The "Real Cable-Test Debate" (1 Viewer)

[Kiet_H]

Lee,
B-Day was great.. thanks... Got a few toys for the cars but none for the audio stuff (wife has cut the budget for audio gear).. :frowning: Hoping to get rid of the Bose system in the car soon

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Kiet,
Glad to hear. I like cars too, just rode in a Corvette Z06 - 0-60 in just 3.9 seconds!
I will keep everyone posted on NYC cable test setup but it may take a month or two. I am thinking about doing it during the Hifi show in May or just after ot before.
Lee

 

[Chu Gai]

Lee, I admire your ability to stay within the speed limit

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Chu,
Did not have a choice - was in North Carolina, land of the Nazi highway patrol.
We don't suffer from such wastes of taxpayer dollar here in Georgia unless you are on I-85 in Valdosta.
Lee

 

[Philip Hamm]

I tried this little test... Well.. not exactly this test...
I hooked up a supercheap "comes with the component" cable into my receiver from L/R out 2 on my DVD-A10. I have a whole box of cables and I tried to pick the flimsiest ones I could. Output 1 goes to the DVD input. The main cable is a turqouse AudioQuest, not a "high dollar" cable at all, but reasonable. Cost about $35 I think. It's pretty old. I set my Pre/pro tp "Tone Direct" on both inputs and stereo. I then auditioned some high resolution audio.
Steely Dan: Two Against Nature DVD-A. I could barely tell the difference. Negligible at best. Probably in my head.
Alan Parsons Project: I, Robot DAD. The beginning of track 3 "Some Other Time" has a haunting synth line that is imaged to go all ver the room. The imaging on this line was better with the DVD input.
Sam Phillips: Cruel Inventions DAD. This is always my torture test. Her voice is very interesting sounding, with lots of high frequencies. It can sound grating on a lesser system. A real test for the entire system. The 96/24 DADs sound much better than the CDs for rendering her voice. The song "Lying". The center image of Sam's voice was more defined on the DVD input. The song has a very rich ending, lots of vocals, lots of instruments, lots and lots of detail, particularly high frequency detail with many harmony overdubs of Sam's vocals, guitars, drums, etc. The detail was better rendered with the AudioQuest cable.
Now, I'll be first to admit that this could easily have been all in my head. I think my fiance would think I was crazy if I asked her to administer the test as described. Whether or not the difference I heard was real or not I do not know. I do know that I really did hear a difference. How's that for ambiguity?
I do know this. I'm not going to sweat cables any more. The sound quality coming from the megacheap cable was really very impressive. I have been toying with the idea of replacing my Radio Shack Gold series cables from the DVD-A machine to the 5.1 channel inputs. Forget that! I'll buy a DVD instead!

 

[Tan_N]

Philip,

Glad to hear that you tried the test! Now you know how I feel... When I knew which cable was being used, I swear that I could hear more detail in the Vocals (I tried Celion Dion and Tony Braxton). But when I tried the Blind test, I said "SAME" every time! I even went as far as skipping straight to the vocals for 30 seconds then switching to AUX2 and repeated the same 30 seconds. But I still couldn't tell. Then I grabbed the remote and switched back and forth during the play back and same results. To make sure that it was being switched I unplug the left channel from one of the cables and I verified that it was switching. I'm torn in the middle.. When I knew which cable was being used, I know I heard a difference! But when submitted to a blind test, I couldn't tell... I really really want to Believe again!!! I used to consider myself a "audiophile... Now because I cant tell the difference, I feel like one of those people who think BOSE is the best speaker you can buy :b