[nigeljames]

Did Steve send you this new cable to see if it sounded any different to the old cable, or for other non SQ reasons?
 
Does Steve (Q Audio) know you can hear a difference between his cables or other manufacturers cables?
 
Steve does not believe cables sound different.
 
If he does has he called you delusional yet because he tends to do that to anyone who mentions that cables make a difference.
 
 
P.S I also know that cables make a difference and have 3 Silver Widow cables myself, great cable.

 

[sam1e]

Gosh fellas, where did that come from. These are my opinions not Steve's and they carry no bias, I evaluate with my ears as most of us do, Steve looks for science to back up his views and has his own opinions which we may or may not agree with but they are his views and not mine and if he had an agenda, and I'm not aware that he had, it could only be a desire to have his current cable reviewed as opposed to one he no longer produces which seems reasonable to me and I certainly don't have an agenda. Please take the review for what it is, my interest in the difference that cables can make and my opinion of these two headphone cables, one copper, one silver, tethered to a pair of LCD-3's, that's it.

Ultimately my conclusion was the same and I hope that I presented it in an honest and unbiased way, Qaudio and Toxic aren't the only two cable manufacturers out there, there may be a cable made by another manufacturer that brings even more out of the LCD-3's but I don't have one to compare and cable reviews are thin on the ground.

 

[nigeljames]

Sorry I never intended anything negative regarding your review I was wondering the reason Steve sent you the new cable for review when there should not be any SQ difference, according to Steve.
 
On another note, knowing that cables do make a difference (something I expect you also believe) , I could never buy a cable from someone who believes all cables are the same SQ wise at least.
 
For what it's worth, I use the Silver Widow on my HE6's. LCD2.2's and HD800's to great effect.

 

[sam1e]

No slight taken, yours wasn't the only response in a similar vein, I just felt that it needed addressing. I believe that Hi-fi is all about preference and opinion and is all the better for it. I don't know Steve personally but I am aware of his views, he approaches the subject from the scientific angle, that's most probably his background, he says it as he sees it and lets face it it's most difficult to argue against the science as it tends to support Steve's opinion but I don't evaluate my kit with test equipment I use my ears as most of us do and no matter how flaky that might be on scientific grounds it's ultimately the purpose the kit is produced for. Of cause it's possible that I suffer from the placebo effect, a desire for it to sound better because that's why I bought it, I hope not. I listen and listen again over a reasonable period of time under quite strict criteria in an effort to be honest with my opinions, but they are just that, my opinions using my ears which is not very scientific, your hearing and consequent opinion will probably differ that's why we need to audition if possible but that's not so easy with headphone cables, certainly not in the UK, so all reviews are helpful as a guide as long as you see it as someone else's opinion.

As a point of interest I have an Apuresound cable on T1's that sound great but I bought them as the second owner so don't have anything to compare the sound to including the stock as they are hard wired, it may be the perfect match, there may be something better but unlike the LCD-3's they don't frustrate me to a point of wanting more from them and that's what drove this review. I guess ultimately you have to have sufficient faith in your own opinions not to be swayed by others, but I will listen and learn when appropriate and regardless of others views make my own mind up whether that be right or wrong, who's to say anyway.

 

[nigeljames]

No slight taken, yours wasn't the only response in a similar vein, I just felt that it needed addressing. I believe that Hi-fi is all about preference and opinion and is all the better for it. I don't know Steve personally but I am aware of his views, he approaches the subject from the scientific angle, that's most probably his background, he says it as he sees it and lets face it it's most difficult to argue against the science as it tends to support Steve's opinion but I don't evaluate my kit with test equipment I use my ears as most of us do and no matter how flaky that might be on scientific grounds it's ultimately the purpose the kit is produced for. Of cause it's possible that I suffer from the placebo effect, a desire for it to sound better because that's why I bought it, I hope not. I listen and listen again over a reasonable period of time under quite strict criteria in an effort to be honest with my opinions, but they are just that, my opinions using my ears which is not very scientific, your hearing and consequent opinion will probably differ that's why we need to audition if possible but that's not so easy with headphone cables, certainly not in the UK, so all reviews are helpful as a guide as long as you see it as someone else's opinion.

