New decade, end of the CD?

Dean wrote: Snow Dog wrote: Dean, when you say lamp cable do you mean the cable you stick in the socket in the wall providing our electricity? Essentially yes. Good old fashioned twin-core mains cable.

^ Funny, every instinct tells me to use "proper" cable.

Snow Dog wrote: ^ Funny, every instinct tells me to use "proper" cable.

Mr ProgFreak wrote: Snow Dog wrote: ^ Funny, every instinct tells me to use "proper" cable. Humans don't have an innate instinct for setting up electrical circuits ... so what you refer to as "instinct" is actually a life's exposure to education and marketing.

That would not be a very lighted advice....

But seriously, this obsession about blind test: if blind test doesnt work, do you conclude that there's no difference between component (or accessory) A and component B? logically that would mean that there's no difference at all between any elements...Dean states that all cables sound the same, that you can plug almost as much devices as you want on the same plugs..etc...that you can put vibration devices below your components or not, it's end up the same. So, to all the people reading this thread, following this logic i'd conclude: you already have the best system in the world, does it sounds great?

So if you feel somehow frustrated, it's all in your mind...

About blind testing again: i explain that i compared my Imod/portable amp combo as a source plugged on my preamp against my drive/converter
combo playing the same album, switching from one to another in real time. If you listen only 5 seconds of each, it sounds very identical...but from 30 seconds, the fatigue due to the Imod/amp combo is much more important whereas you listen much longer to the drive/converter setup without being tired. So an instant comparison is not very revelant, especially in the digital domain.


Edited by oliverstoned - May 15 2011 at 14:06

^^ Oliver: "Blind" means that you are listening to two sources A and B and you don't know which is which. The point is that as long as you know that A is the source which you think sounds better, and B is the source which you thinks sounds worse, switching back and forth between the two is rather pointless. Have yourself blindfolded by another person and have that person switch back and forth between the sources - the person switches, you listen and say whether you think it's the good one or the bad one, the person notes that and switches randomly, then you repeat the process. That would begin to be a proper blind test.

Snow Dog wrote: ^ Funny, every instinct tells me to use "proper" cable.

Using "proper" cable feels right, as does using heavier cable, but there is no technical foundation for that. Overcoming the intuitive feeling that cable designed and sold as "speaker cable" must be better than poor old lamp cord that is 10, 20, 100 or even 1000 times less expensive is difficult, even when faced with all the technical data that says they are the same.

Dean wrote: Sean Trane wrote: Dean wrote: I ignored your inference that arguing with me was arguing with an idiot, I'm not sure I'm prepared to ignore your inference that I'm closed-minded and won't listen to a reasoned argument.     I don't tally scores Hugues, perhaps that's the way you conduct yourself, but I simply point out the science & electronics engineering as I know it and allow that to answer for me. I am completely unaware I am using bad faith in my arguments so that comes as a complete shock to me, please point out where I have inadvertently done this so I can avoid it in the future.     ps: I use mid price proprietary speaker cable on one system I own and 2.5mm² lamp cord on the other. Hang on, here... I haven't called you that... and I'm still disccussing with you, which obviously implies that i don't think  it     I just pointed out when I stated my argument in the previous post (the use of other metals than copper), that obviously slipped by your attention (now let me interpret that as voluntary or involuntary, I'm not sure yet >> that's where I talked of bad faith)     And strangely enough, you put on "pending approval" the post where I answer to Mike's vicious attacks, not the one where I speak to you.... funny thing about Mike's angsts about my signature is that he doesn't realize that the second part is definitely more adressed to him than the first...       Now you're the Admin, you give me warning if you think I deserve one... I guess I have it coming to me... simply on accumulation grounds of successive incidents >> drops filling the bucket..   And if you do think my signature is part of the problem , please state so... I can always retrieve it. In direct replies to me you have said: "but I won't go further down that aisle or else I'll use my signature" and "but you won't listen and it's all fallen on deaf ears" ... I am thick-skinned so personal comments generally bounce off me especially as my credentials as "an idiot" in this particular field are lacking though I do not deny it in other fields, however accusing me of not listening to your arguments is accusing me of being closed-minded and I that I find harder to ignore.   Your sig motto is amusing, but not when you refer to it during an argument.   As an Admin I do not moderate on threads I am active in - that would be disrespectful, disingenuous and an abuse of what little "power" I have - any argument/discussion I'm having here is as a forum member such as yourself and not as an Admin. However, I will put my hand up to hiding your last reply to Mike since it only fanned the flames not doused them - it was done to curtail that line of discourse between Mike and yourself.

Dean wrote: oliverstoned wrote: So if you feel somehow frustrated, it's all in your mind... *comment ignored*

Of course they use one thick copper cable instead of strands....I knew that! Thanks Dean! Sometimes my brain.............and thanks for all the clarification.