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Morrow SP3 Review (Speaker Cable)

welsh

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Amirm, thank you for a great, well reasoned review. Great point about these manufacturers missing opportunity to tout clear functional benefits and aesthetics. They should take advantage to create new measurements that do matter in the real world:
1) Grip power of the banana plug as a proxy for not coming loose (just measure how much force it takes to remove from standard jack)
2) Flexibility, (I'm sure there's some standard specification for that) without strands breaking
3) Abrasion resistance of the jackets/cover materials
4) Break resistance
5) How well does it "lay"...does it lay flat over a reasonable run? (stiff cables get problematic pulling devices out to make changes or clean)

Same for power cords...I can't tell you how many times my stupid power plugs have been halfway out or dislodged completely because there wasn't enough grip or the cord was too stiff. I'd gladly pay more for cables that solve these issues.

I'm sure there are other things to talk about.
5) Are you suggesting laying a cable directly on the floor? Without magic cable lifters? You amateur!
 

welsh

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Thank you, Mr. Amirm. I respect Mr. Amirm.

AP alone is not sufficient to determine passive electronic components measurements.
It cannot be concluded that there is no measurement difference.
Because it may be below the AP measurement limit.
Need to add it or use a measuring instrument such as Danbridge (Radiometer).

However, it is concluded that the difference could not be measured with AP this time.

Another means is needed to conclude the ear difference.
Or the wallet difference.
 

welsh

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I've been reading your tests for years now and made some choices on my equipment based on your testing saving money on the way. To me you are Houdini of HiFi....cheers.
I concur. Thanks to this site I bought Revel M16, and Topping D90/A90. Very happy with all of them.
 

Biblob

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Your testing seems inappropriate, @amirm. I'm sure you forgot to burn in for at least 400 hours, as the manufacturer recommends:

You will find great enjoyment and improvements right out of the box. Our cables however take around 400 hours to fully break in. You can speed this process up with our optional break-in service.

Also, if someone may enlighten me on this:

The SP3 speaker cables can handle up to 150 watts continuous/ 300 watts peak.

Wut?o_O Perhaps this guy has an explanation...
The fact that these lies are so founded on the restrictions of our brain, is fascinating by me. To create a following for something that is provable not there.

I guess it happens too often. :)
 

welsh

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All those years it was all in my head, my imagination. With a little advertising I fell into believing. Even now I cannot clear my mind of the belief of that poisonous misinformation. Do you see the potency of misinformation? This might give you insight into how casting spells on someone, and putting a curse on someone, poisons their beliefs. Rationality and accurate observation are practically impossible. We (men) are so programmed into performance and achieving better performance.
I don’t know many women who are preoccupied with cable differences…
 

welsh

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This is a 'no-win' situation.It doesn't matter how many times- or ways- you 'prove' that cables don't matter, you won't persuade anyone who has convinced themself otherwise. As the saying goes. "It's easier to fool people than to convince them they have been fooled'. At this point, people want the magic beans.Tweaks are the backbone of the high end audio market now. One well known writer caught a tweak vendor changing levels at a show when swapping cables. That's flat out fraud. Another hustle' is to put two files differing by 1dB or so on a server. The demo person never lets the audience control the setup or play their own materials. That's how you make sure the 'demos' always produce the desired result. It's a shame the audio market has descended to this level.
Convictions are more dangerous than lies.
 

Canuck57

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As Amir mentioned in the review, it's custom made and as such the price isn't outrageous. If you need a custom interconnect with connectors, want a nice job, and can't do it yourself then it's going to cost more than $20.

From an audio perspective it's not worth it, aesthetically possibly.
 

Mike Morrow

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I appreciate the review, but there are some major flaws in the methodology.

In this review, only measurements were taken. Many of which, like common frequency response and input to output distortions, will indeed measure pretty much the same through any cable.

The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment. They are rather distortions that affect soundstage, musicality, realism, etc… the musical presentation. Another example is the 3D roundness of the images within the sound field.
These things, and distortions of these elements cannot be measured. Rather, they are heard and experienced through a proper stereo system, using ones ears.

Here is an example… When attending an audiophile trade show, one walks by rooms where stereo systems are playing. For the most part, as you approach the room, you know that it is indeed a stereo system. Now, when you are in the lobby, which also contains stereos, you hear something different, you know that it is live music. As you round the corner, you discover that it indeed is! If you measured a stereo playing the same thing, compared to the live event, they will measure the same, yet sound so much different. This is the “distortion” I am speaking of. Why is the recording of the live event sound so different from the actual live event? It is a form of distortion.

