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Comparing the tone of three different "boutique" cables
- Thread starter bongomania
- Start date
Granted this discussion is about sound, but of the cables tested (and others I suppose) perhaps durability comes into play when pricing is determined?
Do the more expensive cable have more structural integrity?
(I have not read the entire thread, just page one, forgive me if this has already been brought up.)
Do the more expensive cable have more structural integrity?
(I have not read the entire thread, just page one, forgive me if this has already been brought up.)
I've no great knowledge of signal analysis but after a quick google mains frequency in the US is 60Hz so it's probably mains interference at 60Hz and a harmonic at 180Hz (3x60). I would think if I did similar in the Uk you'd see similar artifacts at 50Hz & 150Hz (mains frequency here is 50Hz).
I'm interested to see the comparisons between the cheaper cables and the more pricey ones. Personally I would think the main reason for buying the more expensive cables would be because of better build quality/shielding.
I think I'm going to hav eto keep an eye on this thread - subscribed.
scotch
It's not rocket science!
- Nov 12, 2006
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Yeah, I think it would be great if shielding percentage/integrity could be measured as well. I don't think it could be done cheaply, though.
Yeah I remember when I was playing guitar (squier strat & the cheapest cables in the music shop) Depending on the weather I could jam along to german radio stations. A bit of tinfoil shielding in the guitar and slightly better cables -> no more german radio.
Considering all of the testing will be done in the same space, with the same levels of ambient EMF, I'm hoping that the distortion and noise tests will tell us something about the shielding.
scotch
It's not rocket science!
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There's folks over in the effects forum that would pay $300 for a pedal that added some German radio to their sound!
+1 I've been wondering about the boutique cable thing, myself--but my checkbook never quite flew open.
Karl Popper would be proud of ya! Falsifiability is what distinguishes science from dogma.
(I sure do wish the Keynesian economists would get hip to that insight...knowwhatimean?)
What is the difference in the input and output impedance the cable is plugged into and could it be possible to test the cables with varying input impedances to see if this has an effect on the different cables? The reason I ask is that some people believe low impedance inputs are more sensitive to differing cable electrical characteristics whereas high impedance inputs are to a less degree. The signal chain would be different so you could not directly compare the low input impedance to high input impedance measurements, but you compare different cables to each other at each input impedance.
1) in a dble blind test participants asked do you hear a difference, won't hear a difference. But when asked instead to describe the difference they hear they can wax poetic.
2) several electronic engineers from the Johns Hopkins Applied physics lab and two medical doctors told me that while our software and hardware can measure many things they are way behind the human body's ability to sense distinctions.
3) in no way are my possibly differing points meant to excuse snake oil marketing.
2) several electronic engineers from the Johns Hopkins Applied physics lab and two medical doctors told me that while our software and hardware can measure many things they are way behind the human body's ability to sense distinctions.
3) in no way are my possibly differing points meant to excuse snake oil marketing.
Hmmm... I do have a Focusrite ISAOne, whose DI input can be switched between 300K and 1M impedance. Of course adding it means not only adding all the circuitry of the preamp, but also the cable from the preamp to the A/D converter. I'll try it out and see if there's anything to report.
I do think the signal source is signigant here. Passive intrument pickups are dealing with very low voltages, and there might be other interactions with the tone stack, etc.
This is why I should not be allowed to have a credit card. And my sense of curiosity should be lobotomized.
I just bought:
Monster Bass 21'
Planet Waves Cable Station 20'
Horizon cheapo 20'
Musician's Gear cheapo 20'
Lava Magma 20'
Analysis Plus Bass Oval 20'
Evidence Audio Lyric HG 20'
If anyone knows some special techniques for analyzing relevant parameters other than spectrum analysis, please let me know. I have TrueRTA already, so if you know some expert tricks with that, that would be awesome. I'm also happy to invest in other useful analysis software.
Was it the Monster Bass Jazz or Rock cable?
Oh, and I second the impedance thing--is there a way to test with your RTA with a lower impedance network that would simulate a passive bass source? Do you have a way to measure cable capacitance? These things do make a difference, as you well know. Whether you plug your gear into the same power strip the keyboard player's using, not so much.
[Eric Johnson reference][EDIT: Sorry for the redundancy on the impedance topic. Saw some recent posts on this...]
That will be covered by measurements of capacitance and resistance. If they all test nearly equally in capacitance and resistance, then they will all perform nearly identically when connected to those complex sources. if they don't test equally, then we refer to existing knowledge of how that will affect the relationship between the source and the load.
If they do vary by some notable amount, then that will explain a lot of why people hear differences between the cables, when using passive instruments. But with active instruments and hi-fi equipment, it would take a huge, extreme amount of difference in resistance or capacitance in order for any resulting effect to be audible.
One of the fundamentals of a correctly devised Double Blind ABX test is to first be able to determine whether there is an audible difference. If the listener can't determine that there's a difference, it's an incontrovertible given that any differences they describe (regardless of how poetically) are confabulations.
Yep I agree. In studying some tests of watch tones, I saw that the results were based on the participants responses. Those were based on questions. That's were I saw the differences based on how they were asked.
I've experienced the placebo effect, turning up the eq on a channel of a board hearing increased highs only to see that that channel wasn't even on.
Conversely I have heard the differences in cables when I had no financial incentive to favor any.
I've experienced the placebo effect, turning up the eq on a channel of a board hearing increased highs only to see that that channel wasn't even on.
Conversely I have heard the differences in cables when I had no financial incentive to favor any.
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Is the testing method taking a number of cables using the same input source i.e. a recording from the same device and then listening or measuring the output for differences?
