Simple way to test cable

[WindowsX]

Things you need:
-player with lineout (I personally use older iPod with Wolfson dac)
-some basic computer with line-in and recording software
-subject cables to test

Experimental steps:
1. Open recording software (You can even use normal sound recorder from Windows)
2. Setup line-in to computer (Plugging cable, setup software mixer, etc.)
3. Start recording (Optional but recommend to use filter to cut silence gap sound)
4. Open iPod songs
5. Save result as wav or aiff file
6. Replace cable and do 1-5 again with same wav or aiff format

Testing methods:
1. Listen to recorded files and see if you can notice any difference
2. Use sound editor software and open recorded files and see data. You can look from graph to see if there's any noticable difference in graph
3. Use file comparison software and see if percentage difference is high enough

I've done mine for iMod test and result is quite convincing. Too bad that I've lost my data already from stolen machine. You can try yours if you want to prove it for being believer or non-believer.

 

[leeperry]

or RMAA : http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5674730-post91.html

 

[Uncle Erik]

Keep in mind the supernatural properties of cables - they resist any and every real world experiment.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Keep in mind the supernatural properties of cables - they resist any and every real world experiment.

True! I've recorded a vinyl track twice, with different cables, on my computer, and after digitization (24/96) I couldn't hear any difference anymore -- whereas before I could.
.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Keep in mind the supernatural properties of cables - they resist any and every real world experiment.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaZZ True! I've recorded a vinyl track twice, with different cables, on my computer, and after digitization (24/96) I couldn't hear any difference anymore -- whereas before I could.

See? Testing no good. Magical how it works...

.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WindowsX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Things you need: -player with lineout (I personally use older iPod with Wolfson dac) -some basic computer with line-in and recording software -subject cables to test Experimental steps: 1. Open recording software (You can even use normal sound recorder from Windows) 2. Setup line-in to computer (Plugging cable, setup software mixer, etc.) 3. Start recording (Optional but recommend to use filter to cut silence gap sound) 4. Open iPod songs 5. Save result as wav or aiff file 6. Replace cable and do 1-5 again with same wav or aiff format Testing methods: 1. Listen to recorded files and see if you can notice any difference 2. Use sound editor software and open recorded files and see data. You can look from graph to see if there's any noticable difference in graph 3. Use file comparison software and see if percentage difference is high enough I've done mine for iMod test and result is quite convincing. Too bad that I've lost my data already from stolen machine. You can try yours if you want to prove it for being believer or non-believer.

This is very similar to

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f21/my...rprise-405217/

and of course you did ensure that the recording level was consistent for all cables , use the same samples for each test, use a blind testing protocol , ensure that all recorded samples were *exactly* the same length and aligned to within say 1/100,000 of a second. Oh and you did do multiple recordings (10 at least) for each cable not just one on each

That said what objective viz measurable differences did you find between cables ?

I ask since my tests failed to reveal any measurable differences of any note between cables and I would be genuinely interested to hear about decent contrary evidence.

Can you rerun your experiments ?

 

[hyato]

Just curious whether windows recording software would impose random error on this test?

 

[Bullseye]

^Yeah, also bare in mind the rotation speed of Mars when it gets closer to Jupiter, they might affect the tests, and believers might not hear any difference.

It is then reasonable to think the computer might be working wrong. Throw it and buy a new one (working one, of course

)

 

[Bullseye]

Jazz, did you actually do the test? What do you think about what you wrote above?

 

[hew]

Confusing thread. Difficult to tell who is serious and who is just being cynical.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hew /img/forum/go_quote.gif Confusing thread. Difficult to tell who is serious and who is just being cynical.

No form of testing will ever satisfy the believers. No matter how tightly controlled or if the testing yields wonderful results in every other field of science.

That's because cables are faith-based audiophilia.

Differences only exist if you believe they do.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hyato /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just curious whether windows recording software would impose random error on this test?

That is actually a sensible question. When I did a similar set of tests I did get a very small level of random variation between trials, that is why I did 10 tests for each combination to average out any random variation.

Also there is human error, aligning samples to the required accuracy is not trivial, all the more erason to do multiple trials...

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bullseye /img/forum/go_quote.gif Jazz, did you actually do the test?

Yes, I did. But I was wrong with one point: The two files are 16/44.1, not 24/96. It's the title track of Automatic Man's «Visitors» LP.

Quote:

What do you think about what you wrote above?

I think it's intelligently worded.

Joking aside, I don't have a real clue. But the 16/44.1 format at least opens the door for some plausible speculation. After all a possible deviation with high-frequency phase response between the two cables may now be weakened or annihilated by the antialiasing filter's phase distortion. Or by the sampling itself.
.

 

[JaZZ]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif No form of testing will ever satisfy the believers. No matter how tightly controlled or if the testing yields wonderful results in every other field of science. That's because cables are faith-based audiophilia. Differences only exist if you believe they do.

You're on to something here. I think believing is essential. Or rather renouncing disbelief. As I was a cable skeptic myself before I had my key experience. Although I was a cable skeptic, apparently I was open-minded enough to accept a sound alteration due to complete recabling of my then stereo setup with high-end cables (Monitor Audio) instead of lamp wire. And I didn't like it at all. I quickly restored the old lamp cords and returned the new cables with a considerable loss.

To this day I don't understand why and how cables (physically) alter the sound. I just accept it as a fact. That's probably the crucial point.
.

 

[Bullseye]

Hehe

, well Jazz, I don't know if you have realized yet but you keep wanting to BELIEVE in those changes. They are just in your mind! It looks as if after all the money you have spent on cables, realizing the truth is hard to swallow. But I can understand it, and you are not the first one finding that out. All the people of the spanish site Matrix-Hifi have believed in cables, "High-end" equipment and such. It was also hard for them, but now they laugh about it

Now you are giving another excuse to the results saying like "ok, they were only 44.1KHz", if they were 96kHz then it must be that". I believe if you do it again, no audible difference will be found, so the last option would be trying 192KHz, and after that trying to find another excuse...