Cable Lifters!

I figure they don't hurt but surely don't help

Science begins when someone observes that something makes a difference in something else. It then goes from anecdotal evidence to something more convincing such as testing a hypothesis with data. Then there are experiments with all but one variable controlled and varying the independent variable and noting changes in the dependent variable. I note the complete absence of any this early on in this thread.

With regard to cable lifters, I initially heard little benefit from any I tried, but then I bought 24 isolators from Rightway Audio and the owner told me his recommendations, namely to have one and only one on every cable. With a good deal of time, I managed this and found it true. I did experiments such as adding a second one and they failed. I also took off those under freely suspended ICs and maybe heard a little loss. I tried wood, glass, coffee cups, various ceramics and could never equal what I heard from the Rightway isolators that look just like what you see on telephone cables, unless they are fiber optics. Briefly I set up my system on our slab first floor and noted they didn't make much difference there. I also bought broken ceramic isolators, namely 18KVA one, and although they got cables far off the floor, they did not sound the equal of the Rightway Audios. So I secured the Rightways on top of the 18KVAs making certain that their was no static electric path from the 18 KVA to the Rightways. I used these on my speakerwires for years until I got the HFC Pro with their 30 inch waveguides. Every speaker wire that I had was clearly better on the made columns of isolators. I do have the HFC Pros on isolators and dearly wish I could buy more of the 18KVA isolators so that I could have them on two on both sides.

The final stage of science is a theory or explanation for why your two variables are related. Since I know it isn't vibration as I have little of this, I turned to static electricity. I had found that my first floor sound was not as influenced as up on the second floor and that even there when I had wool carpeting under the system, they still worked, I found all of this supportive of my theory. I also noted that zapping the cables with an ion gun helped as did treating records that way.

In short, I don't think much of the "science" done by many here is "good" science.

TBG said:

Science begins when someone observes that something makes a difference in something else. It then goes from anecdotal evidence to something more convincing such as testing a hypothesis with data. Then there are experiments with all but one variable controlled and varying the independent variable and noting changes in the dependent variable. I note the complete absence of any this early on in this thread.

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So far, so good. Now go on with the science part.

Speedskater said:

So far, so good. Now go on with the science part.

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Waiting for some to do this more so than I have already done.

TBG said:

Waiting for some to do this more so than I have already done.

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Probably will need to wait a loooong time , ...

Something related to static is certainly what it's about, but it's all too hard for the usual audio crowd, . I've used DIY methods to ameliorate these effects for years now, which gives me the sound quality I'm after - but standard gear almost never addresses this area, which is why getting competent sound is so hit and miss most of the time.

Can you tell us more about your methods?

Norm

Static is something that develops when two objects touch each other lightly, or can actually move with respect to each other if there's vibration from some source. Circuit boards are usually pretty good in themselves, but what how the parts on them - can they wobble to slightly touch another part? And all the internal cables - how organised are they to stay put, or are they just flopping all over the place?

Everywhere something can move in a purely random way, while touching something else, I look upon with suspicion - from experience, I find that if I reorganise all the parts, small or large, of the whole system so that one thing doesn't touch something else in an "accidental" way, then I get better sound. Why should this be so? Most likely static behaviours, these days I just automatically go through all the areas to see if I can see a possible problem. Is it always necessary to do this? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to make sure ...

Big question ... why should "silly" things like this have an impact? I don't know enough about this field, and the subtleties of how the electronics might be affected can get pretty messy - it suffices for me that I hear the difference, and therefore I do it.

Gregadd said:

It does sort of beg the question: Why is anecdotal evidence acceptable to prove a tweak does not work, but not acceptable to prove it does?

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Because those that claim that cable lifters offer some sonic improvement are ones with the burden of proof.

When you would expect something to make no difference (due to what is known about physics, etc), acknowledging that it, indeed, makes no difference, is not the same as anecdotal evidence that it does make a difference.

Best cable lifters on the planet. Put two under your cables, spaced accordingly. About a buck each. Don't like 'em? Fine. Throw them out, or give them to a needy audiophile. You might be doing him a favor by saving him ridiculous audiophile dollars for over-priced simple insulators.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LAGOO7S?psc=1

Simon Moon said:

Because those that claim that cable lifters offer some sonic improvement are ones with the burden of proof.

When you would expect something to make no difference (due to what is known about physics, etc), acknowledging that it, indeed, makes no difference, is not the same as anecdotal evidence that it does make a difference.

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There is no burden of proof at this stage of anecdotal evidence gathering. For example I found rubber to be of little use under cables, nor is glass, wood, metal, Ultra Fives, etc.