Preaching to the Choir

[Ron Temple]

Polk 65 brought down some goodies yesterday, a couple of 6' MIT Terminator 5 speaker cables and a pair of SDA CRS+w/stands(stock)...reported elsewhere. Today I hooked them up as surrounds. Wow...I can't express what I'm hearing...timbre matched SDAs are just enveloping. Listening to Alan Parsons "On Air" in MCH is amazing, the midrange and highs have so much more content...the detail...I'm going nuts. If any are still wondering about using SDAs in HT or MCH...don't wait.

The cables replaced Home Depot 12 or 14g, I can't remember, and yes Steve, that was the difference, not the HK in the path. I'm now a believer. I've tried to stay away from the expensive cables...can't ignore it anymore.

Thanks to a club member, my eyes and ears are now open.
Really thanks a bunch...what a bonus weekend...Porcupine Tree concert Friday...Polk 65 upgrade Saturday...better clean out the pool today :D

[NeilGabriel]

MCH? So you think I should trade out these $14 IC's I have? I have a friend who is an A/V nut, spends lots of money, and has good tastes in gear, and is convinced there is no research to show that cable quality makes a difference in sound. I hear lots of anecdotes here, but anyone have any unbiased online research to show real SQ differences. This is him asking, not me.

[Ron Temple]

MCH = multichannel...No empirical data, just my ears and I've got to tell you it's not subtle and I'm trying not to be subject to auto-suggestion either. It sounds like a speaker upgrade. My only suggestion is to get someone to lend you a pair and see if you hear a difference too.

I know nothing about wires, only that it's supposed to conduct a signal from PT.A to PT. B.

[ben62670]

Yeah when I first started here I was picking on rich dummies, and their cables. Well I had to create yet another I am an idiot post. (I don't think I worded it quit that way)
Ben

[Ron Temple]

Yeah when I first started here I was picking on rich dummies, and their cables. Well I had to create yet another I am an idiot post. (I don't think I worded it quit that way)
Ben

I had to start a "I'm an f'ing idiot thread" :D

[F1nut]

MCH? So you think I should trade out these $14 IC's I have? I have a friend who is an A/V nut, spends lots of money, and has good tastes in gear, and is convinced there is no research to show that cable quality makes a difference in sound. I hear lots of anecdotes here, but anyone have any unbiased online research to show real SQ differences. This is him asking, not me.

Show him this quote from Nelson Pass, which I borrowed from H9's sig.


"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not."--Nelson Pass

[Gary Batson]

STEREO REVIEW magazine bashed expensive cables a few times in separate articals before the magazine was bought out.

[Polk65]

It's all in your head. Lamp cord works great.

[Ron Temple]

It's all in your head. Lamp cord works great.

I think it's the rubber band around the plastic junction box doohickey that's responsible :p

[george daniel]

try zip cord :D :D :D

[Lasareath]

I was at a client's office yesterday doing some work on their computers and i saw they put together a stereo system themselves, they told me they wanted something simple the week prior. B&W speakers, Rotel pre-amp and amp and kimber cables. Damn!

[BobMcG]

I prefer dental floss wrapped in aluminum foil. Works just fine. Why would anyone need anything more?

[trubluluc]

Ron-

I also tend to fall into the skeptical side of this argument, but I'm always willing to be enlightened. Hold on to those home depot cables and let's do some blind listening at your Polkfest.

-Luc


[QUOTE=Ron Temple;
The cables replaced Home Depot 12 or 14g, I can't remember, and yes Steve, that was the difference, not the HK in the path. I'm now a believer. I've tried to stay away from the expensive cables...can't ignore it anymore.
:D[/QUOTE]

[candyliquor35m]

The cables replaced Home Depot 12 or 14g

Just out of curiosity, were you using stranded or solid core before?

[Ron Temple]

Ron-

I also tend to fall into the skeptical side of this argument, but I'm always willing to be enlightened. Hold on to those home depot cables and let's do some blind listening at your Polkfest.

-Luc

The dreaded A/B DBT...I think there will be some other stuff coming as well. As Steve and I said, there was a noticeable difference by going direct from the player to amp...it didn't go away when I re-connected the HT, the only change in the equation was the speaker cable.
I don't know what Steve paid for the cable and from what I've since read online, these MIT's wouldn't be classed as expensive, per se, I think from $80-120 per pair depending on length.

It will be fun to experiment.

[Ron Temple]

Just out of curiosity, were you using stranded or solid core before?

I'm not sure if I understand the question, but it's stranded copper surrounded by plastic insulation vs. solid copper vs. braided copper/conductor of choice.

[candyliquor35m]

I'm not sure if I understand the question, but it's stranded copper surrounded by plastic insulation vs. solid copper vs. braided copper/conductor of choice.

I don't know the difference between braided and stranded but I was just wondering if you were using solid copper or stranded/braided copper before.