I don't believe cables make a difference, any input?

[planet10]

Originally Posted by Curly Woods

The stores that I was associated with did very well until early 2000.

The store i was associated with is still doing well.

dave

[D OB G]

I haven't read the thread, so this might have appeared elsewhere. Apologies.

Dialectric, inductance, capacitance, resistance e.t.c. (all included here!).

I just hapenned to have a lot of enamelled wire from winding back an inductor to a new value.

I normally use Naim speaker wire- nothing special except Naim claims a reasonable length compensates for the lack of an inductor in the output of their power amps.

The system is active, so just for an experiment, I replaced the multistranded Naim (not many, but thick strands), with some sort of plastic insulation, to the tweeters, with this single strand enamelled 2mm diameter wire. Same type of banana plugs one end, and alligator clips! the other. Good clean removal of the enamel. Cable loosely laid. Not twisted.

The difference wasn't subtle- much worse.

My wife asked where the treble had gone.

I can't make definitive claims from this one experiment (have I really kept all other variables constant?).

Maybe there are no differences between cables above a certain quality and set of parameters. But from this experience, I would certainly claim things can be made worse.

Interestingly, at one stage in the temporary set-up, one 3-way channel was supplied by 6 wires from a 7 lead car trailer flex. Replacing with the Naim didn't make heck of a difference. Go figure?!!.

David

[wintermute]

Originally Posted by SY

I'd agree, unlikely to be placebo. But homeopathy is a crock, nonetheless.

But you're proof of exactly what I said. You're the opposite of a drooling moron, an intelligent and articulate fellow, yet you can believe in the patently untrue. Much like my hope that the Orioles will be a contender again one day.

hehehe but it wasn't just a once off... it worked again and again.... where other treatments failed... some things just don't seem to make sense... the same brand's teething drops worked wonders as well... much better than bonjella (which has now been shown to be rather bad for babies)... the only plausible explanation I can come up with (if it isn't the homoeopathic itself) is that the baby can sense your want for it to work and settles down.. this seems very unlikely!

I have also had a homoeopathic treatment myself (for suppressed grief) and the effect was quite staggering. The fact that I was very sceptical about it made the result even more surprising, but I can't rule out the power of suggestion in that case... however one thing I will say about homoeopathy, even if it is patently untrue, if it gets the desired results (whether by placebo effect or other powers of suggestion) then isn't that a good thing? Doctors will routinely prescribe placebos for the same reasons

I know this has nothing to do with cables, but it is still relevant, from an observation without proof point of view, and also from the other side of the fence form a psychological point of view And thanks for the compliment BTW!

digressing even further, one thing I will always remember is a certain writer (can't remember the name) who used to write for Electronics Australia back in the 80's, who was adamant that there was NO difference in quality between one CD player and the next and that we should all go out and buy the cheapest unit available because the expensive ones had no advantage. The reasoning behind this claim was that because the media was digital and was only either a zero or one, there could be no difference in quality between one unit and the next... The fact there was a transition from digital back to analog must have escaped his attention, I'm sure however for a time there were a whole pile of EA readers (myself included) who didn't understand how a CD player worked that actually believed this claim... it wasn't until quite a long time later when I bought a new player for my parents and compared it to my own that I heard for myself just how wrong his claims were.. the difference was like chalk and cheese (the new player was far superior).

Tony.

[Pano]

Ah homeopathy.... Who remembers the "Memory of Water?" (la memoire de l'eau)
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mémoire_de_l'eau

[D OB G]

OT, but someone started it anyway.

Attended a homeopathic seminar one day.

Enquiring, if not open, mind.

Relationship to a para-medical area.

Lots of slides of x-rays, tissue samples, histology, patient histories e.t.c

No studies. No double blind studies. No peer reviewed journals.

After a while, a lot of murmuring amongst the experienced practitioners there.

BUT ALL THIS HEALING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ANYWAY!!!

At the same rate. In the same way. No converts.

David

[Brett]

Originally Posted by SY

I hope you're right, but unfortunately, I think you're wrong. There just seems to be less interest in high quality sound (beyond boom-boom car stereo) and the experience of just sitting and listening to music. Kids think that hi fi is for '60s era old farts like me to listen to music played by a bunch of dead guys who didn't even do a video for MTV. The overwhelming commercial success of MP3 and compression certainly suggest that this is true.

Pity.

I agree with you here.

Originally Posted by Kawaski11

The other problem I have noticed with Hi Fi shops is their selection. Back in the 70's and 80's, Hi Fi shops not only carried high end equipment, but also entry level equipment from brands like Sony, Kenwood, Technics, etc. According to my dealer at the time, most of his business was in the entry level equipment.

When stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. started showing up, they could not compete on price for the entry level equipment, and started to lose most their business.

And I agree with this. My first piece of my own audio gear was a Marantz 2285B receiver and some Sennheiser cans. I went back and bought some better gear over time (mainly after I left HS).

I am not the lest impressed with any of the stores here with pretentions to high end.

Originally Posted by DSP_Geek

Oh, I don't know about that. Vinyl is enjoying a resurgence of popularity with the young'uns, and they think it sounds better than squished-up MP3s.

In terms of the total sales, it's really trivial though.

Originally Posted by wintermute

I'd have to disagree with the Homeopathic Drugs one SY. I don't have any scientific proof, but I do have the benefit of observation. When you have a 6 month old baby and nothing is working, and you give her some homeopathic drops that are intended to fix the ailment she is suffering from and within a short time the problem is solved, I think that any argument about placebo effect or other things which are used to explain the effectiveness of homeopathy go out the window.

A tragic case that concluded in Sydney on Monday removed whatever little interest I had in trying it forever.

[Curly Woods]

Originally Posted by planet10

The store i was associated with is still doing well.

dave

Dave there are still a few bastions that have weathered the economy, and I pray that they hang on so that this industry that I love, will still have another day in the sun. You have to admit that the numbers are a mere shell of 20 years ago. The big companies have brought in their media blitzes and taken away the bread and butter of the community audio stores, just has Walmart, Best Buy, etc, have wiped out the smaller "mom and pop" stores.
I long for the days when personal service and professional sales people mean more to a person than price, but that is the times that I live in today. High commercial retail space has makes it extremely difficult for smaller retail to survive and this is showing up everywhere.

[wintermute]

Originally Posted by Brett

A tragic case that concluded in Sydney on Monday removed whatever little interest I had in trying it forever.

Yes that was very very tragic. To try alternatives is one thing, to insist that they are the only option is criminal.

Tony.

[Curly Woods]

Originally Posted by cbdb

I see a dark age comming (I dont think it will last but who knows how long?) Less money into the record labels = less risk talking = less new bands getting signed, so we hear more and more established bands and less new music. Throw in the MTV mentality of a new band every song (the preference of the young for DJs over live music) and the future looks dim. Where will the next generation of bands come from? No gigs to hone your chops, and when you do put out an album, most people steal it.

I recall in the 60's there was what 1/10th the number of bands today (if that), but the music was great! Look at what many of the kids listen today. They are listening to music from the 60's :-) Amazing how quality stands the test of time.

[SY]

OT, but here's the Nature investigation of homeopathic claims by the leading "practitioner," Jacques Benveniste and Benveniste's reply. The reply looks oddly familiar. Everyone thought the tests were just fine until they didn't get the results they wanted; that's when the name-calling began. Benveniste did not learn the lesson of Blondlot, sadly.

http://br.geocities.com/criticandoka...nveniste02.pdf

And for a lighter look:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIaV8swc-fo (some language warning, but damned funny)