Testing audiophile claims and myths

[bigshot]

Does this mean that using an inappropriate cable for a certain system the sound would be affected?

Of course not. We're assuming you're using the right cable for the job.

If a cable is properly designed and manufactured to do the job, it won't sound any different than any other cable that is properly designed and manufactured to do the job. Cables can't sound better than functional. They can only have degraded sound because it's the wrong cable for the job or it is defective by design or manufacture.

 

[Ryokan]

Of course not. We're assuming you're using the right cable for the job.

If a cable is properly designed and manufactured to do the job, it won't sound any different than any other cable that is properly designed and manufactured to do the job. Cables can't sound better than functional. They can only have degraded sound because it's the wrong cable for the job or it is defective by design or manufacture.

When I went from a cheap cable to a more expensive one I fancied I heard a difference straight away, and thought @71dB's point came into play - that the resistance for the set up wasn't optimal:

Simply put the resistance of the speaker cable has to be low enough so that the damping factor (DF = Zload / Zsource) of the amp+cable+speaker system remains high enough. If the output impedance of an amp is 0.1 Ω, the resistance of a cable is 0.4 Ω and the impedance of a speaker is 8 Ω, the damping factor DF = ( 8 / (0.1+0.4) ) = 16. The rule of thumb is that damping factor should be 8 or bigger, but this really depends on the electro-mechanic properties of the loudspeaker. Sensitive speakers with uneven impedance curve have very little mechanical damping meaning they need electric damping for accurate sound (thigh controlled bass). The bigger damping factor the more electric damping. Reflex ported speakers in general require more electric damping than closed box speakers.

 

[bigshot]

Price has nothing to do with the sound of a cable, but it has everything to do with bias. We expect expensive things to be better than inexpensive things, and we want to validate that our money has been well spent. Without a blind comparison, you can't be sure bias isn't the reason behind it.

A difference in cables that alters the overall volume level slightly can show up as a difference. We tend to perceive louder sounds as sounding better than slightly quieter ones, even when the fidelity is identical. That's why level matching is important.

Auditory memory is very short. When comparing similar sounds, a couple of seconds is all it takes to forget the sound you just heard. That is why direct A/B switching is important.

Level matched, direct A/B switched blind comparison is the way to compare sound. Without eliminating the possibility of perceptual error and bias, your impression can easily be incorrect. This isn't a failing by any means. Every human being is subject to these things and they are more powerful than we imagine. When you're comparing similar sounds, you have to take them into account and eliminate them from the equation.

 

[Ryokan]

Ok but how about the point on damping factor?

 

[PhonoPhi]

Of course not. We're assuming you're using the right cable for the job.

If a cable is properly designed and manufactured to do the job, it won't sound any different than any other cable that is properly designed and manufactured to do the job. Cables can't sound better than functional. They can only have degraded sound because it's the wrong cable for the job or it is defective by design or manufacture.

That is in the ideal world of speakers and headphone, perhaps.

Not with crazy low impedance multi-BA IEMs!
There really - it is choosing your preferred sweet spot for you source/cablrs to have your preferred bass/treble balance.

 

[bigshot]

I personally believe that IEMs are deliberately designed to use non-standard impedance so you're stuck buying their brand of amps and cables. It's perfectly possible to make a product that sounds great and adheres to standards. Some audiophiles tend to judge quality by how inconvenient a rig is. I refuse to buy non-standard stuff myself. I value both fidelity AND simplicity of use.

 

[PhonoPhi]

I personally believe that IEMs are deliberately designed to use non-standard impedance so you're stuck buying their brand of amps and cables. It's perfectly possible to make a product that sounds great and adheres to standards. Some audiophiles tend to judge quality by how inconvenient a rig is. I refuse to buy non-standard stuff myself. I value both fidelity AND simplicity of use.

Yes, I slowly came to the same notion, being reluctant to purchase IEMs well below 16 Ohm (again, the cited values are just at 1 kHz, the values at resonances can be much lower...), so the most reasonable range being 24-32 Ohm.

Though sometimes different signatures with different setups can be fun

 

[bigshot]

I prefer to use an equalizer to adjust response. I get as close as I can get out of the box, then I EQ as a final tweak if necessary.

 

[PhonoPhi]

I prefer to use an equalizer to adjust response. I get as close as I can get out of the box, then I EQ as a final tweak if necessary.

True, but then to equalize something - one needs to make sure that there is something, e.g. treble not dampened by some transducers or mastering/recording(?) of some of those "golden audiophile recordings"

 

[bigshot]

Most headphones can be EQed plenty far enough to do the job, but yeah... a bad recording is a bad recording. Although I have had some luck fixing some really awful recordings using DSPs.

 

[peskypesky]

I prefer to use an equalizer to adjust response. I get as close as I can get out of the box, then I EQ as a final tweak if necessary.

I'm the same. I'd rather adjust eq than buy more sets of headphones or IEM's to get slightly different sound signatures.

 

[peskypesky]

Most headphones can be EQed plenty far enough to do the job, but yeah... a bad recording is a bad recording. Although I have had some luck fixing some really awful recordings using DSPs.

Bad recordings are a pain. What I do is take the audio into Adobe Audition and use eq and compression to try to get it sounding as good as I can (to my ears).

 

[bigshot]

I have DSPs on my AV receiver that can work wonders. For instance really dry and harsh mono Toscanini recordings with the NBC orchestra... I apply a hall ambience and they sound almost as good as stereo with no harshness and no boxiness.

 

[71 dB]

Yes, I slowly came to the same notion, being reluctant to purchase IEMs well below 16 Ohm (again, the cited values are just at 1 kHz, the values at resonances can be much lower...), so the most reasonable range being 24-32 Ohm.

Though sometimes different signatures with different setups can be fun

The impedance values at resonances are actually higher, because admittance on the electrical side shows as impedance on the mechanical side:

Zm = (Bℓ)² / Ze.​

Here the constant (Bℓ)² is just the squared force factor Bℓ of the transducer voice coil. Mechanical resonances happen at frequencies where the mechanical impedance Zm has its local minimum (maximum mechanical admittance Ym = 1/Zm meaning the mechanical parts can move freely without much energy losses). On the electrical side this shows as maximum electrical impedance Ze (mimimum electrical admittance Ye = 1/Ze).

Since mechanical resonancies can only increase the electrical impedance, the minimum electrical impedance of a transducer is higher than the voice coil resistance. At some frequencies far from the driver resonance the highest frequencies where the voice coil inductance starts to "kick in" the impedance can reach this minimum.

 

[KeithPhantom]

Not with crazy low impedance multi-BA IEMs!

IEMs that at the end of the day end up being worse at following a target curve than single-driver IEM (Etymotics). I do not see why multi-driver IEMs are a thing, when you still need to optimize how you use a single driver for full-range, then you add more and make your design less coherent and harder to optimize. To be honest, EQ ends up being one of the best if not the best improvements you can get for your system, be it headphones, speakers, or IEMs.