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Blue Jeans Cables Jumps the Shark

CDMC

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Remember, when Blue Jeans Cables sold reasonably priced well made cables? Well they still do, next to their new Belden Icococlast cables for which they claim: “In bringing these Iconoclast cables to market, we hope to inject a bit of fresh air into the high-end audio cable world: serious, straightforward, documented engineering applied to the task of producing the best in audio performance.” These can be yours for $1,600-$2,800 for a 10 foot speaker pair (not a typo). Don’t worry though, they have 3 foot XLR pairs for $260 to $680 a pair, or 3 foot RCAs for $160 to $610 a pair. This smells more like b*lls**t than fresh air to me.

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/iconoclastintro.htm
 

RayDunzl

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Tks

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Hey Ray, can you help me with a the statement made here:

For example, while VP (velocity of propagation) is typically stated as a constant, it actually varies, and varies substantially, with frequency within the audio band. Ideally, one wants every part of a signal to travel at the same speed, and Galen looked to ways to mitigate and balance frequency-dependent effects upon signal timing.

How does something like this get observed, do you know by any chance? I tried googling some of this stuff, I can't find much to this ordeal.
 

murraycamp

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That's too bad.
 

VintageFlanker

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Remember, when Blue Jeans Cables sold reasonably priced well made cables? Well they still do, next to their new Belden Icococlast cables for which they claim: “In bringing these Iconoclast cables to market, we hope to inject a bit of fresh air into the high-end audio cable world: serious, straightforward, documented engineering applied to the task of producing the best in audio performance.” These can be yours for $1,600-$2,800 for a 10 foot speaker pair (not a typo). Don’t worry though, they have 3 foot XLR pairs for $260 to $680 a pair, or 3 foot RCAs for $160 to $610 a pair. This smells more like b*lls**t than fresh air to me.

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/iconoclastintro.htm
Are we sure this isn't a joke?!?o_O

It can't be true. If it is, no way an audiophile may spend 1-2K$ for such hideous things:
spkrm.png


Assuming it will sound the same as any good speakers cables, aesthetics matter a lot for audiophiles. Even my DIY Canare cables look way more premium than these. The story's better to be good...:facepalm:
 

RayDunzl

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How does something like this get observed, do you know by any chance?

Not by my ear. Maybe by measuring a phase difference between the source and destination (for such short lengths as we might use).

2m of wire = approximately 6.7 nano seconds travel time at speed of light

One cycle of 20kHz = 1/20000 = 0.00005s , so 0.000134 cycles of 20kHz "fills" the 2m cable

Different frequencies may travel at different speeds.

I'm not gonna worry about it.
 
OP
CDMC

CDMC

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Are we sure this isn't a joke?!?o_O

It can't be true. If it is, no way an audiophile may spend 1-2K$ for such hideous things:
spkrm.png


Assuming it will sound the same as any good speakers cables, aesthetics matter a lot for audiophiles. Even my DIY Canare cables look way more premium than these. The story's better to be good...:facepalm:

Unfortunately not. Apparently they have been out for a while.

https://forum.psaudio.com/t/belden-iconoclast-interconnects-and-speaker-cabling/2038/526
 

RayDunzl

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OP
CDMC

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Apparently the prices I posted are the new reduced prices. Here is the original price sheet:

77C63B8A-16EF-4523-9CCF-AFF605713659.jpeg
 

RayDunzl

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Well, it's like Vodka:

What is Vodka?

60% water, 40% ethanol (in the US)

"In the United States, many vodkas are made from 95% pure grain alcohol produced in large quantities by agricultural-industrial giants Archer Daniels Midland, Grain Processing Corporation, and Midwest Grain Products (MGP). Bottlers purchase the base spirits in bulk, then filter, dilute, distribute and market the end product under a variety of vodka brand names. Similar methods are used in other regions such as Europe."

1576131542361.png


1576131455352.png


Gotta have a story...

A fancy name probably doesn't hurt, either.

And a nice bottle, with a unique cap.
 
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Celty

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I got a pair of Armani pants that are very comfy >_>
Well I got a pair of.. wait, not going there, phew caught myself in the knick of time :p
 

VintageFlanker

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Ok, I'm done. :facepalm:

I’m completely convinced of the effectiveness of cables. In fact I’ve found them to produce as much difference as components.
That said, I’d have to hear them before I popped for $2500 for 8 ft speaker cables from any brand.


Exactly. In the rarefied air in which these cables compete the prices are reasonable.


I think it’s a perfect pairing. These cables are NOT expensive compared to Transparent, Nordost, etc. and yet those that have owned both have sided with Galen’s design.
BJC is all about value


Some hope, tho:
I’ve compared it to many others at friends places. There is no way one can pick it out blindly. I’ve done it. Fail every time.
 
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Celty

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solderdude

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BJC would be mad if they did not sell expensive cables as well. That's where all the profit is. Small numbers but big profit.
As long as they also sell more affordable stuff I don't see anything wrong with it.
Audiophools will always exist and they want expensive stuff.
 
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pozz

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Waste of manufacturing time and energy.
 

ElNino

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It's unfortunate, but they probably need to do this to survive. They have a good standard product, but there probably isn't huge margin in selling terminated standard Belden cables, and they have more competition. Fifteen years ago, they had a decent niche, but Monoprice and others have really taken the bottom out of the market in terms of reasonably high quality no-nonsense cables that get recommended on AV Forums.
 
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