Home Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

[ Follow Ups ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Propeller Head Plaza ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Re: now we are getting to the bottom of this thread...

"How do you tell the difference? Let's say you take 2 cables, and find that one sounds better than the other (to you). Can you PROVE that one is more or less accurate than the other? I say you can't (unless one of them is grossly deficient)."

Here is an example of a test which can be performed to see which cable is more accurate in one specific area, frequency response. As I said, comparing one cable with another is useless because you are comparing two possibly flawed items. Therefore, the comparison would be between one cable at a time, and a shunt, the closest thing we can make to a perfect cable. Let's say two interconnect cables. The subject would first calibrate by hearing two identical test tones through headphones each fed through the shunt. He would adjust the balance so that both ears hear the same loudness. Then he would hear the same tones but this time one ear would be fed through the shunt and one ear would hear the signal through the test cable. He wouldn't know which is which. He is only asked to judge which is louder. If he picks the shunt each time, then the cable has a subjective frequency response depression at that frequency. By repeating the experiment at different frequencies, the subjective frequency reponse of the cable can be determined. We expect and hope that it corresponds to the measured frequency response. If it doesn't something is very wrong with the test. Let's say that cable A is indistinguishable from the shunt at all frequencies but cable B has a midrange and low frequency depression deliberately designed in meaning that it has a relatively better conductivity at high frequencies. If they are installed in a sound systems the system should subjectively sound brighter with cable B than with cable A. If the sound system has a high frequency rolloff due to the characteristics of the amplifier or the loudspeaker or the recording has a high frequency rolloff or the listener prefers brighter sounding equipment does that make cable B better than cable A? NO, at least not in my opinion because it distorted the waveform audibly. It did not perform its electrical function which is to transmit the waveform from point one to point two unaltered. Might the results be different in different sound systems? The experiment could be repeated varying the source and load impedences to find out.

If there is no objective measure to determining the quality of a cable, then there is no rational way to select one. If the cable is to be bought with the explicit purpose of compensating for the shortcomings of other equipment, how wiil you know that it is the best choice or that it will even work at all beforehand? Do you try every cable that exists before making a selection. If the measurements traditionally used to describe electrical waveforms and the mathematical models are inadequate, what parameters do you feel are missing? Can't tests for those be devised as well?

I've said an awful lot about this considering that I'm not particularly interesed in cables. I've surprised myself. Sorry for being so long winded but I like to analyze problems and proposed solutions rather than just accept answers haphazardly.


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  Kimber Kable  

Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups
You can not post to an archived thread.

[ Top Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]