Why do cables work?

Why/how do cables work?

  • A scientific internal property of the cable that has yet to be discovered by science

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • A mysterious internal property of the cable that is essentially magical and unknowable

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • It is a miracle of God (or a related God-like entity)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Aliens

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Spirit beings

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cables are highly complex and not to be questioned or analysed

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other (please specify)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I do not know (you shouldn't really be answering this poll but ...)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

notaclue

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
9,583
435
128
Nowhere, West Europe
AKA
Duke of Steepletone
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
A poll for the cable believers.

OK. You think cables work. But why? Why do you think they work? Why? What is your reason for thinking this? In other words, why do you think cables work? Or, to put it another way, why do you think cabes work?

Please note that although I have included a 'don't know' option, this poll isn't really for people who don't know. Vote 'don't know' if you must but, please, only as a last resort. I am not interested in what you don't know.

Thank you for your participation in this poll.

Please note that this a 12 day poll. You only have 12 days to vote.

 

gaul

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 22, 2005
2,576
0
0
LONDON, ,
My philosophy about cable:

  • Right Diameter
  • Right Length
  • Do not organize your cables as overcooked spaghettis
  • Right raw material
  • Quality of soldering, isolation

=> Consider these points, buy cables you feel will sustain your amp power and not create distortion. Forget about them.

=> Good finition is always enjoyable on a nice setup, but no need to go for Sci-Fi cables...

 
E

earl of sodbury

Guest
Other - specific LCR parameters that can be varied to suitthe varying input/ouput impedences etc. of sources/amps/speakers; conductor quality, dielectric quality, screen quality (if used), contact and conductive quality of plugs (if used) - there are a sliding scale of possibilites for optimisation with all of these that can match/mismatch your system. No jiggery-pokery or magic.

I've experimented with highly varying types in the above-listed qualities, and Occasionally found small but useful differences to the sounds a system produces. Sadly this get buriedin theLASHINGS of marketing bullshit, hype, exaggerationand pseudoscience used to justify the extortionate cost of hifi cables...

churz, eofs

 
G

Guest

Guest
who cares why, my wife does not know how an internal combustion egine works, but I still let her drive me home from the pub

 
G

Guest

Guest
PS I was gonna pick the last option, but I'm damned if I'll be just one of your faceless statistics
tongue.png


 
E

Effem

Guest
There are some bits of kit around that do not respond at all tosooper dooper power cords.

There are some folks who are unable to hear any differences, mainly because they don't know exactlywhat to listen for.

There are many power cords availableon the market that do not have theability to effect any change at all.

 

Testure

Clean gloves hide dirty hands
Wammer Plus
Jul 21, 2005
5,347
54
128
West London/ Watford
AKA
Testy
HiFi Trade?
  1. Yes
Other: it's all to do with the large black boxes (brain washed by Transparent
biggrin.png
)

or

Other: I just spent ££££ on them, so keep telling myself there working:lmao:
shock.gif.7732780fe7e208b945ce79ca96402fca.gif
f_doh.gif.2bfa1ec008d0c8800eee305d3a30be23.gif


 

Boxer

Wammer
Wammer
Nov 2, 2005
8,574
13
0
Spirit beings, `cos my explanation for anything that I don't understand, eg how aeroplanes stay up (and don' try all that aerodynamics nonsense on me, it is just arrant rubbish:p), is that it's little demons running around doing their thang.....

And....and....we must carry on believing, or else Tinkerbelle will die!

Boxer

 

ClassikFan

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 19, 2005
5,158
1,870
193
Surrey
AKA
Stuart
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
I think there should be an option for;

I don't care, but it gives me something to spend my money on and I listen to more music trying to hear a difference. One day I'll be able to upgrade something really wothwhile, but until then cables keep me amused.

 

notaclue

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 20, 2005
9,583
435
128
Nowhere, West Europe
AKA
Duke of Steepletone
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
We have had a shopping list from gaul, a poem from Effem, a heaven only knows what from analoguekid and a request for a totallydaft option from ClassikFan.

This is why any poll needs a coefficent system to ensure it gives us valid statatatstistictscs.

Well done to those who have answered the question in a proper manner.

 

ClassikFan

Wammer
Wammer
Jul 19, 2005
5,158
1,870
193
Surrey
AKA
Stuart
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
How can you accuse me of being totaly daftwith some of theoption you have included on the poll.
shock.gif.7732780fe7e208b945ce79ca96402fca.gif


I think my option is the closest to the truth.:minikiev:

 

George 47

Subjectivist
Staff member
Jan 1, 2006
8,423
6,070
193
United Kingdom
HiFi Trade?
  1. No
notaclue wrote:

A poll for the cable believers. OK. You think cables work. But why? Why do you think they work? Why? What is your reason for thinking this? In other words, why do you think cables work? Or, to put it another way, why do you think cabes work?

Please note that although I have included a 'don't know' option, this poll isn't really for people who don't know. Vote 'don't know' if you must but, please, only as a last resort. I am not interested in what you don't know.

Thank you for your participation in this poll.

Please note that this a 12 day poll. You only have 12 days to vote.
Right, now I have voted (the most popular bar the other category) I can answer your questions!!

I think everyone knows how they work, all those electrons wizzing around being pushed along by the amplifier and all.

Why do they sound different (assuming they do of course) is a different question altogether? There is a basic understanding on LCR terms and how that affects the way they sound but most good cables have excellent basic LCR parameters.

What happens after this is more complex and more fun. There certainly seems to be some rules emerging that can help to indicate how a cable may sound. Crap conductors give a crap sound. Reduce the impurities and the sound seems to improve. Same for the insultation with some materials being poor and some excellent. After that there is a lot of disagreement. Silver vs copper; polythene vs PTFE, stranded vs multi-stranded.

And the really good thing
biggrin.png
is that these subtleties seem to disappear when subjected to an ABX test with huge statistical testing because they do not exist!!!

Or could it be because ABX testing is crap at showing these differences????

 
G

Guest

Guest
Its never a proper poll unless there's a lashings of ginger beer option

 

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