[The Monkey]

Not exactly DIY, but if I wanted to A/B my DIY mini-to-minis for comparison, is there an A/B switch I can buy in order to do this?

Thanks!

 

[MisterX]

Ultra simple DIY, there is even a headwize project that will help you out

http://headwize.com/projects/showfil...=cmoy7_prj.htm

 

[RnB180]

well the switcher has potential of altering a cables true sound as the signal has to travel through yet another series of wires before its desitination.

from my personal experience a/b switching is not neceassry, cables can sound so different that no quick switching is required.

the main sonic characteristics that are easlily noticeable are tightness/looseness of bass response, upper end clarity/roll off.

this is most prevelant between a pure copper interconnect and a silver variant interconnect.

which kind of cables will you be A/B'ing?

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 well the switcher has potential of altering a cables true sound as the signal has to travel through yet another series of wires before its desitination. from my personal experience a/b switching is not neceassry, cables can sound so different that no quick switching is required. the main sonic characteristics that are easlily noticeable are tightness/looseness of bass response, upper end clarity/roll off. this is most prevelant between a pure copper interconnect and a silver variant interconnect. which kind of cables will you be A/B'ing?

I'd like to just A/B the mini-to-minis I've been making: Canare Star Quad vs. silver plated copper vs. pure silver.

 

[RnB180]

monkey,

heres a really easy test for you to do without a switcher,

take your silver variant cables, and listen to them for an extended period of time. Take not of the accuracy of the cable, the bass extension and upper extension.. Listen to them long enough until you become very intimate with the sonic characteristics of the cable,

then switch over to the star quad and the differences will become instantly noticeable.

when you become so familiar with a signature sound switching to e completely different conductor material and geometry will yield noticeable results.

if you are bent on DBTing, have someone plug in a mystery cable and listen to it for an hour, then have someone switch it out without telling you what cable is being used.

 

[RnB180]

I just did a DBT on myself,

between a silver variant and a pure copper cable,

it was a tough choice, I played a 7 second snippet of an electrical organ type musical intro

and there is one point in the sound where the overtones sound different between each cable,

out used a small segment that the overtone was audible as my mark of knowing which cable was playing.

using this test, I passed and 4 out of 4 attempts I picked the correct cable that was playing that small overtone more accurately. (silver variant)

this was a double blind test, I had my head turned with my headphones on and my cousing swapping out the cables I told him only to play the first 7 seconds of the intro with the over tones, never knowing which cable we started with.

small differences but I heard it and got 4 out of 4 tries right.

it was more difficult to DBT when I listened to it for 2 minute segments however. (time switching, trying, headphones moving, rewinding to the correct place and not listening critically), So I decided to just listen to a small segment and focus on the harmonics, resonation and overtones. it was easier to choose that way. the small overtones was what I used and scored 4 out of 4. which means I heard an audible difference in the upper frequency range.

This I think is the reason for the sound of veiled characteristics and open detailed characteristics.

I did here slight interference distortion and thought it was my DIY cable as possibly a hiccup somewhere with the signal and the cables geometry, but when I checked it turned out to be the professional premanufactured cable, not mine. Its a relief none the less

ok good night

 

[MisterX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 well the switcher has potential of altering a cables true sound as the signal has to travel through yet another series of wires before its desitination.

Think about this for one second.
Even *if* the switch "alters the the cables true sound" it alters both of the cables the same way which mean you still get valid A/B results when you use one.







I say *if* because I can neither measure nor hear any "alteration" from the DIY switchbox I built.

 

[RnB180]

yes that is true.

Im kind of anal about stuff like that, which is why with one sided cans I rewire the side with the cable lead, open up the other and rewire the inside wires on the other closed side with the rewire.

 

[tyre]

.

 

[RnB180]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyre Here is a link to an ABX test using 7 different listeners that compares a $2.50 phono cable to several exotic interconnects costing significantly more. The results of the test indicated that there is no audible difference.

cool,

well I just got 4 out of 4 right in a double blind test, are you telling me I didnt hear a difference? as mentioned above I popped in a music snippet I was somewhat familiar with and heard the overtones. which led me to pick the correct cable everytime.

 

[skyskraper]

how exactly did you operate the "double blind test" that you did?

 

[RnB180]

I had my cousin in the room with me, I used the Grados sr-80s,

I was facing the computer and my cousin had sitting behing me with the mp3 player and amp, I played a 320 bit rate mp three, of a 7 second snippet.

I used a silver variant interconnect and a popular copper interconnect.

with my back turned I told him to put in a cable of his choice and start the song, after the segment reached a few seconds, I told him to switch to the net cable a restart, after doing this 2-3 times, and I was sure of which one was plugged in, I called out the cable type and looked back and it was the correct one.

I did this four times starting randomly with which ever cable, I was un aware of which cable was plugged in first. and just told him to switch back and forth a few times.

of course Im sure that there wil be non-believers that will say "4 out of 4 isnt good enought you must at least conduct 100 tests, inside an anachoic chamber and with cable swap you must wat a full day..and score 100 out of 100 for the inkling of a possibility that there may be a difference."

the differences were not dramatic, as I had to pay attention to listening to overtones and how the higher frequecies react with each other, something that not many listeners know how to listen for, but most can probably hear it unkowingly without knowing what it is or that they are hearing it.

I think this is what makes someone sound more airy then another.

of course its much more difficult to listen to a whole song and try to remember the points where the overtones sound like this here, and this there on the other cable.

Ive concluded cables to make an audible difference, though not worth stressing over subtle yet noticeable differences. Just pick one that sounds good to you and enjoy the music.

if a rat shack cable sounds the same as a $4000 cable to you, more power to you, you saved yourself the cost of a used car

, though I dont condone anyone to spend that type of money on a cable, unless you expendable income is huge.

 

[drewd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 I had my cousin in the room with me, I used the Grados sr-80s...

I think that what you're describing is a single blind test.

 

[RnB180]

whats the definition of single double blind tests? pardon my ignorance.

 

[drewd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RnB180 whats the definition of single double blind tests? pardon my ignorance.

Single blind test is where the the listener does not know which device is under test, but the "switcher" does. A double blind test is where neither the listener nor the "switcher" know which device is under test, but some third party does.

If you haven't already, you should take a gander at Audio Asylum and see just what kind of religious flame wars can take place over the validity of double blind tests.

-Drew