Do cables make a difference?

[MCRU]

Do cables make a difference, yes they bloody well do :lol:

Clicky clicky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UQDTZcpsDE)

[steve s]

Hahaha ... LOL ...... well if its good enough for Blondi, its good enough for me !!!

Steve

[YNWaN]

Yeah, I've seen that - isn't there one where he is ranting about hi-fi shows too? I've just spent the weekend messing about with a couple of alternate mains leads and although there was evidence that differences exist, I still feel they are hugely overstated (I don't think any mains cable determines the overall sound of the system for example).

[MCRU]

Yeah, I've seen that - isn't there one where he is ranting about hi-fi shows too? I've just spent the weekend messing about with a couple of alternate mains leads and although there was evidence that differences exist, I still feel they are hugely overstated (I don't think any mains cable determines the overall sound of the system for example).

You obviously chose the wrong cable dude :lol:

[YNWaN]

Perhaps - there is that possibility I suppose.

[Mr Kipling]

It's all Hong Kong Phoey (Man!).

[ReggieB]

They closed the main bridge into the centre of Evesham just over a year ago. This was the result:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7q8kimfRu8

So, I doubt this cables story. It's bridges. Bridges!

[struth]

Got some specials coming soon so we will see if any difference is heard..........;)

[awkwardbydesign]

There's a driving test version too. Aimed at the trade, due to some obscure references.

[icehockeyboy]

Dave, I was interested in those speaker 'floating' devices.......until I saw the price!

[YNWaN]

I'm really not convinced by the idea of isolating ones speakers from the floor. All the speakers I've tried, in all the rooms I have tried them in, have sounded better when they are coupled as tightly as possible to the floor (i.e. when used with rigid spiked stands).

[cyclopse]

I'm really not convinced by the idea of isolating ones speakers from the floor. All the speakers I've tried, in all the rooms I have tried them in, have sounded better when they are coupled as tightly as possible to the floor (i.e. when used with rigid spiked stands).

My Raidho stands have isolator ball bearings in the feet and the top plate. Plus the speaker can sway back and fourth if you push it. This works on the principle of keeping the energy within the speaker.

These rigid stands with spikes are transferring energy into the floor.

[YNWaN]

If the ball bearings are soft then they are decoupling, if they are rigid then they are really coupling. My own stands are coupled to the speakers by ball bearings.


These rigid stands with spikes are transferring energy into the floor.

Yes, they are - that is their purpose, to transfer cabinet vibration away from the speaker. Without that it remains in the cabinet and colours the output.

[Audio Advent]

I thought they were to cut through the carpet and so not wobble and fall over?

Does vibration really transfer between surfaces with small contact area or is it more likely to reflect back whilst also allowing the fullest resonance of the thing (stand, speaker) etc because it's mostly in free air (only the spiked bit preventing the movement compared to say the whole surface making contact)?

I guess in some way, the whole system would have to be individually designed for the speaker with some coupling and some de-coupling in different measures.

[Gordon Steadman]

I'm really not convinced by the idea of isolating ones speakers from the floor. All the speakers I've tried, in all the rooms I have tried them in, have sounded better when they are coupled as tightly as possible to the floor (i.e. when used with rigid spiked stands).

For me too however........... I am still far from convinced that my better is the same as your better. There is a clear difference between the sound of speakers stuck on the floor, resting on wooden cones and spikes. We tested our big box speakers in the bedroom. I prefer spikes, my wife prefers cones and the cats don't give a damn.

I prefer the sound of TTs rigidly coupled to the plinth instead of all this bouncing around. Better? Who knows, not sure i care that much. As far as the subject of this thread is concerned - not a lot, if any:)

[awkwardbydesign]

I have used this method (with a little more elegance!) more than once, to totally decouple the MF/HF cabs from the bass cabs. To my surprise it improved the bass more than anything else! The top cabs are fairly massy.
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/awkwardbydesign/Isobarics%20November%202012/07052013807-Copy_zps9c1efd24.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/awkwardbydesign/media/Isobarics%20November%202012/07052013807-Copy_zps9c1efd24.jpg.html)

And inner tube (original Seismic Sink type) supports under the bass cabs also cleans up the bass, plus there is no structural sound transmission to annoy neighbours. Airborne is another matter!
http://i1134.photobucket.com/albums/m604/awkwardbydesign/SeismicSinks005.jpg (http://s1134.photobucket.com/user/awkwardbydesign/media/SeismicSinks005.jpg.html)

[cyclopse]

This suspending technique is used by PAb Audio. My Popcorn flac files player is suspended in a similar manner sitting on a marine ply base. It works.

Yes the isolation means less sound travels to other parts of the house.

[YNWaN]

I am still far from convinced that my better is the same as your better.

Most likely that is the case.

[YNWaN]

I thought they were to cut through the carpet and so not wobble and fall over?

