A Short History of High-End Audio Cables

[Tks]

Anyone want to see how much provanance building is going on in this article that justifies this industry even existing?

Anything here that even remotely resembles truth with respect to the performance claims?

http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/a-short-history-of-high-end-cables/

 

[jsrtheta]

"The notion of cable as a high-end component, so contentious in the 1980s, is today rather well accepted by most serious listeners."

If the name Dick Olsher didn't put you off your feed, you should definitely have stopped reading after the first sentence, quoted above.

 

[Blumlein 88]

It more or less is accurate historically. Otherwise, well what do you expect? Skin effect is real, and at best of very minor importance. Note the paragraph where he says it was found to be important at nothing below 200 khz measurably, but listening tests showed it to be important at audible frequencies. Such 'listening tests' were of the common audiophile variety. Sighted listening impressions under uncontrolled conditions long term. You've thought about skin effect, and ignored measurements to conclude, "hey, I can hear better treble with litz cable than regular cable. Measurements don't tell all you can hear you have to listen." And away it goes in what we would today label a Gish Gallop.

As for shielding of noise and configuration to be less susceptible to noise pickup true enough as far as it goes. It need not be expensive. Oh, and go balanced you'll take care of most such concerns.

 

[THW]

>measurements and theory indicate X
>uncontrolled listening tests indicate Y
>Y is assumed to be the correct conclusion despite what X indicates

The absolute state of audio journalism

 

[PierreV]

For those of us who have lived through the past 40 years, the advances in cable technology have been nothing short of amazing. And there is no reason to think that innovation will stand still. Today, cable is one of the most popular accessory categories, and my guess is that most audiophiles upgrade cables more often than any other component.

Yeah, amazing advances indeed, a stark contrast with the stagnation seen in other tech areas.

 

[Juhazi]

..
Yeah, amazing advances indeed, a stark contrast with the stagnation seen in other tech areas.

But analogic to advances in DAC technology and sound! As well as enthusiasm to enhance fidelity by buying new units over and over again....

 

[BDWoody]

For those of us who have lived through the past 40 years, the advances in cable technology have been nothing short of amazing. And there is no reason to think that innovation will stand still. Today, cable is one of the most popular accessory categories, and my guess is that most audiophiles upgrade cables more often than any other component.

Yeah, amazing advances indeed, a stark contrast with the stagnation seen in other tech areas.

Where else are you going to find those profit margins? Unicorn hair is expensive...don't argue just trust ME and my lying ears and pay the money.

 

[Soniclife]

For those of us who have lived through the past 40 years, the advances in cable technology have been nothing short of amazing. And there is no reason to think that innovation will stand still. Today, cable is one of the most popular accessory categories, and my guess is that most audiophiles upgrade cables more often than any other component.

Yeah, amazing advances indeed, a stark contrast with the stagnation seen in other tech areas.

They sure have been amazing when judged just on turnover.

 

[anmpr1]

A Dick Olsher article? Figures.

Over the years, AudioQuest diversified to embrace consumer electronics.... In addition to digital cables, the award-winning DragonFly USB DAC should be mentioned as well.

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2019/08/measurements-dragonflies-audioquest.html

Not sure what awards the latest and greatest Dragonfly DAC is winning. Probably be better if they used some pure silver anti-vampire cable with it. In fact, in a moment of "I can't believe this self-parody", Gordon Rankin said the problem with the reported measurements was because Archimago was not using 'audiophile' quality USB cable. You can't make this stuff up.

 

[ajawamnet]

In 1978 I started working at Opus One in Pittsburgh. We were a dealer for Dahlquist - fixed many a DQ10.

I recall the cobra stuff.... lots of sales guys wanted to sell it. As far as our lab was concerned - all snake oil. Had no bearing on any measurable parameter. What was interesting was the Blue Litz coax wire we sold.

Pain in the ass to solder to the gold RCAs...

I'd get a 500' spool for $75.00 ... Id chop (2) 3 foot pieces off - solder some gold RCA's on it ( to solder litz wire you need to get the lacquer to melt back during tinning) and sell them for over 100 bucks...

Now on some systems - it actually loaded things up a bit funky and if you did a sweep thru it you'd see a slight rise as it went up in freq due to the funky loading.

Not one of these silly high end wire companies ever refers to Schaum's book on transmission lines, nor even knows who Oliver Heaviside is.

That'd be like a surgeon who has no idea what Gray's Anatomy is (no, not Grey's the silly TV show) ...

"Hello Mr. Simpson!!"

 

[suttondesign]

Barf.

