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Morrow Audio MA2 RCA Interconnect Cables
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Morrow Audio MA2 RCA Interconnect Cables
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What is all this cable nonsense? A cable is a cable, right? Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downLeoRousseau
1
Apr 30, 2019
I have a pair of SP-4's and MA-4's from a few years ago and they sound great! I have had many different cables throughout the years and I can tell you that this is not a scam... You must have decent equipment to notice a difference though... My system isn't anything crazy, but it's good enough to hear a difference... I have an NAD and PSB system... It's not a scam guys...
morrowaudio
3
Morrow Audio
Nov 27, 2013
Countless positive testimonials prove that this is not a scam. Cables make a big difference. A person with an experience cannot be disputed.
dqniel
125
Nov 27, 2013
morrowaudio"A person with an experience cannot be disputed."
That's what referred to as "anecdotal evidence." That's what people resort to using when they can't actually prove a claim with scientific evidence.
At this point, even if the cables did make a difference (which they don't) I wouldn't purchase from your company. I know it's your job to help promote the brand, but it's unethical to promote abilities of a product that have been disproved.
Hopefully, at this point, the people on here at least know what to realistically expect from this drop.
That's what referred to as "anecdotal evidence." That's what people resort to using when they can't actually prove a claim with scientific evidence.
At this point, even if the cables did make a difference (which they don't) I wouldn't purchase from your company. I know it's your job to help promote the brand, but it's unethical to promote abilities of a product that have been disproved.
Hopefully, at this point, the people on here at least know what to realistically expect from this drop.
Dookie
17
Nov 29, 2013
morrowaudio"With these cables, I'm hearing things I've never heard before!" -Helen Keller
"I fully endorse this product and Morrow Audio's marketing strategy." -Adolf Hitler
"I am a massive sellout. Buy these cables." -Dr. Dre
Feel free to add those to your list.
I mean, nobody can PROVE that these quotes aren't real, right? That must mean your product works!
SCIENCE!
Feel free to add those to your list.
I mean, nobody can PROVE that these quotes aren't real, right? That must mean your product works!
SCIENCE!
eric.svitok
3
Nov 27, 2013
morrowaudio
3
Morrow Audio
Nov 26, 2013
A few more testimonials...
The Morrow products will be my only choice... "I just wanted to follow up with you on the new MA2 interconnects I received. The result was impressive to say the least. The clarity and extension is very impressive, with a sweet transparency in the upper registers and solid impact in the lower octaves. This is not a coloration of the signal, just the opposite. The cables allow the full spectrum of sound through with no additions or subtractions. Exactly what one would expect.
I now have about 300 hours on the interconnects and they are really starting to "sing". I have used a variety of cables over the years (Audioquest, Kimber, Shunyata, even some DIY) and have to say these interconnects not only exceeded my expectations, but also surpass that of cables costing significantly more. As I continue my cable upgrade process, the Morrow Audio products will be my only choice. Next up will be some longer interconnects to link the Perseus with my Rogue M150 monoblocks. Thanks for offering up such an excellent product at such an obscenely affordable price! Thanks again, Jim Lawson"
WOW! I recently started to upgrade my cables from Morrow Audio. After reading rave reviews was I glad I did. I recently purchased the Ma2 interconnects WOW! the increase in clarity and detail was substantial to the previous cables used. Now I'm looking to upgrade my speaker cables and purchasing another set of interconnects. The quality, personal attention and fast shipping was second to none. Mike, thanks for putting out a great product! Stan
I can't believe the difference! I just plugged my new MA-2 interconnects into my Cambridge Audio 740C CD Player this morning after a 2-week break-in period using the FM Tuner method you recommended... WOW! Simply amazing! I replaced a pair of AudioQuest King Cobra connectors, which I liked, but always found to be a bit too "warm" for my liking.
I can't believe the difference the Morrow MA-2s have made... wonderfully tight bass, smooth highs and, as I'm presently listening to Diana Krall's Live in Paris CD (my reference recording), I find myself hearing Anthony Wilson's guitar in a whole new way!
Congratulations on such an outstanding product! I am certainly converted now and can't wait to order more cables from Morrow Audio. Best regards to you and your outstanding team! Denis Tessier
The audio soundscape opened up... Good morning Mike! I wanted to let you know that my speaker cables and interconnects perform flawlessly. I'm especially glad that I purchased your "break-in" service for both products. I did read your brochure concerning the entire break-in process so I was prepared for better things to come in the future. And sure enough, better sound did come with additional time spent listening to a variety of vinyl records over a period of several weeks. The audio soundscape opened up and everything sort of reached equilibrium at one point.
