Good, Neutral, Reasonably Priced Cables?

Darrylhifi, is that typo maggots or magnets?

Sean

That's why I've said "don't blame the cables" if you don't like what you hear. While you can shoot the messenger, that doesn't change the message. Sean

Does this mean that if I prefer my system with Purist Audio or Elrod rather than Goertz that all my equipment should be changed out rather than continue to listen to what is working? I have excellent gear, doubt it needs a band aid.

Sean,
I have the following thoughts/queries about your stance:
(bear with me if you've already addressed any of them in past posts):
1. Do you have to intellectually have a picture of what measurable specs you are listening to and what the physical characteristics of the components are before you can enjoy the music? (I think you've said an emphatic yes)
2. When you say specs, do you mean running an oscilloscope so that you can measure dynamic range at each frequency?
3. I accept that the appreciation of a stanza of music is an interaction between the brain and the ear, melding perceived sound, expectations, emotions, and past experiences to result in a net quantum of enjoyment/sadness/fulfillment/discord. None of us understand how that works, technically, exactly as none of us can explain physically or in terms of any measurable specs on any medical device, how anybody thinks. So it is with the appreciation of music, which is why there are so many thousands of differing posts on the same component, piece of music and composer. Are you saying that in your particular case you cannot or will not bypass the the "measuring/analytical/physicist" part of your brain to just listen to the music, because it is unacceptable to you intellectually to not understand why you are hearing something? If so, this is, IMHO, perfectly valid, but I think you are fairly unique in that respect. I personally dont give a rat's ass what makes the music sound good/exciting/bad/mediocre - its all in what I hear. Period.
I think many of us non Engineer-types are like that.
4. I am ignorant of the known physics of sound conduction via interconnects. Is there a primer to read? Is there data on cables showing dynamic range, as there are on speakers, at different frequencies? What other data (forget about inductance, volts, amps, etc since there is no known (to me) sonic/auditory correlation)can you get on cables?
5. Is it not unreasonable for you to expect a small (one-man) manufacturer to divulge his formula in a very competitive market-place, particularly against the big boys, who spend fortunes on marketing, when the bottom line is simply, to most of us, the result of the product? That is, how does it sound? The only, to me, reason to do so would be the physical reliability and longevity of the product; if it were made of a metal/conductor/insulator that has a half-life of a few months, then that would be a concern. This point is valid and rational, even to a non-measuring-dunce like me. That point should be addressed and guaranteed by any seller/manufacturer/inventor.
Thanks for your attention. This is not a troll - I am interested in your answers.

I beleive Darrylhifi meant maggots as a joke from the infamous magnet thread. Hey aside from the uproar over the religious connotation, putting that aside, did any A goners ever try/feel that theory was useful. And Sean I love your posts because of your knowlege and passion, but I wish you would not attack a cable manufacturer that joins in a thread, only because I feel that discourages manufacturers from joining our discussions , where we may gain additional resources for information. Even though Im not a fan of Audio Asylum {except for their search engine which is great} I enjoy when gentleman like Ray Kimber and others add to the postings.

>> Did any A goners ever try/feel that theory was useful<<

Useful, yes; essential, no.
Same way as I can tell whether I like the taste of a wine without knowing squat about the vintage, number of years in oak or even the name of the grape. But it educates me to know these things and maybe will help me pick out a better one next time............but the bottom line is always the same: how does it taste? Or, in this forum, how does it sound?
By the way, I will repay all A'goners who have been so helpful to me in making the suggestions that are responsible for literally all of my gear, if you like wine - sprint, dont walk and buy the 03 Beaujolais - they will be the best $10 you have spent since your last vinyl purchase....:)

Sean, I agree with Springbok's stance. I can understand why Robert is so *protective* of his ways. He's about to turn 60 anytime soon and the idea of going back to his former sales job terrifies him. His plan is to collect Social Security and make cables. He publicly accused me of betraying his trust when all I did was post some info that was readily gathered from the Pure Note website (and I told him months before I was going to do it!). Pure Note would love to know what the hell he's doing, as their later products are oviously patterned after Ridge Street cables. I know that was the caffeine and nicotine speaking, so I gave him one of my prescriptions in good faith. I agree with you that Robert could have been concise, to the point and given enough technical information to satisfy others.

Psychic: I'm glad that you guys had an enjoyable and educational get together. These types of situations can be fun, but they can also be misleading. That is, unless certain precautions are taken to try and keep the playing field level. I'm NOT talking about DBT's ( Double Blind Listening Test's ) or anything like that, just similar conditions in terms of all of the gear being allowed to thermally and physically stabilize. This takes time though and most impromptu meetings / listening sessions don't really allow this.

Lak and I have found that once our systems had similar power delivery/noise control setups what we heard with different stuff was pretty similar. His is a 5W SET, all tube, single driver system and mine a mini monitor based SS system. Lak also found similar results in his living room solid state system. Yes, there are differences, but not big enough to discard our findings. People here know this and also know our personalities and tastes are very different, giving added weight to what we post. This gives them a pretty good idea of what to expect. When some time passed after Chris sent me his Pulsar digital cable for evaluation and I talked to him about how it sounded in my 100% solid state system I used pretty specific wording. He said I was using reviewer's words and that what I described was "exactly" how the Pulsar sounds. Chris is into tubes, as you know. How could I describe the same sound? Chris was confident because my power delivery/noise control rig is right on, I have a good ear (which he deducted from talking with me about different pieces of gear & my postings) and because I was specific in having *you* thoroughly cook the cable before listening to it.

What is more, Nightdoggy (the power amp guru of Audiogon, as I call him) e-mailed me this weekend that he's ready to start his vintage equipment restoration/re-engineering business. He's an EE and has a professional lab, complete w/PCB washer. I'm going to send him my vintage Yamaha A-1 dual mono integrated (it has C-core transformers, FYI). Tom's going to turn that integrated into a mean beast! I plan to use the A-1 in my system for quite a while, since I don't know where in Florida I'll end up living or when I'll finally have a 'stable' job. The A-1 will allow me to have a compact, combined audio/ 2ch HT system. I bet the system will be good enough that my findings on audio gear will stay consistent. Maybe Chris will send me a couple pairs of his upcoming cotton insulated silver ICs and Robert two pairs of Poiemas. That would be interesting...

Sean, the people I owe being sligshot into where I am are you, Deano, Nightdoggy and on the commercial end Danny Boy, Kevin Barrett and Robert Schult. I hold the same esteem for all of you.

As a side note, RX8man also *experienced* the magic of Moca wood. I placed a board under the outboard power supply of his Audio Logic DAC. The man was just sitting there wondering what the F happened! Now it's you, Jahaira, Lak and RX8man. I might have to order a tree felled and cut into boards. They're scarce, as the tree must have a trunk of at least 3 feet in diameter in order to have any useful amount of heartwood.

Albert, I checked and its a 20 hr drive. I might have to dump that Barrilito rum in the fuel tank of my car to boost the octane rating!

***