[Vintage-Audio] Audiophool Cables

[Robert Nickels]

You've seen the fancy expensive cables and other crap the audiophooles 
claim makes all the difference in the world.   Of course we know this is 
silly, but try to convince THEM of that!   This guy ( Dr. Bob Dean) who 
has a pretty serious home theater and a brother who is an audio guru 
decided to do just that.  Results are as expected.

73,  Bob W9RAN

I'm so sorry, but I do not buy into 90% of the hype brought to us 
audiophiles by the commercial sector of our hobby and the home 
entertainment industry at large. My brother, an audio engineering whiz 
kid has proven to me what is real and what is not. Let me rehearse with 
you an example of how he does this.

We gathered up a 5 of our audio buddies. We took my "old" Martin Logan 
SL-3 (not a bad speaker for accurate noise making) and hooked them up 
with Monster 1000 speaker cables (decent cables according to the audio 
press). We also rigged up 14 gauge, oxygen free Belden stranded copper 
wire with a simple PVC jacket. Both were 2 meters long. They were 
connected to an ABX switch box allowing blind fold testing. Volume 
levels were set at 75 Db at 1000K Hz. A high quality recording of 
smooth, trio, easy listening jazz was played (Piano, drums, bass). None 
of us had heard this group or CD before, therefore eliminating biases. 
The music was played. Of the 5 blind folded, only 2 guessed correctly 
which was the monster cable. (I was not one of them). This was done 7 
times in a row! Keeping us blind folded, my brother switched out the 
Belden wire (are you ready for this) with simple coat hanger wire! 
Unknown to me and our 12 audiophile buddies, prior to the ABX blind 
test, he took apart four coat hangers, reconnected them and twisted them 
into a pair of speaker cables. Connections were soldered. He stashed 
them in a closet within the testing room so we were not privy to what he 
was up to. This made for a pair of 2 meter cables, the exact length of 
the other wires. The test was conducted. After 5 tests, none could 
determine which was the Monster 1000 cable or the coat hanger wire. 
Further, when music was played through the coat hanger wire, we were 
asked if what we heard sounded good to us. All agreed that what was 
heard sounded excellent, however, when A-B tests occurred, it was 
impossible to determine which sounded best the majority of the time and 
which wire was in use. Needless to say, after the blind folds came off 
and we saw what my brother did, we learned he was right...most of what 
manufactures have to say about their products is pure hype. It seems the 
more they charge, the more hyped it is.

So you see, my friend, that is why I have joined up with this site 
(audioholics) because their approach to good sound and education to 
acquire good sound and video is based on science, not hype, hypnotics, 
placebo effects or wishful thinking.

Excerpted from:  
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showpost.php?s=97d4a3c39d247bf955a57b3953326a34&p=15412&postcount=28