Having listened to your cable products in action, I can report that I'm completely satisfied and would highly recommend them to any audiophile customer looking for quality speaker and interconnect cables. Morrow Audio customer service is excellent. I was able to speak directly with you (company President) on one occasion which is indeed rare in this day and age. Thanks again for great products and service. Regards, Charles (Steve) Woodley
I now have to order more! Thanks again for the great cables! Blew away my PS Audio xStream Statement innerconnects! Like most others have said, the highs and lows have been opened up. I have never heard bass like this from my system. The coherence of the new sound is amazing! There had always been a sluggishness to the bass, like it couldn't catch up with the rest of the music, this is now GONE!!!! I can't believe the cables made this much of a difference! Thanks again, very satisfied user. I now have to go order more!!! Stan S.
The best synergy I have ever had! When I wrapped up my Monday work day, I sat down to listen for a while. I had left my source and preamp on 24 hours per day to further break-in the cables. I am now a believer that cables can and do break-in. When the music started to play, it was like I was listening to a completely different system. I did not expect a big change, nor can I explain just how the heck this happened, but I'm going to say the sound is nearly perfect! For the first time in many months, I found myself listening to the music and not thinking about what's wrong with the sound. I played as many tracks as I had time for, and every track was like a journey into what could sound amazing in this next track. I'm shocked! Your interconnects have really taken my sound to a new level. The synergy I'm enjoying right now is the best I've ever had. I could explain everything in more detail regarding the sound, but I don't think that's important to my message to you. I just wanted to let you know that you certainly seem to know something special about making cables. I can't wait until I can scrounge up enough money to upgrade to the MA4's or MA6's as Greg has explained the differences as something I'd like to have. I can't wait. You have won me over as a customer, and I intend to try your speaker cables once my interconnects are all upgraded. So to make a long story short, I really just wanted to say "thanks" and let you know how impressed I am with your product. I'm really glad I called you that Saturday. Terry Hubbartt
The Morrow products will be my only choice... "I just wanted to follow up with you on the new MA2 interconnects I received. The result was impressive to say the least. The clarity and extension is very impressive, with a sweet transparency in the upper registers and solid impact in the lower octaves. This is not a coloration of the signal, just the opposite. The cables allow the full spectrum of sound through with no additions or subtractions. Exactly what one would expect.
I now have about 300 hours on the interconnects and they are really starting to "sing". I have used a variety of cables over the years (Audioquest, Kimber, Shunyata, even some DIY) and have to say these interconnects not only exceeded my expectations, but also surpass that of cables costing significantly more. As I continue my cable upgrade process, the Morrow Audio products will be my only choice. Next up will be some longer interconnects to link the Perseus with my Rogue M150 monoblocks. Thanks for offering up such an excellent product at such an obscenely affordable price! Thanks again, Jim Lawson"
WOW! I recently started to upgrade my cables from Morrow Audio. After reading rave reviews was I glad I did. I recently purchased the Ma2 interconnects WOW! the increase in clarity and detail was substantial to the previous cables used. Now I'm looking to upgrade my speaker cables and purchasing another set of interconnects. The quality, personal attention and fast shipping was second to none. Mike, thanks for putting out a great product! Stan
I can't believe the difference! I just plugged my new MA-2 interconnects into my Cambridge Audio 740C CD Player this morning after a 2-week break-in period using the FM Tuner method you recommended... WOW! Simply amazing! I replaced a pair of AudioQuest King Cobra connectors, which I liked, but always found to be a bit too "warm" for my liking.
I can't believe the difference the Morrow MA-2s have made... wonderfully tight bass, smooth highs and, as I'm presently listening to Diana Krall's Live in Paris CD (my reference recording), I find myself hearing Anthony Wilson's guitar in a whole new way!
Congratulations on such an outstanding product! I am certainly converted now and can't wait to order more cables from Morrow Audio. Best regards to you and your outstanding team! Denis Tessier
The audio soundscape opened up... Good morning Mike! I wanted to let you know that my speaker cables and interconnects perform flawlessly. I'm especially glad that I purchased your "break-in" service for both products. I did read your brochure concerning the entire break-in process so I was prepared for better things to come in the future. And sure enough, better sound did come with additional time spent listening to a variety of vinyl records over a period of several weeks. The audio soundscape opened up and everything sort of reached equilibrium at one point.