There are many things that are yet understood, how the ear/ brain works in deciphering the music. Cables do indeed sound different, even though they “measure” the same. Why this is, no one knows, and it is not placebo!

Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less. What you experience is that you are more “there”, the glass is less cloudy, the experience more real. There is greater musicality and realism, even though the measurements are the same.

I propose to the reviewer that he test all cable reviews in a real, properly set up stereo system. He might find that they “measure” the same, but when inserted into a stereo, the cables do indeed sound different. One will then experience the before unmeasurable distortions by using the best and final test, one’s ears. Test equipment measurements are fine, but listening is the real experience and is really what matters.
 

Chrispy

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I appreciate the review, but there are some major flaws in the methodology.

In this review, only measurements were taken. Many of which, like common frequency response and input to output distortions, will indeed measure pretty much the same through any cable.

The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment. They are rather distortions that affect soundstage, musicality, realism, etc… the musical presentation. Another example is the 3D roundness of the images within the sound field.
These things, and distortions of these elements cannot be measured. Rather, they are heard and experienced through a proper stereo system, using ones ears.

Here is an example… When attending an audiophile trade show, one walks by rooms where stereo systems are playing. For the most part, as you approach the room, you know that it is indeed a stereo system. Now, when you are in the lobby, which also contains stereos, you hear something different, you know that it is live music. As you round the corner, you discover that it indeed is! If you measured a stereo playing the same thing, compared to the live event, they will measure the same, yet sound so much different. This is the “distortion” I am speaking of. Why is the recording of the live event sound so different from the actual live event? It is a form of distortion.

There are many things that are yet understood, how the ear/ brain works in deciphering the music. Cables do indeed sound different, even though they “measure” the same. Why this is, no one knows, and it is not placebo!

Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less. What you experience is that you are more “there”, the glass is less cloudy, the experience more real. There is greater musicality and realism, even though the measurements are the same.

I propose to the reviewer that he test all cable reviews in a real, properly set up stereo system. He might find that they “measure” the same, but when inserted into a stereo, the cables do indeed sound different. One will then experience the before unmeasurable distortions by using the best and final test, one’s ears. Test equipment measurements are fine, but listening is the real experience and is really what matters.

You have an interesting imagination.
 

SIY

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I appreciate the review, but there are some major flaws in the methodology.

In this review, only measurements were taken. Many of which, like common frequency response and input to output distortions, will indeed measure pretty much the same through any cable.

The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment. They are rather distortions that affect soundstage, musicality, realism, etc… the musical presentation. Another example is the 3D roundness of the images within the sound field.
These things, and distortions of these elements cannot be measured. Rather, they are heard and experienced through a proper stereo system, using ones ears.

Here is an example… When attending an audiophile trade show, one walks by rooms where stereo systems are playing. For the most part, as you approach the room, you know that it is indeed a stereo system. Now, when you are in the lobby, which also contains stereos, you hear something different, you know that it is live music. As you round the corner, you discover that it indeed is! If you measured a stereo playing the same thing, compared to the live event, they will measure the same, yet sound so much different. This is the “distortion” I am speaking of. Why is the recording of the live event sound so different from the actual live event? It is a form of distortion.

There are many things that are yet understood, how the ear/ brain works in deciphering the music. Cables do indeed sound different, even though they “measure” the same. Why this is, no one knows, and it is not placebo!

Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less. What you experience is that you are more “there”, the glass is less cloudy, the experience more real. There is greater musicality and realism, even though the measurements are the same.

I propose to the reviewer that he test all cable reviews in a real, properly set up stereo system. He might find that they “measure” the same, but when inserted into a stereo, the cables do indeed sound different. One will then experience the before unmeasurable distortions by using the best and final test, one’s ears. Test equipment measurements are fine, but listening is the real experience and is really what matters.
Hi Mike, have you or anyone else been able to demonstrate the claimed difference in sound ears-only? Basic controls so it’s sound and not peeking? If so, could you provide details on what you did, test setup, how the controls were implemented, and the results? These are extraordinary claims and need some evidence behind them to be taken seriously.
 

oldsysop

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I appreciate the review, but there are some major flaws in the methodology.

In this review, only measurements were taken. Many of which, like common frequency response and input to output distortions, will indeed measure pretty much the same through any cable.

