A comment on USB cables...

[Archimago]

TGIF!

Hope everyone had a good work week... A blog post on USB cables; that
Hi-Fi News article recently published and mentioned by Mushroom & Julf.

Obviously I cannot comment on every article I think is BS, but thought
I'd take a stab at the USB cable shootout as a contemporary topic so
that it's "out there" for posterity if nothing else :-).

http://archimago.blogspot.ca/2013/06/musings-about-those-usb-cable-tests.html



Archimago's Musings: (archimago.blogspot.com) A 'more objective'
audiophile blog.
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[Julf]

Post by Archimago
Obviously I cannot comment on every article I think is BS, but thought
I'd take a stab at the USB cable shootout as a contemporary topic so
that it's "out there" for posterity if nothing else :-).

Great analysis of the problems with the article. You might want to send
them a link to your blog - it's letters at hifinews.com, with "Sound
Off" in the subject.



"To try to judge the real from the false will always be hard. In this
fast-growing art of 'high fidelity' the quackery will bear a solid gilt
edge that will fool many people" - Paul W Klipsch, 1953
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[Archimago]

Post by Julf
Great analysis of the problems with the article. You might want to send
them a link to your blog - it's letters at hifinews.com, with "Sound
Off" in the subject.

Thanks... I'll think about it :-)



Archimago's Musings: (archimago.blogspot.com) A 'more objective'
audiophile blog.
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[andy_c]

Archimago, this was a very well-written and well-reasoned article.
Thanks for posting it.

However, if one were to write a letter to the editor about it, the
letter might be based on an assumption that the authors of the HFN & RR
article are behaving in an ethical fashion, and that the issue is just a
need on their part to be more forthright about the protocol used in the
tests they claimed to perform.

As I see it, these people are nothing more than fiction writers for what
amounts to a comic book. Due to various unfortunate turns the hobby has
taken over the years, the success of their business model depends on
their ability to lie to their readers about the efficacy of advertisers'
"solutions" to non-problems. That's what they do. So any belief that a
letter to the editor based on the assumption that they have any concern
whatsoever with the truth of the matter would be naive in my view.

I wish this weren't true, as it's a cool hobby with many benefits for
its participants. But it is what it is, sad as that may be.


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[ralphpnj]

Post by andy_c
Archimago, this was a very well-written and well-reasoned article.
Thanks for posting it.
However, if one were to write a letter to the editor about it, the
letter might be based on an assumption that the authors of the HFN & RR
article are behaving in an ethical fashion, and that the issue is just a
need on their part to be more forthright about the protocol used in the
tests they claimed to have performed.
As I see it, these people are nothing more than fiction writers for what
amounts to a comic book. Due to various unfortunate turns the hobby has
taken over the years, the success of their business model depends on
their ability to lie to their readers about the efficacy of advertisers'
"solutions" to non-problems. That's what they do. So any belief that a
letter to the editor based on the assumption that they have any concern
whatsoever with the truth of the matter would be naive in my view.
I wish this weren't true, as it's a cool hobby with many benefits for
its participants. But it is what it is, sad as that may be.

Thanks Andy, I could not have stated my very similar beliefs any better.
What troubles me most about the various high end publications in light
of their almost universal ignorance (I'm being VERY kind here) when it
comes to almost all things concerning computer based digital audio is
this: if these so called "experts" can get things so totally wrong with
respect to digital audio, so wrong in fact that one cannot be blamed for
assuming that they are just plain lying, then where exactly does one
draw the line between what is "fact" and what is "fiction" with respect
to ANYTHING written about ANY aspect of audio by these "experts".

While I'm fully aware that many things written in the high end audio
press are worthwhile, e.g. system setup advice, and I therefore don't
want to throw out the baby with the bathwater, I'm now at my wits end
when it comes to so many current audiophile beliefs (as given in the
high end audio press). Over priced USB cables, 192kHz sampling rate, DSD
versus PCM, etc. - the list is almost endless.

Add to this frustration the fact that most high audio equipment truly
does sound much better than most mass market audio equipment and one
really can go mad. Thoughts, anyone?



Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. &
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& Energy sub
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[Archimago]

Post by andy_c
Archimago, this was a very well-written and well-reasoned article.
Thanks for posting it.
However, if one were to write a letter to the editor about it, the
letter might be based on an assumption that the authors of the HFN & RR
article are behaving in an ethical fashion, and that the issue is just a
need on their part to be more forthright about the protocol used in the
tests they claimed to have performed.
As I see it, these people are nothing more than fiction writers for what
amounts to a comic book. Due to various unfortunate turns the hobby has
taken over the years, the success of their business model depends on
their ability to lie to their readers about the efficacy of advertisers'
"solutions" to non-problems. That's what they do. So any belief that a
letter to the editor based on the assumption that they have any concern
whatsoever with the truth of the matter would be naive in my view.
I wish this weren't true, as it's a cool hobby with many benefits for
its participants. But it is what it is, sad as that may be.

True, Andy and Ralph.

This is why I figured I might as well post this up on the blog. No point
sending anything as a Letter To The Editor IMO... I know different
magazines are different but the lack of a torrent of angry letters
printed when TAS released their series of insane articles on computer
audio back in early 2012 is telling. The good thing about the Internet
is that everyone can read about it and from what I see in terms of hits
to my blog, I think people do want to read "non-fiction" every once
awhile :-).

Over time, I admit, as an objectivist, there's not many other burning
questions I need to answer for myself... As Mnyb said a few weeks back,
the "emperor's closet is looking pretty empty". I think it's time real
soon to just get on with enjoying the music and going on vacation :-).



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audiophile blog.
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[ralphpnj]

Post by Archimago
This is why I figured I might as well post this up on the blog. No point
sending anything as a Letter To The Editor IMO... I know different
magazines are different but the lack of a torrent of angry letters
printed when TAS released their series of insane articles on computer
audio back in early 2012 is telling.

What TAS printed and what was submitted are two different things. There
is no way of knowing (without the NAS's help) just how many letters were
submitted for every letter published. Perhaps a more telling metric
would be the number of TAS subscriptions either cancelled or not renewed
as result of those insane articles. hopefully that number is
substantial.

And please do get back to listening and enjoying music and have a
wonderful and fun filled vacation.



Living Rm: Transporter-SimAudio pre/power amps-Vandersteen 3A Sign. &
sub
Home Theater: Touch-Marantz HTR-Energy Veritas 2.1 & Linn sub
Computer Rm: Touch-Headroom Desktop w/DAC-Aragon amp-Energy Veritas 2.1
& Energy sub
Bedroom: Touch-HR Desktop w/DAC-Audio Refinement amp-Energy Veritas 2.0
Guest Rm: Duet-Sony soundbar
Garage: SB3-JVC compact system
Controls: iPeng; SB Controller; Moose & Muso
Server: SBS on dedicated windows 7 computer w/2 Drobos
'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/)
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