[Sugano-san]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hirsch Hit: The cables are different and the subject says so. Miss: The cables are different and the subject says they are the same. Correct rejection: The cables are the same and the subject says so. False alarm: The cables are different, but the subject says they are the same.

You sure about the "false alarm"?

Shouldn't that be the other way round: "The cables are the same, but the subject says they are different."

That would make much more sense, wouldn't it?

 

[Hirsch]

Yep, you're right. I fixed the post.

 

[Jorg]

Great thread. I've done some kind of experiment a year ago.

I invited my friend who is a strong believer that cables make a lot of sense and asked him to audition my new interconnects (Nordost Solar Wind) against cheap copper ICs (about 2$ per meter).

My setup was:

Audionet ART V2 -> ICs -> RA-1 -> Senns 600 stock cable.

I placed him so that he couldn't see what interconnects are playing. But I decided to go another way from what is discussed here. The method of false alarms as Hirsch calls them.

I bought 3 pairs of Nordost so that I could connect all my home thatre. He was always auditioning the same pair of cables. The only thing I was doing is plugging them out and in every time. And when I wanted him to think that he listenes to cheap ICs I put Nordost so that he could see them but think that I don't know that he sees them. When I wanted him to think that he listenes to Nordost I put the cheap cable somewhere near.

Every time I was changing the "visible" cable he stated that the sound obviously changed (when cheap - worse, when Nordost - much better). And when the same cable remained in his visible area he was telling that it's the same sound.

Does this experiment prove that cables don't sound? As a mathematician I definetly say no. But it does prove one important thing. There is a certain psychological effect when auditioning a cable.

I made this experiment because I couldn't differ these cables and wanted to know if something's wrong with my ears. Well if it is, it's also wrong with his