Analysis of Paper on Measurements of RCA Cables by Kunchur (Video)

[Rick Sykora]

Wow, Amir really buried that dead horse!

Somehow will not be surprised if some goofball digs it up again though. Seems some were too anxious to pull the proof card and left their confirmation bias exposed on this one!

 

[GXAlan]

@amirm the one thing that I also picked up from your video is that I swear that the bad cables I had offered more high end sparkle initially, which I have attributed to the added noise and then to hear you mention that in your video, would you think it is a reasonable statement to say that some cables can affect the sound by introducing coloration or errors? There were cables that had LCR networks in them which clearly could alter sound...

 

[Kevinfc]

I’m wondering, is there any any level at which cable quality (size I suppose) actually matters? Would a thin 24 gauge cable measure as entirely equal to a 12 gauge if the shielding was identical?

 

[Somafunk]

How can papers like this go through a peer review and still get published. That is something that needs some attention also surely.

The system of peer review is not infallible and often suffers from status bias (I’ve read (30%) where the issuer of the paper has a significant standing that confers a level of bias on the body of reviewers examining the paper, it is far from perfect but it’s the best we currently have to work with.

 

[Cars-N-Cans]

Again, a penchant for HEA (High End Audio), mentioned only at the beginning and the end.

It’s all the stuff in the middle, not the high end audio. I have not seen the whole thing yet, but it has a bit of a neophyte flavor to it at times.

 

[amirm]

I’m wondering, is there any any level at which cable quality (size I suppose) actually matters? Would a thin 24 gauge cable measure as entirely equal to a 12 gauge if the shielding was identical?

I can't make a case for it with interconnects in reasonable lengths. For speaker cables, yes, if you go thinner than 12 gauge and given the longer lengths, frequency response errors occur.

 

[GXAlan]

This is a good reference from McIntosh in the Gordon Gow era.

Maximum Wire Lengths For TWO CONDUCTOR Copper Wire

Wire Size​	2 ohm load​	4 ohm load​	6 ohm load​	8 ohm load​
22 AWG​	3 feet max​	6 feet max​	9 feet max​	12 feet max​
20 AWG​	5 feet max​	10 feet max​	15 feet max​	20 feet max​
18 AWG​	8 feet max​	16 feet max​	24 feet max​	32 feet max​
16 AWG​	12 feet max​	24 feet max​	36 feet max​	48 feet max​
14 AWG​	20 feet max​	40 feet max​	60 feet**​	80 feet**​
12 AWG​	30 feet max​	60 feet**​	90 feet**​	120 feet**​
10 AWG​	50 feet max​	100 feet**​	150 feet**​	200 feet**​

 

[BALKAN_RAKIA]

In the audiophile religion somehow only the connecting cables impact sound. The cables inside amplifiers and speakers do not matter even a little bit and they don't need to be changed.
There is sacred knowledge that only enlightened audiophiles have how to specially match amplifier and cables based on the way they sound. It is acquired by reading esoterically worded opinions of people who like to read their own ****** writing. Referencing the most obscure tuba soloist album dedicated to the Gibraltar's independence in the same sentence as Thriller, to show the readers they are being indy and hip at the same time.
And everything always sounds better. The DACs get more revealing every month, the record players give you more and more of that "analog sound", cables become full of detail and information. Sometimes even too much information. If you suddenly buy a very expensive cable and you might get too much resolution. Your simpleton ears might not be ready for all the audiophilia that $20 000 0,5m USB cable brings.
What Amir cannot measure is what happens after the soundwaves reach your ears. That's where the holy spirit of audiophilia is.

 

[composer]

"The cheaper, the better, the wealthier"

Sounds like a Sergio Leone's western movie. The story of three mysterious cables

 

[Cincyret]

I think you all are being to hard on the author. Perhaps it's a "Sokal Hoax".

 

[Peluvius]

The system of peer review is not infallible and often suffers from status bias (I’ve read (30%) where the issuer of the paper has a significant standing that confers a level of bias on the body of reviewers examining the paper, it is far from perfect but it’s the best we currently have to work with.

At a minimum peer review must pick up unsupported statements and the introduction of new information in a summary. That is just incompetent. Suggesting that is a reasonable outcome is letting some pretty sloppy reviewers off the hook.....

 

[SIY]

I think you all are being to hard on the author. Perhaps it's a "Sokal Hoax".

Nope, he's been doing this and promoting it for years.

 

[GXAlan]

In the audiophile religion somehow only the connecting cables impact sound. The cables inside amplifiers and speakers do not matter even a little bit and they don't need to be changed.

You should take a look at the insides of the JBL SA-600. Those tiny red and green wires are how the preamp section connects to the amplifier section.

(FYI @amirm)

 

[Hifihedgehog]

You would be surprised how many "professors" are closet flat-earthers who think the moon landing was a hoax. Generally, though, these nutjobs are the liberal arts instructors and not the STEM ones.

 

[DMill]

I’ve pretty much given up on trying to help people understand that cables don’t matter. Despite even as thorough a debunk as Amir just gave, there seems to be no helping them. So spend your hard earned cash on cables that are so heavy they tear the RCA connects out of your amp. You’ve been warned.

 

[dtaylo1066]

Along with internal wires, there are those traces on the component's PCB? Gold must be the best, right? Then there's the type of solder!

 

[Peluvius]

I’ve pretty much given up on trying to help people understand that cables don’t matter. Despite even as thorough a debunk as Amir just gave, there seems to be no helping them. So spend your hard earned cash on cables that are so heavy they tear the RCA connects out of your amp. You’ve been warned.

People need to help themselves beyond a certain point. Some people like to think they have expensive XXXXX and what they sound like does not matter in any real way.

 

[rollmottle]

How the hell did this (edit: the last paper) past muster in peer review? I thought AES was a serious endeavor. Guess not.

 

[Azathoth]

It's funny that they care about science if it sides with them, and even then in this case it's wrong. Great video Amir, never stop.

Audiophiles of this sort treat gear like magical artifacts. There is a magic to it that is outside the bounds of reason. It's all just in their heads.

 

[MattHooper]

Another superb video Amirm! Thank you!

Suggestion: If there are some pertinent links in your video, please post the links under the video. For instance you refer to your review of the Belden cable, and the url is shown on the video, but would be much more handy as a link under the video.

(I read your Belden review when it came out, but I'm sure people who hadn't would be more likely to look it up with a link)

Cheers.