[RedLeader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patalp /img/forum/go_quote.gif Marketing genius. A power cable... for 200 dollars.

$300

 

[vcoheda]

if you think a few hundred dollars is a lot, you should look at their top cables.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2deadeyes /img/forum/go_quote.gif Then what do you call the waveform displayed on an oscilliscope that alternates 60 times per second with a max amplitude of 115V~120V when measuring the wall socket (in North America at least)?

It is called AC, and it is not an audio signal...

Quote:

Originally Posted by swt61 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wait a minute! They're giving away a cable they sell for $305.00, and you're going to quibble about a $33.00 S&H charge? You know they still need to pay the employees that are packaging and shipping these cords, and I'm happy to pay the $33.00.

I'm not, the cable retails for 305 but that doesn't mean at all that it costs that much to be made, with the $33.00 IMO they are probably still making a little profit over the cost of materials...it is a power cord guys, a piece fo power cable (with a few voodooish additions in the filler) and two jacks, period, there is no science behind that....gimme a break!!!

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not, the cable retails for 305 but that doesn't mean at all that it costs that much to be made, with the $33.00 IMO they are probably still making a little profit over the cost of materials...it is a power cord guys, a piece fo power cable (with a few voodooish additions in the filler) and two jacks, period, there is no science behind that....gimme a break!!!

The jacks aren't cheap, and neither is high purity solid core copper wire. They are definately not making money on these free cables. As for the benefits of power cords, did you hear any improvement when you switched from stock cables to the Quails you are using now?

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox /img/forum/go_quote.gif The jacks aren't cheap, and neither is high purity solid core copper wire. They are definately not making money on these free cables. As for the benefits of power cords, did you hear any improvement when you switched from stock cables to the Quails you are using now?

Nope, jacks are cheap, and cooper wire is cheap also, who said the opposite???

About the Quails, of course I didn't get any difference, but I never expected to get it, they are overall better constructed, and more solid, that is the only reason I use them, BTW I didn't pay $33.00 for them...IIRC one of them cost me $15.00 the black one....half of that price...the rest were freebies...

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nope, jacks are cheap, and cooper wire is cheap also, who said the opposite???

I'm saying the opposite. Though I'm sure that VD gets a huge bulk discount on their cabling and jacks, they are not as cheap as you are making them out to be. I've sourced similar stuff from online resellers that have very attractive pricing [compared to the boutique shops] and $33 for a cable like this is a bargain. These cables are heavy in any case, so most of that is going to shipping. There is also cost/time to manufacture. They just don't appear out of thin air. Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif About the Quails, of course I didn't get any difference, but I never expected to get it

That could very well by why you found no difference. Preconceptions can skew things either way.

 

[Sovkiller]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm saying the opposite. Though I'm sure that VD gets a huge bulk discount on their cabling and jacks, they are not as cheap as you are making them out to be. I've sourced similar stuff from online resellers that have very attractive pricing [compared to the boutique shops] and $33 for a cable like this is a bargain. These cables are heavy in any case, so most of that is going to shipping. There is also cost/time to manufacture. They just don't appear out of thin air. That could very well by why you found no difference. Preconceptions can skew things either way.

Beleive what you want about the first topic, I have also made power cords myself, and I know the prices...I used Marinco jacks and Belden wire...problably Marinco is more expensive than the ones they use, as Marinco rebrand them, and they are maybe getting them from the source...about the labor well that is true, specially if they charge those prices for the cables, for sure their labor should be pretty high....

About the second topic, maybe you are right, but the fact was that i didn't get any, that is a fact for me...also IMO if you expect to find a difference for sure you will noticed it later on...Also I can tell you that I have expected to find no differences at all in things that turned out to make big differences later on, just to mention one case, I didn't expect to get any difference while I got my first pair of Editon 9 in comparison to the PROLines, given that they share the same drivers, and the difference was day and night...and I could mention a couple more...

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox /img/forum/go_quote.gif That could very well by why you found no difference. Preconceptions can skew things either way.

we have a winner.

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beleive what you want about the first topic, I have also made power cords myself, and I know the prices...I used Marinco jacks and Belden wire...problably Marinco is more expensive than the ones they use, as Marinco rebrand them, and they are maybe getting them from the source...about the labor well that is true, specially if they charge those prices for the cables, for sure their labor should be pretty high...

I guess I just look at the $33 price [including shipping] and think, Could I make this cable for any cheaper? For most people, I am betting the answer is no. Even if you could make a similar cable for that price, you'd have to build it yourself, and you'd be missing out on any special tweaks that VD does to their cables. I am as skeptical as the next guy about whether any of those tweaks make audible differences, but the fact is that they have been running a business that specializes in making cables for some time now. If there are any secrets, chances are they've found them.

Now, at the $300 purchase price, they are clearly making a huge profit. Whether or not the cable is worth that price in your system is hard to say, but the cynic in me would guess no. I'm not going to cut someone down or call them stupid if they disagree though, that's their prerogative. Quote:

Originally Posted by Sovkiller /img/forum/go_quote.gif About the second topic, maybe you are right, but the fact was that i didn't get any, that is a fact for me...also IMO if you expect to find a difference for sure you will noticed it later on...Also I can tell you that I have expected to find no differences at all in things that turned out to make big differences later on, just to mention one case, I didn't expect to get any difference while I got my first pair of Editon 9 in comparison to the PROLines, given that they share the same drivers, and the difference was day and night...and I could mention a couple more...

It definately goes both ways. The difference with power cords is that you plug them in and then they just stay there, you're not swapping them out and doing a comparison. With headphones this happens naturally, and the differences are more pronounced to begin with. I can't recall if I heard any big difference when I used the Quails in my system. To be honest, at the time, I didn't really care. Like you, I was just happy to have something that seemed to more rugged and fit the IEC jacks better. I have, since, tried a few different power cables on my source and have noticed minor differences. Nothing that has made me shell out the money for a better cable though.

 

[viggen]

Don't trust VD. If you have a good system, you will most likely spend more money upgrading from the P3. And, you'd probably spend it on more expensive VD cables.

I purchased their P3 cables many years ago at $50 a pop. I then moved up to P2 which I liked more than the higher end Audition that my friend got. I did continue to upgrade the PCs, but I didn't continue with VD like so many other audiophiles did...

 

[vcoheda]

^^^what's so bad about VD, besides the price of course.

 

[nick20]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif ^^^what's so bad about VD, besides the price of course.

You can't expect everyone to like VD.


They're like the Yankee's.. everyone loves and hates them. That's seems to be the general consensus here as well..

 

[IPodPJ]

Ok well I'll come out and say it. This company is an absolute fraud. There is absolutely no purpose in spending $13,000 on any cable, ever. Good cables certainly make a difference, but there are cable companies that make superb cables for 98% less than that.

And here's the icing on the cake:
Reason 1) "Through December 21, all cables 50% off!" If a cable was really worth $13,000 and cost even half of that to make, they wouldn't be selling it for half price, ever.
Reason 2) They will give you a "full price paid for" trade-in upgrade on any Virtual Dynamics cables you have bought. All products lose value over time because better products come out to replace them, and cables are no exception. So they can't obviously resell these cables for their original selling price. And no business is in business to lose money. Therefore, their cables aren't worth a fraction of what they sell for.

 

[vcoheda]

the new MIT oracle cable is 25K for the first few feet. they don't sell their cables at half price though. so are they legitimate or a fraud as well. the valhalla odin is 13K. fraud too? a burmeister CD player is 50K. a clear audio turntable is 100K. all fraud?

 

[LawnGnome]

You had to pay for VD?

Damn, I'd pay NOT to get VD.