LOL... cable insanity! Options

[fewtch]

http://www.omigaaudio.co.uk/Services.htm
http://www.omigaaudio.co.uk/CCfaq.htm

Cooking cables... I think I'll have one for Thanksgiving dinner, served with gravy on top...



This post has been edited by fewtch: Nov 24 2003, 16:55

[sthayashi]

I cooked a cable once, but it melted

The last bit is obscene:

Will cables revert back over time requiring a second burn in, or are the results permanent?

Unless cabling is completely disconnected for a long period of time, we don't think they "completely" revert back to their original, raw state. However, in our experience, break-in is a long-term, but not permanent phenomenon. Cabling seems to benefit (as does one's system) with a periodic "recharge" of 12--24 hours, every few months. Many Cooker owners have been doing this every 3 or 4 months, and we recommend it as well. This makes the Cable Cooker a better long-term value. Using the Cooker is not a "one-shot" premise or exercise.Will cables revert back over time requiring a second burn in, or are the results permanent?

[n68]

gday..

well..

not so crazy.. i have used a other method for years..
similar to these ppl. i use to runn 220v thrue them..
and then use a blowtorch on them.. this melts out the crystals
in the copper..and the resoult is a much faster handling/transfer
.- better freq. respons.. and lower the force.

(ps. i do my own cables.. so naturaly.. this is before any kind of
isolation..)




This post has been edited by n68: Nov 24 2003, 17:12

[fewtch]

"lower the force"... LOL!

[Lev]

Yet another moneymaking idea I should have come up with first. Damn!

[DonP]

The patent could be titled: "Method of extracting money from susceptable audiophiles."

[ScorLibran]

I'm not a cable expert, but from what I've learned so far...this smells like a load of bunk if you ask me. (It also smells like burning plastic. ) People will buy a*n*y*t*h*i*n*g.

So what's next? "Cable lubricant"? "...makes the music slip more easily down the wire, hitting your headphones or speakers harder and producing a fuller, richer and more enveloping sound"

Does longer conditioning time mean better performance? Can I over-Cook my cables? Will they be damaged?

Over-Cooking can reduce the performance, at least temporarily. The characteristics of this are a reduced or diminished soundstage and a dull, lifeless quality to the music. If this situation occurs, merely letting the cables physically rest, and settle, then putting them back in the music system to play for a few hours brings them back to their optimal performance level.

...because you know cables have feelings, too. As do other audio components. I made my headphones angry the other day. We talked, but they still haven't forgiven me yet. Out of spite, they sound cold and distant and uncaring. Maybe if I buy them a nice gift everything will be OK. They keep asking for Cardas, but I said "No! Maybe some nice cable lubricant, instead?"

Will cables revert back over time requiring a second burn in, or are the results permanent?

Unless cabling is completely disconnected for a long period of time, we don't think they "completely" revert back to their original, raw state.

Cables start off "raw"? So does this mean there are settings on the device for "rare", "medium-rare", "medium", "well-done" or "cajun-charred"? And if I use the "cajun-charred" setting, will my music sound warmer and more spicy?


But seriously, if someone could just ABX the effects of cable "burn-in", maybe this device would have some justification and respect. Until then, it's just another way for an "audiophile" to blow their money.

[fewtch]

But seriously, if someone could just ABX the effects of cable "burn-in", maybe this device would have some justification and respect.  Until then, it's just another way for an "audiophile" to blow their money.

I'm not an expert on cables either, but doubt it would be worth the trouble. Why would electrons passing through a cable have any permanent effect on the conductive material (ahem... OK, semi-permanent *cough*)? It sounds not only unlikely, but impossible. Maybe someone with a background in physics could verify that.

This post has been edited by fewtch: Nov 24 2003, 17:39

[Lev]

If you dont get anything out of this, you are dead...

A Mk II Liberator was also submitted for evaluation. This cable again didn't seem as ultimately detailed in the upper registers as the reference cables, or even the other 2 cables from Omiga Audio, but it had yet more lower-mid bass emphasis and tracking ability than its family relations. Also, it had a somewhat uneven top end balance, a suck out in the mid treble and picking up again for the final upper reaches, so yes there was the trailing end of the air, reverb and space, but upper harmonics of upper range instruments were a bit curtailed. These cables were left plugged into equipment which was left powered up over night and for a whole day before serious listening, so not sure if the cable would have benefited from another day of "settling in". I did find that the Mk I Liberators certainly becoming noticeably more open sounding over a 2 day settling in period, even though they had already been burnt in on a cable cooker. All cables made by Omiga Audio receive burn-in on a "Cable Cooker" prior to dispatch incidentally.

Hmm, they are only about 10 miles away from me as well.

