Link: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/sound-cards/comparison-of-usd4-000-boutique-audio-cable-to-usd7-amazon-basics-cable-shows-audiophiles-waste-a-lot-of-money-scientific-audio-equipment-analysis-with-analyzer-shows-no-difference-in-quality

'Black Pearl solid silver conductors drawn in diamond coated dies and insulated with virgin FEP dielectric' doesn't help.

The thing about audiophiles is that you can’t tell them anything, they have to listen to the wires themselves.

I have a bunch of Hosa cables for music creation and also just for normal headphones and such. They haven't let me down yet!

I started making my own cables. Now I only have to worry about my own shitty craftsmanship. And boy is it shitty.

But hey I get cables at less than half the cost. And it’s fun.

Is this like crimping your own network cables? Or are you talking more rudimentary?

Heh. Industry joke: why does thunder come after lightning?

Because, even God has to wait for the fucking sound guy.

Lately I've been going to bat for audiophiles. People get really shrill about how unpractical their gear is and how much smarter they are for knowing that cheaper cables exist. But ultimately it's a hobby. They like the exotic expensive stuff because it's fun. The value is largely extrinsic.

Is a really nice fountain pen worth a couple hundred dollars actually 2000 times better than a bic? Is a collectors vehicle safer, faster, or more practical than a modern one? Is the story better if it's a first edition?

Ultimately audiophile stuff is more like collectibles than tools. Sounding good is important, but also important is just geeking out on something. And don't think there aren't function-first audiophiles who buy purely utilitarian gear and get super deep into room treatment and such. But there are also people who value aesthetics too. Branding, finish, novelty. And ultimately they're rich. Splurging on audio equipment for them would be like a regular person splurging on expensive stadium food or something. Or perhaps even more appropriate, stadium beer, which is the exact same beer that can be purchased much more easily and cheaply under different circumstances.

There are some really elitist audiophiles who think they always know best and that their preferences are "objectively correct"

Then there are people like z-reviews who fall in love with $30 headphones and mention in the same breath as $3000 ones. Another thing I like about him is that he also recommends buying aftermarket cables quite regularly, but I don't think I've ever heard him talk about them effecting the audio: it was always about aesthetics and comfort/feel, like how the sheathing feels or how soft and flexible a braided rope cable is over the stiff and scratchy out-of-the-box factory-cheapo one

I've never seen audiophiles actually care about cables. The discussions are around speaker accuracy, room acoustics and treatment, listening position, and recording/mastering quality.

You haven't gone far enough down the rabbit hole then. Good, keep it that way.

I've seen some wild takes that get propped up by some snake oil lovers like "breaking in" their cables for a few hundred hours before they sound ideal. The rabbit hole goes deep

My experience is mostly in regards to headphones, but as an ASR-pilled audio enthusiast, Audio Science Review has been nothing but a great resource for anyone hoping to escape the audiophoolery nonsense that plagues audio "hobbies". I don't necessarily agree with every sentiment expressed there, but having a community that prioritizes objective, reproducible testing results as the basis for evaluating gear seems to be a rare thing these days.

Underrated comment right here

Is a really nice fountain pen worth a couple hundred dollars actually 2000 times better than a bic? Is a collectors vehicle safer, faster, or more practical than a modern one?

The difference is that collector vehicles are not seen or advertised as having higher safety than a modern vehicle and a fountain pen is not seen as being more convenient or even as reliable as a bic.

(Certain) Audiophiles regularly confuse people not part of the hobby, convincing them that they need a fancy cable or else their equipment won't work. Monster cables preyed on this for years.

You don't see people doing the same for buying a pen. Nobody goes to a store intending to buy a bic and accidentally getting talked into buying a mont blanc.

If they didn't prey upon those not interested in the hobby, then I'd agree with your take.

Audio cables. I’m a musician and audio engineer. Soldering two or three conductor wire to 1/4” phono jacks.

90% of it is making sure you have heavy enough gauge wires, a proper solder join, and (if you are feeling itchy) cable shielding.

You could buy STP 2-wire, 4-wire, or 8-wire and have plenty for darn near any project.

couldn't be me...

Hahah yeah, the breaking in thing is also ridiculous.

It may (arguably) make some sense for speakers and headphones, since they actually have moving parts, but I've recently read a review for a portable digital audio player that the reviewer felt the need to "break in" before testing. ???

If truth in advertising is what you seek, I've got bad news for you.

virgin FEP dielectric' doesn't help

I'm shocked, shocked I say!

Also, how did they verify it was actually "virgin"? /s

This is actually correct. Gold doesn't corrode. Have you ever used a corroded plug?

$4k is chump change. How about some $109,000, 3 meter long audio cables?

There's a difference between "audiophiles" that just want nice things and "Audiophiles" that believe in deranged pseudoscience. Why they bought it matters,

Overpriced but well made equipment (that doesn't pretend to be anything else) is fine. It's stuff like this or cables like these people make fun of.

I just don't use corroded cables. Seems to work.

