Cable directionality & cables

Discussion in 'Hi-Fi and General Audio' started by The Devil, Mar 19, 2004.

  1. The Devil

    penance Arrogant Cock

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    thats it Steve

    sod the CNC'd MDF, shove em in a shoe box and rip off the punters.
    Mr mak might buy em then when he see's they are made of tat
     
    penance, Mar 21, 2004
  2. The Devil

    7_V I want a Linn - in a DB9

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    ... and at the prices I charge I could throw in the shoes. :D
     
    7_V, Mar 21, 2004
  3. The Devil

    penance Arrogant Cock

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    put an Alba label on em
    after all its all the same innit:D
     
    penance, Mar 21, 2004
  4. The Devil

    Saab

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    fair point Graham,i do have worse recordings than Zep,but Floyd are much better quality imo,on my lowly Rega Planar that is (Physical Grafitti is the exception,and the forth album,but they are all different,part of the appeal i suppose)
     
    Saab, Mar 21, 2004
  5. The Devil

    The Devil IHTFP

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    Yes it is inaudible (to me).

    If you play a record with the speakers muted, you can hear the cartridge. I can't hear any motor or other noise from the TT when it is rotating without a record playing, but the vibrations which are generated in the turntable are very very small in amplitude. They must be detectable by some means or other. There is a slight mechanical noise from the CD transport, again only audible when standing close to it & with the speakers muted, but nothing audible from the stands.

    The vibrations generated by the speakers are (of course!) audible. Since the Mana stand is coupled to the speaker cabinets (the cabinet stands upon a thick sheet of glass supported by 4 'tuned' spikes below, which are mounted on a steel frame; there is a 'lip' at the front of this frame, and spikes at the rear of the frame which 'grip' the cabinet to ensure a good physical transfer of energy from cabinet to frame) the stand, in effect, becomes a part of the speaker cabinet. This tends to 'take out' cabinet resonances, which reduces any cabinet colorations and 'overhang'.

    With music playing, you cannot hear the speaker stands vibrating beneath, but you can feel them vibrating with your fingers.

    The speaker cabinets themselves palpably vibrate less, the more phases you add beneath.

    Most of the speaker/floor interactions seem to be in the bass. Most conventional (non-Mana) speaker stands tend to couple the cabinet direct to the floor, which results in a lot of vibration in the floor, which you can feel through your feet (or hands if you put them down onto the floor). Mana attenuates this effect because a lot of the vibrational energy from the speaker cabinets has been dissipated in the phases which lie in-between the cabinet and the lower-most phase, IYSWIM.

    Have you tried Mana under your speakers? If not, you might well be very surprised indeed at the effect.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 22, 2004
    The Devil, Mar 22, 2004
  6. The Devil

    7_V I want a Linn - in a DB9

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    Thanks for your clarification.

    No, I haven't yet tried Mana under my speakers but I'm happy to give it a go.

    When I was in Germany I visited Clockwork Audio in Cologne. They're the people who plug/sell the C37 lacquer that I'm also rather fond of. From what I understood, rather than try to deaden vibrations, they tuned them to certain frequencies which they then dealt with. They loved the Celestian SL600 ('aerolam' cabinets). Interesting. They were completely mad of course, but then, who isn't?
     
    7_V, Mar 22, 2004
  7. The Devil

    Kirk Bennett

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    Dude, okay dokey...............does this mean you believe the murmur of mitral stenosis exists? If so, then in the same way so does the effect of cable directionality...................once you're told what to listen for, and with some experience under your belt.
     
    Kirk Bennett, Mar 22, 2004
  8. The Devil

    lowrider Live music is surround

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    Good for Michaelab that he no longer hears differences between cables, this way he wont have to replace his VDH that we auditioned yesterday in my system... :JPS:
     
    lowrider, Mar 22, 2004
  9. The Devil

    merlin

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    I'm sad for Michael actually.

    It's every bit as easy to imagine you cannot hear anything as it is to imagine you do. The power of suggestion, courtesy of Wolfy Datty & co, seems to have worked on those that are easily persuaded:(
     
    merlin, Mar 22, 2004
  10. The Devil

    penance Arrogant Cock

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    im with Merlin on that

    and its getting very boring and monotonous , everytime some one mentions cables they get jumped on by the naysayers.
    If we hear a difference and enjoy it then there is no problem is there!
     
    penance, Mar 22, 2004
  11. The Devil

    lowrider Live music is surround

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    :beer:
     
    lowrider, Mar 22, 2004
  12. The Devil

    sideshowbob Trisha

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    Not true, actually. All the research I've seen suggests quite the opposite, as does my experience. I've found it's very easy to convince myself I've heard a difference when I change a cable, or whatever. It actually takes an effort to prove to my own satisfaction that I'm fooling myself. Having made the effort I'm now quite good at spotting when I'm having myself on.

    Unworthy of you, you stirrer.

    I've just finished reading this:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...6366/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/202-8462619-9234208

    Not about audiophilia, but has some obvious echoes with the anti-rationalist snake oil believers.

    As for the complaint about naysayers, I reckon it cuts both ways. The believers are just as inclined to leap in at every opportunity. I suppose it's inevitable. As long as the believers accept that they're deluding themselves, what's the problem? :)

    -- Ian
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 22, 2004
    sideshowbob, Mar 22, 2004
  13. The Devil

    penance Arrogant Cock

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    Ian
    it is getting painfuly tedious though, if some-one want to ask about cables then why cant the non-sceptics give them an answer and try to advise without all the dcap from the sceptics.

    I do agree though, it goes both ways
     
    penance, Mar 22, 2004
  14. The Devil

    Kirk Bennett

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    You can train your hearing and so hear all sorts of things...............some of which actually exist.
     
    Kirk Bennett, Mar 22, 2004
  15. The Devil

    joel Shaman of Signals

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    S'funny isn't it. It seems to be the same people who spend money on cables (sometimes quite a lot of money, too) who are the first ones to say things like "this is getting boring", "who cares anyway" or "what does it matter" (which obviously it must do to them, since they are the ones spending money on this stuff).
    Strange, eh. Wonder if there's a scientific explanation... Probably not, as it's all in the mind ;)
     
    joel, Mar 22, 2004
  16. The Devil

    sideshowbob Trisha

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    ... and some of which don't. It's possible to "train" oneself into all sorts of fervently held beliefs, without that being sufficient evidence that they are true.

    I could probably train myself to hear voices in my head ("YOU WILL BUY CABLES!!").

    -- Ian
     
    sideshowbob, Mar 22, 2004
  17. The Devil

    mick parry stroppy old git

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    Chaps

    If someone really thinks that they can hear the difference when a cable is connected one way or the other, then fair enough. I will just continue to think that they are as mad as a fish.

    Also if buying expensive cable keeps someone happy, then fair enough, I will continue to think that they are a mug.

    Now we are all happy.

    Regards

    Mick
     
    mick parry, Mar 22, 2004
  18. The Devil

    wadia-miester Mighty Rearranger

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    Much in the same way a CDS3 is most analogue cdp on the market eh :D
     
    wadia-miester, Mar 22, 2004
  19. The Devil

    7_V I want a Linn - in a DB9

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    So what's the cheapest cable that you can recommend?

    So what's the cheapest cable that you can recommend?

    I don't have money to burn. Given that it doesn't make any difference anyway, how cheap can I go on cables?
     
    7_V, Mar 22, 2004
  20. The Devil

    joel Shaman of Signals

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    Re: So what's the cheapest cable that you can recommend?

    Don't think it's the cheapest, but good mic cable should *coil* very nicely.
     
    joel, Mar 22, 2004
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