Having listened to your cable products in action, I can report that I'm completely satisfied and would highly recommend them to any audiophile customer looking for quality speaker and interconnect cables. Morrow Audio customer service is excellent. I was able to speak directly with you (company President) on one occasion which is indeed rare in this day and age. Thanks again for great products and service. Regards, Charles (Steve) Woodley
I now have to order more! Thanks again for the great cables! Blew away my PS Audio xStream Statement innerconnects! Like most others have said, the highs and lows have been opened up. I have never heard bass like this from my system. The coherence of the new sound is amazing! There had always been a sluggishness to the bass, like it couldn't catch up with the rest of the music, this is now GONE!!!! I can't believe the cables made this much of a difference! Thanks again, very satisfied user. I now have to go order more!!! Stan S.
The best synergy I have ever had! When I wrapped up my Monday work day, I sat down to listen for a while. I had left my source and preamp on 24 hours per day to further break-in the cables. I am now a believer that cables can and do break-in. When the music started to play, it was like I was listening to a completely different system. I did not expect a big change, nor can I explain just how the heck this happened, but I'm going to say the sound is nearly perfect! For the first time in many months, I found myself listening to the music and not thinking about what's wrong with the sound. I played as many tracks as I had time for, and every track was like a journey into what could sound amazing in this next track. I'm shocked! Your interconnects have really taken my sound to a new level. The synergy I'm enjoying right now is the best I've ever had. I could explain everything in more detail regarding the sound, but I don't think that's important to my message to you. I just wanted to let you know that you certainly seem to know something special about making cables. I can't wait until I can scrounge up enough money to upgrade to the MA4's or MA6's as Greg has explained the differences as something I'd like to have. I can't wait. You have won me over as a customer, and I intend to try your speaker cables once my interconnects are all upgraded. So to make a long story short, I really just wanted to say "thanks" and let you know how impressed I am with your product. I'm really glad I called you that Saturday. Terry Hubbartt
Gneiss
95
Nov 26, 2013
morrowaudio. . . . I do not think people are claiming that you cannot provide testimonials, that is is really not the issue.
I even own your cables, but I see it simply as a garnish on a cocktail; I could not hear a difference.
I even own your cables, but I see it simply as a garnish on a cocktail; I could not hear a difference.
Dookie
17
Nov 25, 2013
Could the break-in service/warranty be any more shady?
It's unlikely that anyone will manage 500 hours of break-in time in 60 days, so they've given the customer a reason to give them more money to speed up the break-in process -- anyone willing to pay for this has already fallen for the placebo effect once and will very likely fall for it again. Win-win.
If the customer doesn't pay for the break-in service, Morrow Audio gives their customers a reason to hang on to their product with a promise that it will improve AFTER the warranty expires. But if they believed your product would, in fact, improve drastically over time, wouldn't they offer a longer warranty?
I mean, you can get 2-3 year warranties on hard drives with delicate moving parts (many of which cost less than a 1m cable). These things can actually break down and stop working. What exactly can happen to a cable in 60 days, aside from extreme misuse (which obviously wouldn't be covered under any warranty anyway)?
It's unlikely that anyone will manage 500 hours of break-in time in 60 days, so they've given the customer a reason to give them more money to speed up the break-in process -- anyone willing to pay for this has already fallen for the placebo effect once and will very likely fall for it again. Win-win.
If the customer doesn't pay for the break-in service, Morrow Audio gives their customers a reason to hang on to their product with a promise that it will improve AFTER the warranty expires. But if they believed your product would, in fact, improve drastically over time, wouldn't they offer a longer warranty?
I mean, you can get 2-3 year warranties on hard drives with delicate moving parts (many of which cost less than a 1m cable). These things can actually break down and stop working. What exactly can happen to a cable in 60 days, aside from extreme misuse (which obviously wouldn't be covered under any warranty anyway)?
Namkung
3
Nov 25, 2013
Ah the good ol' cable debate.
I don't know why people care so much. If you aren't interested, don't spend your money on it.
