rodbac
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
- Posts
- 1,406
- Likes
- 0
I'll try to make this my last post on this:
There are a number of ways to make a cable sound different. However, it's extremely easy to get a simple audio signal intact across 10 feet of wire- EXTREMELY EASY. Therefore, any audible differences between two wires are either on purpose or a result of extremely bad design.
That leaves us with:
Sennheiser engineers (who designed their cable, with the word "designed" being complete overkill considering a monkey could do it) either (a) have no fcking idea what they're doing and somehow managed to fck up the simplest link in their system, or (b) they purposefully designed their cable to alter the signal.
I find (a) unlikely because this would require a level of incompetence on their part that would be tough to fathom, and (b) unlikely because there are a thousand variables they could change in the design of the phones themselves that would alter the sound more reliably, as well as the fact that I bet they like the way their high-end phones sound.
If anyone thinks that either (a) or (b) are likely, that's fair, and we can argue about that (although, it might be pointless- I have no idea how truly competent Senn. engineers are, nor do I know if they might actually prefer to purposefully alter the sound of their phones with something nuts like the cable).
Also, if anyone wants to argue about the premise that it's no technological marvel to get the signal to the headphones completely intact, we can do so.
SO, assuming the above, I'm left with two plausible possibilities:
(1) There is no sonic difference between a stock Senn cable and an aftermarket cable, and the differences noted are because the person claiming to hear it isn't 'testing' it in a way that would eliminate the well-documented psychosomatic effects.
(2) There is a sonic difference between the cables, and the aftermarket cable manufacturer purposefully designed it to do something to the signal that makes it sound better to most ears ('smooths the highs' or whatever).
And a couple of possiblities that aren't nearly as likely:
(1) Sennheiser doesn't know how to design a cable.
(2) Sennnheiser purposefully designed their cable to mess with the signal.
It should be obvious that none of this requires me to have heard the cable.
Also note that the second "plausible" possibility is NOT an indictment of those claiming to hear the difference- if you like the way it sounds, fine. I'd just prefer that we're clear on what's probably happening, and nobody is tossing around accusations that the Senn cable isn't delivering the proper signal or something else equally as unlikely.
There are a number of ways to make a cable sound different. However, it's extremely easy to get a simple audio signal intact across 10 feet of wire- EXTREMELY EASY. Therefore, any audible differences between two wires are either on purpose or a result of extremely bad design.
That leaves us with:
Sennheiser engineers (who designed their cable, with the word "designed" being complete overkill considering a monkey could do it) either (a) have no fcking idea what they're doing and somehow managed to fck up the simplest link in their system, or (b) they purposefully designed their cable to alter the signal.
I find (a) unlikely because this would require a level of incompetence on their part that would be tough to fathom, and (b) unlikely because there are a thousand variables they could change in the design of the phones themselves that would alter the sound more reliably, as well as the fact that I bet they like the way their high-end phones sound.
If anyone thinks that either (a) or (b) are likely, that's fair, and we can argue about that (although, it might be pointless- I have no idea how truly competent Senn. engineers are, nor do I know if they might actually prefer to purposefully alter the sound of their phones with something nuts like the cable).
Also, if anyone wants to argue about the premise that it's no technological marvel to get the signal to the headphones completely intact, we can do so.
SO, assuming the above, I'm left with two plausible possibilities:
(1) There is no sonic difference between a stock Senn cable and an aftermarket cable, and the differences noted are because the person claiming to hear it isn't 'testing' it in a way that would eliminate the well-documented psychosomatic effects.
(2) There is a sonic difference between the cables, and the aftermarket cable manufacturer purposefully designed it to do something to the signal that makes it sound better to most ears ('smooths the highs' or whatever).
And a couple of possiblities that aren't nearly as likely:
(1) Sennheiser doesn't know how to design a cable.
(2) Sennnheiser purposefully designed their cable to mess with the signal.
It should be obvious that none of this requires me to have heard the cable.
Also note that the second "plausible" possibility is NOT an indictment of those claiming to hear the difference- if you like the way it sounds, fine. I'd just prefer that we're clear on what's probably happening, and nobody is tossing around accusations that the Senn cable isn't delivering the proper signal or something else equally as unlikely.
