Blind test 16 times, audiophile USB Cable vs USB cable

[graz_lag]

Smart people are always dreaming up new ways of separating fools from their money ...

 

[amirm]

Ah, I miss the days of drooling over what equipment was in the shop window!

 

[Hugo9000]

I wonder what audiophiles were like in the days of wax cylinders. Did they debate endlessly on which type of wax might yield improvements? Or if using red wax or green would somehow improve fidelity?

 

[graz_lag]

I wonder what audiophiles were like in the days of wax cylinders. Did they debate endlessly on which type of wax might yield improvements? Or if using red wax or green would somehow improve fidelity?

What abt. this way of waxing ?

 

[RayDunzl]

 

[invaderzim]

I do not have any sympathy for the suckers that buy this kind of BS (audiophile cables). If you lack education, ask an educated friend - no shame in not knowing physics / electronics. Even better, read up basic stuff; put your money in the speakers / headphones - those make the biggest difference. And be honest when listening to "something audiophile / expensive" and you can't tell the difference.

I was at a big box store recently while a guy was looking at a soundbar for listening to music and as they were ringing him up the salesman ask if he wanted a power conditioner and took a small device and plugged it into an outlet and it made a screeching sound; he then plugged it into the power conditioner and it was silent. The guy bought a $250 power conditioner for his soundbar without even a seconds thought. He didn't ask anything about any of the other power conditioners they had out or what the sound that it was making or what the more or less expensive models did or didn't do. And he skipped the most important question "Why did I not hear that sound through the soundbar with it plugged into a regular wall socket over there?"

 

[graz_lag]

 

[Sal1950]

But always remember we are more similar than different.
Whether objective or subjective, we are always looking to improve the sound of our rigs.
Differences focus on the paths we believe will get us where we want to go.

 

[FrantzM]

A bit off topic, but I think the problem really goes much deeper than that. "Audiophiles" are prone to tremendous insecurity (I know, I was one before recovery), and no matter the science, audiophiles will sit and read Stereophile, etc., while listening to their newest component, and then fret that they need something new, something different, something more expensive to achieve nirvana.

But when they get the next expensive toy, they fret now that there must be something even BETTER, and the whole process begins anew. It's a pathology, and one largely immune to reason.

Me Likey that post. A lot ... It is a pathology and few us on this board are immune from it. Those who have the means and have not recovered go for the most expensive components they can audition and find higher performing ... There is these days a lot to choose from , just choose your price bracket for each component or your favorite topology and you would find a plethora of manufacturer ready to part you with your money, however way you earn it : > $200 K speakers? Check more than dozen, >200K amp> Same more than dozen, >100K Line stage ( fancy world for " not a preamplifier-just-one-additional-device-to-introduce-distortion" since digital sources these days do all the heavy work and push 2 V easily ... but ....) .. Yes! Check! ...>$50,000 speaker cable check perhaps half a dozen manufacturers ! Over $5,000 USB FU#$&^%ING KABLE !!! perhaps a dozen .. The list of BS products is long .. 10,000 Power Cord? At least 6 manufacturers... You would find the same number for > $5,000 ETHERNET cables
Many of us have fallen for it in spite of our schooling or level of education ... Even the pros are not immune to it.... vide the recent Nordost line of Professional products ... Some audiophiles have, and to me this is to me proper word, "recovered" many have not. it is always lurking. We/they don't stop thinking how we/they will improve our/their systems ... So yeah! It is a disease!

 

[Wombat]

"It is easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled" - Mark Twain.

 

[garbulky]

I was at a big box store recently while a guy was looking at a soundbar for listening to music and as they were ringing him up the salesman ask if he wanted a power conditioner and took a small device and plugged it into an outlet and it made a screeching sound; he then plugged it into the power conditioner and it was silent. The guy bought a $250 power conditioner for his soundbar without even a seconds thought. He didn't ask anything about any of the other power conditioners they had out or what the sound that it was making or what the more or less expensive models did or didn't do. And he skipped the most important question "Why did I not hear that sound through the soundbar with it plugged into a regular wall socket over there?"

I think it has to do with that their standard way of doing things is not to figure out new stuff. They go to the store and pay that guy to rip them off figure it out for them. If they can demonstrate it in a easy one second demonstration like that unpleasant noise you mentioned. It doesn't actually makes sense if you think about it. But if you don't think about it past "unpleasant noise" it makes perfect sense!

If you ask them to think about it, they tend to get annoyed. Because it goes against how they want to do things. For instance if they did think about it and figured out it didn't make sense. Then they have even more questions. Like why is such a product there. Why did the sales guy reccomend it to him. Wait, should I even be shopping here? This means a whole lot more thinking. They just came to pick up a sound bar.

People ask me all the time to reccomend stuff to them. But if I ask them questions to narrow it down, they do not like it and tune right out.
These questions would be :
How much do you want to spend?
Do you really care about surround sound or stereo?
What are you going to use this for?
That's too tough man!
In the end they type "speakers" in to amazon and click on the first thing.

 

[invaderzim]

<snip>
In the end they type "speakers" in to amazon and click on the first thing.

But the reviews said they were the most amazing speakers they've ever heard!

And then when the sound isn't what they were hoping for they look to speaker cables to improve it

 

[Sal1950]

I wonder what audiophiles were like in the days of wax cylinders. Did they debate endlessly on which type of wax might yield improvements? Or if using red wax or green would somehow improve fidelity?

They did debate needle materials, and the various shaft thicknesses that were available. Also there are different materials for the diaphragms and more. You got to get serious here, everything matters you know. LOL

 

[garbulky]

But the reviews said they were the most amazing speakers they've ever heard!

And then when the sound isn't what they were hoping for they look to speaker cables to improve it

If their budget falls at unrealistically low prices for a reasonably great sounding system, I tell them to look at amazon for the thing that matches their price and go by the reviews because I know just as much as they do in that price range. Truth be told most of the stuff out there will satisfy the average buyer who doesn't want to spend much. But if they are willing to spend the $$ for a nice entry level setup, then I can help them as I know more about it.

 

[amirm]

I think his chance in showing his claim (in the first attempt) is approximately 0.001526% = 0.5^16.

I seemed to remember a comment about a reward money in his comments so maybe somebody else put the same forward and he did not take it.

 

[mansr]

I seemed to remember a comment about a reward money in his comments so maybe somebody else put the same forward and he did not take it.

Has anyone ever stepped up to such a challenge? The James Randi foundation million dollar prize apparently wasn't enough of an incentive.

 

[amirm]

Has anyone ever stepped up to such a challenge? The James Randi foundation million dollar prize apparently wasn't enough of an incentive.

I thought some stereophile editors came close to that but then backed off. CNET also did something with cables at one of their events. I understand the offer is no longer there.

I think I have offered as much as $2,000 reward for someone to show me cable difference including paying my own expenses to go there. But ask them to pay my expenses if they don't. No one has taken me up on this (excuses a mile long).

 

[Rollingsound514]

If y'all could stop red pilling me on shit that'd be great, so much wasted money

 

[Blumlein 88]

Maybe it should be in fight club, but I'm thinking of a thread where the topic is all the excuses not to take a blind test. I've seen some doozies. I'm sure the rest of you have as well.

 

[TuneInSoul]

I see a lot of positive comments of the video.
It is interesting.