[Vintage-Audio] Audiophool Cables

[Duane Fischer, W8DBF]

Question: How is the much malined term for a serious audio devotee known as 
an "Audiophyle" actually spelled?


Duane Fischer, W8DBF/WPE8CXO
dfischer at usol.com
HHI: Halligan's Hallicrafters International
http://www.w9wze.net
HHRP: Historic Halligan Radio Project
hhrp.w9wze.net

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Nickels" <w9ran at oneradio.net>
To: "Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back" 
<vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, March 05, 2008 11:02 AM
Subject: [Vintage-Audio] Audiophool Cables


> 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
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