We (the listener) are an extremely weak link in the audio chain.
That’s correct. I trust my ears to provide me with a circumstantial and momentary emotional response to music, or to hear specific larger differences that our human hearing is particularly sensitive to (such as certain frequencies).
But i don’t trust them as an accurate tool to determine what is objectively better or not, especially when there is a timespan between observations or if circumstances are not identical.
Circumstances meaning both physical / material, as well as mental / emotional in that regard…
People want to believe that their purchases are justified. Its also why they are unable to accept either evidence they don’t like or a lack of evidence for the things they do. Classic confirmation bias.
I want to spend my money on things that actually make a difference, and to do that I need reliable information.
I see good and constructive activity in the thread as usual.
Sorry I was very busy today but sending my pictures now.
We are all different….personally I prefer my situation
Out of prudence I deleted the pictures I posted earlier on. I hope you understand.
Greetings from Milan, Rafael
It is difficult to have a lot of confidence in your ears. Don’t get me wrong, they are pretty good (though there are better ears to be found elsewhere in the animal kingdom, just as there are better eyes). The whole hifi experience is, after all, an illusion. But, bottom line, it has been demonstrated, frequently and convincingly, that we are subject to expectation bias and confirmation bias, especially when it comes to hearing - even when it comes to things that are much more ‘obvious’ than cable burn-in.
You may be interested in some of Floyd Toole, who has done some serious work on related things (I haven’t come across anything from him on cable burn-in).
e.g.
It is worth looking for other work by him.
Or you could try Audio Musings by Sean Olive: The Dishonesty of Sighted Listening Tests
or Purple Sounds Best: A Matter Of Mass Psychology - ProSoundWeb
I am unhappy with some standards (like the cardboard below the card, but this is a repair).
Also all instruments and wave generators here are basic. The high quality ones are in storage and it takes a bit of time to set them up, even for a picture (I am unsure I will send pictures of those, just maker, model and calibration certificates).
The cables are just a representation of the mess of our repair and service area. In case of doubt, we do not manufacture cables, but we use many categories of them, some similar to audio interconnects.
We are passionate about cables.
I don’t trust my ears. But I trust my brain, which is able to remind me of my limits.
I leave you for 3-4 hours, have to drive to Milan.
I bought hundreds of products during my life, a lot of cables too, other that I borrowed from my dealer. A lot of components and cables were returned, because I thought it was not an upgrade or the sound I was liking.
@Richard.Dane already responded on that subject, as many others. It’s not difficult at all. Without that, I would not have upgraded my system since so many years and enjoyed this hobby. It’s the reason why .
Without being offensive, I wonder why you sign here. Apparently not because you are an audiophile…. Take no offence.
Breaking news! Still in Nice, but I talked to our technical director who says the experiment is simple, elegant and easy to repeat.
To tell you all the truth, he is a non-believer. But I think this will provide us more prestige.
He is also going to explore the possibility to publish the experiment in a magazine, out of scientific and HiFi interest. This is a new, unexpected development.
I always like to refer to this journal from Ken Rockwell when i see the word ‘audiophile’ popping up somewhere.
Don’t take it personally, it’s supposed to be tongue in cheek.
Link: What is an Audiophile?
What are you trying to measure with the equipment?
You have said already that I should not be here. I don’t know why you conclude that I am not an audiophile, except that I don’t necessarily agree in all things with your views on hifi. An interesting definition of audiophile if that is your definition.
Perhaps you could point me to where Richard has responded to Floyd Toole and Sean Olive and others…
But I assure you that you can enjoy great HiFi without having to accept every proposition that strange things happen when you are dealing with audio signals that don’t happen otherwise.
Having read What is an Audiophile? I can happily say that I am not an audiophile in that sense.
But I share some of that author’s history. I built my first hifi systems (though never actually designed an amplifier - didn’t have the knowledge to design anything more than a crude amplifier; the first one I designed sounded more like a fuzz box, and the valve burned out. Now I don’t fiddle with the kit any more - it sounds great, I enjoy the music - what more can you ask for?
I don’t mind blindly skating around on ice.
Spending a bit more time and resources on things gives me the confidence that the ice is thicker.
If I can manage a full circle without lose of life or dignity, then I’m happy.
If I’m really confident and things go well I would be happy to do an infinity loop - but only if others are watching.
Agree
…the argument will not die. Perhaps there should be two sets of identical experiments, with differing results.
Just to set the Cat among the pigeons.
Are all those cables attached to your equipment burned in?