Date:         Sun, 27 Aug 2006 10:38:12 -0500
Reply-To:     Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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Sender:       Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
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From:         Scott Phillips <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:      Re: Can 78s sound better than LPs?
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Every time someone has brought such cables to me trying to sell them,
they always compare them to 'regular' cables that are actually
inadequate by any standards. Particularly speaker cables... It seems
that I'm supposed to miss the fact that the $1000 speaker cable is 6
gauge wire, and the 'regular' speaker wire presented for comparison is
22 gauge wire. Hummm... IMHO, somehow I don't think the 'skin effect' of
the super cable is very responsible for difference in sound. A piece of
solid romex house wiring is going to have better dampening than that 22
gauge zip cord. 

I admit I can hear the difference in a long run of mic cable that is
decent oxygen free stuff and not some old foil wrapped cable... But even
there, it is likely that the capacitance differences alone make up the
lions share of the difference. In any case, the extreme cables seem to
have a real market out there from someone. Crazy stuff. Even if it did
sound 'different', considering what the rest of the production signal
change was wired with, is it 'more correct' sounding, or just different,
I wonder?

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Don Cox
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 1:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Can 78s sound better than LPs?

On 25/08/06, Lou Judson wrote:
> On Aug 25, 2006, at 8:00 AM, Bob Olhsson wrote:
> 
>> There is no legitimate excuse for ever using less than the very best 
>> audio technology available.
> 
> Bob -
> For small time folks the legitimate excuse is cost and budget! As a 
> professional audio engineer, I can operate a geniune, viable 
> professional audio service with a Mac and a $1,000 I/O device. I could

> not own and operate a million dollar studio...
> 
> Maybe my clients are too poor to deserve the best. Steven is looking 
> at an extremely lower budget, too... I guess the available budget 
> counts asthe very best audio technology available? or not... ??
> 
> /Rant mode on
> I'm working with a client now transferring his cassette collection to 
> CDs - he insists the previous person who helped him was inferior 
> because they only used the $1,000 "interconnects" instead of the 
> $2,500 wires we are using now to connect his cassette deck to my Digi 
> system. However, I believe I am getting a far superior sound because 
> of the better signal chain - no processing at all except dither!
> 
> Interesting process - it is cassettes after all, one would expect it 
> to be poor quality, but we are playing them on the actual deck they 
> were recorded on, and they are original live recordings of a piano, no

> mixing or anything. 2 mics to cassette. There is plenty hiss and 
> nothing above 16k but fine sound.
> 
> I still have a problem with people who think a better piece of wire is

> going to affect the sound. These audiphiles care nothing at all about 
> the quality of the A/D, the CD type and burn speed, or if they are 
> hearing 16 or 24 bit! I CAN hear a difference between 16 and 24 bit, 
> but not between $10 wires and $2,500 wires, even if you plug them in 
> backwards...

Consumer cassette decks or CD players commonly have an analog output
stage which is under-specified and cannot handle the cable and the input
impedance of the amp correctly.

On such equipment, different connecting cables may be audibly different.
The expensive one will not necessarily be better. There is a strong
placebo effect.

A buffer amp with high input impedance and low output impedance between
the two boxes is more likely to fix the problem. 
 
> And he doesn't seem to mind that there is ten feet of cheap wire after

> the digi unit and to my monitor amp... he can still hear the 
> difference between the expensive wires on the input. But the bottom 
> line is, he is happier with my CD transfers of his cassettes than he 
> was with the ones done by the previous guy who owns a real studio.
> Even on my $400, fifteen year old studio monitors.
> 
> rant mode off\ thanks for letting me rave. Don't know if this has 
> anything at all to do with 78s, but it has everything to do with 
> archiving!
> 
> (PS Thanks for the referral, Bob!)

Regards
--
Don Cox
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