Propeller Head Plaza

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

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RE: Is This Why Wires Sound Different?

Posted by tomservo on October 15, 2010 at 08:46:12:
A description of the atomic surface of a telescope mirror sounds like it’s a mountain range, if one examines it in a much larger scale say that of the light involved, then one finds the surface is smooth to within say 1/10 wavelength. At a vastly larger scale say that of ones eyesight, the telescope mirror appears to be an incredible model of smoothness.
Such is it with current carrying conductors, you have different scales one can examine it with, all valid depending what level one is dealing at.

It is disappointing to read a blurb like that using real science to paint a picture and then fail to use science to put that in perspective or present any measured improvement in any known property, science in the service of marketing ugh, smells like politics..

Unlike engineering where one can examine the signal at either end of a cable and deduce the equivalent circuit etc, the premise begins with this makes an improvement.

The scientific method would include a detailed electrical analysis of the cables effect on the signals, source and load involved BUT also since the human senses are unavoidably tied to a process which includes what one knows and expects, the secondary question of “is the difference” one hears related to the electrical properties or the knowledge or brain side of it.

A person can firmly believe they have flat hearing response based on how their system sounds, yet it is only when one don’s the headphones and closes their eyes in a hearing test, that you find out what your response curve actually is. People would test vastly better “IF” they had a red light that went on with the tone or the tester winked at you, that is why there are NO clues. If there is a difference with no prior knowledge, then one has proof of some difference, then the question is what is it.

The popularity of two port measurement systems makes such differences easy to quantify, one can simply measure each end of a cable playing music and in several ways, define or even listen to what the differences are.
Lastly, I am not sure the home listener should be all that concerned with how things actually work, knowing too many details may even be troubling.

Ones enjoyment of a music system includes all the prior knowledge, the mood etc, the appearances, while a blind test may not reveal any difference, to the person who spent the money on the doodads in question, they can hear it, it makes them happy so what more could you ask for.

It is mostly when you’re trying to improve something that CAN be heard in blind testing (without prior knowledge) that one must be more concerned with the science / engineering / physics part of tweaking .

Did you ever try that high performance coax as speaker cable? (lmr-400 / belden 9913 style). I have no idea how it sounds (i have not rapidly switched back and forth), but it's electrical properties are VERY good.
Best,
Tom