ok, what HiFi, ok.

[chazzy2501]

I saw this conclusion for a HDMI cable. if this is how they review a digital cable then how skewed are the other reviews, or how full of nonsense?

 

[admars]

lol, I remember a few years ago, was looking to buy a new tv,and was pretty much decided, went back to Comet to have another look, as there was a COmet near me, the missus looked at me, and asked "how did they make the picture look so bad"?

 

I can only assume there was some coaxial cable being used to send the picture round the tvs to all show same thing, and this tv had now been moved to get crap signal/wasn't flavour of the week/rep from that manufacturer hadn't been in that week it looked liek the tv equivalent of using a coathanger for car aerial

 

there is a difference in build quality of the casing round the cables, but I know what you mean. I remember at a place I used to work, someone came in saying they bought a new tv "but I was a bit surprised that I had to spend £100 on a new cable for it", 3 of us groaned, shook our heads, and facepalmed in unison

 

Didn't one of those magazines review a really expensive Denon network cable ages ago, was a fascinating review, for a network cable

Edited February 26, 2021 by admars

[jmak]

Digital cables the signal either gets through or not; build quality so they don't break the first time you use them is worth a bit and presumably shielding can help, but I've done fine with Poundland HDMI cables. I did have problems with an HDMI switch that failed to auto-detect the signal that was fixed by upgrading to a £5 cable, so it is possible to buy better or worse cables.

 

There's a bit more scope for difference with analogue signals but I know someone who used to work designing the electronics inside Quad hi-fi kit. They're in the business of selling kit at a price that definitely tries to extract large amounts of money for diminishing returns, but he told me they'd tested coat hangers for speaker cable and found them excellent. For convenience and cost, he recommended cheap copper electrical flex. They used it in test labs and in testing reckoned it was indistinguishable from top end speaker cable.

[bald_pig]

You mean I didn't need that audio-grade network switch?

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/uptone-audio-etherregen-review-and-comparison-r887/

[jthompson]

With HDMI, you've got successive versions of the standard that support different colour spaces, bitrates, etc. so I guess that could have a bearing on how new kit will perform in tests. I've also run into problems using older/cheaper leads in our theatre hall, where there are things like HDMI switches and extenders in play and the distance can add up. Distance shouldn't really become a problem for a home HiFi setup, however, unless it's being run around the room or up in the ceiling or something.

 

You don't tend to see cables sold on their raw spec (as with network cable), so presumably the industry has decided that fluffy subjective stuff can command more of a premium.

[3s-gtech]

You mean I didn't need that audio-grade network switch?

 

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/reviews/uptone-audio-etherregen-review-and-comparison-r887/

 

 

But can you afford not to get one? I mean - the reviewer is a networking expert so subjective improvements in sound quality (on a device that moves packets of digital data with parity bits, checksums etc) must have occurred!

 

I'd love to actually get some of these reviewers to do double-blind testing with £3 to £3000 cables. If they're more than 50% in line with price I'd eat my...ultrasonic diamond floor standing speaker pointed stands.

[jthompson]

I do all of my audio streaming over vintage 802.11b kit. I find that WEP gives a warmth that you just don't get with WPA2.

[Andrew_C]

WHAT!? Don't you all buy £3000 oxygen free, omni-directional kettle leads?

 

(Oh yes, they do exist)

[Dos_Box]

I do all of my audio streaming over vintage 802.11b kit. I find that WEP gives a warmth that you just don't get with WPA2.

 

You also got much better packaging that you could read whilst streaming.

[bald_pig]

But can you afford not to get one? I mean - the reviewer is a networking expert so subjective improvements in sound quality (on a device that moves packets of digital data with parity bits, checksums etc) must have occurred!

 

I'd love to actually get some of these reviewers to do double-blind testing with £3 to £3000 cables. If they're more than 50% in line with price I'd eat my...ultrasonic diamond floor standing speaker pointed stands.

 

You can really hear the cleaner clock signal!

[bald_pig]

But can you afford not to get one? I mean - the reviewer is a networking expert so subjective improvements in sound quality (on a device that moves packets of digital data with parity bits, checksums etc) must have occurred!

 

I'd love to actually get some of these reviewers to do double-blind testing with £3 to £3000 cables. If they're more than 50% in line with price I'd eat my...ultrasonic diamond floor standing speaker pointed stands.

 

Does anyone else remember the test with coathangers?

 

https://www.soundguys.com/cable-myths-reviving-the-coathanger-test-23553/

[psydii]

I do all of my audio streaming over vintage 802.11b kit. I find that WEP gives a warmth that you just don't get with WPA2.

Reported and blocked.

[Chris_Cook]

WHAT!? Don't you all buy £3000 oxygen free, omni-directional kettle leads?

 

(Oh yes, they do exist)

 

£3000 is quite cheap. try some Nordost Odin 2 cables - more like £16,500

 

https://www.analogueseduction.net/mains-cables/nordost-odin-2-mains-cable.html

 

or the speaker cable to go with:

https://www.analogueseduction.net/terminated/nordost-odin-2-speaker-cable.html