Snake Oil

Sonnie Parker · Tuesday at 1:05 AM

I've been wondering how I could get my cables to sound different... get it while it last!

SNAKE OIL

Mike Schramm · Tuesday at 12:10 PM

Oh, this is great! It's nice to see a company not take themselves too seriously.

Sonnie Parker · Tuesday at 12:36 PM

Yeah, his cables are still a little on the expensive side, but they appear to be of high quality, and he doesn't make any extraordinary claims about their sound.

Mike Schramm · 2024-09-18T07:55:41-0500

I did think to myself "these aren't exactly cheap cables", but I would assume the build quality is good and they look sharp. Basically A/V jewelry. I have been known to purchase cables based on appearance before.

Sonnie Parker · 2024-09-18T09:22:26-0500

I've done the same, paying more than I should have if I had based it solely on sound or vision. I have this psychoacoustic thing going on; even though I may not be able to detect differences, I still want something with good enough quality to not hinder me from hearing (or seeing) what I should be. Maybe it is cleaner and more precise, even if I don't notice it. It's about the only way I can justify it, as irrational as it may be. :dontknow:

Mike Schramm · 2024-09-18T09:26:28-0500

I totally get it, FOMO is a real thing! I don't want to pay extravagant amounts of money on cables, but I do want to spend enough to know that they are doing exactly what they should be and aren't hurting my system in any way.

The amount of money I spent on Monster Cable back in the day

Sonnie Parker · 2024-09-18T10:08:12-0500

Oh... lol... I still have some antique old Tara Labs interconnects that I paid stupid money for... and nothing I have uses RCA cables.

I bought the Monster cable speaker wire, about 3/4" in diameter, and paid stupid money to own them. There were a few others.

Sonnie Parker · 2024-09-18T11:05:22-0500

I need to clarify that I am not saying people cannot hear differences in cables, although I think some claims are exaggerated.

We could be hearing differences over time and not realize it, but don't expect me to do well in an AB test.

Todd Anderson · 2024-09-18T11:18:20-0500

Sonnie Parker said:
Yeah, his cables are still a little on the expensive side, but they appear to be of high quality, and he doesn't make any extraordinary claims about their sound.

I was going to say... I built a few cables and the price levels are high!!! BUT, if you're going to pay for custom sizes, etc, AND pay for quality materials (whether they make a difference to sound or not), then you're going to have to pony-up and pay.

Worth noting, those prices are all in Australian dollars, no?

Todd Anderson · 2024-09-18T11:20:03-0500

Mike Schramm said:
I totally get it, FOMO is a real thing! I don't want to pay extravagant amounts of money on cables, but I do want to spend enough to know that they are doing exactly what they should be and aren't hurting my system in any way.

The amount of money I spent on Monster Cable back in the day

You know Mike, some of the Monster Cable HDMI cables were so robust that they are still capable of delivering to modern standards. True (as told to me by someone who knows a lot more than me!). But, they also had a lot of junk... great idea, tho!

Todd Anderson · 2024-09-18T11:21:55-0500

Sonnie Parker said:
I've done the same, paying more than I should have if I had based it solely on sound or vision. I have this psychoacoustic thing going on; even though I may not be able to detect differences, I still want something with good enough quality to not hinder me from hearing (or seeing) what I should be. Maybe it is cleaner and more precise, even if I don't notice it. It's about the only way I can justify it, as irrational as it may be.

I always pose the question to myself: If I were to purchase a pair of $20,000 speakers, would I then turn around and buy cheap interconnects? Probably not! For me, it would be totally visual... I'd want something that matched the appearance of my speakers!

Just say'n. It's not all about the sound.

Calypso · 2024-09-18T16:05:21-0500

Todd Anderson said:
I always pose the question to myself: If I were to purchase a pair of $20,000 speakers, would I then turn around and buy cheap interconnects? Probably not! For me, it would be totally visual... I'd want something that matched the appearance of my speakers!

Just say'n. It's not all about the sound.

And who is your preferred supplier that gives you the quality and good looks?

Todd Anderson · 2024-09-18T17:00:55-0500

Calypso said:
And who is your preferred supplier that gives you the quality and good looks?

I’ll let you know when I need to buy some!

Sonnie Parker · 2024-09-18T17:18:33-0500

I'm an AudioQuest fan here. I own more of their cables than any other.

I recently purchased several of the THX PixelGen HDMI cables that Todd tested.

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