most expensive cables

BjornB17

Alright folks, how about this....

I don't want to seem like some sort of troll who comes in here and acts like an idiot. I am always trying to learn new things, and I enjoy this community a lot since it has been very helpful to me so far, as well as fun.

I will maintain my theory for the time being, but I will also keep an open mind and ask the local hi-fi dealer, SoundQuest, to demonstrate different cables for me. I have been there several times, and have heard various B&Ws as well as some others though I thought sounded great, but I never made an inquiry about what cables they were using or how they would make a difference anyway. The three times I've been there, they're been fairly rude, but if i go back I'll make to see if they can let me listen to a few different cables.

I apoligize if I have offended or otherwise irritated anybody (such as F1nut and TroyD).

madmax

You might want to ask if they have any of those texas reds to chew on while you listen...
madmax

Tour2ma

BjornB17 wrote:

I apoligize if I have offended or otherwise irritated anybody (such as F1nut and TroyD).

Whadayamean... "if"?

F1nut

Bjorn,

Accepted and I'd like to apologize for being short with you. I'm pleased that you're open to a cable demo, no matter what the results and I look forward to your observations. I'm also pleased that you're sticking around as I think you'll be a valued asset to the forum.

Jesse

TroyD

Uh huh.

We'll see.

BDT

heiney9

Bjorn, Read the whole thread and felt no need to comment until now. The elders stated anything I could have added. I encourage you to really go into your dealer with an open mind. Spend some time listening to stuff (music) you are very familiar with. This type of exercise is going to take some listening time. It may not be apparent as soon as you sit down. Close your eyes and try to do it at a time when there are minimal distractions. Hopefully things are set up adequetly at the dealer to give you a fair shot with this exercise. If not, see if he'll let you demo them in your system for awhile.

FWIW, I used to be on the fence as far as cables. I listened to different cables and sometimes I heard a huge difference, sometimes it was subtle, sometimes it wasn't any different. Also should note these differences were both positive and negative. So don't nec listen for just positive effects, listen for differences PERIOD.

I strongly suggest you use music you extremely familiar with. Pick out things you like and don't like about the recordings, perhaps take some notes about specific recordings before you go to your dealer.

Good luck

H9

BjornB17

Thanks for the comments. F1nut, I'm glad you're not going to hold a grudge. Thanks for being patient about it.

TroyD..... what can i say............... :rolleyes:

PolkThug

Bjorn, try to do a blind test if possible. You may not hear a difference if you can't see what is being hooked up, or have someone persuade you about what you are hearing.*

*Still waiting for polkmaniac to be the first brave soul to take on the double-blind test.

I personally haven't heard a difference or witnessed anyone else discern a difference, but I do have an open mind that it is possible.

MIT cables is really big into measurement of frequency responses, but they won't answer my questions about their "articulation response" measurement variable, so I'm starting to doubt them now.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy music!!!

Regards,
P-Thuggy

TroyD

BjornB17 wrote:

TroyD..... what can i say............... :rolleyes:

I'm not holding a grudge and I hope that you do honestly demo some cables on a higher end rig.

As for the rest of it, whatever. You come in basically dismissing the opinions of quite a few folks like myself refusing to entertain the notion that WE might have half a brain using rationale based on a big bag of nothing.

I'm sorry but someone who wants to question my intelligence and integrity with nothing to back it up and then avoids the issue when questioned? Had Bjorn not played the "I'm an expert" card, then, sure, I'm more than happy to let it pass. However, he's the one who opened up his bag for us to look in. Sorry, Charlie, that doesn't wash with me.

I'll be civil and so forth and wish no ill will but my opinion has pretty much been cast.

BDT

madmax

heiney9 wrote:

The elders stated anything I could have added.
H9

THE ELDERS HAVE SPOKEN

BjornB17

TroyD wrote:

I'm not holding a grudge and I hope that you do honestly demo some cables on a higher end rig.

As for the rest of it, whatever. You come in basically dismissing the opinions of quite a few folks like myself refusing to entertain the notion that WE might have half a brain using rationale based on a big bag of nothing.

I'm sorry but someone who wants to question my intelligence and integrity with nothing to back it up and then avoids the issue when questioned? Had Bjorn not played the "I'm an expert" card, then, sure, I'm more than happy to let it pass. However, he's the one who opened up his bag for us to look in. Sorry, Charlie, that doesn't wash with me.

I'll be civil and so forth and wish no ill will but my opinion has pretty much been cast.

BDT

I think you missed the part where I apologized and vowed to keep an open mind in hopes of not being ignorant.

heiney9

madmax wrote:

THE ELDERS HAVE SPOKEN

Always respect your elders, even if you humbly disagree . Elders here not nec being old farts (as some of you are) :eek: but old in their audio experience and knowledge. .

H9

polkatese

madmax wrote:

THE ELDERS HAVE SPOKEN

Go ahead, pass around the peace pipe now, so I can take a puff.

TroyD

BjornB17 wrote:

I think you missed the part where I apologized and vowed to keep an open mind in hopes of not being ignorant.

...and apparently you missed the part where I said I wish you no ill will and so forth.

If you are waiting for the part with the tearful apology and wet sloppy kiss, I hope you got a few books and magazines to keep you occupied.

