And so the next major audiophile engineering challenge is, err, well what?

[jandl100]

More on topic .... I find Howard's revelation that most folks want a sophiisticated Loudness function very surprising.

Although now I come to think of it, it does seem a neat idea!

Has anyone actually tried feeding the long-established Fletcher-Munson curves into a digital tone control box and seeing if it actually does the biz? It would need tuneable variables to link SPLs with electrical output level from source/amp, and that should be it ... shouldn't it?

[Labarum]

Apple gets it wrong:

Such as?

Lots of moaning that Apple has abandoned Firewire when many Video cameras use that port.

Similar dismay at lack of DVI or HDMi on new Macs - some new Media port which needs adaptors has been introduced.

Failure to introduce Blu-ray has not gained them any glory.

Going up rather than down market is a cause for grumbling.

For starters . . .

And for me?

They slag off M$ for closed office file formats and embrace open ones, but they won't do it in music, where they have the ascendancy.

[Primalsea]

Oddly, I was looking at 31 band equalisers last nigt to see if they could be used for this task along with a bit of minor room correction.

As for Apple I used to rate them over pc's until OSX came out. I must admit most of the agro I've seen with macs has been network related and probably doesn't flag up with a home user. However remeber the dodgy batteries and exploding capacitors??

[sastusbulbas]

I would like to see the manufacturers and dealers do something to prove or disprove some of all this cables do/do not malarky.

I believe many are starting to get pissed of with the various claims made for and against stuff such as cables, digital audio, etc etc.

[Neil McCauley]

Apple gets it wrong:

Lots of moaning that Apple has abandoned Firewire when many Video cameras use that port.

Similar dismay at lack of DVI or HDMi on new Macs - some new Media port which needs adaptors has been introduced.

Failure to introduce Blu-ray has not gained them any glory.

Going up rather than down market is a cause for grumbling.

For starters . . .

And for me?

They slag off M$ for closed office file formats and embrace open ones, but they won't do it in music, where they have the ascendancy.

Thank you. Not enough to convince me though to consider alternatives though.

---//---

[Labarum]

Thank you. Not enough to convince me though to consider alternatives though.

I saw a new Macbook in the flesh today in the shop in Bournemouth. Lovely boxes (bricks?), but I don't need that much computer. Something one third the price will do all I need.

£1000 to run a browser and a word processor is a bit expensive.

[Neil McCauley]

I would like to see the manufacturers and dealers do something to prove or disprove some of all this cables do/do not malarky.

I believe many are starting to get pissed of with the various claims made for and against stuff such as cables, digital audio, etc etc.

Re interconnects:

Yes, I can accomplish this for anyone who wants to visit here. No problem at all. Bring anything you like. You can compare yours against my own LAT and LFD products. I've no idea of the outcome. I might get to learn something. It happens. However ...

Please note the following 2 issues:

1. For something to be 'better' it MUST be different whereas merely by being different does not axiomatically mean it is better. The point being, are you totally certain you can consistently distinguish between 'better' and merely different. I know I can't - and I've been doing this for more years than I care to remember. And then ...

2. The outcome, or verdict if you like, will be influenced by the two pieces of equipment connected via the chosen interconnect. For example, when using the LAT interconnect between my LFD Linestage3 and UnderDog sub-woofer, the outcome in terms of attack, tautness and weight via the LAT is always preferred to the equivalent LFD interconnect despite the latter being 4 times the price.

If I change the preamp to say a Manley Neo Classic 300B, the verdict is more ambiguous. The differences are less apparent.

Power Cords.

A/B comparisons are meaningless if by this you hope for quick switching back and forth at intervals of say 20 seconds. This is because of the cooling and re-heating cycle. Yes, I am now convinced that you should only swap power cords once an hour so that (a) you get to listen for say 30 mins and (b) then allow the amp, or CD player, DAC or even STAX energiser to get back to it’s proper operating temperature – and that takes say, 30 mins.

