Does it really matter ?

[SpiceWeasel]

There have been some how shall I say rather heated posts recently on the potential increase in sound quality/enjoyment when upgrading cables,leads or even fuses. Some people swear blind that upgrading has made an improvement, others say that it's impossible and it's only a placebo effect.

My question is, does it really matter ?

If a new lead for example makes the music sound better to your ears then who cares if it's a placebo effect or not ? If your music or film is more enjoyable than before then thats money well spent in my book.

When I upgraded my speaker cables from some cheapish Gale bi-wire to some Chord carnival silver plus bi-wire there was a big improvement in the sound quality to my ears. The bass used to be really wooly and over blown with the Gale, with the Chord cables there is alot more detail, really defined bass and a much more even tonal balance than before.

I also had a noticable reduction in picture noise on my 42" plasma after fitting a Tacima CS929 mains conditioner. I don't care if there is good scientific proof to back up these upgrades or not, to me it's an improvement and that is all that matters.

 

[carter]

well said.i had good results from a tacima and slight improvment with leads(mainly on the screen)

is it in my head ,dont think so and if it is i dont care.all i no is it looks great to me and more than a couple of times friends who are not in to home cinema/hifi have comented on how good the picture looks and how nice music sounds and i only have a budget setup.

 

[jimdonnelly]

Totally agree.

 

[True Blue]

No it does not matter,if you see/feel a difference whether provable scientifically or not then the upgrade has been succesful. I am considering buying Chord Power cords for my equipment, why? Because I believe in mains conditioning (my Tacima) and correct shielding, but I also fancied having blue power cables

. So regardless if they made a difference or not. I would be happy and thats all that matters.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, what really matters is your enjoyment of your music.

I have a good understanding of the whys and wherefores, especially on power supplies, quality of components etc, but what counts is how good everything comes together.

 

[idc]

'Does it really matter', well yes........and no. Ha ha! Highly recommended reading is this.........................

The author argues, very well in my opinion that we have turned against science and are believing way too much drivel. With regards to the placebo effect he has a brilliant chapter on homeopathic medicine, which is basically the medicine of placebos. How can diluting something make it more potent? Yet there is a whole industry around homeopathic medicine, it is available on the NHS and people such as Prince Charles back it.

Yes we end up with arguments, the main reason being that so many report something that scientists (used in its broadest meaning to include anyone with technical and practical knowledge) often tell us cannot be so. Unfortunately there has been a reoccurance of people coming onto the forum, stating us audiophiles are talking nonsence, but do so in a rather insulting way that just gets peoples backs up. I do not know why or what we can do about it. I for one have spent ages studying papers that have been quoted and presented as scienticic fact, but really they were flawed. I really think that I was reasonable in my refutation of those papers, but I did not get any responses as the poster appears to have taken the huff.

So I think that it does matter whether cables etc are placebo or not. I suspect that the answer is a bit of both, but I certainly do want to turn against science and accept myth. That as Damian Thompson argues is very dangerous indeed.

 

[Anonymous]

If something cannot be proven in a meaningful and logiclal way does it mean it doesen't exist?

No it dosen't,but belief in it then becomes a matter of faith.

Science dosen't know everything,but properly practised it is the best and often only way to learn the truth..

I've noticed an improvment in all areas of my system using mains conditioning and feel very satisfied with my purchases.Not with HDMI leads though!!!! (sorry for bringing up that old chestnut).

 

[Anonymous]

If you can't hear the difference a decent mains cable makes, especially with a cd player, then you are surely deaf, and should immediately drop-kick your hi-fi out the nearest window. Speaker cable uprgrades also produce clear benefits. I wouldn't want to listen to my system without them. With interconnects it's much less so, though.

 

[Anonymous]

Captain Destructo:If you can't hear the difference a decent mains cable makes, especially with a cd player, then you are surely deaf

You are surely mistaken.

 

[John Duncan]

 

[Alec]

No.

 

[Anonymous]

The proud Emperor will only worry about his new clothes if he hears the crowd laughing at him.

So only listen to the tailors of fashionable hifi accesories for would be emperors, and never the masses who are too stupid or unfit to see the difference, and you will be fine.

The mistake the emperor made was going on parade. So take heed do not venture on to other enthusiast forums and make posts declaring how wonderful your new clothes are, they may laugh at you.