[bigshot]

According to Gizmodo, the famed subjectivist Stereophile audiophile reviewer Michael Fremer has accepted James Randi's challenge to discern the difference between Monster speaker cables and $7K Pear speaker cables.

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/calling-*...not-311034.php

This should be interesting.

See ya
Steve

 

[nick20]

Good read..

 

[Brian_the_King]

Unless I'm wrong, the challenge was put up 2.5 weeks ago, but no one had accepted until now.

I am quite excited to see the end result myself.

 

[Jon118]

Yep, the old thread had no one who had agreed to take the challenge, that had been accepted at least. I still think Randi is going to have some way to where he won't have to pay up, even if he truly would loose. I still think it's just a publicity stunt and not a serious challenge.

 

[vcoheda]

this is all BS. there's no way this thing will ever happen (at least in a fair manner). the guy will devise some test that is patently unfair - it said in the article that no method had been stipulated - and then when the writer balks, claim victory.

i'm still interested to see what happens, but regardless, it will not change my opinion about the things i have personally experienced. and as stated in previous posts - and this is not a novel idea - differences in most audio equipment cannot easily be detected through quick A/B comparisons, but only over time.

 

[bigshot]

If you have followed any of James Randi's earlier $1 million challenges, you'll know that it will be totally fair and totally impossible for the test subject to weasel around on the results. Whether or not that's enough for you to change your mind depends more on your personality than it does on the facts of whether a high end cable makes a difference to sound.

If you don't know much about James Randi, you should see the first box set of Penn & Teller's BS TV program. There's an interview with him where he talks about debunking that TV evangelist with the radio in his ear. It's fascinating.

I don't know how anyone could hear a difference between speaker wire. The speakers are much more likely to color the sound than anything earlier in the chain.

See ya
Steve

 

[Patrick82]

Skeptics think that 5 second switching between cables is a fair test...

 

[splodinjoe]

Edit: removed my post because of the rule against discussing DBT. I will only say that I look forward to the results

.

 

[Fitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick82 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Skeptics think that 5 second switching between cables is a fair test...

Skeptics think that using only one container of basil is a fair way to judge a tweak.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Quote:

Pear Cable has offered to loan Mr. Fremer any Pear cables necessary to conduct the test if he desires to use them.

Interesting.

If I were a cable manufacture, I wouldn't touch this thing with a 20 foot poll because if he can't prove it (for what ever reasons), you can bet sales will drop!

 

[Superpredator]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigshot /img/forum/go_quote.gif This should be interesting.

Like sports for audio nerds. I'm pumped - regardless of the outcome I get to laugh at somebody.

 

[Dept_of_Alchemy]

Finally, a cable thread that will end with a conclusion.

42, anyone?

 

[Konig]

i believe randi is going to win this. He dared to put up this challenge because he
concluded it is statistically impossible. He probably got 100 guys to do the test already and found out those number of people who got it right is exactly the number generated through statistical means.

but what interests me most is the kind of speaker they will use. It will definitely generate positive publicity if randi loses and the speakers will start advertising abt their transparency. clarity blah blah

 

[mofonyx]

Place your bets..

 

[Pibborando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif differences in most audio equipment cannot easily be detected through quick A/B comparisons, but only over time.

If you had any idea how the human brain worked you'd realize this is monumentally dumb.

This should be interesting indeed.