Speaker wire is it science or psychology

Adamanteus - because we export a lot of meat and we are one of a diminishing number of countries that have healthy livestock, we are doing just fine right now - thanks for asking. But in the longer term it is difficult to see how a tiny isolated country like ours can keep its best talent at home. It is hard to see how we can progress beyond being a big farm and a tourist spot. On the bright side we are clean, green and healthy - and the power supply to the stereo is pretty unpolluted too. Shame about the scarcity of high-end audio gear and our lower disposable incomes.

Yea right Paulwp, giveth and take-a-wayth. I thought it was very nice of you though.

Would it mean anything to anyone here if I test speaker wire and see what happens? The test is simple. I have a dual trace scope on order. I will monitor the amp output on one trace and the speaker input on the other. I can display the difference. I will test with sinewaves and with music. I'm not sure yet just how small a deviation I will be able to resolve.

I don't mind if people claim that their asperations are such that science is too narrow minded and limiting. It makes me twitch a little when the asparations are sought with what is basically scientific apparatus.

It might be helpful to remmember how sciences works. Science accepts as probably true only things which can be verified by others. Science is only interested in theories that are falsifiable - that is, that there is some test the theory can be put to that it has a chance of failing. The types of claims made here are not falsifiable. So what, I guess, who cares, but let's not call opinions about how something sounded to someone science.

Stevemj, you're killing me. You decided to spend money on a dual trace scope, in an attempt to find something that you yourself have claimed "can't be measured", instead of sinking some money into a set of good, used cables? Maybe even one of those PCs that can't possibly change the sound of the system because it isn't in the signal path?

My suggestion, which isn't much different than most other's here is to leave the science to the scientists and designers, and just listen for yourself. I would guarantee that the acceptance factor for your revelations, whether they be favorable or not, would be held in much higher regard than whatever your test results prove. To your ears, it might not matter, but there are boatload of cumulative listening years in the folks that have written on this very post that would indicate that you might. Just do it!

Great post Redkiwi. Steve; as I remember it, the decibel is defined as a "just noticeable difference" (JND) in loudness between two sounds. And that sound pressure level (SPL) or decibels is commonly called "volume" in popular terminology. In other words it totally relies on human hearing and perception. If a sound characteristic as simple and basic as volume is based on human hearing and perception, as opposed to measurement, do you not think that there may be many more-- as yet undefined or quantified characteristis of music (as opposed to just sound). I don't know what they are. Do you? Are you holding out on us? But I come down solidly in the camp that says "there is much to be learned". And until that time comes, like so many other "audiophiles", I intend to trust my own senses. You must trust your senses when you listen to music-- no? Cheers. Craig