[Heidegger]

 
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You do realize that those "mad scientists" are in fact the reason why you can listen to recorded music in the privacy of your own home in addition to arguing with people who are far more grateful for the advances that the scientific method has brought us, via the internet.
 
It never stops being amusing when ever someone takes the time to compose an anti-science screed on a computer and post it to the internet.  Put your money where your mouth is and move off the grid to the middle of nowhere or stand out on the street corner in rags proclaiming doom to any who will listen.  The truth is you can't.  You're too used to modern conveniences to do it, even if you actually felt that way.  You're just the same as those middle class whiny "activists"  who make "sacrifices" for the sake of fashion that few others can afford to take.  While people like you whine about things you don't understand some people are actually working to make the world a better place to live in.
 
You might not think something silly like headphone cables has anything to do millions starving in the third world but all this woo stems from the same sources and you're contributing to it.  I'm neither a brilliant scientist or a maverick inventor who will single handedly save or improve billions of lives but I can do my best to pave the way for their advances by spreading helpful memes and smacking down harmful ones.

Do you realize how much you're sweeping under the rug with that post? But Prog Rock Man is right, this train of thought is off topic. I'll give it a rest.
 

 

[Heidegger]

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Deciding how to spend your money should be.
 

Not really. You should spend your money on the equipment that sounds best to you, assuming you can afford it.
 

 

[eucariote]

 
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It was such a conundrum as this which persuaded me to fully embrace audio science. When I first started looking at hi-fi equipment, I was unaware of the myriad of specs involved and started reading around to gather subjective opinion on what to buy - look at forum opinions, professional and non-professional reviews ect. My first choice was looking at a DAC to get. After lengthy research I concluded the following.
 
Cambridge DACMagic<Yulong D100<Matrix Mini-i<DACMagic.

 

Hilarious.  I also found exactly the same thing after reading one too many posts about dacs.   Which is when I realized that so many of these deep opinions are just the experience of peoples' expectations.
 
The human mind looks too hard for meaningful differences where there are none.  Stands to reason as over 80% of inputs to primary sensory cortex (areas that receive direct inputs from sense organs) come from within the brain.
 
As blind tests are the only method for removing ~99% of all that subjective pollution, they are the only remaining option.

 

[b0ck3n]

What's wrong with my brain as I could never tell the difference?

 

[Willakan]

Just visit your nearest high-end audio shop with the idea "I am going to believe completely everything the salesman tells me." Emerge, $10,000 dollars poorer and I promise that you will hear a difference with all your new cable elevators and solid-state anti-vibration stands.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

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What's wrong with my brain as I could never tell the difference?

How seriously are you asking that question? The answer is absolutely nothing. Your hearing is spot on and your brain is resisteing belief in hype and psuedoscience.
 
 
 

 

[b0ck3n]

I've never been the imaginative kind. I never really doubted audiophile gospel either though, before learning that it was just that, gospel... would be kinda neat to hear "night and day" differences with all kinds of thingamobobs. But hey, atleast I don't have to worry about not being able to pay mortgage and keep food on the table.
 
I've been to many HiFi stores, it's extremely tiring to have to explain that I just want to listen to a pair of headphones using my own music and not try the latest spaceship technology SACD player. "There's no point in buying that unless you're gonna pair it with this $25.000 DAC/amp combo". Truly they'd rather see me walk out the door without buying anything than just the headphones alone, unless I promise I've got some sick tubes waiting to roll back home.

 
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How seriously are you asking that question? The answer is absolutely nothing. Your hearing is spot on and your brain is resisteing belief in hype and psuedoscience.
 
 
 

 

 

[Prog Rock Man]

My music sounds tenfold times better now than when I believed cables made a difference and there was night and day difference between kit. Thinking the latter can only make you dissatisfied with your sound as you think you can do so much better with something (more expensive) than what you have. Not hearing a difference between cables (easy as there is no difference) and knowing night and day descriptives are nonsense means you can sit back and enjoy your music.
 
The product that really gets my goat are aftermarket headphone cables, that cost more than the headphones

. That just goes to show the power of suggestion over science with audiophiles.

 

[b0ck3n]

I've encountered many Cardas worshipping freaks. The good thing about old George is he's letting us know before hand how his cables are going to sound, so we don't run the risk of missing it when it happens.

 

[Arnaldo]

Do balanced connections make any sonic difference, either as interconnects or as headphone cables?
 
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[...] The product that really gets my goat are aftermarket headphone cables, that cost more than the headphones

. That just goes to show the power of suggestion over science with audiophiles.

 

 

[JadeEast]

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Do balanced connections make any sonic difference, either as interconnects or as headphone cables?
 


 

 
Balanced cables make a difference in interconnects through better noise rejection. In headphone cabling it will lower the headphones impedance half. Arguments can be made that only a fully balanced system from the source all the way to the transducer is the only way to benefit from a balanced system. Changing the noise rejection and impedance is making a technical changes to the system; however, the question of an audibile difference vs technological difference can be one of shouting, face palming, and teeth gnashing. 
 
 

 

[eucariote]

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What's wrong with my brain as I could never tell the difference?

 
Maybe you're a zombie.  Quick check- have you been bitten by the undead? 
 
Here's an interesting article about a related issue- people who see patterns where none exist.  It seems that lack of control of one's life is a major predictor of the excessive perception of order in (literal) noise.  Maybe you're a zombie well in control of your destiny.
 
edit: and here's a pdf.

 

[maverickronin]

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Maybe you're a zombie.  Quick check- have you been bitten by the undead? 
 
Here's an interesting article about a related issue- people who see patterns where none exist.  It seems that lack of control of one's life is a major predictor of the excessive perception of order in (literal) noise.  Maybe you're a zombie well in control of your destiny.
 
edit: and here's a pdf.

The implications are hilarious.  

  Thank you very much.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

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Do balanced connections make any sonic difference, either as interconnects or as headphone cables?
 


 

We need an ABX test to know. Headphone cable ABX testing is difficult as you need to remove potentials of telling the difference such as feeling a different cable lying on your shoulder. My feeling is no, unless over a very long run in an environment where there is lots of RFI. That is why balanced cables are mainly for the pro audio market, recording and concerts.
 

 

[Syan25]

Thoroughly interesting read!