At the end of the day, all these cable manufacturers are in business because it sells. A lot of people have spent a small (or large) fortune on their systems and don't want to go with $2 cables, REGARDLESS of whether or not the 'boutique' cables make audible differences or not. Can you deny that Nordost cables look awesome? If you ask me, that alone is enough of a reason / justification for someone to buy a $1000 Nordost speaker cables if they can afford it. On a similar note, how about those options for Ferraris? Something like $5,000 for a carbon fiber cup holder. Well, if they can afford it and want it, what more is there to say about that? I think the same thing applies here.
Still, it would be questionable to spend $100 on cables if your entire setup was worth $500. But, if you have a $5000 setup? Why not?
Still, it would be questionable to spend $100 on cables if your entire setup was worth $500. But, if you have a $5000 setup? Why not?
Dookie
17
Nov 26, 2013
Oh, absolutely. I guarantee you would see 10x the ruckus if a Beats product were being sold here. The disdain doesn't stop with these cables haha
I don't think anyone necessarily wants these cables removed from the site, but I'm sure nobody wants a newbie with a $300 budget to get suckered into buying something like this for their first system.
I really hope these cables are as magical and amazing as Morrow Audio claims, though. Who wouldn't want that to be true? We all benefit if these things really get the job done.
But, given the shady break-in service details, the overall presentation of the product, plus the consensus on cables in general, there's just no reason to trust a product like this unless substantial, objective proof can be given that it works as advertised.
I really wouldn't mind if Morrow Audio proved us all wrong. I'm not going to hold my breath, though.
I don't think anyone necessarily wants these cables removed from the site, but I'm sure nobody wants a newbie with a $300 budget to get suckered into buying something like this for their first system.
I really hope these cables are as magical and amazing as Morrow Audio claims, though. Who wouldn't want that to be true? We all benefit if these things really get the job done.
But, given the shady break-in service details, the overall presentation of the product, plus the consensus on cables in general, there's just no reason to trust a product like this unless substantial, objective proof can be given that it works as advertised.
I really wouldn't mind if Morrow Audio proved us all wrong. I'm not going to hold my breath, though.
dqniel
125
Nov 26, 2013
Namkung"On a similar note, how about those options for Ferraris? Something like $5,000 for a carbon fiber cup holder"
People "care so much" because of the important distinction that the high-end cable market is mostly based in unabashed spreading of misinformation. Yes, it's ultimately up to the consumer as to whether a high-end cable is worth the money or not, but that doesn't mean it isn't commendable for people to make the unaware consumer informed of the marketing mumbo-jumbo.
If Ferrari marketed a $5,000 carbon fiber cup holder not as a luxury addition but rather as a feature that increased horsepower, and then that lie was propagated by Lamborghini, Audi and Bugatti and believed by consumers, then you'd see people angrily calling "BS" on that as well.
High end interconnects aren't getting flak simply for being luxury items, pretty to look at, or of superior build quality. They are getting flak for being misrepresented.
People "care so much" because of the important distinction that the high-end cable market is mostly based in unabashed spreading of misinformation. Yes, it's ultimately up to the consumer as to whether a high-end cable is worth the money or not, but that doesn't mean it isn't commendable for people to make the unaware consumer informed of the marketing mumbo-jumbo.
If Ferrari marketed a $5,000 carbon fiber cup holder not as a luxury addition but rather as a feature that increased horsepower, and then that lie was propagated by Lamborghini, Audi and Bugatti and believed by consumers, then you'd see people angrily calling "BS" on that as well.
High end interconnects aren't getting flak simply for being luxury items, pretty to look at, or of superior build quality. They are getting flak for being misrepresented.
gaze
20
Nov 23, 2013
I'm a grad student in a lab that makes the world's most sensitive low-noise microwave amplifier (the Josephson bifurcation amplifier.) The cables we use for characterizing these quite literally quantum limited amplifiers are far cheaper than these. Furthermore, I really don't care what you do, cables are symmetric devices, and that label on it is completely meaningless. We're on tens of millions of dollars of grant money, and if we could get more efficient readout by buying better cables, we'd do it. I promise your ears aren't as sensitive as our instrumentation. We also don't "break in" our cables. The Joule heating for a copper wire that carries signal is, I promise, negligible, and not nearly enough to change the crystal structure of the metal.
morrowaudio
3
Morrow Audio
Nov 23, 2013
One last pun... Actual testimonials from many customers....
"After this break-in period (280 hours), I played disc after disc and became a believer in Morrow Audio's hype. The bass was spectacular, the highs were open and nicely extended, but the midrange with female vocals or acoustic instruments, like guitar and piano, became surreal. Whitney Houston and Karen Carpenter came to life. Recordings which were really good became great!"
