a bunch of words - where is the proof?!?!
 

fatboyslimfast

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[quote user="fr0g"]Not sure why its a rubbish article in itself. Its simply one of many write-ups of a forum post on audioholics... [/quote]

Audioholics...now see, I far prefer that to audiophile. It suggests that we have become addicted to something rather than having a perverse attraction to it... ;)
 

Thaiman

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According to one HiFi guru whom I talked to in the past: Everything effect the sound of your hifi system, cables, room, weather, your moods etc..etc

According to my own ears, some cables do make a big different however finding them is not as easy as you think but I am not a HiFi guru!
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="SHAXOS"]

I always thought that a cable could never make that much difference as long as it is half decent. Not being an expert on the subject i went along with the masses. However, i found the other the other day a piece about people not being able to tell the difference between 'hi-fi' cables and coathangers.

What do you What HiFi guys have to say about this blind test done with coat hangers and "audiophiles" could not tell the difference? Just a one off?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

[/quote]

Non-technical audiophiles rely on their belief that an expense is justified. It's all about faith and the cosmetic appeal and kudos of the product. If there are no audible clues and those all important visual clues are missing as they should be in a properly controlled test of course they will fail. That's the main reason that so few double blind tests have been done.

Regards Ed.
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
[quote user="Eddy Current"]
[quote user="SHAXOS"]

I always thought that a cable could never make that much difference as long as it is half decent. Not being an expert on the subject i went along with the masses. However, i found the other the other day a piece about people not being able to tell the difference between 'hi-fi' cables and coathangers.

What do you What HiFi guys have to say about this blind test done with coat hangers and "audiophiles" could not tell the difference? Just a one off?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

[/quote]

Non-technical audiophiles rely on their belief that an expense is justified. It's all about faith and the cosmetic appeal and kudos of the product. If there are no audible clues and those all important visual clues are missing as they should be in a properly controlled test of course they will fail. That's the main reason that so few double blind tests have been done.

Regards Ed.
[/quote]

Hurrah!
 
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Anonymous

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Apart from anything else can you imagine how awkward the cable jumble would be behind most HiFis if everyone used coat hangers
emotion-5.gif


I can tell the difference between cheap analogue interconnect cables and more expensive ones up to a point, I probably would never spend more than about £25 - £30 on an interconnect though (of typical length), beyond this I don't think I can tell the difference (maybe thats just me though). I tend to make up most of my interconnects myself though out of decent coax, but you need the propper tools to do this properly.

I still think that it is a little silly to claim that more expensive digital interconnects make any difference, since as long as the length is relatively short, the digital signal should be the same anyway regardless, that is the point of digital afterall.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="SHAXOS"]
I always thought that a cable could never make that much difference as long as it is half decent. Not being an expert on the subject i went along with the masses. However, i found the other the other day a piece about people not being able to tell the difference between 'hi-fi' cables and coathangers.

What do you What HiFi guys have to say about this blind test done with coat hangers and "audiophiles" could not tell the difference? Just a one off?

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/
[/quote]If you actually believe it, you should test it. Take your camcorder and post it on youtube.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
I just upgraded my loudspeaker cable to Supra Ply 3.4S, and it DOES make a difference. The soundstage got a little bit wider, instrument placement is alot better, and the soundstage is also a bit deeper, voices are rendered a little more natural and the highs are a little bit smoother. A worthwile upgrade. :)
 
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Anonymous

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Has anyone else noticed that all WHS&V testers have completely backed out of cable conversation? Actually I can't blame them; I'm getting tired of it myself. It's like trying to explain to my nephew the benefits of good quality ingredients in cooking. He will never get it because he doesn't (care to ?) taste it- he just shoves it in. Because this is never going to end, I suggest for the new website layout to have a separate corner for cables called "the bin".
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Solomon1"]Because this is never going to end, I suggest for the new website layout to have
a separate corner for cables called "the bin".[/quote] Or "catch up What HiFi? on demand". A place where you can catch repeated topics and read them again, and again...
 

Alec

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[quote user="Thaiman"]
According to one HiFi guru whom I talked to in the past: Everything effect the sound of your hifi system, cables, room, weather, your moods etc..etc

According to my own ears, some cables do make a big different however finding them is not as easy as you think but I am not a HiFi guru!
[/quote]

Mood. That may be why you cant find the right cables lol! Eddie Current - i think that may cut both ways. a non techie will say it looks nice and is by a decent make and its the "best" i can afford by them. A techie will say well the spec and science (often according to a shaky reading of the science and distortion of some very basic principles that one doesnt need to be "qualified" to understand) say its not a better product. To which a reasonable man would reply "tried it then?". The moral being...Trust your ears. EDIT 2 - sorry, ive realised im making a slightly diferent point. still relevant to this thread in general tho.
 

JoelSim

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Even someone with as limited a knowledge of cables as me, knows from Physics at school that all materials have different conductive properties, therefore cables will make a difference on that level. There is also the subject of interference, and a shielded cable will work better.

Blah blah blah

And of course it impresses friends when they see you big blue cables
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
Yippee! A cable argument thread. I'll get me coat...
[/quote]

Can we get a policy change, pretty pleeeeaase? No cable debates lol
 

Gyp

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[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
Yippee! A cable argument thread. I'll get me coat...
[/quote]

You're only doing that to make a coat hanger available to test ;-)

Anyway, even I know that electricity doesn't flow well through wood
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="Gyp"] Anyway, even I know that electricity doesn't flow well through wood[/quote]

No, you're right - it takes a lot of current. But it's worth it for the rich, full-grained sound...
 
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Anonymous

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(Pokes head above parapet)

As with most things in life, cables are also subject to the law of diminishing returns. That is to say, the more you spend, the less noticeable the difference gained per pound spent.

(retreats back below the safety of the wall)
 

Andrew Everard

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[quote user="fr0g"]Not for the cable companies rubbing their hands together as the next mug comes along to spend hundeds of pounds on a couple of lengths of copper and plastic...:)P[/quote]

If you don't get it, don't buy it.
 
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Anonymous

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sorry frog but you did seem to leap in a bit far then with your previous comment(pardon the pun). Andrew is spot-on: no-one is forcing anyone to buy cables so if you dont think its worth it then dont buy it. but for those who can notice a difference and think its a worthwhile investment leave them be. im actually somewhere inbetween - i am absolutely certain that a quality cable can make a difference to the sound of your hi-fi but i also cant understand why there are some (admittedly very few) interconnects and speaker cables that cost more than 1k per metre!
 

Alec

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[quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="fr0g"]Not for the cable companies rubbing their hands together as the next mug comes along to spend hundeds of pounds on a couple of lengths of copper and plastic...:)P[/quote]

If you don't get it, don't buy it.
[/quote]

Try again. If you dont HEAR it, dont buy it.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="al7478"][quote user="Andrew Everard"]
[quote user="fr0g"]Not for the cable companies rubbing their hands together as the next mug comes along to spend hundeds of pounds on a couple of lengths of copper and plastic...:)P[/quote]

If you don't get it, don't buy it.
[/quote]

Try again. If you dont HEAR it, dont buy it.[/quote]

or yet another take: if you dont buy it, you dont get it! ;-) yes this can be taken two ways but they both work!
 

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