[castleofargh]

I honestly cannot figure out a legitimate reason why silver would have a sound. All else considered equal(which is a fantasy in the world of audio cables), we gain some 6% in resistance of one wire on its own in a straight line. Cool, I guess. for the rest, copper and silver are so very close as conductor they mostly stick together no matter the type of signal or temperature involved, at least for audio stuff and temperature we can survive in.
I would feel lucky if half of those 6% variation remained with actual cables plugged into a system(arrangement of the wires, insulation, soldering, plugs, contact surface between plugs, how stable the cross section remains throughout the wires). And I would be a little impressed if in practice, the metal in the wire was indeed the main electrical difference between 2 given cables. I mean, the tolerances for audio cable impedance(when they even bother having some) are commonly in the 10 to 20%.

But somehow people try 2 cables, one copper, one silver, often from a different brand and sometimes not even with the same gauge. They feel a change, and go: Eureka! It's the sound of silver.
jumping to conclusion with a classic correlation=causation fallacy, isn't ideal.


On the other hand, you're jogging in the park at night and you come face to face with a werewolf, you're going to feel silly with your copper IEM cable. So, good arguments for both sides? Ahoooo!

 

[bluecar]

Finally, a compelling use-case for silver IEM cables.. We thank you for your wisdom

 

[Plumbus the Wise]

Just because they have engineers and know a simple copper cable does the job. You dont need a platinum cable. There are ways of showing jewelry better...

Yes that is my point.

 

[reter]

I bought the superlux hd681evo time ago and changed its cable with some KLOTZ which changed the audio somehow so dunno, maybe it's an exception for me with that headset

 

[bigshot]

I bought the superlux hd681evo time ago and changed its cable with some KLOTZ which changed the audio somehow so dunno, maybe it's an exception for me with that headset

Did you do a blind comparison?

 

[reter]

Did you do a blind comparison?

Sadly no, but i still have that cable so i can try the blind test and tell everyone but there's a problem: i live alone, so who can help me to do the blind test? lol

 

[Kentajalli]

Did you do a blind comparison?

I know a guy who has lost one eye - I use him for single blind tests - but his cousin who was born blind in both eyes, has such sharp ears, he can tell the diffrence between different brands of coat hangers used as cables, never mind standard cables.

 

[reter]

I know a guy who has lost one eye - I use him for single blind tests - but his cousin who was born blind in both eyes, has such sharp ears, he can tell the diffrence between different brands of coat hangers used as cables, never mind standard cables.

What is this true or you are just trolling? I know about blind people that enhance their hearing sense but isn't this too...exaggerated?

 

[Kentajalli]

What is this true or you are just trolling? I know about blind people that enhance their hearing sense but isn't this too...exaggerated?

trolling!

 

[reter]

trolling!

damn i was hoping the opposite, happy for the troll tho

anyway i'll try...



not to make me blind... to test the old cable

 

[bigshot]

Sadly no, but i still have that cable so i can try the blind test and tell everyone

Bias and perceptual error can turn yes into no and black into white. If you don't compare filtering out the possibility of error, your comparison is just a guess. You are in the Sound Science forum. This is the only forum in Head-Fi where we don't accept anecdotal impressions. You need to make an effort to verify your results objectively if you want us to listen. Blind tests are not difficult to do. If you are interested in finding out for sure, we would be happy to help you set up a good testing method.

But just to let you know, there is no scientific reason why two cables of similar design would sound any different than each other. The burden of proof is on you to prove it isn't bias. Your impression has most likely been colored by bias. You don't need to convince us. You need to find out the truth for yourself.

 

[F700]

Blind tests are not difficult to do. If you are interested in finding out for sure, we would be happy to help you set up a good testing method.

This is something I am interested in. I would like to blind test one pair of IEM with 3 different cables.

 

[bigshot]

The problem is fast switching. Auditory memory is only a couple of seconds for similar sounds. Taking them out of your ear to swap cables and putting them back in would take longer than you can remember the sound. I would recommend comparing two cables at a time, not 3. If you want to add a third, compare it one at a time with the other two after your first comparison test. To avoid problems with auditory memory, I would suggest running the two cables from the source using a splitter to a switch box, and then running the third cable from the switch box to the IEMs. See if you can determine a difference between the two in a few dozen blind comparisons, then move the cables so one of your test cables is now the one from the switch box to the IEMs and do another round of comparisons. Then rotate the cables another time and do it again. You would be hearing the sound through two cables at once, but if there is no pattern of being able to discern any of the combinations from each other, you can safely assume that at least two of the cables sound the same.

If you had two copies of each cable and two switch boxes you could test each one against each other, but that might involve considerable cost if the cables are expensive.

This is just off the top of my head. Does anyone else have a better suggestion for a testing procedure?

 

[F700]

The problem is fast switching. Auditory memory is only a couple of seconds for similar sounds. Taking them out of your ear to swap cables and putting them back in would take longer than you can remember the sound. I would recommend comparing two cables at a time, not 3. If you want to add a third, compare it one at a time with the other two after your first comparison test. To avoid problems with auditory memory, I would suggest running the two cables from the source using a splitter to a switch box, and then running the third cable from the switch box to the IEMs. See if you can determine a difference between the two in a few dozen blind comparisons, then move the cables so one of your test cables is now the one from the switch box to the IEMs and do another round of comparisons. Then rotate the cables another time and do it again. You would be hearing the sound through two cables at once, but if there is no pattern of being able to discern any of the combinations from each other, you can safely assume that at least two of the cables sound the same.

If you had two copies of each cable and two switch boxes you could test each one against each other, but that might involve considerable cost if the cables are expensive.

This is just off the top of my head. Does anyone else have a better suggestion for a testing procedure?

Thanks a lot for this very detailed answer, much appreciated. I can reduce my blind test to 2 cables actually. Now, time to get the material.

 

[bigshot]

You’ll want to figure out what kind of connectors your IEMs take and perhaps get adapters to be able to plug into the switch box.