castleofargh
Sound Science Forum Moderator
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- Jul 2, 2011
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audiophile anecdotes rely on too many assumptions that turn out to come from misunderstanding or ignorance. and the typically weak testing methods involved certainly don't help sorting things out accurately.
I have experienced various issues, some really cheap RCAs where the plug was barely holding in place. or some with impedance specs way off compared to what was claimed(ironically that also happens with crazy expensive interconnect...). crap happens and I'm sure that on occasion with some gears, those stuff result in audible difference. I don't see the point of rejecting that possibility because it exists, no matter how unlikely.
what I personally reject is a baseless correlation between money and sound quality offered by a RCA. it's very possible that something is more expensive because it has better quality materials, because someone is paid to check each cable for defects, because they throw away stuff that would get a pass for another brand... all those can be legit reasons why we may overall have more confidence in a more expensive product. although I tend to purchase several cheap ones and throw away those that aren't to spec or have issues, the total cost is still cheaper than any "audiophile" cable. so when the price is 10 or even a hundred times what a perfectly adequate RCA cable costs, they better be selling cables that regrow my hair. because that's the only way I will accept such prices for a RCA cable. but then again, that's just me with my very limited amount of money(and even fewer hairs left ^_^).
I have experienced various issues, some really cheap RCAs where the plug was barely holding in place. or some with impedance specs way off compared to what was claimed(ironically that also happens with crazy expensive interconnect...). crap happens and I'm sure that on occasion with some gears, those stuff result in audible difference. I don't see the point of rejecting that possibility because it exists, no matter how unlikely.
what I personally reject is a baseless correlation between money and sound quality offered by a RCA. it's very possible that something is more expensive because it has better quality materials, because someone is paid to check each cable for defects, because they throw away stuff that would get a pass for another brand... all those can be legit reasons why we may overall have more confidence in a more expensive product. although I tend to purchase several cheap ones and throw away those that aren't to spec or have issues, the total cost is still cheaper than any "audiophile" cable. so when the price is 10 or even a hundred times what a perfectly adequate RCA cable costs, they better be selling cables that regrow my hair. because that's the only way I will accept such prices for a RCA cable. but then again, that's just me with my very limited amount of money(and even fewer hairs left ^_^).