The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment. They are rather distortions that affect soundstage, musicality, realism, etc… the musical presentation. Another example is the 3D roundness of the images within the sound field.
These things, and distortions of these elements cannot be measured. Rather, they are heard and experienced through a proper stereo system, using ones ears.

Here is an example… When attending an audiophile trade show, one walks by rooms where stereo systems are playing. For the most part, as you approach the room, you know that it is indeed a stereo system. Now, when you are in the lobby, which also contains stereos, you hear something different, you know that it is live music. As you round the corner, you discover that it indeed is! If you measured a stereo playing the same thing, compared to the live event, they will measure the same, yet sound so much different. This is the “distortion” I am speaking of. Why is the recording of the live event sound so different from the actual live event? It is a form of distortion.

There are many things that are yet understood, how the ear/ brain works in deciphering the music. Cables do indeed sound different, even though they “measure” the same. Why this is, no one knows, and it is not placebo!

Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less. What you experience is that you are more “there”, the glass is less cloudy, the experience more real. There is greater musicality and realism, even though the measurements are the same.

I propose to the reviewer that he test all cable reviews in a real, properly set up stereo system. He might find that they “measure” the same, but when inserted into a stereo, the cables do indeed sound different. One will then experience the before unmeasurable distortions by using the best and final test, one’s ears. Test equipment measurements are fine, but listening is the real experience and is really what matters.
:facepalm:
 

VintageFlanker

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@Mike Morrow.

No pun intended, I really appreciate to see manufacturers defending their products. So, welcome anyway.

That being said your entire post could be summarised as such:

You have to believe our claims since there is absolutely no way to prove them anyhow.

Followed by literally no argumentation at all.
Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less.
Please...:rolleyes:

Oh, I almost forgot! Since you're here, may you care to explain how you found the "400H" needed for your cable break in?
 
Last edited:

Bruce Morgen

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The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment.

...and that's what sustains the "audiophile" cable business (and the supposedly "high-end" audio industry in general) -- the notion that human hearing, with its wide range of physiological variations per individual and huge psychological component, can somehow detect yet-to-be-named "distortions" that SOTA test gear cannot measure. That sort of self-serving assertion is not the least bit persuasive and never has been.
 

GDK

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I appreciate the review, but there are some major flaws in the methodology.

In this review, only measurements were taken. Many of which, like common frequency response and input to output distortions, will indeed measure pretty much the same through any cable.

The distortions we are talking about on the website are those that are not measurable with test equipment. They are rather distortions that affect soundstage, musicality, realism, etc… the musical presentation. Another example is the 3D roundness of the images within the sound field.
These things, and distortions of these elements cannot be measured. Rather, they are heard and experienced through a proper stereo system, using ones ears.

Here is an example… When attending an audiophile trade show, one walks by rooms where stereo systems are playing. For the most part, as you approach the room, you know that it is indeed a stereo system. Now, when you are in the lobby, which also contains stereos, you hear something different, you know that it is live music. As you round the corner, you discover that it indeed is! If you measured a stereo playing the same thing, compared to the live event, they will measure the same, yet sound so much different. This is the “distortion” I am speaking of. Why is the recording of the live event sound so different from the actual live event? It is a form of distortion.

There are many things that are yet understood, how the ear/ brain works in deciphering the music. Cables do indeed sound different, even though they “measure” the same. Why this is, no one knows, and it is not placebo!

Somehow, with our cable design, the difference between recording and the live event becomes less. What you experience is that you are more “there”, the glass is less cloudy, the experience more real. There is greater musicality and realism, even though the measurements are the same.

I propose to the reviewer that he test all cable reviews in a real, properly set up stereo system. He might find that they “measure” the same, but when inserted into a stereo, the cables do indeed sound different. One will then experience the before unmeasurable distortions by using the best and final test, one’s ears. Test equipment measurements are fine, but listening is the real experience and is really what matters.
Well I, for one, am now convinced. Previously, I thought that there was only a remote chance that cables made an audible difference. However, after reading that "explanation", I am now sure that there is zero chance that they do.
 

Chrispy

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Reminds me of the old promises like the check's in the mail and I won't cum in your mouth. Just LISTEN while I tell you that while its like other wire, it's not! That they somehow remove audible distortions that can't be measured is icing on the cake! Plus this magic can be installed in a wide variety of models and lengths we sell, but that's proprietary magic too, even though we don't know what it particularly is.
 

_thelaughingman

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yay more snake oil to milk dumb audiophools that believe cables make all the difference. Cheers
 
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