Fancy Mains Cables

I was thinking of getting some new gear, as the current cycle of TV
improvements has just about stabilised, so in April I bought a copy of What
Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine.

It might have been April the first as it contained an article about mains
leads costing scores if not hundreds of pounds: -

http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Acce...Reviews/Price/

for example "Levels of detail, dynamics and clarity of sound are improved
upon tenfold." [by one particular lead at £232].

On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!

--

R. Mark Clayton


remove nospa for email



* in most amps the mains power is delivered to a PSU in a metal enclosure
inside another metal enclosure, and other external analogue leads for low
[line] voltage will be screened. It hardly matters for digital connections.
By all means plug in via a surge arrestor (£5) and have a ferrite bead (£1)
if you live next door to a taxi base or a welding shop, but otherwise
unnecessary!

In article ,
R. Mark Clayton wrote:
I was thinking of getting some new gear, as the current cycle of TV
improvements has just about stabilised, so in April I bought a copy of What
Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine.

It might have been April the first as it contained an article about mains
leads costing scores if not hundreds of pounds: -

http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Acce...Reviews/Price/

for example "Levels of detail, dynamics and clarity of sound are improved
upon tenfold." [by one particular lead at £232].

On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!

I've just cancelled my subscription to BBC Music Magazine (after 17 yeas)
when it ssid you should spend at least 25% of your hi-fi budget on leads.

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

In message , R. Mark Clayton
wrote


On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!


It takes some bollox written about power cables to make most people
realise that ALL the reviews in these magazines are of the same
standard. Reviews with the words "Hi-Fi" are based on the snake oil
claims made by manufactures or sellers or are written by journalists
with no technical knowledge and who far from the flush of youth with
impaired hearing of some sort. (compared to the hearing of a teenager).

--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com

charles wrote:

In article ,
R. Mark Clayton wrote:
I was thinking of getting some new gear, as the current cycle of TV
improvements has just about stabilised, so in April I bought a copy of What
Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine.

It might have been April the first as it contained an article about mains
leads costing scores if not hundreds of pounds: -

http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Acce...Reviews/Price/

for example "Levels of detail, dynamics and clarity of sound are improved
upon tenfold." [by one particular lead at £232].

On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!

I've just cancelled my subscription to BBC Music Magazine (after 17 yeas)
when it ssid you should spend at least 25% of your hi-fi budget on leads.


Was Russ Andrews a sponsor of the article ?

R. Mark Clayton wrote:
I was thinking of getting some new gear, as the current cycle of TV
improvements has just about stabilised, so in April I bought a copy
of What Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine.

It might have been April the first as it contained an article about
mains leads costing scores if not hundreds of pounds: -

http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Acce...Reviews/Price/

for example "Levels of detail, dynamics and clarity of sound are
improved upon tenfold." [by one particular lead at £232].

On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they
cost a few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely
gullible* to fall for this kind of guff!

Russ Andrews makes a very good living out of extremely gullible people.
--
There is no God, so stop worrying and enjoy your life.

In message , Alan
writes
In message , R. Mark Clayton
wrote


On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!


It takes some bollox written about power cables to make most people
realise that ALL the reviews in these magazines are of the same
standard. Reviews with the words "Hi-Fi" are based on the snake oil
claims made by manufactures or sellers or are written by journalists
with no technical knowledge and who far from the flush of youth with
impaired hearing of some sort. (compared to the hearing of a teenager).

What I cannot understand is how those who make absolutely outrageous
claims for their products are not done by Trading Standards. And I'm
sure that some action could also be taken against those who give
'glowing' reviews to these devices.
--
Ian

On Sat, 9 May 2009 15:20:54 +0100, "R. Mark Clayton"
wrote:

I was thinking of getting some new gear, as the current cycle of TV
improvements has just about stabilised, so in April I bought a copy of What
Hi-Fi Sound & Vision magazine.

It might have been April the first as it contained an article about mains
leads costing scores if not hundreds of pounds: -

http://www.whathifi.com/Reviews/Acce...Reviews/Price/

for example "Levels of detail, dynamics and clarity of sound are improved
upon tenfold." [by one particular lead at £232].

On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!

I suspect that many people who fall for this kind of guff actually do
experience better sound. This is simply because they expect it to be
better.

If you watched "Professor Regan's Medicine Cabinet" on BBC a couple of
weeks ago you would have seen an experiment in whcih rugby players were
asked to keep their hands in iced water for as long as they could. This
was after they had taken painkilling tablets. They did it twice, once
with branded tablets from labelled packets, and once with unbranded
tablets with no labelled packing. They lasted much longer after the
branded tablets than with the unbranded ones. All the tablets were, of
course, identical.

The human mind is a wonderful thing.

On Sat, 9 May 2009 16:21:12 +0100, Ian Jackson
wrote:

In message , Alan
writes
In message , R. Mark Clayton
wrote


On three of them you could actually identify the MK plugtop (OK they cost a
few pence more), but some Hi_fi buffs must be extremely gullible* to fall
for this kind of guff!


It takes some bollox written about power cables to make most people
realise that ALL the reviews in these magazines are of the same
standard. Reviews with the words "Hi-Fi" are based on the snake oil
claims made by manufactures or sellers or are written by journalists
with no technical knowledge and who far from the flush of youth with
impaired hearing of some sort. (compared to the hearing of a teenager).

What I cannot understand is how those who make absolutely outrageous
claims for their products are not done by Trading Standards. And I'm
sure that some action could also be taken against those who give
'glowing' reviews to these devices.

Will Trading Standards act in the absence of complaints from
dissatisfied customers?

In article ,
charles wrote:
I've just cancelled my subscription to BBC Music Magazine (after 17 yeas)
when it ssid you should spend at least 25% of your hi-fi budget on leads.

Only time I've heard a problem with 'leads' was when I decided to move my
turntable rather further from the amp than the supplied leads would reach,
so made up some extensions, using ordinary audio co-ax. And ended up with
a rising top end. Of course a pickup is rather special. Most domestic
equipment is low impedance out high in so you'd need pretty exotic cable
to have an effect on that. Speakers require a decent low resistance cable,
though - but any mains one is usually suitable.

--
*Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Ian Jackson wrote:
What I cannot understand is how those who make absolutely outrageous
claims for their products are not done by Trading Standards. And I'm
sure that some action could also be taken against those who give
'glowing' reviews to these devices.

Because those so fooking stupid to spend vast amounts on fancy cables are
unlikely to complain to them. Of course if they want to pay for a nice
*looking* cable, why not?

--
*If you remember the '60s, you weren't really there

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.