Are we?

This guy is a rambling uninformed idiot, IMO.

Sure there is some creative pseudo science out there.
Sure there are outrageous prices out there.
Sure there are snake oil salesman looking to sell cable with huge margins.
Sure there is the recommendation that you need lots of fan time to get a quicker/better burn-in because they don't come ready to perform to specification out of the factory.
Sure there is a vendor with an "upgrade train". Just when it has taken you a full twelve months to burn-in your cable on the fan and in your system, the new and improved model promising better performance comes along...
Sure there are many dealer built systems where the margin is in the cable. If you don't buy the cable, the discount on the gear does not apply.

But there is real science when it comes to metallurgy, geometry, and material shielding composition. Emphasis on effective EM shielding. And this is what you need to look for at whatever price point you feel you need to go. If you want the best, take a note of what materials the aerospace industry use for their looms and then find a vendor that has applied similar construction methodologies.
 
Sorry, I can't make an informed opinion on the video since I could only get through the first 20 seconds (and that was difficult to do). ;)
 
I'm thinking this Ozzie drank one too many of these. . :bonkers:


718128-250x250.jpg
 
Anyone with any knowledge at all knows……I would like to see this guy cryogenically treated.
 
Hate to say it, but I generally agree with him. There is far too much "audiophoolery" in this hobby, and it's getting worse, as more and more major (and smaller boutique) manufacturers try to maximize profits in a declining market. Same thing happening with recordings... "pseudo high-res" being sold for ridiculous margins.

I'm not saying that cables and accessories DON'T make a difference, it's just that there is a diminishing return for $$ spent, and we need to keep things in perspective. Years ago, I upgraded from Blue Jeans interconnects to (used) Audience Au24 cables. Shortly after, Audience rolled out their Au24e line, and then 2 yrs later, their Au24SE line. Each "new and improved" iteration priced at a substantial multiple of the preceding price points, with pricey "upgrades" generously offered. I cry "uncle" when cable prices rise exponentially faster than inflation (and cost of materials), with (IMHO) more marketing hype than technological advances.

I've become more of an "objectivist" lately, focusing on room acoustics, and judicious use of multiple subs, to take my system to the next level. Only after those basics are addressed, will I again consider "splitting hairs" with other cable and accessory "tweaks."
 
sleepysurf said:
I've become more of an "objectivist" lately, focusing on room acoustics, and judicious use of multiple subs, to take my system to the next level. Only after those basics are addressed, will I again consider "splitting hairs" with other cable and accessory "tweaks."
Click to expand...

I spoke with the folks over at Mellennia and this is exactly what was urged of me by their sound engineer. Address room acoustics first! Then, look into other elements. For me, this makes practical sense and I am disappointed I had not considered this to begin with.
 
Steve said:
This guy is a rambling uninformed idiot, IMO.

Sure there is some creative pseudo science out there.
Sure there are outrageous prices out there.
Sure there are snake oil salesman looking to sell cable with huge margins.
Sure there is the recommendation that you need lots of fan time to get a quicker/better burn-in because they don't come ready to perform to specification out of the factory.
Sure there is a vendor with an "upgrade train". Just when it has taken you a full twelve months to burn-in your cable on the fan and in your system, the new and improved model promising better performance comes along...
Sure there are many dealer built systems where the margin is in the cable. If you don't buy the cable, the discount on the gear does not apply.

But there is real science when it comes to metallurgy, geometry, and material shielding composition. Emphasis on effective EM shielding. And this is what you need to look for at whatever price point you feel you need to go. If you want the best, take a note of what materials the aerospace industry use for their looms and then find a vendor that has applied similar construction methodologies.
Click to expand...

sleepysurf said:
Hate to say it, but I generally agree with him. There is far too much "audiophoolery" in this hobby, and it's getting worse, as more and more major (and smaller boutique) manufacturers try to maximize profits in a declining market. Same thing happening with recordings... "pseudo high-res" being sold for ridiculous margins.

I'm not saying that cables and accessories DON'T make a difference, it's just that there is a diminishing return for $$ spent, and we need to keep things in perspective. Years ago, I upgraded from Blue Jeans interconnects to (used) Audience Au24 cables. Shortly after, Audience rolled out their Au24e line, and then 2 yrs later, their Au24SE line. Each "new and improved" iteration priced at a substantial multiple of the preceding price points, with pricey "upgrades" generously offered. I cry "uncle" when cable prices rise exponentially faster than inflation (and cost of materials), with (IMHO) more marketing hype than technological advances.

I've become more of an "objectivist" lately, focusing on room acoustics, and judicious use of multiple subs, to take my system to the next level. Only after those basics are addressed, will I again consider "splitting hairs" with other cable and accessory "tweaks."
Click to expand...

Seams like you two said the same thing but vehemently disagree with each other regarding the OP's opinions!?!?

IMO Steve nailed it. All of his caveats regarding the dark sides of our hobby are true, but so is the fact that inductance, capacitance, skin affect, Faraday's law, Maxwell's Equations, emi/rfi, electrical and mechanical grounding (et.al.) have an impact on sound through high and low pass filtering, noise floor, instantaneous current, and damping to name a few. But like Steve said, it's not to say we aren't asked to pay for a little wiffle dust now and then. These two are not mutually exclusive.
 
FlexibleAudio said:
Seams like you two said the same thing but vehemently disagree with each other regarding the OP's opinions!?!?

IMO Steve nailed it. All of his caveats regarding the dark sides of our hobby are true, but so is the fact that inductance, capacitance, skin affect, Faraday's law, Maxwell's Equations, emi/rfi, electrical and mechanical grounding (et.al.) have an impact on sound through high and low pass filtering, noise floor, instantaneous current, and damping to name a few. But like Steve said, it's not to say we aren't asked to pay for a little wiffle dust now and then. These two are not mutually exclusive.
Click to expand...


I am re-enrolling into university so that I can understand everything you just stated here. Whew, that was a wild ride... it was fun but I have no idea where I just arrived :)
 
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