JAY's audio memes (and reviews/ranking too I guess)

Ru7, Fc6, iBasso DC07 Pro

It’s not going to be difficult to tell the difference :joy:

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do it with proper A/B matched volume and see if you can say that again.

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Even with the Hana 2021, being obstinate with any cable changes, the difference between the RU6, the L&P W1, and Apple dongle are clearly there under most conditions. The RU6 is warm-ish, detailed, and dynamic. The W1 is neutral, detailed, and dynamic. The Apple dongle is warm-ish.

On certain tracks, depending on the quality and tonality of the recording and source, the differences may not be evident. At. All. Spotify is horrible for SQ. Old Buddy Holly recordings would not be good source material for discerning differences. Ha! Good luck with using Spotify versions of 50s recordings to check out cable, DAC, and fuse differences!

within the constraints of very (read severely) modest collection…orivetti 700vb was tamed by ares while ejo7m by the 700vb’s default cable. the changes were significant to provide me the motivation to comment on this.

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The conclusion was that cables are probably not noticeable enough for most people to justify an expensive purchase. Not saying there’s no difference since as clearly shown in the video I did notice a slight difference, but worth dropping IEM money on? Nah

If you want to join us, feel free to volume match and blind test it, then send us the video :+1: Would be cool to see if others can tell a difference

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A/B blind test volume matched? Drop us the vid :+1:

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i am not versed in the required technicalities to support my audio perceptions and that is y i was debating for quite a bit in deciding whether i should be posting on this top. i do not know what is volume matched. I a/b ed at least with 6 wires on the topping dx1 ( i don’t have more expensive dac than this) at same volume levels on the 700vb. none could tame the upper mid harshness. ares did. and then i could increase the volume on the dx1.

Oh no worries I was just curious. A lot of the times it could be placebo due to knowing which cable is which, hence why the blindfold A/B test with the same terminal (4.4mm). It would be cool to see if you still arrive at the same conclusion after you get someone to put the cable on for you with a blindfold

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yes i forgot i tried it on moondrop dawn 4.4 too. the ares cable really did help. but yes considering the market dump of cables u do have a valid point. i usually study @ Rikudou_Goku’s excel database thoroughly. he clearly mentions yes and no distinctly. i thank him and you also. ( i am a subscriber of your youtube channel).

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It’d be fun to do a dongle blind A/B test next time lol

Piss more people off :joy:

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You need a switch to help reduce the time in between the tests.

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I’ll throw my 2 cents in the cable debate. When I used to work for a high end audio shop years ago we had a lot of downtime during the weekdays. During those times a group of us decided to blind test cables to see if it was all bullsh!t. We tested speaker cables, power cables, and digital cables. Cable prices ranging from $20 to $5,000. During many months of testing we found out that cables absolutely made a difference in tonality, soundstage, and overall quality. However, is more complicated than just to say cables make a difference.

It was usually a marginal or a subtle improvement in sound quality. We learned that more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. For example, we tested a pair of speaker cables priced at $600 that mopped the floor with a set that cost $2500. As we went up in priced we notice the difference between them were very marginal. We calculated a non scientific percentage of about 3-8% improvement in overall sound quality with effective cables. The digital cables and power cables had an even lower improvement increase but a slight difference nevertheless. That’s why cables have such a bad rep because companies exaggerate their effectiveness and overcharge for a small improvement gain if any at all.

Now since headphones and IEM’s cables have a much shorter length, one would think there shouldn’t be an audible difference. Recently I tested a few headphones/IEM cables and that was usually the case. I couldn’t tell the difference. However, there’s one case where a $49 cable sounded substantially better than a $100 cable. Again more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. It takes a bit of trial and error.

Maybe in the future experiment with cables from different brands at various price ranges and materials. Doing a test with just two cables doesn’t really provide a statistical analysis. This way we’re able to come up with a more educated conclusion. IMO it’s a hit or miss and the improvement is so marginal (if any) that it may not be worth the trouble. People are better off spending that money on the headphones/IEMs themselves than a cable that cost hundreds of dollars.

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I agree that it’s good for testing, but no one actually uses a switch irl :joy: they just swap sources normally. Would be more helpful to add the swap time since that’s how everyone will use it if that makes sense

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d62cc94a06ce7fb05c77ff58fef15f59

problem when there is a few seconds of swap time is that our echoic memory is gone by then.

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Ya that’s the point, just like irl lol

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Appreciate the input man. Next time (if we do another one) we’ll do more variety for sure - this was just a fun little thing :stuck_out_tongue:

Matching the right cable with the IEM is going to take a lot of trial and error, so ya totally agree here:

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I had the opportunity to a/b some Viking weave cables at Canjam using their cable switcher device. I tested various cables on my U12T, even switching to the 1k bifrost cable, whilst there was a very small difference it was minor and I had to concentrate to hear it.

You have no realistic chance removing cables as differences are minute. I’m not sure what people are smoking who say cables can completely change the sound, but each to their own.

I don’t mind spending a few hundred on a nice cable, but it’s purely for the quality, feel and general aesthetics of it, not because I believe it’s going to increase the soundstage or completely change the tuning - because it doesn’t. But that’s just my opinion.

I think the whole copper gives more warmth silver more detail etc is complete bollocks imo. Probably more noticeable in speaker setups but not iem’s.

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Should have added a coat hanger into the test. :rofl:

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I have no real cable experience, but from what I see. They probably make a difference, but is a $200 cable going to make a $200 IEM sound like a $400 one? No way I’d believe that. More like that $200 IEM sounds like a $230 IEM in this arbitrary example. I definitely see more value offered in the experience (feel and appreciation of something nice) over pure sound Improvement.

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How dare you? LOL! Great video

I got huge improvements with few cables which are not marginal. But the cable fu*ery needs to stop cause even if they are making a difference they are diverting beginners and actual upgrades. Which is getting an elitist portion day by day.

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