Am I totally imagining it?

[pjdowns]

There are definitely times when my response will be different even though nothing else has changed. That's normal, I think. But when 2 cables (or anything else) are compared with each other, and then compared again after "burn-in", and the results are MARKEDLY different, dismissing them as imaginary is disingenuous at the very least.

Totally agree with you

[DSJR]

Paul, I can't remember if I ever told you, but I remember converting my ES14's to Bi-Wiring (Robin gave me the sockets) and couldn't hear any difference, which he thought was quite a reasonable conclusion in this design! The biggest change for me was going from Linn K20 to A5 (when it was a perfectly reasonable £5 per metre [what the fugg are Naim playing at, charging £25 per metre when it costs them tuppence, relatively speaking?), which the system liked.

Cable Talk 3 was a BICC made, good quality general purpose speaker wire and the current Talk 3 is similar copper, but with a better? insulation, made into a closely spaced and jacketed cable. CT 3 and 3.1 could sound a bit ragged as the system improves though and this is where Talk 4, 4.1 and the fig-8 Excel4 came along, E4 being closest to the current Talk 3 (all except Excel 4 designed/specified by Kevin Edwards) I believe.

Back to the Naim A5. It does sparkle up top and I agree the bass and mid is very good, the sonic 'formula' sounding swell with older valve amps too (my Crofted Quads sounded amazing with this cable into ES14's I remember. Since you didn't mind paying the price for it, enjoy it and forget the rest...

See below in my old dem room - I guarantee that ES14's were at the other end -



By the way, I don't know if the shop you bought the cable from has changed management, but my own experiences of the place were rather opposite to yours - opinionated management, condescending yet rather ignorant too where the big wide world of high quality music reproduction is concerned...

[pjdowns]

By the way, I don't know if the shop you bought the cable from has changed management, but my own experiences of the place were rather opposite to yours - opinionated management, condescending yet rather ignorant too where the big wide world of high quality music reproduction is concerned...

They were certainly opinionated and now in hindsight they were a little pushy towards the speakers they favoured as opposed to the ones I have now bought to replace the ES-14s.

Paul.

[Macca]

... And in relation to cables I believe there is a burn in period, maybe it's something along the lines of the equipment getting used to the cable or vice versa.0, but there's something there.

A someone who has done a lot of experimenting with interconnect cables I have to agree. . Never had it with speaker cables but not messed about with them much.

[pjdowns]

A someone who has done a lot of experimenting with interconnect cables I have to agree. . Never had it with speaker cables but not messed about with them much.

Entirely agree, I find differences in interconnect cables can be vast irrespective of price and always require a level of burn in.

[walpurgis]

Entirely agree, I find differences in interconnect cables can be vast irrespective of price and always require a level of burn in.

I've never heard any change myself.

[pjdowns]

I've never heard any change myself.

Pardon, ay??? Sorry my failing attempt at a joke... I guess it's each to there own, like many other things. Paul.

[Spectral Morn]

With some types of cables it is possible, very carefully to do comparisons with items still left on, switch inputs to another, turn volume down, switch to standby, make sure the source isn't playing etc. With speaker cables one needs to be more careful and mains cables require items to be switched off - hate doing mains related reviews.

I think its down to methodology, listening to the same pieces of music, making extensive notes, looking to the same aspects of a piece of music each time, cymbal strikes, shimmer, decay, backing vocals, ambience, accoustic, space round instruments, bass depth, tightness etc and then expand outwards to cover other aspects of the whole recording.

If a cable needs run in listen when new, then listen again at various stages of use, but make notes, copious notes. I would say also listen at the same times of the day and again the same pieces of music, maybe a maximum of three, of differrent types.

If you feel the need to switch gear off, then listen after the equipment has been back on for thirty minutes or more but be consistent each time, but again take notes.

Sometimes having a friend do the swapping around works well, leaving you to focus on the listening.

I think a little preparation, consistency of approach and time taken will yield results.

I hear differnces and always have.


Regards Neil

[DSJR]

The one make of interconnect cable that - for me - always needs to settle down after making is the Klotz AC110 and MC5000. I have no idea why, but my derided (by some) comments on a 'plump' quality do seem to be there at first, but using an established, well used alternative as a reference, did show me that this 'effect' seems to fade after a while - for me at any rate - and the cable then performs superbly.

As for amp warm-up. It's easily measurable and has been for decades I remember. Many modern designs (and some older ones) with closer tolerance components do seem to stabilise almost immediately with no temperament though in my experience.

Our ears, resulting mood and the listening 'atmosphere' (air temperature, humidity and pressure) do play a huge part though and it's these aspects that can seem to change the sound too I think - and we haven't discussed mains quality changing yet