optical cable differences (1 Viewer)

[aldamon]

You would think so. But it doesn't work that way. The debates have gone on as far back as I can remember (20 years?) and will probably continue.

I would hope technology would have advanced enough in the last 20 years to test a cable's capability! Or is it in the industry's best interest to mystify everything and leave comparisons up to popular opinion? I work in a marketing department and I can tell you the second scenario is a marketing guy's wet dream.
Seriously, if in 20 years of testing no definitive answer has been determined, why not "err" on the side of $$$$?

 

[Mark Austin]

I would hope technology would have advanced enough in the last 20 years to test a cable's capability!

That would require someone with a desire to spend the $$$ to invent such as system. And, with the chances of recouping that investment at almost nil, the likelyhood of something coming about are probably minute at best.

 

[John Royster]

because it is only money.

I will NEVER be floored by anything (ESPECIALLY cables) unless:

A. someone can tell me WHY something is better using something other than paper specs and magical descriptions
B. it has been compared conclusively to other products and an exact price / performance ratio is established

Sadly you haven't heard a nice stereo then. I mean no offense, but there are nice systems out there that truly drop your jaw to the floor.

 

[Chu Gai]

so long as it can't be reliably proven, aldamon, you know as well as I do why results, if they've been done, haven't been brought forward. It's not as though Monster and perhaps Cardas and Audioquest don't have the pockets to fund such a study. Positive results that could be replicated would have a profound impact on the marketing. Until then, the nocturnal emissions continue. if you want references for various 'shootouts' so to speak aldamon, drop me a pm and i'll forward some references for you to dig up.

 

[Larry B]

John said

Sadly you haven't heard a nice stereo then. I mean no offense, but there are nice systems out there that truly drop your jaw to the floor.

and I agree.

BTW, if one of the EE's knows which measurement correlates with the ability of Watt Puppies to image better than any speaker I (and many, many other people) have ever heard, I would be most appreciative if they would share this information. Please note that I am NOT being facetious.

Larry

 

[Mark Austin]

Larry,
I think that's called placebo effect or bias.

 

[Larry B]

Chu:

Just for the fun of it, if you can get your hands on some Nordost Valhalla cable, why don't you compare it to some Monster cable. I'm curious as to whether you would actually hear no difference whatsoever, irrespective of whether you deemed one "better" than the other. I think there is a definite difference in sound though admittedly, I have never participated in a DBT. As such, it is a formal possibility that what I heard was the placebo effect.

Larry

 

[Larry B]

Mark:

I think that's called placebo affect.

I do hope you're kidding. The first time I heard WPs I had no idea what to expect and I was astounded by their imaging. I wish my own speakers imaged as well. (BTW, the overall sound of the WPs is not one I could live with day to day, even though they have many qualities I find desirable.)

Larry

Edit: Do you think all speakers sound identical to one another?

 

[Mark Austin]

It wouldn't even have to be Vahalla. It could be some Blue Heaven or the like. And before you did your DBT Chu, just listen to the two cables and see if you could hear a difference. It could be interesting.

 

[Mark Austin]

Larry,

I do hope you're kidding.

Hence the

 

[Saurav]

Well you can actually measure high end stereo, the measurement unit is money...

I'm sure you were joking, but I'd still like to say that I emphatically disagree.

 

[Mark Austin]

AMEN!!!!!!!!

 

[Saurav]

aldamon, some more questions if you don't mind.

Otherwise, it's AR cheapos for me until I see a compelling reason to switch. I say this as a smart CONSUMER first and a hobbyist second.

That's a smart decision. Cables are the last piece in the chain, the effect they have (if any) is much smaller than any of the other components. I don't think anyone would recommend building a good system by starting with the cables, that would be utterly stupid. IMO, of course.

 

[george king]

Larry,

I was wrong, it did not even take a month.

Aldamon,

Assuming you are not trolling, for a first taste of high end, go to Now! audio/video (I assume they still exist, although I left Durham about 3 years ago).

For real high end, go to Audio Advice in Raleigh, probably one of THE BEST shops in the country. You WILL be amazed.

Heck, I know better, but what the heck. You said

B. it has been compared conclusively to other products and an exact price / performance ratio is established

Do you really live your life that way (i.e. is that the way you picked your current SO)? Further, the P/P ratio will be different for every individual.

 

[Chu Gai]

Larry, you've got the cables already and presumably a lesser expensive brand too. Why don't you carry out your own blind tests. Get a VOM, unless you have one already, and level match if necessary at the speaker terminals and have someone do the switching while you kick back in your favorite chair with a blindfold on.

 

[Saurav]

I'm fairly sure that it would be easier to hear differences between interconnects. Especially in a system like mine - passive linestage, high input impedance tube amps. The capacitance of the cable is more important in my system than in most other peoples' systems. I'd done some calculations, and a relatively high-capacitance interconnect (like the Radio Shack stuff which I believe someone measured to be around 40-50pF/ft) would bring the -3dB point way down into the audible range.
Of course, someone could just as easily say that my system is poorly engineered because of the components I've chosen to use together. I like the way it sounds though, and that's all I care about. And I'm really not interested in seeing how my old RS cables sound in my system now... though sometimes I wonder if I'd be able to tell the difference in a blind test. My calculations say I should be able to

 

[Larry B]

Actually, I have only one set of cables but I can borrow some others from a colleague. I'll try to do the DB comparison.

Larry

 

[aldamon]

Guys, I'm seriously NOT trolling here. If my honesty has come off as mean sprited, then I apologize. I do not doubt that high end equipment could impress me. I do not deny that. Seriously. But at the same time, unless there was a "reason" for being blown away and unless I was absolutely sure another piece of equipment couldn't deliver the same performance for less, then my socks would not be blown off. I get my jollies, so to speak, off of price-to-performance, not performance at any cost.

Do you really live your life that way (i.e. is that the way you picked your current SO)? Further, the P/P ratio will be different for every individual.

Yes. This is how most people live their lives. They set a budget and get the most they can out of it. If I had bought Monster cables instead of AR and if I had not made my own sub cable (thanks to the folks on this board), I would have had to downgrade my receiver. The price difference between these boutique cables and the generics is THAT severe.

 

[Larry B]

Saurav:

you could spend ten times as much and still have something that sounded dull and boring.

I too have heard expensive systems that were not my cup of tea. These were typically "overly-analytical" systems such as Watt Puppy speakers, and Krell electronics. Out of curiosity, what system(s) did you not like?

Larry

 

[Larry B]

aldamon:

Quote:

Neither Saurav nor I are talking about money. We're talking about the hardware's performance. As Saurav pointed out, one does not have to spend astronomical amounts of money for very good performance, especially in light of the diminishing returns. (However, the best systems I've heard have been very expensive.)
Larry