Are low-priced cables a scam?

[MylesBAstor]

Well i ll just stay with optimal/good conductivity , and optimal isolation then(teflon), i m definetively not gonna spend $$$ on it .
1. there are so many superior cables and superior techniques , that logic is totally out of whack.
2. There is no real value as second hand prices drop like a stone .
3 . with that amount of money there are real improvements to be made elsewhere.

As soon as i have my new speakers ready the importer of lamm in holland is gonna come over for a listen , but he insisted he d install Jena labs as well as he imports them also, so we will see

Just out of curiosity what constitutes optimal isolation withTeflon do you recommend since it comes in umpteen grades? And a grade that might be good for one application might not work in another. For example, having all the polymers having a high degree of alignment might be good for one thing but not say for signal transfer where that alignment might cause the cable/cap to hold onto the signal. Or in the case say even of polystyrene (used in caps), you need polymer alignment if optical clarity is your goal; if cap discharge is, you want a more randomly oriented plastic.

 

[fas42]

Why is it that people won't trust their ears but their eyes are OK? Eyes can be fooled just as easily.

There is a clear difference in picture quality between the stock crap HDMI cable they [Time-Warner here] provide and even the lower priced Monster Cable video cables. But there can't be for audio?

Different cables will certainly mean discernable differences. But the full benefit of improving by using an expensive cable will not be realised until every part of the path is lifted to at least the level of that link.

It comes back to the metaphor of a chain: if it is rough and ready, and then you replace the middle sections of links with the highest quality steel, what is then the strength, the quality of the overall chain: is it at the level of the greatly improved middle section, or that of the remaining rough and ready links at either end?

Frank

 

[NorthStar]

Some overpriced HDMI cables are way out of touch with human decency!

 

[andromedaaudio]

I cant tell you , i think its just standard ptfe which is the industry code for teflon, and good for cable isolation
There was a hdmi test overhere as well , guess what ,.....the cheapest won .
A lot of audiophiles tune their system with cables , which is in my opinion trying to tune other hardware problems ,
My system has become quit resolving expensive overtime and over the past years i never felt the cable to a limiting factor .
I ve used a high resolving diamond cone for high freq and never had the feeling it obscured detail/emotion or what so ever, in contrary the people /reviewers and the sme importer that have visited , told me they heard detail they never had before .
I must admit my standpoints are a bit no nonse and dont go very well in the audiocommunity , its not a good attitude business wise , but what the heck

Just out of curiosity what constitutes optimal isolation withTeflon do you recommend since it comes in umpteen grades? And a grade that might be good for one application might not work in another. For example, having all the polymers having a high degree of alignment might be good for one thing but not say for signal transfer where that alignment might cause the cable/cap to hold onto the signal. Or in the case say even of polystyrene (used in caps), you need polymer alignment if optical clarity is your goal; if cap discharge is, you want a more randomly oriented plastic.

 

[Lee]

Cheap cheaper cheapest ,..... just bend it ...solder it ...and connect it


DSC_0542 by andromeda61, on Flickr

If cables don't make a difference, how do you explain the video at the bottom of this page which shows clear evidence of a Shunyata ZiTron cable improving the signal transmission?

http://www.shunyata.com/Content/about-videos.html

 

[Andre Marc]

Hey Lee:

Cables absolutely do make a difference.

Pertaining to the video below, a square wave is NOT music.

You can lump this in the same category at amplifiers that measure "perfectly" but drive people out of the room.

Shunyata is certainly a unique company, and they make highly regarded cables, but in my opinion, they are too marketing driven. Too many product line overhauls, too many legacy product and pricing that is just plain absurd in some cases.
Just just my opinion.

If cables don't make a difference, how do you explain the video at the bottom of this page which shows clear evidence of a Shunyata ZiTron cable improving the signal transmission?

http://www.shunyata.com/Content/about-videos.html