Members MrJoshua Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Again, I wish I could have stayed longer, and specifically done a testing where I could have done the playing while the test was being conducted. In the one test I was present for, with T.Alan playing, my blind picks were totally inconsistent, even when i thought i could confidently hear a difference. the bottom line for me is the only thing worth paying more then bottom end generic cables for is the monster replacement policy. $40 for the last cable you'll ever need to buy. Thank you to Lavaman, Bayou Calbes and everyone else who sent cables. ...or, $16 for the last cable you'll ever need to buy. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EGL20/I've never had one of their guitar cables go bad on me, but I have had a TRS-to-XLR cable go bad. They shipped me a new one without even asking for the old one back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassesofalessergod Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 1. Type of and Purity of metal(s) used for conductors/shield2. Complexity of Construction3. Type and thickness of jacket material4. Number of condcutors - most of these are two or four conductors5. Cost - some of these I import from Europe so cost is higher - much of this cost us due to more raw materials being used than simple coax and higher factory costs due to shorter production runs... thanks yo. personally, i'm somewhat of a believer, but not enough to lay out the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 17, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2007 I just want to know what physically differentiates high-dollar cables from regular cables. Is there a difference in the copper used? The solder? The steel used in the jacks? Is there a difference in construction on a fundamental level?I'm not surprised that Lavaman got bent out of shape, really, because his whole sales ploy relies on people being able to tell the difference. I tried some expensive cables at the shop and casually compared them to some George L's that I had slapped together in under a minute and I found no appreciable difference in sound quality; any difference that could have possibly been there that I wasn't hearing certainly was not worth the extra $40 or whatever per cable. Thanks for doing the cable test, gents and dames, but I'm not surprised in the least regarding your conclusions. What I'm more interested in is quality of construction, durability and any guarantees that are offered, and I personally like Planet Waves best when it comes to all that.C7 To be more precise, it depends on people thinking they can tell the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 17, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2007 Slightly off topic, but you guys didn't manage to test any Planet Waves or Hosa cables? No one really stocks the brands you guys test over here, so im just curious because I swapped and *personally* felt there was a difference...*waits to be flamed* Human perception being what it is, it's quite probable that you heard a difference, whether there was one or not. That's why blind tests, and preferably double-blind tests, are so important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 bad grammar lol....wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Westsailor Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 ...or, $16 for the last cable you'll ever need to buy. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EGL20/That's the exact cable I use and after 2 years of abuse I have to say, I'm just tickled to death with it. Too bad they're outta stock... I'd order another just to have as backup (even though I have others I could use anyway). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 ...or, $16 for the last cable you'll ever need to buy. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EGL20/I've never had one of their guitar cables go bad on me, but I have had a TRS-to-XLR cable go bad. They shipped me a new one without even asking for the old one back. hello, my new brand of cable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 17, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2007 Look, with differences in capacitance, metals and construction you have to be deaf not to hear a difference - that is the bottom line.I repeat: This is the first time I have sent multiple cables to ANY musician(s) who have not been to hear a difference and I have done this nearly 100 times in the past 2 years....(to include numerous wives, girlfriends etc...who could hear the difference as well) The folks on this forum were doubting Thomas's before the test and this carried through into the testing...What I should have done is sleeved each cable and labled them A,B, C etc...Data is data boys and after recieving countless emails from happy customers who could hear a difference (regardless of brand) for the cable they were using before and the cable I sent them I question your methods and results becasue in my experience it is an anomaly. Ah, so they're deaf, are they? Still, you didn't address my question, did you. T'broom said he wanted to hear a difference; you accused him of being biased against hearing a difference. Are you claiming that he lied, or not? Data are indeed data. T'broom has some, but you don't. What you have are anecdotes, completely uncontrolled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassesofalessergod Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 lol....wow. whatd i do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 ...or, $16 for the last cable you'll ever need to buy. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EGL20/ I've never had one of their guitar cables go bad on me, but I have had a TRS-to-XLR cable go bad. They shipped me a new one without even asking for the old one back. I have the same opinion on Whirlwind cables, that's why I sent a new one to T-broom to serve as the reference cable for their testing. All of my Whirlwind cables are working perfectly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 whatd i do? nothing. I'm laughing at myself about what I wrote. