Don Pearce wrote:

OK, I've had a bit of a think - and I've written a protocol, which I
believe would be a basis of fair testing of audio components to
resolve such issues as cable sound etc.

I invite all here to read what I suggest, and let me know if I have
either missed something, or am being unfair on one direction or
another.

http://www.donepearce.plus.com/odds/dbt/

I think this could be a way of defusing the vituperation that
currently surrounds the subject.

So what do you think?



Hello Mr Pearce,

What you suggest seems reasonable. We have done a very similar test with
great success (for speaker cables). In fact, after we did the test and
tried it out again and again just to be sure, I sent a mail to James
Randi himself, stating that I was ready to take the million dollar
challenge with the subject matter being distinguishing between speaker
cables. James Randi refused my challenge stating that "I accept, wire is
not wire"...

What I do not understand about this "vituperation" is that why is it
that some of you engineer types are not agreeing to do a reverse "test".
Just get yourself some demo exotic cables from a slimy high-end boutique
and plug them in to your systems (provided that you guys have any such
corresponding "system"s as some of us audiophools do). Do they have any
effect? Just listen and tell us. Just do it.

These "exotic" cables do not always yield desirable results, mind you. I
once tried out a "transparent" interconnect, costing some 240 euro's per
meter. And they made my system sound awfull, screeching highs, dry,
hollow bass, thin midrange etc. Up to that point in time, I actually
liked the products of transparent, in as much as I had heard them in
freinds' systems. So what was it about the look & feel of the trans
cables that made me "imagine" that they sounded like that? To take the
"mood" factor out of the equation I tried out the trans cables many
times over a period of time, I even drank some wine once to try to make
them more palatable. But each and every time I employed those cables
they put themselves forth as being "annoying", at best.