Spearker cables..fact or fiction?

IF you want some solid advice . . . go buy some MIT cables. They are one of the single most effective and notably beneficial upgrades I have ever made. They are truly the same as making a significant preamp, amp or speaker upgrade. F1Nut makes a valid point. To a large degree, cables sold by the roll (foot) are very similar sounding and do not offer dramatic increases in performance.

sTiLlLeArNiNg wrote: »

Why do i need a set of $500 Mit's? In most case's i/you/we can buy the SAME cable as what is used in "premade" set's for cheaper and finish them of ourselve's

It's not hard to find termination's, cable sleeveing, heat shrink, quality solder, cable pant's etc....

like i said i'm just trying to understand all of this so i can make an informed purchase and get the best "bang" for my buck. That's why i refferenced price by the foot

TBH ihave a VERY limited income but i do like to have the best of what i can get....

First, you don't need MITs to listen to music, but you did say you want the best. Well MIT is close to what some consider to be the best.

Two, MIT is not just heatshrink and wire. Those boxes and the electronics therein are more than you could ever make in your garage workshop, and they do a lot to improve the sound.

Third, Bruce Brisson has a DIY homepage for making your own MIT cables, but they are not the best of what MIT has to offer. http://www.diyaudiocable.com/.

Fourth, if you are really serious about this hobby, the only way to really measure results is by hearing the product your self. And remember: "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be measured." - Albert Einstein.

phuz wrote: »

Or try Signal Cable. I think Frank will let you try some before you buy as well. Signal Cable is probably one of the best budget bang for the buck wires out there. Compare them all to some home depot lamp chord. Maybe you'll notice a difference, maybe you won't.

+1 regarding Signal Cable

...and in closing, there's no such thing as a "spearker" cable.

F1nut wrote: »

You know Tom, I was going to say something about that, but figured that since it already buzzed the tower once that a second time wasn't worth the effort.

Stop making me spit coffee at the screen.....jeez man.:D You are right though,once around for the slow folks,after that,the hell with it.

http://blog.stereophile.com/rmaf2009/breakthrough_approach_to_audio_measurement/

F1nut wrote: »

Gotta love the comments at the end of the article. Naysayers will be naysayers to the grave. :rolleyes:

Gotta love the way "believers" will accept anything the manufacturer's claim without question. :rolleyes:

F1nut wrote: »

Gotta love the comments at the end of the article. :rolleyes:

I do love them. I really do.

"On the other hand, if you want to insult us "wallpluggers" then expect to be mocked since you are apparently unable to understand basic science." Posted Tue Oct 6, 2009, 8:59 AM — By Tim L

I did not see in this case, and never have seen, an example of a cable enthusiast insulting or mocking someone only because they chose not to use a higher performance power cord.

"It really irritates me when I see a five or six figure system sitting in a room with glass walls and marble floors. Inevitably these are the systems with the most expensive cables and other sorts of "tweaks"". Posted Tue Oct 6, 2009, 12:05 PM — By Tim McGeary

I often see comments like this. I don't see any rational reason for anyone to get "irritated" by the wall and floor finishes someone else chooses for their listening room. Some people just like a more "lively" room. It's their house.:)

---

By the way, I have been working on some power infrastructure upgrades for my home theater system. The discontinued xStream Statement SC and xStream Premier SC power cords are being "dumped" at xStreamly attractive prices.

I just picked up nine 2 meter Statement SC power cords at $125 each (+$10 each for shipping) for the components in my HT system. Regular retail was $629. I am replacing all of the Signal Cable MagicPower cords.

More later.

DarqueKnight wrote: »

"It really irritates me when I see a five or six figure system sitting in a room with glass walls and marble floors. Inevitably these are the systems with the most expensive cables and other sorts of "tweaks"". Posted Tue Oct 6, 2009, 12:05 PM — By Tim McGeary

I often see comments like this. I don't see any rational reason for anyone to get "irritated" by the wall and floor finishes someone else chooses for their listening room. Some people just like a more "lively" room. It's their house.:)

I find criticisms such as the one described here are brought by people who may not be able to afford nicer gear, and feel someone who can afford nice gear and furthermore has the audacity to put it in a nice house . . . well, that person is a real snobby **** in their book.

SolidSqual wrote: »

I find criticisms such as the one described here are brought by people who may not be able to afford nicer gear, and feel someone who can afford nice gear and furthermore has the audacity to put it in a nice house . . . well, that person is a real snobby **** in their book.

OK, I think the issue is material that is not suitable for sound (IE: Glass walls and marbles) ratter than the looks. Big $$$ in sound equipment which is not optimized due to poor sound management material used for walling/ceiling/flooring. That is the point being made, NOT the looks or the expense.

WilliamM2 wrote: »

I used to think the same thing. Then I did an honest blind listening test. Suddenly those "huge" differences disappeared, not just for me, but for all the other participants as well.

For some reason, we could all hear the "huge" differences when we knew which cables were being used, go figure.

Now, if you go back up in the discussion, you will notice that many don't see blind testing as an accurate mean to prove the usefullness or uselessness of the cable comparision.

This subject has proven to be a very sensitive issue and there is no way to solve this issue with any technical, scientific or practical experience. Technical and scientific will say nay while the listener will say yay and your own post proves this by your own statements:

Then I did an honest blind listening test. Suddenly those "huge" differences disappeared,

Your personal listening experience said YES while your technical experiment said NO. So, now you choose to trustt the technical/scientific testing over the listening experience while many choose to trust their listening experience instead. Thus, the entire discussion is simply subjective to ones preference, belief and/or experience.

Cheers!
TK

SolidSqual wrote: »

Yes, I understand that. I'm just talking about the underlying motivation whether subliminal or otherwise.

EDIT: Some people like to badmouth gear they can't afford. And then, they convince themselves the gear is not worth the money so they can feel better about it. It's the "snobby audiophile" complex.

Touche' .:D