Moreover I only, and I do mean only do this when the cords under comparison are powered up through a PS Audio Power Plant premier mains regenerator. Otherwise the results are inconsistent and useless. The PPP is the common denominator and therefore out of the equation while the comparison is going on. Here’s why I use this.

I use a dedicated 30 amp spur into my demo room. Even so, with the PPP calibrated to 240v output +/- 2v, I have sat and watched the incoming THD change from 2.9% down to 2.1% in a matter of minutes and yet the output THD has remained consistent at 0.26%. Now then you sceptics, given this incoming fluctuating THD, how could a sensible comparison be achieved without a device to regulate this?

Anyway, the invitation remains open.

I have no preconceived idea that the interconnect I stock are the best. I'm not always clear as to what ‘best’ really means. But if you want to bring along a couple of pairs of your own and then reach a verdict via my set-up (using the Manley Skipjack cable & component switcher http://www.manleylabs.com/containerpages/skipjack.html ) as to which one you prefer, and then compare against any of mine, then just phone on 0208 447 8485 and I’ll see how I can accommodate you.

I should be able to give you a hard copy report of the changes (if any) that my analysis system can record during the swaps.

---//---

[Primalsea]

The Apple comment was really just off the cuff. Apple are the people who can get it right but don't always seem to.

Expanding a bit more on my previous post I see genuine hifi and IT blending more and more over the years to come. Its started to happen already with media PC's and ethernet connectable dacs from Linn and the like.

What I saw when I first starting to use computers was everything had rather clunky interfaces and many features of a system were "bolt on". This seemed to almost die out a while ago but it seems to have come back. It seems as things get more features they become less easier to use mainly because, not of the complexity but the user interface.

[sastusbulbas]

Hi Howard,

Cables are not something I feel the need to change at this moment, and with the current state of the audio scene, something I feel should probably be boycotted until manufacturers start supporting the claims and the customers falling for them.

Most are well aware of "hearing" differences, sadly that does not amount to a whole lot of beans when discussing cables on many forums, and I feel is one area where if manufacturers want to gain credibility, they could bloody well support some of their customers who get castrated and hounded out of forums for proclaiming a difference.

At the moment many manufacturers seem happy enough to spout all manner of enticement regarding performance and measurement of their expensive wares. What they don't do is back this up with hard fact or any sustained proof. Many forums seem to be gaining momentum disclaiming cables as foo and belittling costly cable users.

A classic example is Chord, with Chord Signature practically ripped apart by forum members elsewhere in the past, this cable now has some urban myth attached to its origins. Every cable is now under scrutiny, and if the current trend continues anyone using anything other than wet string will end up labelled as a mentalist on most forums.

Are we now to believe that cable manufacturers are indeed ripping customers off? After all in this day and age and after so many years of debate on forums, what other reason could manufacturers have to not be giving hard fact substantiating their claims of measurable and audible differences.

I personally feel that the audio industry would fare better with such substantiated science instead of pseudo claims. With the increasing popularity of audio forums the "Audiophile" is certainly earning the label "Audiophool" these days. Magazines and manufacturer claims seem to be dragging the industry down with expert "Foo".

Steve

[Marco]

Most are well aware of "hearing" differences, sadly that does not amount to a whole lot of beans when discussing cables on many forums, and I feel is one area where if manufacturers want to gain credibility, they could bloody well support some of their customers who get castrated and hounded out of forums for proclaiming a difference.

Every cable is now under scrutiny, and if the current trend continues anyone using anything other than wet string will end up labelled as a mentalist on most forums.

Rest assured, Steve, that none of the above will *EVER* happen here!

Choosing the right cables for a system is of absolutely fundamental importance if a system is to accurately reproduce recorded information: end of. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the cables must be expensive.

I have been experimenting recently with a new cable which could be set to explode on the scene as a veritable giant-killer. Listening tests are currently on-going and results so far are quite incredible. However, I will not jump to any immediate conclusions. All will be revealed in due course!

Marco.