Propeller Head Plaza

Technical and scientific discussion of amps, cables and other topics.

Use this form to submit comments directly to the Asylum moderators for this forum. We're particularly interested in truly outstanding posts that might be added to our FAQs.
You may also use this form to provide feedback or to call attention to messages that may be in violation of our content rules.

You must login to use this feature.

Inmate Login

By default, logging in will set a session cookie that disappears when you close your browser. Clicking on the 'Remember my Moniker & Password' below will cause a permanent 'Login Cookie' to be set.

Moniker/Username: The Name that you picked or by default, your email. Forgot Moniker?	Examples "Rapper", "Bob W", "joe@aol.com".
Password:	Forgot Password?
	Remember my Moniker & Password ( What's this?)

If you don't have an Asylum Account, you can create one by clicking Here.

Our privacy policy can be reviewed by clicking Here.

Inmate Comments

From:
Your Email:
Subject:

Message Comments

Original Message

RE: Exactly

Posted by tomservo on June 21, 2010 at 14:25:37:
"The only way that would be possible is to compare listening through the switch to listening without the switch and extra cabling. The box is used or it is not. That would be the necessary control to replace the assumption set."

Alternately, if one were to assert that covering a cable with magic marker changed it, one is stuck either measuring the effect from the standpoint of electronic theory OR by asking if anyone hears any difference.

The electronic theory approach used to design things says if the effects are small enough, they will not be detectable, the idea with the switcher is that to do this test one must compare so what matters is the stray elements are very small as they were (like a few inches of cable).

The point is that once no one knew which was which, the differences that they heard went away, that part was a blind test, if you really can't tell which is which or a difference between A and B using only your ears, the differences are very small..

The usefulness was in showing everyone just how large even dominating what they expect or know was relative to the actual / detectable acoustic changes the different speaker cables imparted relative to zip cord.
That part was huge, totally unexpected and humbling for some who were totally "sure" about their cables.

One can debate everything makes a difference even a flyspeck of dust in the room and it does at some level, but until one removes prior knowledge from the test, one is not measuring what your ears hear but an opinion which encompasses what you know and believe as well..