Cables, Power, Tweaks, Speakers, Accessories (DBT-Free Forum)Discussion of cables, power (the electric kind), tweaks, & accessories. I, Objectivist: The Objectivist Audio
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I appreciate your offer to replace my cable, but, I have to ask why I would want a replacement when your over-enthusiastic employee Matt has made personnal jabs at me and what he said about the 6th Aniversary Power Cable :
Originally Posted by Acoustic Chef
Ok so what would you expect for free then?
That's exactly what this guy said, and look what become of that.
He said this after he was questioned about sub-standard construction. (Which even you have to admit that this cable is lacking in the love and hard work department.)
I had no intentions of ripping on your company. I even told Acoustic Chef I had planned on doing a very positive review using some high end studio equipment when he sent me the cable.
I am not a power cable skeptic, nor am I a power cable believer. But I thought this giveaway would be a way for me to make the decision. Instead, I stumbled upon smashed wires, poor handiwork, and blatent lies about the conductors used.
I have not bashed anyone in this thread, until you came here and insulted my (and this forums) intelligence.
But the offer is accepted. If you want me to try out and review one of your cables, go ahead and send one (you have my address). I'll spray it down with some cat scratch repellent.
I hardly know where to begin or end with this one. I guess, firstly, I know quite a few people who have made a lot of money in their lives. But almost without exception, it took considerable effort and/or ingenuity on their part to do so. I know far more people who have not made much money in their lives. From my experience, the ratio of schmucks to non-schmucks is much higher in the latter group than in the former. As a general rule, idiots don't become wealthy. The reward systems in life are heavily stacked up against that outcome.
Here's a perfect example of a friend of mine from Audiogon who has labored for 30 years in this hobby to gradually (after many trials and tribulations) put together one of the most amazingly realistic and impactful 2 channel audio systems you could possibly lend your ears to:
While Albert does not use any Virtual Dynamics cables in his system, if you were to click on some of the links he provides (above), you will see that his cables are not at all cheap (at retail at least, I don't know what he paid for them).
Does that make him and his MBA (I can only assume that he has one, for he must if he's spent this much on cables) a schmuck? In your eyes?
Well, maybe so. But consider the alternative hypothesis: perhaps after 30 years of being extremely active in the high end audio hobby, he may have accidentally stumbled across something of real value to his ears! Maybe in an utterly remarkable system such as the one he has assembled, cables really do make an audible difference, and one that he values in proportion to his overall investment in that system.
Now, if someone without an MBA (and all of the free money that I'm now just learning comes from it) were to spend $10,000 on cables to be fitted into his mediocre system, then I think quite clearly we would have identified our schmuck.
Just my opinion, of course, but I'm a 40-something MBA who happens to own some expensive cables, many of which are Virtual Dynamics cables if truth be told. But honestly, I'm not "attached" to them in any way. They're not at all part of my identity. I don't pet them before going to bed at night. I've got nothing to "lose" other than perhaps a tiny bit of pride (but even then, it wouldn't be much of an ego blow) if it were to be scientifically proven that my cables are in fact made out of snake oil.
I'd imagine, even if that were the case, I'd still break in no time. I'd just invest a good chuck of money in snake oil futures and watch the market react. If snake oil improves the sound of my system as much as my Virtual Dynamics Master Series cables suggests it does (if indeed snake oil oozes out when they're cut), then I might even consider making an additional investment somewhere along the supply chain. Perhaps a snake farm or a snake oil refinery? Damn MBA. Makes me think too much sometimes.
In hindsight, you are completely right. My whole reasoning was based on a model that I built entirely in my head of the kind of person who would buy expensive cables. None of it was based on any experience or even research, so it was unreasonable for me to even make such a statement. On top of that, I used childish and inappropriate language. I also for some reason decided to relate the whole thing to MBA's, obviously a lot of people have MBA's, this was just another piece of imagery my mind concocted, and it is obviously wrong. For that I apologize. Thank you for the response.
Moderator Headphoneus Supremus: President, treasurer, secretary and sole member of the Cayman Islands Head-Fi Club.
Originally Posted by colonelkernel8
In hindsight, you are completely right. My whole reasoning was based on a model that I built entirely in my head of the kind of person who would buy expensive cables. None of it was based on any experience or even research, so it was unreasonable for me to even make such a statement. On top of that, I used childish and inappropriate language. For that I apologize. Thank you for the response.
That's quite nice and very mature of you. Thank you as well.
I guess what struck me about your comments was the underlying assumption that life becomes rather easy for certain people after they luck into financial success. As I've stated, that hasn't been the general pattern that I've observed. It might be a different kind of work that professionals do, but it's still hard work and there are no short cuts to the top. Sure, a few people manage to get there without much intelligence, talent, or determination, but they are the exception rather than the rule.
__________________
If it sounds good to you, then it is good.
I'll spray it down with some cat scratch repellent.
I'm not sure about your cat, but the cat I had (ex has her now) wasn't phased at all by that repellent stuff, I think I actually herd her laughing when I sprayed it
Best bet would be to try and elevate the cord off the floor if possible, but if a cat wants something bad enough they will find a way to get it.
Also I would like to see some response to the safety concerns, and furthermore would like some of the research questions addressed. Where 37 pages deep now in this thread and no closer to any kind of truth or answers.