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Westsailor Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 That BOALG is a whipped sissy. Alas, I think that would be hypocritical of me since I enjoyed London during my 3 mo stay and I am wearing a sarong as we speak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 17, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2007 That was asked in the last cable thread and no one, not even the guy selling them, could provide an explanation. It's possible. One technique for shielding is to use a two-conductor plus shield cable. One hot, one neutral to carry the signal, then attach the shield at one end only, the end closest to the amp. This way, the shield isn't carrying any signal. I've read that it can be slightly quieter this way, which can be important in, say, recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members been_effected Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I still can't believe theres been such a blow up over a simple cable comparison thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members basshunter Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I say we submit this question to Mythbusters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thunderbroom Posted September 17, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I say we submit this question to Mythbusters Absofreakinlutely!Seriously, how would we go about submitting it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 The fact our testing doesn't convince some people is shocking!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Captain Fathead Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Absofreakinlutely!Seriously, how would we go about submitting it? I think there's something on their web page... http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/about/about.html It says to post it on the discussion board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Westsailor Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 I say we submit this question to Mythbusters Problem is, it's probably too 'intellectual' a subject for themNow... if we could figure out a way so something blows up during testing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members basshunter Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Absofreakinlutely! Seriously, how would we go about submitting it? Believe it or not, it appears that you post it on an internet forum!!!!!! http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/talk/talk.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Problem is, it's probably too 'intellectual' a subject for themNow... if we could figure out a way so something blows up during testing.... I think it's just not one enough people care about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassesofalessergod Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 i think we should test how good it would feel if kari licked my bunghole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted September 17, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 17, 2007 Look, based on the cables I sent I knew they sounded different, not only from customer testimonials, but the fact that they all had different levels of capactitance, inductance as well as condcutor differences....so to say differences could not heard especially without listing criteria used, posting a complete after-test list of cables and how they ranked, indicates a complete lack of integrity during the tesing process...I even posted a list of criteria and and examples of how to test - none of this was mentioned after-test. The testing process was skewed from the begining and the lack of posted detailed results is a clear indication of a poorly conducted test.The Sommer Stratos cable was not mentioned at all and I have no doubt that when you compare this cable to just about ANY cable on the market for Bass Guitar use it will be preferred, I have heard it as well as many others - and it is a significant difference. Once again, you have no data. You "knew" they sounded different? How? You state that it's because "they all had different levels of capactitance(sic), inductance as well as condcutor(sic) differences..." but that's only theory, hypothesis actually, that they ought to sound different, not knowledge that they do. Here's a hint: the next step, after formulating a hypothesis, is to test it. T'broom did, and the results did not support the hypothesis. I agree that T'broom's reporting of his tests leave something to be desired. How many runs were done, what were the actual results (as in, "Out of twenty runs, the correct cable was identified only eleven times, a result not significantly different from chance."), how was the switching done, and so on. However, there are such data available, and they do not support your position: http://www.provide.net/~djcarlst/abx_wire.htm You continue to make a testable claim, that "... it is a significant difference." Yet you provide no data. Time, I think, to stop impugning people's hearing and integrity, and put up or shut up. Let's see your data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bnyswonger Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 Man, talk about a tempest in a teapot! I'm an insensitive lout who thinks there are two types of cables...those that work and those that don't. If it makes noise, picks up a radio station, or cuts out when you move it around, that's bad. Otherwise I'm cool with it. Since my Boss SE-50 converts everything to digital and then back to analog at output, I'm abviously not a tone purist anyway. I have a friend who makes a living in highend audio so am familiar with the directional cables and all, but honestly it's all beyond my ability to judge. People that have money are welcome to spend it however they like...if they can feel better about a high end cable, so be it. I think this was pretty fair test from the description. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bpocall Posted September 17, 2007 Members Share Posted September 17, 2007 For the first round, we compared the Whirlwind and the VDH cables. As stated earlier, the same line was played through the Whirlwind, then the VDH, then one of the two cables at random. On the first round of blind tests, I had picked 4 out of 5 correctly. Since only myself and Sara had a greater than 50% rate of accuracy, we repeated the testing with the same cables. In the 2nd round, I was unable to correctly identify the blind cable out of the three times I tried. Either I was perceiving a difference, or the difference was subtle enough that I could not identify it every time. My personal results remained the same through the rest of the testing. If there is an actual difference in sound in the higher end cables, I don't believe it is drastic enough to be noticed in a band setting, let alone significantly in a solo environment. The cables all certainly seemed to be made of high quality components, and any one of them should serve you well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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