As a point of interest I have an Apuresound cable on T1's that sound great but I bought them as the second owner so don't have anything to compare the sound to including the stock as they are hard wired, it may be the perfect match, there may be something better but unlike the LCD-3's they don't frustrate me to a point of wanting more from them and that's what drove this review. I guess ultimately you have to have sufficient faith in your own opinions not to be swayed by others, but I will listen and learn when appropriate and regardless of others views make my own mind up whether that be right or wrong, who's to say anyway.

 
Yes I agree with you entirely and I have absolutely no issue with Steve's personal opinion.
 
My only problem is when people, in this case the cable naysayers (including Steve), call other people delusional and even idiots for daring to disagree with their dogmatic views. It's not right and it's not fair to the other person.
 
That's why I was curious as to why he would send you a cable to review when there is no 'SQ difference'
The other factors as to why someone would buy a new cable, (ergonomics, flexibility, micro-phonics) are things he can compare himself without needing a second opinion.
 
Like you I also listen with my ears and if I can hear a difference then there's a difference. It's just disappointing that some people can not understand that

 

[sam1e]

We all have different opinions and heavens knows a forum discussion isn't the easiest place to read intonation, I don't know what has been said elsewhere but it's not relevant to this review and to clarify Steve did not send me a cable to review, he replaced a cable, it was my decision to review it as I was interested to know if there were any differences, needless to say it has to be more relevant to readers to review a cable that is actually available.

Can we move on now please this thread isn't about Steve or his techical reasoning and he hasn't subscribed to the thread, I think it would be more apposite to return to the thread which is about two different cables and a set of headphones.

 

[nigeljames]

Yes fair enough, I was just curious that's all.

 

[sam1e]

No problem.

 

[Lenni]

it would have been really great if you had a WyWire Red cable to compare to the Silver Widow. if I get one, I will loan it to you to do a comparison with the SW. 

 

[Steve Eddy]

.

 

[nigeljames]

Please let this thread get back on topic and if you need to continue this please take it to PM.
 
Edited as requested.

 

[Steve Eddy]

.

 

[sam1e]

Come on fellas I started this thread as a point of information for those interested in the difference that these very different cables can make to the LCD-3 with no other agenda, these comments are irrelevant to the thread and relate to some other discussion held elsewhere at some time in the past, by all means comment on the review but take the other matter off this thread.

 

[sam1e]

it would have been really great if you had a WyWire Red cable to compare to the Silver Widow. if I get one, I will loan it to you to do a comparison with the SW. 

The guys in the States don't know how lucky they are to have such a strong headphone community, they have access to such a broad range of kit, here in the UK it is so difficult to find somewhere to audition different manufacturers headphones let alone quality amps and cables which is why the reviews are so helpful. I only know of an outlet near Worthing and one in Bedfordshire that have a good range of phones and amps to demo. We rely on each other for cable feedback and I admit I know nothing about WyWire cables, what do you know yourself?

 

[Lenni]

The guys in the States don't know how lucky they are to have such a strong headphone community, they have access to such a broad range of kit, here in the UK it is so difficult to find somewhere to audition different manufacturers headphones let alone quality amps and cables which is why the reviews are so helpful. I only know of an outlet near Worthing and one in Bedfordshire that have a good range of phones and amps to demo. We rely on each other for cable feedback and I admit I know nothing about WyWire cables, what do you know yourself?

 
WyWire is primarily a hi-end speaker cable's manufacturer - the HP cable is a new addition. I have zero experience with their cables, since I've been happy with the ones I use and have not felt the need for new cables in a few years, but they've received many positive reviews. I mostly listen to speakers these days, but I've been looking to get a pair of HP lately for the train commute. I think I'm gonna go with the Viso HP50; if I'm happy at the way they sound, I'll probably replace the stock cable. For me it's either the WyWire or a couple of metres of Cristal Piccolo interconnects terminated for HP use. we'll see...