"As the cables break in, the bass and lower midrange fill out, and the cables become much more extended at the frequency extremes."
"Amazing clarity of sound and deep bass"
"Clear, precise, great rhythm, deep clear bass, inner detail..."
"They have great clarity, presence, extension and just sound beautiful! I believe these are quite special."
"The cables have a very natural sound and do an excellent job of preserving the natural timbre of instruments."
"The sound stage is huge! I'm very happy."
"There is substantially more bass with no loss of clarity/ definition. The midrange/ highs sound very natural."
"I'm amazed at how much the sound improved after the break-in period."
"Great audio cables Mike! BIG improvement on my audio system... sound stage, focus, tone quality, it is all there."
"After this break-in period (280 hours), I played disc after disc and became a believer in Morrow Audio's hype. The bass was spectacular, the highs were open and nicely extended, but the midrange with female vocals or acoustic instruments, like guitar and piano, became surreal. Whitney Houston and Karen Carpenter came to life. Recordings which were really good became great!"
"As the cables break in, the bass and lower midrange fill out, and the cables become much more extended at the frequency extremes."
"Amazing clarity of sound and deep bass"
"Clear, precise, great rhythm, deep clear bass, inner detail..."
"They have great clarity, presence, extension and just sound beautiful! I believe these are quite special."
"The cables have a very natural sound and do an excellent job of preserving the natural timbre of instruments."
"The sound stage is huge! I'm very happy."
"There is substantially more bass with no loss of clarity/ definition. The midrange/ highs sound very natural."
"I'm amazed at how much the sound improved after the break-in period."
"Great audio cables Mike! BIG improvement on my audio system... sound stage, focus, tone quality, it is all there."
PASSDROM
118
Nov 23, 2013
morrowaudioMorrow Audio, do you not feel that it would be more honest to just have testimonials and focus on the build quality? The hand-wavey science seems like it's meant to elicit cognitive dissonance and trigger a placebo effect.
I don't want to seem like I'm beating on you, but feel that it's somewhat unethical to play to peoples psychology like this. I don't really expect a response from you, as I don't really think you could say anything that wouldn't damage your sales, but I would love to hear what you have to say.
I don't want to seem like I'm beating on you, but feel that it's somewhat unethical to play to peoples psychology like this. I don't really expect a response from you, as I don't really think you could say anything that wouldn't damage your sales, but I would love to hear what you have to say.
Warlock983
146
Keyboard Club Member
Nov 22, 2013
Sooooo...when I saw this drop posted I prepped myself for some entertaining comments but I wasn't expecting it to be this one sided. For the person that suggested avoiding using analogue cables by using an integrated DAC/Amp...this may work for headphone circuits but in a dedicated system, you carrier (cd player) should feed your dedicated DAC then send the converted signal to your pre-amp (which might be integrated with the DAC since it is a small signal) whcich should then be routed to discrete monobloc amps to avoid cross talk between the 2 channels. Another reason to avoid integrated units is because a lot of people are using Maggies and other planar speakers that need a lot more power to perform to their peak capacity.
While $100 may sound expensive for a set of cables, it's all relative. If you happen to be one of the privileged few to own a Davinci DAC, you probably don't want to connect it with a coat hanger (and $100 is probably what you spend on breakfast). For those of you unfamiliar, the Davinci DAC is currently one of the top, if not the top of the line DACs in current production. It costs on the order of $30,000 and weighs in at about 60 lbs. (at least 2x the weight of an average receiver). If you can drop $30,000 on a DAC, you can easily spare the $100 for cables (hell, move up the line for the MA7's).
I agree with Tristor that the BJC cables are indeed good cables, there are plenty of supporters out there but here's the thing, if you are happy with your gear and don't want to drop $2000 on a new pair of monoblocs, why not drop $100 on some cables and see what happens? People are spending that on a chunk of steel to shave their face and 5x to 10x that for headphones which then need to be driven by an $800 amp...a $100 cable is going to break the bank? WTF?