This is the same tired thing that's been going on since I can ever remember. First establish audiophiles as some deranged group of people that are willing to spend the insane amount of money on ridiculous science and then point and laugh.

Real audiophiles don't give two flying fucks about their cables, for the most part, outside of fundamentals being solid, good shielding, etc.

This is just the electronics version of the same shit you see across every market. $2,000 steaks covered in gold foil - but we're not castigating steak lovers because a steak lover would not buy such a thing.

The world is filled with people who have so much money it's embarrassing, and it's hard for the average chucklehead to understand that.

It kind of pisses me off that they didn't compare against lamp wire tied to rounded nails. They had the gear.

What cables do you use for listening underwater? That's where I'm getting the most corrosion.

right, but wouldn't that be longevity over quality? I guess you could argue they are one in the same, but the article is about the audio quality of higher end cables being negligible compared to the basic amazon ones. and while you are absolutely correct about gold resisting corrosion, copper is a better conductor than gold, so the joke still stands.

(also fuck amazon)

I hate that shit. With my crappy iron it takes forever to put the solder in place and make sure the wires don't touch each other. I keep putting off repairing the cables on two sets of headphones just because I don't wanna do the soldering, and that's while I need one of them for decent sound and no lag with the DAW. Worse even, I will probably soon need to make another adapter from a 4-pin plug to two jacks, and that's quite a little cramped nest.

lamp wire tied to rounded nails

Speakers that I have actually use something like that between the speaker with the powered amp and the other one. Just a cord that I needed to hook into springed connectors. It works fine.

Yes. I'm pointing out that the meme is a straw man argument.

Correct. And if you want one that doesn't corrode, you get gold plated.

i don't. i use amethyst crystals

once you get a crimper it's really easy

The initial investment of a high quality iron goes a long way. And is worth it.

No, I'll go optical instead of buying $5,000/oz gold plated deep space exploration cables

I mean, I don't think I've ever had brass audio cables corrode when kept indoors and dry.

I thought the breaking in thing was for amps (specifically tube amps).

I've never heard it being used for cables, is that a real thing people do?

Here's the actual ASR post: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/kimber-rca-cable-vs-amazon-basics-video.70289/

While I get that, tolerating absolute bullshit pseudoscience (or anti-science) and letting people think it is a fact is exactly why there is a huge western general anti-science sentiment harming millions of people.

You have to call them out and shame them for spouting disinformation bullshit as "science" and facts.

The difference in your analogy is that fountain pen enthusiasts never* spout pseudoscience and disinformation as justification and/or discount actual science and blind tests. Audiophiles do that regularly...

Yes, if they say that they love designs, collections, how it makes them feel, whatever, sure. Don't tolerate lying and pseudoscience though.

Doesn't really matter within normal audio frequencies. You're just as good with chrome plated ones as with gold plates ones.

Likely. Just don't rotate the plug while listening.

Then there's the inbetween. Want a refillable fountain pen that doesn't dry up after a month of not used? Spend 50$. Want a in-ear/earbud that's actually good? Research a bit and get one for 100$.

Wait, is brass audio cables a thing now? Brass, really?

Almost everything electric that plugs into something else is made out of brass/brass coated steel

They have the full resonance frequency range!

Hey, they annoy the lighting guys, too.

Reminds me of a vintage stereo repair shop near my old place. The guy would give you a free length of lamp cord with every purchase because "its good enough".

It's a collecting hobby. It doesnt have to make sense. Collectors might believe a late 60s early 70s muscle car is better than a modern sports car, but objectively a modern sports car can outperform it easily. But there's the cool factor, the aesthetics, and the desire to be the one to have that are all equally important to collectors.

Fly fishing and Fly rods are pretty much the same deal, imo -- i have a 9wt Cabelas-specific fly rod that feels as good to cast as my 5wt Sage. The cost difference was hundreds of dollars. But flyfishing dude-bros with their simms trucker caps and name brand apparel from forehead to toes clamor to buy the newest and "best" flyrod they can get. It's silly. Dont get me started on Simms nippers. I love the sport but im not a collector.

All that said, let the collectors collect their expensive fancy shit. It's good to have hobbies.

I started in the record business back in the 70s, primarily handling classical records, and even worked for Telarc Records, the leading audiophile record label in the vinyl/CD eras, so I've had a LOT of contact with the high-end audio world.

Articles claiming that there are no differences in cables (and other audiophile doodads) have been running the entire time, and nobody ever listens. Audiophiles don't want to listen, they want to indulge their fantasies, and don't mind paying for it.

They aren't much different than the Sociopathic Oligarchs who are blowing their money on rockets. Audiophiles are guys who don't have rocket money to waste, but they've got audio gear money to stimulate those dopamine receptors, so whaddaya got that's expensive?

Audio people collect equipment (amplifiers, receivers, turntables, subwoofers, speakers. modulators), not cables.

There are people who actually understand audio, and they are extraordinarily cynical and dismissive of these types of products. Then there are people who don't really understand their hobby, they just know they like to spend money on it. I'm describing the difference between an informed connoisseur / collector VS a gadget goof.