[bosiemoncrieff]

Just got out of my first Barenboim performance at the Staatsoper. Although I’m not quite so starstruck as I was after the War Requiem last year, I continue to believe the Staatsoper has the best acoustics in Berlin. The sound is carried so effortlessly from pit to ear that I name the Staatsoper the most transparent acoustic space in memory — with Disney Hall being the nearest contender. I look forward to seeing Sacre and rigoletto there at the end of the month. I am comfortable naming the Staatsoper the HE-1 of headphones, with the Philharmonie being a nice SR 007 and Konzerthaus a solid HD800S.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

I agree about the sound.
I was there lots of times.
The seats however are a different matter entirely.
They're back breaking, too short, to hard and make terrible noises during the performances.

 

[Robert Padgett]

Yes, this is the most important!

My last comment on cables: (Because I'm a "new" resident here and so you cannot know what type of guy I am)
And then I have a weak spot for Cardas Cables and Furutech/WBT connectors. And here I don't know where technical arguments end and ideological starts.

And the consensus opinion of any group of people is really all that matters. I used to buy, sell, and smoke pipes. Some cost over $1000, good ones cost $50, like a school of fish, trends would grip the group over a particular pipe carver or new cigar. Herd mentality and our desire to be part of the Cool Kids, the peer pressure was palpable. Substitute any serious hobby, be it audiophilia, or rare watches-- and the same dynamics develop. I checked out due to limited resources. The other day, I found an inventory sheet from a Pipe show, and I had 50 pipes. That sounds like a $3000 wire, today, and just as crazy.
Music actually is good for my breathing issues which resulted from 30 years with our Lady Nicotine... I sit quietly, listen to Karajan and drift off...

 

[ScubaMan2017]

Does it do 88MPH?

 

[SpeakerBox]

Now that was a great movie. One of my all time favorites!

 

[US Blues]

Hey Robert,
you know that I was teasing... Cables are a great topic to raise audiophile blood pressure!...

And a discussion of fuses will cause stroke, frothing at the mouth, and possibly gastric distress.

 

[Paladin79]

With the hint to some technical specifications and the biggest producer of cable meant for audio I wanted the curious give a start to research a bit themselves.
For me any producer who charges more than, let's say 400$ for 2m cable is a modern days criminal: Typically if they produce the cable themselfs (I meant the cable, not the connection of the connector), they cannot guarantee the specs, because you need to buy extremely expensive machines to do so.
And when you do the math, let's use in our minds pure silver, then some isolation, then some nice plugs, and a nice bonus for making then, how could you charge more?
I know that cables of cause make a difference, like a working amp in comparison to a flawed does, and there are better amps then the normal ones. But I'm highly skeptical if expensive cable can make a difference.
I'm reading this thread for many years now, and the things Paladin79 mentions, all make sense to me.
I hope that my post can't be misunderstood for ranting arround, English is not my mother tongue.
In my thinking there are 3 categories of cables:
The too cheap / technically flawed ones
The perfectly fine ones. These is the biggest category.
And the insane (and I mean it psychological) cable category. If the price cannot be argued by the used material, connectors, innovative (but scientific) ideas. Like: If it's hand made by true elves then it's worth the price!
But, like always, if life or somebody teaches me if wrong, I'll change my mind.

What you are saying here makes very good sense. I like to use quality products that hold up and i have conducted my own tests using most every type of wire I can locate. I am getting older so I tend to rely upon younger people for such testing and I am fortunate to live in an area with a large student population and a very good school of music.

I have not done as much experimenting with connectors but my employees have built thousands of cables using Neutrik, Canare, and Amphenol connectors without having any issues so those are generally the brands I personally use and I am very happy with them.

 

[GearMe]

And a discussion of fuses will cause stroke, frothing at the mouth, and possibly gastric distress.

Meh...just wrap 'em in foil!

Or...for the true Audiofoil, use the replacement device that best suits the application

 

[SpeakerBox]

I have it on good authority that the best sound is achieved with a gold wrench.

 

[GearMe]

I have it on good authority that the best sound is achieved with s gold wrench.

IF...it's cryogenically treated!

 

[SpeakerBox]

Of course! Goes without saying.

 

[US Blues]

Of course! Goes without saying.

So long as the molecular structure is aligned to due South.

 

[GearMe]

In the Southern Hemisphere?! I mean...wouldn't it be 180 degrees out of phase otherwise? I get lost in this techy stuff

 

[Ripper2860]

Only if the lefty-loosey | righty-tighty rule is also reversed in the southern hemisphere.

 

[Robert Padgett]

Only if the lefty-loosey | righty-tighty rule is also reversed in the southern hemisphere.

Is that related to the water in a toilet reversing also?