Back to "wire is wire" debate - I found a nice article regarding cables and whether they make a difference (http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/09/22/the-great-cable-debate/). For those of you that don't want to read it all, it basically breaks down like this - cables do make a small difference which is measured and shown in a linked article here (http://www.empiricalaudio.com/computer-audio/audio-faqs/short-versus-long-cables). This article says that as long as you keep the runs short, there should not be serious signal degradation but better cables carry better measurable signals over longer distances. So, buy cheap interconnects and keep them less than 2 meters and keep your speaker runs under 4 meters with cheap speaker wire. So if you are thinking of using these for your headphone setup or home theater system, the effects may not be audible. If you have a dedicated hi fi system, it just might be, better signal at short distances...who knows?
The rest of the article discusses why double blind testing isn't really applicable. The basic rundown is that the majority of the population is not trained to critically listen. Therefore, the entire test is biased because you don't have a large group of people that are trained to hear the things that small adjustments can make.
Finally, since most of the massdrop group seems to be tuned into headphones, consider the ODAC and O2. This is a headphone DAC/Amp that is meaused to have properties that should provide near perfect reproduction. Yet people still buy the crack and Aune T1 and the $800 woo (?) tube amps that are offered. But the ODAC is measurably better, numbers prove it. This goes to show that people may prefer the sound of something that may not be perfect. Then, they take these amps and and use different tubes, but the circuit was designed for that tube and a 12AX7 is a 12AX7, right? So why do you have to pay $100 for one that's 40 years old with a rocket on it? Just an example, but perhaps cables can have the same effect.
Finally, for the other fancy MSE graduate. Consider that cables carry current and voltage and perhaps generate some heat. These may change the crystal structure of the copper wire over time and result in some electrical and sonic changes. Another thing to consider is the solder joint between the connector and the wire - if done by a sweatshop worker with little care, the joint may increase resistance through the line, causing possible sonic differences. Further, if you have worked in industry, you will know that there are various grades of copper, impurities may cause sonic differences as well (i.e. you can buy a 1 carat I2 diamond for $1000, but if you want to buy a 1 carat SI2 diamond, you need to drop $10,000). If your $10 cables are full of oxide and other crap, your signal will not be as good a 99.999% copper.
Just thought I would offer some other things to consider. One question for massdrop - why are these not offered in a balanced configuration as well?
While $100 may sound expensive for a set of cables, it's all relative. If you happen to be one of the privileged few to own a Davinci DAC, you probably don't want to connect it with a coat hanger (and $100 is probably what you spend on breakfast). For those of you unfamiliar, the Davinci DAC is currently one of the top, if not the top of the line DACs in current production. It costs on the order of $30,000 and weighs in at about 60 lbs. (at least 2x the weight of an average receiver). If you can drop $30,000 on a DAC, you can easily spare the $100 for cables (hell, move up the line for the MA7's).
I agree with Tristor that the BJC cables are indeed good cables, there are plenty of supporters out there but here's the thing, if you are happy with your gear and don't want to drop $2000 on a new pair of monoblocs, why not drop $100 on some cables and see what happens? People are spending that on a chunk of steel to shave their face and 5x to 10x that for headphones which then need to be driven by an $800 amp...a $100 cable is going to break the bank? WTF?
Back to "wire is wire" debate - I found a nice article regarding cables and whether they make a difference (http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2012/09/22/the-great-cable-debate/). For those of you that don't want to read it all, it basically breaks down like this - cables do make a small difference which is measured and shown in a linked article here (http://www.empiricalaudio.com/computer-audio/audio-faqs/short-versus-long-cables). This article says that as long as you keep the runs short, there should not be serious signal degradation but better cables carry better measurable signals over longer distances. So, buy cheap interconnects and keep them less than 2 meters and keep your speaker runs under 4 meters with cheap speaker wire. So if you are thinking of using these for your headphone setup or home theater system, the effects may not be audible. If you have a dedicated hi fi system, it just might be, better signal at short distances...who knows?
The rest of the article discusses why double blind testing isn't really applicable. The basic rundown is that the majority of the population is not trained to critically listen. Therefore, the entire test is biased because you don't have a large group of people that are trained to hear the things that small adjustments can make.
Finally, since most of the massdrop group seems to be tuned into headphones, consider the ODAC and O2. This is a headphone DAC/Amp that is meaused to have properties that should provide near perfect reproduction. Yet people still buy the crack and Aune T1 and the $800 woo (?) tube amps that are offered. But the ODAC is measurably better, numbers prove it. This goes to show that people may prefer the sound of something that may not be perfect. Then, they take these amps and and use different tubes, but the circuit was designed for that tube and a 12AX7 is a 12AX7, right? So why do you have to pay $100 for one that's 40 years old with a rocket on it? Just an example, but perhaps cables can have the same effect.