 

[ahofer]

ahem. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/interconnect-directionality

I don't know why I respond, but nothing gets me going like the "you just can't hear it so keep your mouth shut" bluster.

 

[ajawamnet]

ahem. https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/interconnect-directionality

I don't know why I respond, but nothing gets me going like the "you just can't hear it so keep your mouth shut" bluster.

What I find even more "interesting" is that a lot of "audiophiles" with their fancy wire and stuff - that are into rock - talk about all these different masterings and pressings (some going for ridiculous $$$) of Led Zep II ... and the first track - Whole Lotta Love - just sounds like crap. The distortion and all, which gets worse as Page and Kramer got excited on that old 12 channel rotary console they mixed it on.

Listen to my remix comparison - which ain't much - but a lot better than what these golden ears marketturds are stating:

http://www.ajawamnet.com/ajawam2/lzcompare_0006.mp4

Watch that vid at the end where at the fade the original that was "remastered" in 2014 just sounds hideous... as did the old pressings and CD releases.

Maybe their wire makes that original version on a Ludwig $500 old vinyl sound better... but not to me.

 

[invaderzim]

and my guess is that most audiophiles upgrade cables more often than any other component.

That is because of the infinite cable upgrade loop:
1. Read a review where someone says a cable did amazing things and now their system sounds so much better than they ever imagined it could.
2. Wish your system sounded as good as theirs.
3. Buy the same cable they used.
4. Be blown away by how amazing your system now sounds; purely due to expectation bias.
5. The amazement over the sound of your system drops as the expectation bias fades and reality slowly sets in.
6. Go back to #1

When an upgrade actually works then nobody looks at replacing it again soon.

 

[anmpr1]

It's not just the cable. It's how you employ it. Knew a guy who came out of hi-fi shop with a set of Roger West's wall of sound electrostatic speakers. Also had to buy a special tube amp 'voiced' for the speakers, along with a magic CD player, etc. Some Hose Monster Valhalla wire with the optional Wotan spear terminators, and so on. I'm making the last part up, but the wire was as big as a garden hose.

The audio store told the guy not to lay this massive hose on the floor, as it would pick up some kind of electrostatic mumbo jumbo from the carpets, and mess with his imaging and front to back depth. So he had to buy a dozen risers for the speaker cable. Looked like ceramic insulators you used to see on old telephone poles. My guess is that some enterprising guy bought a warehouse full at surplus prices, with the idea he'd sell them to neurotic audiophiles and make a small fortune. I didn't have the heart to ask him how much his ceramic risers cost. But I'm guessing they were not a freebie from the dealer.

 

[ahofer]

If you have a look at the system pictures on Audiogon, you will see that nearly everyone has fallen for the cable risers. And there’s a fellow named Schroeder there who never misses an opportunity to tout some interconnect doubling method he invented. These claims meet almost zero skepticism. When you ask for evidence, everyone treats you as if you dropped a turd in their punchbowl. Your system/ears must not be good enough. Or, “believe what you want to believe”. Well, ditto.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/cable-risers-elevators-revisited

Incidentally, I have a strong suspicion that "Geoffkait" who appears in this and other notorious threads, is an elaborate troll. Sort of like the twitter account "Titania McGrath".

 

[BDWoody]

If you have a look at the system pictures on Audiogon, you will see that nearly everyone has fallen for the cable risers. And there’s a fellow named Schroeder there who never misses an opportunity to tout some interconnect doubling method he invented. These claims meet almost zero skepticism. When you ask for evidence, everyone treats you as if you dropped a turd in their punchbowl. Your system/ears must not be good enough. Or, “believe what you want to believe”. Well, ditto.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/cable-risers-elevators-revisited

Incidentally, I have a strong suspicion that "Geoffkait" who appears in this and other notorious threads, is an elaborate troll. Sort of like the twitter account "Titania McGrath".

It's part of being in the club.
Either you get it (like they do), or...sadly...you are doomed to suffer in unenlightened misery for all of your zipcord for speaker cable days.

 

[Willem]

I did post on Audiogon for a while, but the atmosphere was quite toxic. That Geoff Kait is an extraordinary fraud indeed, but he is not alone.

 

[scott wurcer]

Incidentally, I have a strong suspicion that "Geoffkait" who appears in this and other notorious threads, is an elaborate troll.

No, a long time notorious snake oil seller right up there with Peter Belt.

 

[ahofer]

But read his stuff. It still seems like an elaborate prank.

http://www.machinadynamica.com/

teleportation tweak. My my.

http://www.realhd-audio.com/?p=2228