The Great USB cable debate poll

Poll went almost exactly the way I thought. Only difference is I thought the yes vote might be closer to 40%. I'm very satisfied with 27% though and hopefully it achieved it's chief purpose which was to suggest that there might be something to it and encourage some to try one out for themselves.

 

Why isn't it? You yourself believe 100% in a concept that isn't supported in any way by the facts. That's almost a dictionary definition of faith, and I don't begrudge you for it in any way. I even figured this is the direction you were headed down with your "because I'm an artists" comments.

 

We've all seen something out of the corner of our eye and turned to see that there was nothing there. The same thing can happen with sound. The brain is a tricky bastard.

 

We agree that an analog electrical signal in the human audible range and a baseband digital signal in the megahertz range are vastly different. To even suggest that USB cable technology will universally benefit from all the exotic materials and construction techniques of high end analog cables is at least misleading, if not outright lying.

And I believe I've seen the "all in" mentality in the forum first hand many times. I see Michael Fremer's seething contempt for any objective testing as the pinnacle of the "all in" mentality. And I think he is seen by some (many?) as the loudest voice for high end audio today.

As I said up the thread, I'm trying my best to be a free thinker and am in neither the "all in" or "all out" camp.

 

Well yes, it is. I chose the Santa metaphor for being slightly more...er...delicate...

 

I don't think people who don't actually believe in Santa Claus will be happy with being accused of metaphorically believing in Santa Claus. Remember we are all guests here in the forum.

 

On offense intended, I assure you.

The metaphor was chosen because it simply came to mind in regards to the point I was making.

My apologies for any offense taken.

 

My artist comment was a complete joke. And it is a fact because I hear it, as do 27% of the forum. If the percentage was really low, I'd be second guessing myself even though I'm positive I hear the difference. At 27% I feel comfortable that I'm not suffering from some sort of delusion related to purchase price, desire or anything else. There simply is a difference.

 

People have been accused of things a lot worse then believing in Santa Claus in this thread.

 

I'm not sure that's what a statistician would make of a 73/27 split, but you're of course welcome to any opinion you'd like.

But frankly, I'm not sure why the numbers matter to you at all. If you were literally the only person who felt they heard a difference, would you stop feeling you heard a difference? Because as you say, you're very sure.

 

No worries. Perhaps a more nuanced way of saying what I was trying to say is that "persuasion always trumps insults". Yes, it's difficult to not respond to insults in kind.

Indeed. My favorite so far is the "engineers are like garbage men" bit. Or that "we need engineering types because they make the trains run on time". That last bit is a reference to fascism, which is particularly unsavory.

 

Again, this poll was never intended to be about me. It was intended to show, and has shown definitively in my opinion, that there are a fairly significant number of Forum members who believe there is a difference. People are then free to do what they want with the information. I might get killed for this analogy but what the hell? If there was a device that allowed you to see ghosts and 27% of the public said they'd used it and did in fact see ghosts I would assume that a certain percentage of that 73% majority that didn't believe it's scientifically possible for ghosts to exist would at least be encouraged to try out the ghost detection machine for themselves and make their own determination. Now feel free to do the tired ghost/mirage/unicorn joke now.

 

FWIW, I absolutely believe you're hearing a difference. But I'm also curious if you've tried a USB reclocker (here or here) and a more pedestrian USB cable and compared. My Gungnir sounds better with a reclocker and a $20 cable than with a Mapleshade Clearlink Plus USB cable by itself.

 

BTW, is reclocker the proper term for that? Splitting hairs either way of course, but it seems those devices are dealing in power regeneration, and "reclocker" would be a term better applied to something like a USB SPDIF converter that actually contains a clock (IIRC).

 

Hey, I got a great deal on it. You gotta at least taste the Kool Aid, right?

 

As I have invented a pill that make my cat speak German, I have been asked by people if they could get some pills to try on their cats.

 

I think a "USB hub" would be the most accurate descriptor. I'm mixing terms with a S/PDIF reclocker, sorry.

 

You're brighter than that, I can tell by most of your posts. If 27% of people tried a pill that they thought allowed them to... Now fill in the rest.

 

Personally speaking, I feel more people are genuinely interested to know whether various tweaks and such have the effect upon performance they are purported to have, than those who would not.

Consider the McIntosh Amplifier Clinics program that began in the early 1960s:

Many owners really had no idea whether they got what they paid for. Output power ratings, distortion specs were wildly out of control back in those days. Many people had no idea how well their equipment was performing - even the manufacturers themselves(!) in some cases.

Laboratory testing is impartial - and it is the only true means by which to determine who was "cooking the books" and who was truthful. Back in the day, only McIntosh and Marantz amplifiers met spec for the most part.

But it still did not stop some people from becoming angry when informed of their equipment's performance was marginal or poor. In one case, a man brought in a 40 wpc MC 240 (same model that I own), whose voltage doubler had failed. Output was down to only ~ 5 watts with severe hum and ripple distortion but he said it sounded fine to him and even refused the free repair service offered for his amplifier.

Just an example of human nature in some cases.

 

Also if you are used to development, confirming the specs of something is essential and mandatory. Telling someone something about the advantages isn´t really good enough in many circles, and seldom in my book.

 

There's actually a lot of really cool stuff in the Mapleshade catalog. And to be fair, I've never heard the grocery store power strip they mounted on a wooden block and sell for $800, so how can I really comment, right? I do use their cork isolation blocks. Well, by that I mean I ordered the exact same things being marketed elsewhere as washing machine isolators for a fraction of what Mapleshade charges, but I do use them. I found they work better on my washing machine then my turntable, however.

 

"Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so."

 

Sadly, your last sentence didn't hold as true across the board. I guess the science didn't hold up there either.

Most people I know have the means, me included. So your conclusion isn't just wrong, it's insulting.

 

You're right, and I worded that wrong. What I meant was that it is true that "objectivists" are often dismissed as envious peasants. Not that they actually are envious peasants. Too late to edit for clarity. Again, sorry for the poorly written sentence.