Finally, for the other fancy MSE graduate. Consider that cables carry current and voltage and perhaps generate some heat. These may change the crystal structure of the copper wire over time and result in some electrical and sonic changes. Another thing to consider is the solder joint between the connector and the wire - if done by a sweatshop worker with little care, the joint may increase resistance through the line, causing possible sonic differences. Further, if you have worked in industry, you will know that there are various grades of copper, impurities may cause sonic differences as well (i.e. you can buy a 1 carat I2 diamond for $1000, but if you want to buy a 1 carat SI2 diamond, you need to drop $10,000). If your $10 cables are full of oxide and other crap, your signal will not be as good a 99.999% copper.
Just thought I would offer some other things to consider. One question for massdrop - why are these not offered in a balanced configuration as well?
PASSDROM
118
Nov 23, 2013
Warlock983"The rest of the article discusses why double blind testing isn't really applicable. The basic rundown is that the majority of the population is not trained to critically listen. Therefore, the entire test is biased because you don't have a large group of people that are trained to hear the things that small adjustments can make."
Well then do a double blind test with audiophiles who have been trained for critical listening. It might not be practical to do so, but I'd just like to see something more than anecdotes from people who have a vested interest in justifying their purchase. No one likes to own up to the fact that they might have made the wrong choice for themselves, so people tend to justify it to themselves. I think that the PS4 vs XBONE or Apple vs PC debates have everything to do with this - people identify too much with their selected tech and get so emotional over consumer goods.
"Finally, for the other fancy MSE graduate. Consider that cables carry current and voltage and perhaps generate some heat. These may change the crystal structure of the copper wire over time and result in some electrical and sonic changes."
See, this is a physical cause and it could contribute to the sound for someone with sensitive ears. I'm not ruling out that these cables sound better than a 1m pair of shackers, I'd just like a more objective lens. Or failing that, less hubris in the marketing. Signal jumping from strand to strand? Sure, that *might* have a noticeable effect, as it is a physical system. But until you can answer with more than "don't know" for why the signal direction matters, maybe don't put that on the cables?
They do look like well made cables, and I do appreciate things that are well made. That in itself is worth paying more. I know that Morrow can't say "Buy these cables because they're well made and you might feel or hear that they're better sound quality but we can't really demonstrate that so *hand-wave* SCIENCE!", and the audiophile industry often runs on (what I feel are) overreaching claims. It's just unfortunate that there's often a lack of evidence to back up these claims.
And thanks to @Mark and MD for tolerating open discussion. I think that's the best choice for the community and I certainly appreciate it.
Well then do a double blind test with audiophiles who have been trained for critical listening. It might not be practical to do so, but I'd just like to see something more than anecdotes from people who have a vested interest in justifying their purchase. No one likes to own up to the fact that they might have made the wrong choice for themselves, so people tend to justify it to themselves. I think that the PS4 vs XBONE or Apple vs PC debates have everything to do with this - people identify too much with their selected tech and get so emotional over consumer goods.
"Finally, for the other fancy MSE graduate. Consider that cables carry current and voltage and perhaps generate some heat. These may change the crystal structure of the copper wire over time and result in some electrical and sonic changes."
See, this is a physical cause and it could contribute to the sound for someone with sensitive ears. I'm not ruling out that these cables sound better than a 1m pair of shackers, I'd just like a more objective lens. Or failing that, less hubris in the marketing. Signal jumping from strand to strand? Sure, that *might* have a noticeable effect, as it is a physical system. But until you can answer with more than "don't know" for why the signal direction matters, maybe don't put that on the cables?
They do look like well made cables, and I do appreciate things that are well made. That in itself is worth paying more. I know that Morrow can't say "Buy these cables because they're well made and you might feel or hear that they're better sound quality but we can't really demonstrate that so *hand-wave* SCIENCE!", and the audiophile industry often runs on (what I feel are) overreaching claims. It's just unfortunate that there's often a lack of evidence to back up these claims.
And thanks to @Mark and MD for tolerating open discussion. I think that's the best choice for the community and I certainly appreciate it.
Mark
3186
Admin User
Nov 22, 2013
Hey everybody, we encourage open discussion and people debating the pro's and conn's of different products. However, please keep the language respectful, I.e. Calling a product snake oil is not appropriate.
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