EWA Cables

Priced a bit too much in your opinion?

S.

I could just about see the point of a lead that price in a Martin T priced system. Even then, I wouldn’t buy one personally. To put it into context, you can buy a used Claymore for less than that.

You don't know for certain that a BMU will bring any benefit. I have one and have stopped using it as i prefer the sound without.

I have heard EWA cables previous but not in my system specifically, they were very good.

One thing I have realised over time is that cables can make a massive amount of difference.

Certainly the Coherent cables I now have are superb, but then again they are a lot more expensive than the EWA equivalents.

My experience is the difference between a decent £50 and £300 mains cable is negligible. If you want to hear more improvement spend £800+.

But Paul, ALL these comparisons have been 'sighted.'This involves far more senses and sensibilities than our 'hearing.'

Now to have a friend swap and switch around (or not) various cables with you absolutely not knowing what's playing, or altering volume in between... I swear I'm not being judgemental or pompous, but those of us who've done this (macca in the past and me more recently and many others on ASR, where there's threads about it), have been shocked at the outcomes more often than not.

Most components sound different and no-one disputes that because there are known reasons why that should be.

With mains cables if they do make a difference the laws of physics would need re-writing. It would be Nobel Prize territory. hence the requests for strict protocol blind tests to back up such claims.

People massively underestimate the influence that sighted listening has on what we hear. It isn't just a minor effect that can be discounted.

It applies to almost all things. Match levels precisely and not knowing what you're listening to, either switch between one and the other or get someone to do it without you knowing what's being done - and that includes making as if a switch has been made when in fact it hasn't, adding to the random effect. Perhaps Macca can explain it better, but I repeat, once one's eyes have been taken out of the equation and if the volume levels are very precisely matched, it's seriously amazing how these differences kind of disappear. Speaker cables are as much to do with gauge as anything else, given a reasonable speaker not especially odd in impedance - in my experience of course.

Look, I was taken apart by Harbeth's Alan Shaw for seemingly being too subjective in my opinions. He rather patronisingly offered to put up a tent in his garden and provide the beans and camp-fire so I could stay to use his comparative facilities as long as I liked. I was offended and didn't take him up on his kind offer, eventually flouncing of his HUG forum, mainly because of his attitude. I can log in and read posts but cannot contribute there, not that I could really say anything of benefit to the disciples of the 'one true way' that occasionally post there.

A few years later and while testing freshly assembled passive preamps also involving extra cabling 'loops' of various types, on a few occasions with the passive set to maximum and switching to a 'direct' feed via a 'very good' interconnect, I was damned if I could hear any difference whatsoever, this on revealing headphones too, rather than speakers. Any 'difference' I thought I could hear was volume level related, the fractionally louder feed always 'winning out' as long as I didn't know which was which...

I've recently come to realise that expensive stereo gear (in my local dealer's case, Naim, Linn, ATC, Kudos, PMC, Dynaudio and so on) really isn't bought 'just' for quality of sound, as so many long held opinions, belief sets and senses are involved in the purchase assuming the funds are there to start with, the clients really enjoying the choosing and buying process. Whatever I think, know or feel, they'll still spend hundreds more on the wires and plugs because it's expected of them and who the hell am I to spoil it? A Linn speaker cable, around 2.5mm copper (nice shiny copper and a nice shiny pearlescent outer jacket) is around £30/m I believe. A far visual cry from equally nice copper H07-VR install cable, although you have to buy a 100m drum of the latter...

I really am trying to keep an open mind and hope you lot are as well. Just try the 'blind level matched' comparison on cables one day as honestly as you can (easier with cables). It stunned me, that's all... As soon as I 'know' what's playing, all the opinions and re-conceived views come back into it!

Totally confused now. My point was it is very rare that people mention blind testing other than when the discussion around cables pops up.

I guess for me it is as simple as, if I want to spend money on something, it should be my choice, why anyone has the view they have a right to an opinion on that is beyond my understanding. (sorry not meaning you specifically).

Blind drunk testing is more my thing. 

All the girders in your drink would mess with the magnetic fields and Shuman waves causing quantums to be lost.... never listen to hifi whilst drinking Irn Bru, never.... 

It's easy to be fooled. I had a tiny set of TDK multimedia NXT speakers with mini subwoofer rigged up next to the big Tannoys once and my daughter's partner walked in and said "that sounds great". He wouldn't believe me when I said the Tannoys weren't working until he had a close look. Mind you, the little TDK's did sound remarkably decent. I still use them with the computer.