The Big Question

[breeze]

After the blind testing of HDMI cables in this months magazine should What Hi Fi change its rating of the Chord Co. Supershield on page 145 from

A clear step up over most cheaper models

to

A clear step down over most cheaper models ?

 

[Anonymous]

Huh? Don't get your point ??!! And it's page 44 btw.

 

[breeze]

5 star rating for Chord Co. Supershield is on page 145.

 

[Anonymous]

As it is on page 44...sorry, still missing your point ??!!

 

[bigboss]

Why should WHF change the ratings of its products based on reviews by the readers who are not employed by them? The readers are not expert reviewers.

All these reviews are based on opinions & if the opinion of the readers differ from that of the WHF staff, so be it.

Although I didn't exactly get your post.

 

[Anonymous]

Not working today Dr BB?

 

[ESP2009]

Irrespective of the page number (depends on the magazine issue?) I believe the OP has an interesting point.

So, the WHF expert reviewers clearly believe the Chord cable to be an improvement over the 'freebie', but three members of the listening public had different views. Whose opinion is more valid or important?

 

[John Duncan]

ESP2009:Whose opinion is more valid or important?

Yours.

 

[ESP2009]

JohnDuncan:ESP2009:Whose opinion is more valid or important? Yours.

Well, thank you!

 

[John Duncan]

ESP2009:
JohnDuncan:ESP2009:Whose opinion is more valid or important? Yours.

Well, thank you!

Even if it's wrong

 

[ESP2009]

But seriously, as often pointed out, the WHF Team can only give their expert opinions - it is up to the rest of us to make decisions based on our pockets, expert opinion and our own direct experience.

In this particular instance the OP calls into question the rating of the Chord cable because three guests clearly weren't convinced of the supremecy of Chord product over the freebie.

All the more reason to 'try before you buy' even when a product gets excellent reviews - it just might not be right for you.

 

[ESP2009]

JohnDuncan:ESP2009:

JohnDuncan:ESP2009:Whose opinion is more valid or important? Yours.

Well, thank you!

Even if it's wrong

Doh! Always that sting in the tail.

 

[bigboss]

SamsonD:Not working today Dr BB?

Nope. Bank holiday monday.

 

[Messiah]

Maybe we expect too much between different cables.From my own experiences any differences in cables when comparing a good quality budget cable compared to a more expensive one are marginal. Granted budget quality cables are a decent step up from most freebie cables but once you get past this then I have only ever noticed marginal improvements if any.

WHF review these things day-in, day-out. For them it may be easy to spot differences between cables. However, I think that most people would not notice the difference that much hence the results from 'The Big Question'.

 

[Anonymous]

Messiah:

Maybe we expect too much between different cables.From my own experiences any differences in cables when comparing a good quality budget cable compared to a more expensive one are marginal. Granted budget quality cables are a decent step up from most freebie cables but once you get past this then I have only ever noticed marginal improvements if any.

WHF review these things day-in, day-out. For them it may be easy to spot differences between cables. However, I think that most people would not notice the difference that much hence the results from 'The Big Question'.

Good point messiah, i think the WHF team have much more experience than your average hi-fi buff in listening to the difference that a particular product has simply because as you say they review them day in day out, but an interesting point of view could be that when listening to different products, and giving opinions about the way that "the bass was tighter, the chords sounded clearer, the trumpet wasn,t as muffled, the violin didn,t screech" etc etc, i would think that it would be better if they could get some musicians in to give their point of view on how the instruments should actually sound, rather than guessing that for instance the bass sounded tighter?, when really it was not meant to sound tight as an example. Just my thoughts on the matter, after all who better to give a description on how certain instruments should sound than a musician who plays them.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Does having an editor who's a session musician count...?

Oh, and a technical deliverer who plays in a band?

 

[The_Lhc]

Messiah:WHF review these things day-in, day-out. For them it may be easy to spot differences between cables.

Well most of us don't spend our lives looking for differences, for a start, it's a bit like wine-tasting I guess, if you don't know anything about wine you're James May, but once you start becoming educated to spot the often subtle differences you end up as Oz Clarke.

Or something.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:

Does having an editor who's a session musician count...?

Oh, and a technical deliverer who plays in a band?

Yes it does andrew, good stuff, but that,s only 2 instruments.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Well, one would assume that as working musicians, they would have a degree of familiarity with how real instruments sound, as do those of us who go to concerts.

And I think our listening rooms may be a tad small to accommodate all the members of a symphony orchestra, in order that they may each give their opinion to be on the safe side...

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:

Well, one would assume that as working musicians, they would have a degree of familiarity with how real instruments sound, as do those of us who go to concerts.

And I think our listening rooms may be a tad small to accommodate all the members of a symphony orchestra, in order that they may each give their opinion to be on the safe side...

Good point, wasn,t trying to cause any grief, sorry if it sounded that way. The session musician probably has more experience than an average musician. Keep up the good work.

 

[The_Lhc]

The other point is, even if you are a musician, the only people who would actually know how a given note is supposed to sound on that specific recording is a) the person who played it and b) the engineer/producer who made the recording, the rest of us, even experienced musicians, would just be guessing at the original intention.