Belden ICONOCLAST XLR Cable Review

[Billy Budapest]

This would be a worthwhile purchase for a group of individuals or an audio club for situations like this:

ABX Switch Comparator

Due to high demand we have produced another run of our ABX Switch Comparator. This unit allows seamless switching of up to two preamplifiers, two power amplifiers, and three sets of speakers either with or without subwoofers. The AVA ABX Switch can be used to evaluate cables and component parts...

avahifi.com

 

[uwotm8]

Enlist a friend to help out with an ABX test and it will soon disabuse you of this notion.

I actually don't see how "just asking a friend" can help. That requires immediate switching ---> some cable switching tool/commutator.
Maybe I'll do something better - record some music playing (same song ofc) with both cables and check in some audio editor(s) for difference, A minus B I mean.
Will buy better AQ for sure regardless for the results. But what I think I hear for now should be at least partially capturable.

Haters gonna hate

My personal experince means a lot more than "that SHOULD work because..." for me, so my excuses here.
As example, I'm owner of these two epic products:

Verum Audio Verum 1 Review (Headphone)

This is a review and detailed measurements of the Verum Audio Verum One (1) headphone. It was kindly ordered by a member and drop shipped to me. It costs US $349. Verum is a one-person DIY originated design and company. There is controversy around the owner which you can read here. Please don't...

www.audiosciencereview.com

$9 Headphone Review: Sony MDR-ZX110

This is a review of Sony MDRZX110 to figure out if a US $9.99 headphone on Amazon including Prime shipping has good performance. There are over 45,000 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.5 stars saying it has that. But let's find out! I must say, as cheaply as the Sony is made, it doesn't look like...

www.audiosciencereview.com

Sonies were bought just for fun after that review, and oh man... well they have not the worst FR curve but they sound not just like a garbage cans but a garbage cans with an old dirty pillow on it. Epic trash. But a lot of people liked it because... why? Review sayes it's good? Where's ABX? LOL. My - obviously badly colorating and weird signature overall - KZ IEMs are such a hi-end compared to.
My opinion on Verum, at the same time, basically follows the review.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I actually don't see how "just asking a friend" can help. That requires immediate switching ---> some cable switching tool/commutator.
Maybe I'll do something better - record some music playing (same song ofc) with both cables and check in some audio editor(s) for difference, A minus B I mean.
Will buy better AQ for sure regardless for the results. But what I think I hear for now should be at least partially capturable.

A friend could do the switching. With banana plugs, it should be pretty quick. You’d be blindfolded and the friend could use a random number generator to pick cables. Run 10-20 tests over the course of an hour or two.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I actually don't see how "just asking a friend" can help. That requires immediate switching ---> some cable switching tool/commutator.
Maybe I'll do something better - record some music playing (same song ofc) with both cables and check in some audio editor(s) for difference, A minus B I mean.
Will buy better AQ for sure regardless for the results. But what I think I hear for now should be at least partially capturable.

I do not think you will get any measurement difference of consequence by doing a null test. What you “think you hear” can only be tested via an ABX comparison. Then you can see if what you “think you hear” can be reliably duplicated in a controlled testing situation. You’d have your AQ cable, the “grocery” cable you used before, and another cable or two.

 

[uwotm8]

measurement difference

No measurements, read again pls. Such A minus B is a simple operation and a basic option for many editos AFAIK.
Switching RCAs will require 15 to 30 seconds at least and overall I don't like a "DIY version" of ABX.

 

[Blumlein 88]

No measurements, read again pls. Such A minus B is a simple operation and a basic option for many editos AFAIK.
Switching RCAs will require 15 to 30 seconds at least and overall I don't like a "DIY version" of ABX.

Did you miss the null testing done by Amir in the 1st post? Some of us have the same results from other cables including Audioquest.

 

[uwotm8]

Did you miss the null testing done by Amir in the 1st post? Some of us have the same results from other cables including Audioquest.

It was a wire loop testing, not a speaker(s) playing and being recorded, right?
Seriously, that or, say, one speaker "listening test" - please Oh, sorry, I mean it's ok - same as Sony ZX110.

 

[Blumlein 88]

It was a wire loop testing, not a speaker(s) playing and being recorded, right?
Seriously, that or, say, one speaker "listening test" - please Oh, sorry, I mean it's ok - same as Sony ZX110.

If the signal going to a speaker is the same the sound coming out if it will be the same. Otherwise some magic that defies physics is happening. You could ask to record the signal at the speaker input jacks.

As for null testing sound from a speaker with a microphone, you will find far too many interfering factors. You will not get a good null one recording to the next with nothing changed.

 

[uwotm8]

you will find far too many interfering factors. You will not get a good null one recording to the next with nothing changed

It's actually funny how measurephiles react if something goes not as planned - "wrong testing! repeat till it will prove what should be proven"
Same as audiofools with their JUST LISTEN YOU WILL HEAR!!!11
Good point and pre-applied damage control. Much appreciated

P.S. Will record late night in quiet room and will re-record if there happens some unexpected noise, I think it's enough for a quick redneck-grade test

 

[Emlin]

I've got a bad feeling about this...

 

[Blumlein 88]

It's actually funny how measurephiles react if something goes not as planned - "wrong testing! repeat till it will prove what should be proven"
Same as audiofools with their JUST LISTEN YOU WILL HEAR!!!11
Good point and pre-applied damage control. Much appreciated

P.S. Will record late night in quiet room and will re-record if there happens some unexpected noise, I think it's enough for a quick redneck-grade test

Go ahead, but I've done what you are proposing. You definitely should do it. It can teach you something. One thing being how very small a difference can be and ruin a null. Which will then lead to a better understanding of what a truly deep null means.

 

[uwotm8]

I've got a bad feeling about this...

As I said I admit it can end with dead null difference.
Maybe. Or maybe not (c)

 

[uwotm8]

Go ahead, but I've done what you are proposing. You definitely should do it. It can teach you something. One thing being how very small a difference can be and ruin a null. Which will then lead to a better understanding of what a truly deep null means.

Well I'll try my best not to shake the mic etc etc. I understand such difficulties.

 

[Emlin]

As I said I admit it can end with dead null difference.
Maybe. Or maybe not (c)

That's not what I meant, and you know it.

 

[uwotm8]

That's not what I meant, and you know it.

Honestly I don't

 

[MaxBuck]

 

[uwotm8]

 

[Blumlein 88]

Well I'll try my best not to shake the mic etc etc. I understand such difficulties.

The issue will be noise if everything else is taken care of. Noise that is random will differ between two recordings, and limit the possible null. If you have a room that is 35 db SPL it is rather quiet. If your test signal is 100 db SPL your null will be limited by that noise level.

 

[Glint]

i am a banana plug

 

[mhardy6647]

Not even Amazon Basic ones.

or even acidic ones.