__________________ Team Grado|Team Headfive|Team Number Cruncher|Team Irong-Lung Jellyfish|Team MonoPrice|Team Insignia
You have to realize that I'm gonna feel a lot like a Dad finally explaining to his son that there ain't no Santa. That broken hearted lip droopin' response is likely what I'm gonna get, because the truth ain't nearly as fun as the hype and the ********.
Do you know what? UL is not an insurance company, nor are they required by law. In fact, most everything in high-end audio is not UL.
Secondly, conductors don't have to be made by fairy princesses, elves or Virtual Dynamics to be good.
Thirdly, the major cost of running a business is not the parts cost of the products that you make, in most cases. Many times what you pay for as consumers is ******** like UL that adds to cost beyond what consumers really need to pay. Let's look at a Power Three.
First of all you've done pretty good with your pricing, somewhere around what we pay, so not bad. The next is that if you've got something against hot glue as a capsulating agent you should take that up with the hot glue capsulating society and not me. It was their frikken idea, but it worked well, so I went with it. The thing that I can't figure out here is what I am doing wrong.
I have been trying for six years. Remember six years ago when Jude cut open my power three to find exactly the same thing that you just did! I was cool about it then, thought it was kinda neat, and I'm cool about it now, think it's kinda neat.
So, what's so damn neat? :-) I was hoping you would realize that this cable has nothing extraordinary to it with exception of those little tiny beads that are all over your house by now!
What fascinates me is what they do. Do you know that we have sold thousands, no kidding, literally thousands. I want to say, tens of thousands, but we didn't.
So why didn't we? The reason why we haven't sold tens of thousands of these beautiful little cables is because people are looking for all the wrong things. They need to be listening instead, to the sound! What you'll hear is the sound of thousands of little tiny beads in a cable that arguably should do absolutely nothing for your sound, and yet, it does.
The first time that I listened to this cable I was not in the business. I put it honestly up against power cords at ten times its cost from the most reputable High-End manufacturers. What I heard was a cleaner, clearer sound with a blacker background and a much more realistic presentation of the sound. Now, arguably a few of you don't agree, but I have been selling these little devices for six years and I have had literally thousands of awesome testimonials on what these little bearings and our technology of dynamic filtering actually does.
Other companies have started to follow suit, big companies with great reputations are now doing what we started. They may do it differently than us, they may market better than us, they may be more liked than us, but we started it. I am proud of that.
I didn't start the cone rack and footer industry, but I would like to think I was maybe the very first to really try to control vibration on an audio conductor. I have had some of the biggest names in the industry tell me that they were proud of me. Now, we are a little company in the world of high end audio, but we are doing some big things. I am glad you tore open my Power Three and showed that what I think is genius behind it. Simple, yes, but some of the best things in life are simple and genius.
So, what's so damn neat? :-) I was hoping you would realize that this cable has nothing extraordinary to it with exception of those little tiny beads that are all over your house by now!
Well, I hope none of those tiny little beads, which from the description are probably conductive, never work their way into the business end of the cable and cause a short, because that could get exciting!
You have to realize that I'm gonna feel a lot like a Dad finally explaining to his son that there ain't no Santa. That broken hearted lip droopin' response is likely what I'm gonna get, because the truth ain't nearly as fun as the hype and the ********.
**snip**
I didn't start the cone rack and footer industry, but I would like to think I was maybe the very first to really try to control vibration on an audio conductor. I have had some of the biggest names in the industry tell me that they were proud of me. Now, we are a little company in the world of high end audio, but we are doing some big things. I am glad you tore open my Power Three and showed that what I think is genius behind it. Simple, yes, but some of the best things in life are simple and genius.
This post should have been the first response by your "boy" on page one. The fact that you do not see anything wrong with how he represented your company is a mistake IMO.
But you can choose to run your company and direct your employees the way you want.
And we will choose to buy products from companies we want.
You have to realize that I'm gonna feel a lot like a Dad finally explaining to his son that there ain't no Santa. That broken hearted lip droopin' response is likely what I'm gonna get, because the truth ain't nearly as fun as the hype and the ********.
Do you know what? UL is not an insurance company, nor are they required by law. In fact, most everything in high-end audio is not UL.
Secondly, conductors don't have to be made by fairy princesses, elves or Virtual Dynamics to be good.
Thirdly, the major cost of running a business is not the parts cost of the products that you make, in most cases. Many times what you pay for as consumers is ******** like UL that adds to cost beyond what consumers really need to pay. Let's look at a Power Three.
So why didn't we? The reason why we haven't sold tens of thousands of these beautiful little cables is because people are looking for all the wrong things. They need to be listening instead, to the sound! What you'll hear is the sound of thousands of little tiny beads in a cable that arguably should do absolutely nothing for your sound, and yet, it does.
Ok so in your words, the UL is Bull S$** and we the consumer are doing the wrong thing to ask a silly question about safety? When what we should of been doing is just listen to the cord.
Wow Acoustic Chef was right when he said we where all "unintelligent"....
__________________ Team Grado|Team Headfive|Team Number Cruncher|Team Irong-Lung Jellyfish|Team MonoPrice|Team Insignia
There's an obvious response here but I'll leave that to everyone's imagination.
