We’re always hoping at JREF that the folks known as “audiophiles” – as a sector of our modern community – would decide to get smart and use common sense in their spending decisions. I’ve pretty well had to conclude that they value name and appearance more than practicality; they need well-advertised names on all their displayed equipment so that their visitors and other similarly-afflicted persons will be impressed. Whether the “tweaks” they purchase are worth anything at all, seems unimportant to them.
I’ve just completed the entry in my next book – A Magician in the Laboratory – on my battle with Stereophile Magazine, who agreed to take the test for the JREF million-dollar prize, then backed out. My differences with them concerned the ridiculous prices of loudspeaker cables for sound systems, when tests have shown that ordinary hardware-store 110-volt zip cord – in most cases, is indistinguishable from the products advertised in the magazine. Now I’ve received a notice that took me to
http://www.stereophile.com/writer/119?page=3 where I found that it’s even worse than I previously thought…
Examples: Kimber Kable offers speaker cables at $550 to $2,350 per foot, depending on what you can afford. It’s available in either all-copper, copper-silver hybrid, or full silver configurations and features a new multi-layer braid that combines stranded and solid core conduct. Wow! Kimber proudly tell us that with this product, they’re “…mixing different conductor shapes to best convey the whole range of bass sound.” Well, I should hope so. They believe, you see, that a large solid conductor is great for low bass, a flat conductor is best for mid bass, and a polymer coated Litz works best for highs and transients. “Litz” wire, you should know, is designed to reduce “skin effect” and “proximity effect” losses in conductors used at frequencies up to one million cycles a second [Hertz]. No sound systems I can imagine would benefit the human listener, whose upper limit of frequency is about 20,000 Hertz. And the XLO folks, who make 110-volt power cords to plug into the wall and lead into your stereo system, have introduced the 6-foot Purple Rush power cord, at $1,167 per foot. [see photo] That’s for a power cord, folks – which you can buy at Home Depot for 30¢ per foot...! The XLO company tells us they took eight years to develop – and “refine” – this wonder, which certainly makes me wonder. Furutech power cord prices start at $31/foot and go up up to $200/ft, and their speaker cables go for $308/ft. JPS Labs Superconductor Q USB fetches $120/ft. and Superconductor 3 USB, $240/ft. Both boast a “precision twisted-quad design with dual shields and gold-plated connectors.” That’s the least we could expect, at that price. Cardas’ Clear Light Speaker Cable is priced at $160/ft., and that’s the “lower end of the Clear speaker cable line.” And it goes on…
And as if to get in on the audiophiles-are-suckers discovery, San Francisco Symphony's general manager John Kieser has turned out 22 new LPs – remember them? – of their Mahler series as a complete set on vinyl. I can expect that before long we’ll see some opportunist advertising 78 r.p.m shellac/paper/powdered-slate discs, to return to the “good old days.” And yes, I assure you, the audiophiles will reach for their wallets…
