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7500 for USED cables? Are they joking?

I've been out of high-end audio for about 8 years, and the thing I am most struck by on my return is the apparent acceptance of power cables, interconnects and speaker cables that cost as much or more than heavy-duty high-end components.

As a now-outsider of sorts, this really looks like the Emperor's New Clothes big-time. Especially power cords, considering the Romex that delivers the A/C to the outlet isn't exactly audiophile quality.

Are people really paying $500 and up for wire? Is this foolishness of the highest order, or is this what people now believe it takes to extract the last percent or two of definition from their components?

What happened? Even buyers of what are now considered "modestly priced" cables would be laughed out of the professional audio world, so why do audiophiles think they need something better than was used to make the original recording? MOST professional recording engineers scoff at the difference between microphone cables that cost $19.95 vs. those that cost $49.95 -- most anything higher is rarely considered at all (the most expensive microphone cable might be $125 for a 20 foot run, and it's laughed at by most of the pros).

I'm not criticizing -- I'm too stunned to draw any conclusions -- I just wondered if anyone has given this much thought.

(At least I understand the home theater revolution -- thank heavens something came along to save the high end manufacturers, although it makes me chuckle to think of someone spending $30,000 to watch the Terminator. It's OK with me.)

Thank you for your consideration,

Mark Hubbard
Eureka, CA
Ag insider logo xs@2xmark_hubbard
tireguy
1,964 posts
 
Perhaps it was an over statement, but I hope most of you catch the drift of what I am saying. I think I have watched the movie "Contact" one to many times :)

In other words, do you love your spouse? kids? prove it scientifically
clueless
763 posts
 
Actualy Einstein was quite religious but I do not think he could change a tire.

Sincerely, I remain
paulwp
585 posts
 
God, should you choose to accept his existence, exists beyond His creation and for that reason may not be "measurable." All evidence of anything made by man is certainly measurable by man.

Of course some scientists are or were religious, and some are or were not. No real correlation there.

But, the real purpoe of my current message is to call your attention to Sports Illustrated. On the back cover, there is an ad. The ad has a picture of a young woman in a two piece "swimsuit." The caption: "Yes, God Is a man."
bomarc
501 posts
 
Lmb: By this point in the dialogue one side or the other usually gets snippy, and the other side leaves in disgust. If we keep up with this civility crap, we could bore ourselves to tears.

Training is essential in valid audio tests, although the type of training isn't necessarily what you pick up at the local audio salon. And I suspect the variation in hearing between audiophiles and non-audiophiles is smaller than you think it is. Absent data, we'll just have to agree to disagree about that.

Or...somebody could get some data. I'm not up to it myself, but someone so inclined could do a DBT of cables using a state-of-the-art system and the best audiophiles he could find. You'd think somebody would have an interest in proving us narrow-minded objectivists wrong.

As for your reported positive test, I'm afraid I missed it. Please provide details, or a specific cite.
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
funny coincidence (or is it?): god came over to my house this past weekend. she loved the salsa and chips and taught me how to measure theistically, deistically and scientifically the differences among ic's, pc's and cables. 'course, you’ll have to take this on faith, since she told me that if i gave up the secrets, i'd be as good as dead. at best. -cfb
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