BDT

Tour2ma

^ I know that's what I'm waiting for...

I got your Elders right here...

heiney9

polkatese wrote:

Go ahead, pass around the peace pipe now, so I can take a puff.

mmmmmm....me lov'em peace pipe .

Skynut

Puff, puff, pass.

BjornB17

TroyD wrote:

...and apparently you missed the part where I said I wish you no ill will and so forth.

If you are waiting for the part with the tearful apology and wet sloppy kiss, I hope you got a few books and magazines to keep you occupied.

BDT

*hugs TroyD* Hello friend.

TroyD

Tour2ma wrote:

^ I know that's what I'm waiting for...

I got your Elders right here...

Now THAT is a movie.

BDT

rocketman

I am glad no one holds a grudge I know I don't.I have learned alot on this sight.I just have not been able to hear enough difference on cables I have listened to justify spending hundreds let alone thousands of dollars on wire and cables.If somebody else wants to thats fine.
I think Russels site is refered to so much because his is the only site that has actually done tests and backed it up with facts.His oppinon is not based on just info that is twenty years old,it has been updated.I think once you by something and spend a bunch of money on something you try and convince yourslef that it was worth the money and sometimes it might be it was.
Last Decmber I bought a Jolida JD 100 cd player with grade one mods.When I listened to it over a few weeks I tried and tried to convince myself that it sounded better than the 1987 16bit Pioneer I had been useing all these years.I finally hooked up both,one through the cd hookup and one to the aux and swtched between the two.No way was it any better than my old one and I had payed $1100.00 for the Jolida and about $200.00 in 1987 for the other.This was the first A/B test I had ever done and this is what I heard,another person might have picked the other.The store agreed to a refund minus 10%. I returned it and I am still useing the old one.I wonder how many of us get to do A/B test?I know I had never had the the chance to do it.I think it would be very easy for a dealer to have a set up that would let you do a blind test comparing you cables and interconects with the ones he is selling.I have never been to one dealer that had a setup to do this.Don't you guys agree that this should easy to do?They have switches that switch between diiferent speakers to compare.I wonder why they don't have setup like this? Now I no have only been to maybe fifteen to twenty dealers since I got into stereos in 1976 maybe someone out there knows of a dealer that has this type of setup.I also wonder why not one Audio reviewer or anyone for that matter tried to claim the $15,000.00 prize that was refered to on Russels site at no financial risk to the claiment that could pick what cable they were listning to under a contolled test

heiney9

rocketman wrote:

Last Decmber I bought a Jolida JD 100 cd player with grade one mods.When I listened to it over a few weeks I tried and tried to convince myself that it sounded better than the 1987 16bit Pioneer I had been useing all these years.I finally hooked up both,one through the cd hookup and one to the aux and swtched between the two.No way was it any better than my old one and I had payed $1100.00 for the Jolida and about $200.00 in 1987 for the other.

Welcome to CP fellow Midwesterner. Not to completely hi-jac this thread, but what is the rest of your system like? I have an older 16 bit Nakamichi player with Burr-Brown PCM54 Dac chips and at the time it was an expensive, extremely well built unit that sounded very good. All discrete, analog and digital sections completely isolated, etc. And my newer set-up completely bests it in every aspect.

I certainly can't fault you for your own opinion, but it's very rare that a newer high end player like a Jolida wouldn't sound leaps and bounds better over a middle of the road "older" design, especially a Pioneer. I've done some studying of the successive Burr Brown chip sets. Pcm54 --> Pcm63 --> Pcm1502/1503 and each generation is substantially improved.

Just thinking outloud . You did the right thing in comparing them, perhaps more time spent with the Jolida might have changed your mind. Or, perhaps the system you used it in just wasn't able to allow you to hear a marked difference between the 2. Which in that case certainly doesn't justify the cash expenditure.

Isn't this hobby fun? :cool: .

H9

doggie750

is THE RespecT.........on what people's opinion.....NO cuzzn and dizzn.....
The forum thread is all about discussion not a debate........so LEARN from it & not be a hate..R......

I rest my case........

F1nut

Believing as I do that the source is where it all starts (garbage in, garbage out) and having experience with a modded Jolida (better than most others at 3 times the cost), I've got to wonder if something else was (is) the problem. How long did you burn in the Jolida before your A/B test? What tubes were you running? What is the rest of your set up?

BTW, Roger Russell is full of poo nuggets!

madmax

rocketman wrote:

I tried and tried to convince myself that it sounded better than the 1987 16bit Pioneer

You may have been using interconnects which were limiting anything beyond the pioneer.
madmax

PolkThug

madmax wrote:

You may have been using interconnects which were limiting anything beyond the pioneer.
madmax

priceless!

madmax

PolkThug wrote:

priceless!

I was being serious when I wrote that but now see the humor... What was this thread about again???

dorokusai

Not much.

heiney9

madmax wrote:

What was this thread about again???

I believe we were discussing Poo Nuggets and Asshats....our two favorite subjects.

H9

madmax

dorokusai wrote:

Not much.

I hope no one thinks I'm up'ity here but I just have to throw this out. If you are not hearing differences with any component change, including sources, amps, wires or interconnects, something is terribly wrong. :eek:
madmax

dorokusai

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