Engadgets Speaker cable test

[specialidiot]

Not to say that "monster cable" is the shiznit, but:

From http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/03/audiophiles-cant-tell-the-difference-between-monster-cable-and/

Audiophiles can't tell the difference between Monster Cable and coat hangers
Posted Mar 3rd 2008 8:03PM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Home Entertainment

We've always believed that the perceived quality boost that comes from using high-end cables is really just a trick of the mind (read: justifying the ridiculous cost of premium cables to yourself) -- if you've dropped enough cash, you can probably hear anything you want. Still, our belief is one thing -- cold hard proof is another, and it looks like a group of 12 self-professed "audiophiles" recently couldn't tell the difference between Monster 1000 speaker cables and plain old coat hangers. Yeah, coat hangers. The group was A-Bing different cables, and unbeknownst to them, the engineer running the test swapped out a set of cables for coat hangers with soldered-on speaker connections. Not a single one was then able to tell the difference between the Monster Cable and the hangers, and all agreed that the hangers sounded excellent. No wonder Monster has to rig HD displays. Still, we bet people still fall for the hype -- oh hey, if you're looking for the ultimate in sound, we've got half a meter of oxygen-free, triple-wrapped double-insulated Sonically Shielded AmpliSized Egyptian Llama cable here that we'll part ways with for just a couple grand.

 

[SpruceMoose]

wooden hangars are even better. they give the music an "earthy, natural sound". really!

 

[dmusgrave]

I'm not shocked at all, as long as the capacitance is reasonable and the terminations are well done. I guess a longer run might suffer from being unshielded?

 

[uofmtiger]

I do not think that Monster speaker cable is high-end. I was reading Audio Advisor catalog the other day and they have some "high end" cables that make Monster look very cheap.

 

[fishface]

So you're saying that 'high-end' is determined by a dollar quantity vs. sound quality? I'd have to disagree. I belong to the camp that thinks there are many ways cabling can affect sound, particularly if very long runs or very low-level signal is used. But I don't think that the changes are that great, or that they represent a very good value relative to the same dollar spent on other aspects of sound. Also, many people swear by the Anti-cables - which seem to basically be coat hangers.

 

[uofmtiger]

So you're saying that 'high-end' is determined by a dollar quantity vs. sound quality? I'd have to disagree. I belong to the camp that thinks there are many ways cabling can affect sound, particularly if very long runs or very low-level signal is used. But I don't think that the changes are that great, or that they represent a very good value relative to the same dollar spent on other aspects of sound. Also, many people swear by the Anti-cables - which seem to basically be coat hangers.

If there was not a price differential who would care about a test where these two sound the same? In other words, if I said that I had some coat hangers and Brand X speaker cable that cost and sound exactly the same, why would I want hangers when I know that a much more functional/flexible wire is obtainable at the same price? If they said hangers were ten times better, then they may get me to switch, but that was not their conclusion.

If, on the other hand, they bought some $1000 a foot cable and said that it sounded the same as hangers, they may have something that might be interesting (to me).

 

[dmusgrave]

If there was not a price differential who would care about a test where these two sound the same? In other words, if I said that I had some coat hangers and Brand X speaker cable that cost and sound exactly the same, why would I want hangers when I know that a much more functional/flexible wire is obtainable at the same price? If they said hangers were ten times better, then they may get me to switch, but that was not their conclusion.

If, on the other hand, they bought some $1000 a foot cable and said that it sounded the same as hangers, they may have something that might be interesting (to me).

I would venture in a blind test, $1000.00 a foot cable and the coat hanger would have pretty much the same result.

I've never owned any, but I've heard mega dollar interconnects with mega dollar sources and mega dollar headphone amps through the best headphones out there... and once you got past 35-40.00 level cables I couldn't hear a difference...

I think once you are using quality cable and connectors, and terminating properly the rest is just snake oil... but that's just me and my ears.

I guess I'm fortunate, cheap cables are just fine for me :thmbsp:

 

[MikeCh]

If there was not a price differential who would care about a test where these two sound the same? In other words, if I said that I had some coat hangers and Brand X speaker cable that cost and sound exactly the same, why would I want hangers when I know that a much more functional/flexible wire is obtainable at the same price? If they said hangers were ten times better, then they may get me to switch, but that was not their conclusion.

In a world where price is equal, I'd personally choose 14 gauge lamp cord since it's both flexible and adequate for my length runs. But since we don't live in a world where a Ferrari costs the same as a used-Pinto, the test shows me how amount-of-money-spent can influence what a person believes they hear.

 

[uofmtiger]

I would venture in a blind test, $1000.00 a foot cable and the coat hanger would have pretty much the same result.

I've never owned any, but I've heard mega dollar interconnects with mega dollar sources and mega dollar headphone amps through the best headphones out there... and once you got past 35-40.00 level cables I couldn't hear a difference...

I think once you are using quality cable and connectors, and terminating properly the rest is just snake oil... but that's just me and my ears.

I guess I'm fortunate, cheap cables are just fine for me :thmbsp:

No argument here. I use cheap speaker cables, too. Of course, I consider Monster (at least the stuff at CC) pretty cheap. I have bought their flat wire for running under a rug, but I usually buy Radio Shack or Home Depot stuff you find on the spool. I still stand by my point that Monster speaker cable ($15 for 20 feet)can be found at a reasonable price(compared to some of the elite brands) and therefore, I get very little from the comparison.

edit: I just looked up the cables they used in the comparison and it said they were using Monster 1000 cable. I am not sure which version, but it goes for $30-$50 for 10 feet. I guess it is more expensive than the cheap Monster stuff I linked above.

I still would have liked to see it rated against less consumer grade stuff.

 

[uofmtiger]

Went back and read more of the post. In a subsequent post, the Ph.D. ("Dr. Bob Dean") that did the tests uses the following "words" in his answer:

nervina
milenia
ads
concensus
hobbiests
opionion
sais

I am not sure if he is lying about the tests, but I have never met a Ph.D. that could not spell the word "says"...just food for thought..