In Reply to: Credibility of boutique wires posted by grailer on November 20, 2006 at 14:42:07:
Ignorance partners with skepticism fairly easily. After all, skepticism can save us from our ignorance by causing us to hesitate. To not listen to that money-leaching salesman. To save money rather than throwing --large amounts of it-- after something like wire.Is it just me or is it a really big turn-off to see expensive IC's and Speaker Cables delivered in custom made hardwood boxes and then wrapped in plush velvet bags? Like jewelry. Good grief, it is WIRE people! Wire is common.
Those are some of my preconceptions.
However, as with myths and legends, there must be some kernel of truth to it. Something that would cause otherwise rational, intelligent people to spend (what appears to be) disposable income after these. (Another preconception.)
In that light I am willing to dabble, experiment, listen and review. So I read John Risch and Thurston Loesch. I read the occasional white paper from Audioquest and the like. So I try easy affordable things. (have you priced Belden 89259 lately?) Just try it and listen. Like trying solid 12-gage home building wire as a speaker cable. Stupid? I did experience what those wires sounded like through my speakers. Interesting midrange, but with rolled off high frequencies. That helps to build a frame of reference.
I've made simple IC's out of Belden 89259 with Eichmann Bullit plugs. Yes, I heard an improvement over my commercial AQ Jade interconnects.
(btw, Interconnect: used to be called a patch cord. More marketing hype)
Cardas Golden Section. Custom shaped extrusions of high quality copper individually coated. Called Litz. Variations in size, bundled in a custom pattern. Specialized tooling to produce limited quantities. Hand assembly labor to build the damn cables. Sure, that's going to cost. Precious metals. Gold and Silver. Use those minerals and the price goes way up. Might as well add copper into the category as a soon-to-become precious metal. Price of copper ore keeps going up.
I may have tossed a stone or two at rich cable merchants but I'm willing to reconsider. To gather new perspectives. I have to admit to some sort of epiphany hearing these (HD14G) electric chainsaw wires and comparing those to Monster's so called home theater wires. Noticeable differences in favor of Home Depot. That opens me up to further experimentation.
So it begins. Cables.
-Steve
System info @:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/user510.htm
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Follow Ups
- Re: skepticism - user510 12:34:37 11/23/06 (0)