Does vibration really transfer between surfaces with small contact area or is it more likely to reflect back whilst also allowing the fullest resonance of the thing (stand, speaker) etc because it's mostly in free air (only the spiked bit preventing the movement compared to say the whole surface making contact)?

No, yes and no :).

[Marco]

I’ll chuck a ‘maybe' into the mix, just to be cheeky... :eyebrows:

Marco.

[Si74]

From cables to wobbly speakers? missed this.
When made redundant, I had made enough contacts through Audiogon that I survived for a few years selling cables.
The first Shunyata mains lead I bought was a road to Damascus, a lot of Kimber bought at a third of RA's prices were nice.
I used to loan my Shunyata Hydra to people when I went on holiday, what does it do, feck knows but in every single instance,
when removed from their systems, they had to have one.
Moved onto ropey Electraglides, which when rebuild with a ground and Oyaide connectors were sublime but all sounded different.
I loved them as you could totally retune your system with them, accurate, who gives a toss when it sounds sublime.
Stopped when I took a silly priced later one apart and found the silver & palladium ribbons, were basic twisted copper wire:doh:
The originals with ribbon conductors in basically copex were sublime and blew away Shunyatas costing silly money but
I never felt robbed by what they cost & hopefully, neither did the dozens of people who bought them and still swear by them.

Speaker cables- my first buy of Audiogon was a pair of HMS Gran Finales? over a grand sent to the Lebanon(retail the was about 3K), what have I done?
Wish I'd never sold them as I'd loved to have tried them with later amp/speaker combos.
So impressed spent a fortune on the matching i/c's, which were shit.
Cerious Technologies filled with some Liquid and some Harmonic Tech. pair like drain pipes (and silly money) were both amazing but different
when running my big Pass Labs, could never decide which was better.
Both were nonsense when I got my Audiopax, cheap Aural Thrills sound way better.
Long time dream Audiopax never came to life till my current speaker cables, silver/palladium ribbons in fresh air dielectric, well plastic tubes,
Cut Loose and at retail of 1600 quid, I'd have said screw loose but wouldn't part with them.
I tried a 6K (only dollars:-) Harmonic tech from my us outlet to my Hydra, sounded crap compared to my £2.5K Shunyata Anaconda.
Sounded sublime on my Nu Vista cd when it wasn't pulling it of the rack.

Sum up - the only folks that couldn't hear a difference (not improvement, all subjective after all) between the hundreds of cables passing through here,
were to a man, Naim freaks! 15 years later I have to bite my tongue when they all extoll the virtues of Naims latest offerings, f-ck me, you daren't try
different cables on them at one time of the b'stards would blow up. Cables are cables - to you they are cause your tone deaf!

Spikes on speakers- a pair of Keswick Audio Torinos that supposedly went to 20Hz in a lounge above a 22x22ft garage lead me to look at isolating them from the floor, wild cone flap, wild neighbours & wild spouse also helped. All sorts, Stillpoints, RDC............. Voodoo plats, your having a laugh, speakers wobbling about? Nope. Bought used for peanuts, these went under Audio Physic Virgos, and biggest surprise under £6.5K Art Decos. I've heard lots of Art's and the Voodoo plats made way bigger an improvement than the 4K upgrades to Signature. I've also heard silly price JBLs on Townshend fancy plats and dammned if I know how but spikes and speakers compared to floating them (at least on a suspended floor) is the kiss of death.

When I find the time, I intend to make some to get my 75Kg each 7ft horns flapping in the breeze, it's a no brainer.

Hate to say it but I gave up dealers about 20 years ago when I realised I could buy & try all this stuff for fractions of the price. Any recent dealings
with some of them have made me even more sceptical. Why teach someone how to optomise their system/room, when you can screw them to buy ever dearer boxes?
You've made oodles of dosh, spend as you will.
I have a system which should have cost more than my house, which takes the piss out of systems I've heard that definitely cost multiples of my house.
As my last encounter with a local dealer invited for dinner, a racks a rack, isolation? your more into farting about with gear than music?
I was at a Canned Heat gig before the c--t was born, it's all about the music but pisses me off that so many box swappers are throwing money down the pan............

Don't get me started on room treatments:rolleyes:

[walpurgis]

Cor. I bet you're glad you got all that off your chest Simon. ;):)

[MCRU]

Cor. I bet you're glad you got all that off your chest Simon. ;):)

Indeed

[Si74]

It did amuse me after a few beers, but amuses me more that you can lead horses to water but still can't make them drink,
thankfully I have all I ever wanted from my system and don't give a monkey's f--k about it all anymore:lol:

[walpurgis]

It did amuse me after a few beers, but amuses me more that you can lead horses to water but still can't make them drink,
thankfully I have all I ever wanted from my system and don't give a monkey's f--k about it all anymore:lol:

Me too!


(but I still like tinkering with stuff)

[Barry]

And me as well - I still like to tinker with arms and cartridges. :)

[Anthony K]

Hey Simon ,take a chill pill, a glass of red, relax man, sit back and listen to some sweet music :eek: