HyperTension
[H]ard|Gawd
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2002
- Messages
- 1,218
http://consumerist.com/362926/do-coat-hangers-sound-as-good-monster-cables
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WHAT! THEY USED A SWITCHBOX? THAT AUTOMATICALLY MAKES THE TEST INVALID BECAUSE ANY DIFFERENCES IN CABLES WILL BE NEGATED BY THE SWITCH AND WILL SOUND THE SAME!
That's what audiophile morons are going to claim. If two different cables sound different to them, adding a switch and length of cable that doesn't change, they somehow claim it cancels the differences in the wire that they claim sounds different. In mathematical terms, if we assign arbitrary numbers to two different cables with different sounds, say 4 and 7, and then we add some constant, say 3, 4+3=7+3 to them.
I think the argument would be that it diminishes the 'advantage' of one cable over another, leading to unreliable trials (a potentially discernible difference is negated to an indiscernible difference due to the switch). Any switch is going to 'damage' the signal, hopefully equally -- it's just a question or how little or how much, though I'd guess even a pretty crudely-designed switch would have no audible impact whatsoever.If two different cables sound different to them, adding a switch and length of cable that doesn't change, they somehow claim it cancels the differences in the wire that they claim sounds different.
Monster Cables = Monster Rip-Off and EPIC FAILURE.
OK guys, dont be to fooled here. I am in no means going to say monster cable is worth the money. The article does not give details, but if they used the coat hanger for the amplified output to the speaker, there should be ZERO difference between any peice of copper used in that short of distance. NOW....... if they swapped monster cable for coat hangers on an unamplified source such as CD pre outs, phono plugs, or anything that needs to be amplified, there is no way in hell anyone would want to use a coat hanger. Any little bit of noise would be amplified. Set that coat hanger next to a power supply or an AC outlet. All of a sudden, all your mp3 files will have a 60hz hum to it. This is a simple shielding principle. I am not saying monster is better than other shielded cheap-o RCA cables, but it is with out a doubt better than a coat hanger on sources that still need to run through the amp.
Well, you can wrap the coat hanger wire with electrical tape to solve any interference issues and to make sure you don't get a short. 60hz hum (ground loop hum) is caused by two or more hardware devices not having common ground and not because the wire is not shielded.
really?
I think most well-informed audiophiles already know cables don't have very much effect on sound quality. They just go ahead and upgrade the cables not because they think it's a major factor, but because they've already maxed out all of their other components.
Besides, real audiophiles know to never buy monster cable. It's a consumer brand marketed to general consumers that want to be audiophiles .
I think most well-informed audiophiles already know cables don't have very much effect on sound quality. They just go ahead and upgrade the cables not because they think it's a major factor, but because they've already maxed out all of their other components.
Sheilding, which is a grounded secondary conductor that surrounds the primary conductor, would absorb this interference and shunt it to ground.
No it isn't. Shielding is simply a material to isolate the cable from electrical interference. Some Monster cables have nothing more than a rubber jacket and no shielding at all. In comparison, my Rocketfish coax cable has both copper and aluminum shielding with a cloth jacket and cost half of what a Monster coax cable cost.
If you spend some time at the Audiogon or Audio Asylum forums you might think otherwise. From what I've seen the majority of posters there would say that cables make a very large difference in sound quality. You see terms such as amazing, enormous, night and day, etc, thrown around there quite often.
Yes, it is. Sheilding absorbs EMI and shunts it to ground (or common, or sink, whatever) If it didn't then it would act as a second source of interference as it reacts with the primary source.
Well, you can wrap the coat hanger wire with electrical tape to solve any interference issues and to make sure you don't get a short. 60hz hum (ground loop hum) is caused by two or more hardware devices not having common ground and not because the wire is not shielded.
I'm not saying buy monster cables, I would never recommend that.
At line levels, sheilding isn't important because the interference would be in the millivolts range vs several 10's to 100's of volts the actual of the actual signal. At pre-amp level, where at most the signal is less than 10 volts p-p, a few millivolts would definately cause some distortion.
Now, a digital signal is more robust than an analog one. Sound is produced based of a pattern of voltage changes rather then the level of the instantaneous voltages that analog reproductions use.
At line levels, sheilding isn't important because the interference would be in the millivolts range vs several 10's to 100's of volts the actual of the actual signal. At pre-amp level, where at most the signal is less than 10 volts p-p, a few millivolts would definately cause some distortion..
OK guys, dont be to fooled here. I am in no means going to say monster cable is worth the money. The article does not give details, but if they used the coat hanger for the amplified output to the speaker, there should be ZERO difference between any peice of copper used in that short of distance. NOW....... if they swapped monster cable for coat hangers on an unamplified source such as CD pre outs, phono plugs, or anything that needs to be amplified, there is no way in hell anyone would want to use a coat hanger. Any little bit of noise would be amplified. Set that coat hanger next to a power supply or an AC outlet. All of a sudden, all your mp3 files will have a 60hz hum to it. This is a simple shielding principle. I am not saying monster is better than other shielded cheap-o RCA cables, but it is with out a doubt better than a coat hanger on sources that still need to run through the amp.
I'm not saying buy monster cables, I would never recommend that.
At line levels, sheilding isn't important because the interference would be in the millivolts range vs several 10's to 100's of volts the actual of the actual signal. At pre-amp level, where at most the signal is less than 10 volts p-p, a few millivolts would definately cause some distortion.
Now, a digital signal is more robust than an analog one. Sound is produced based of a pattern of voltage changes rather then the level of the instantaneous voltages that analog reproductions use.
exactly what i was going to say
10-100v? are you on crack!?
there are three accepted "line levels"
+6 dBu 1.55 V
+4 dBu 1.228 V
−10 dBV 0.3162 V
most consumer stuff is -10dBV
and if you mean preamp as in phono levels those are measured in mV! (average phono preamp has to amplify 1000x... so noise should be measured in uV at that point... ideally)
Sorry, I was incredibly tired when I wrote that. I didn't realize I'd botched the explanation so badly.
UH OH!? what do you know!? A 60hz hum! Last time I checked, I do not have a ground loop running through me.
Your voltages were off, but your concept was right.
I think he confused line level with speaker level / high level.