Right, guys, I'm not going to talk about it anymore. I am going to come up with some product and hilarity filled website that will supply me with enough beer money for a life time..... Cable Lubricant is one possiblity...

[fewtch]

Right, guys, I'm not going to talk about it anymore.  I am going to come up with some product and hilarity filled website that will supply me with enough beer money for a life time.....  Cable Lubricant is one possiblity...  

If serious, you better pick up on all the 'lingo' first and really study these sites to see how they build their mythologies. The ability to (verbally) keep a straight face would be necessary, among other things...

Edit -- and of course, we get to flame you here on HA if you do this... a new rule in the Terms of Service, just for you...

This post has been edited by fewtch: Nov 24 2003, 17:49

[ScorLibran]

Right, guys, I'm not going to talk about it anymore.  I am going to come up with some product and hilarity filled website that will supply me with enough beer money for a life time.....  Cable Lubricant is one possiblity...

OK, you can have the "cable lubricant" idea. But I want 5% of your revenues since I thought up the marketing line, which undoubtedly would convince thousands to buy it.

Actually, I understand the concept of "break-in" for headphones. I won't believe it until I see proof that it's real and significant, but the concept of moving parts benefiting from a break-in period makes sense to me. (Still doesn't mean I believe it is relevant for headphones or speakers until someone can convince me otherwise.)

But can someone explain to me (as fewtch asked, also) how "burning-in" a cable would work? It's a wire. There are no moving parts. Does the cable expand to a different gauge with more use? Does it attain a different resistance level? Does it become measurably more efficient?

Barring corrosion, bad end-connectors, broken insulation/shielding, or other obvious defects, how can the number of electrons that have traversed a cable possibly affect what it does?


Edit...

The ability to (verbally) keep a straight face would be necessary, among other things...

There is where I would fail. That's why Lev has to run the Cable Lubricant Corporation...I can only sit in a back room thinking up marketing slogans...and laughing hysterically...

This post has been edited by ScorLibran: Nov 24 2003, 17:59

[sthayashi]

Lev, I've GOT an idea that will help you reach your goal. Fewtch, we'll need your help with the audiophile terms.

Basically, what we need to do is convince audiophiles that their cables "wear out" much like a say a timing belt on a car. Running an AC signal through it will get electrons trapped between the copper fibers there is no way to get them dislodged, and after a year or two of heavy usage, there would be some serious audio degradation (but of course you wouldn't really notice it, since it happens over the course of months).

Our cables are better than that though. You can go years with our cables without having to worry about electrons getting trapped in your cables.

Also, we're working on a cable maintainer that will help to clean your cables, so you can extend the working life of your cables. Details on it are coming soon.

[fewtch]

Lev, I've GOT an idea that will help you reach your goal.  Fewtch, we'll need your help with the audiophile terms.

LOL... I could probably help some, although I still can't mentally connect a lot of the terminology used with specific sounds.

Making cables sounds like more of a PITA than it's worth... I like the cable lubricant idea better. Basically, the idea could be that a small amount sinks in through the cable jacket and makes the sound "more fluid" -- the music just flows better, overcoming "digital dryness" and making the sound "more analog-like."

There could be a dark colored oil to increase "blackness between the notes" or perhaps better bass... and a clear oil for those who want added "clarity and transparency." The simplest, most direct relationships between terms would probably be the most convincing, provided you were already convincing in the "technical" explanation of "why the product works."

Edit -- I guess the advantage to making/selling cables would be at least the ability to sleep at night, knowing you sold someone a functional product that actually does something (albeit at a ridiculous price).

This post has been edited by fewtch: Nov 24 2003, 18:27

[JeanLuc]

Hmm ... they even try it with cars and sell magnets that will polarize or align your fule molecules to decrease fuel consumption at the same level of power

This is a crazy world we live in these days ... one can even sell crap that can be easily proven as being VooDoo stuff (like with these "fule magnets") ...

This post has been edited by JeanLuc: Nov 24 2003, 18:52

[auldyin]

Hi,
I think that this process would involve removing all of the outer shell electrons from the "wire", placing them in a large pot and boiling them for about 25 minutes over a high heat. The electrons get extremely agitated about this and start jumping about in the pot.
The electrons have entered their "excited state".
As everyone knows, electrons don't like being excited for long so they will try to return to their "ground state".
Now, when electrons drop to the "ground state" they will liberate the energy they absorbed to become excited. Very often this energy occurs in the visible range of the spectrum so the electrons will begin to glow. At this juncture, get the pot of glowing electrons and pour them from the pot back into the wire through the ground side interconnect (there are electron filter funnels available for this process, but don't use any filter paper or the energy will be transferred to the paper and we all know the dangers of glowing filter paper).
Take care not to spill any of the glowing electrons on to the floor as they are extremely difficult to sweep up and electron sweeping brushes are expensive and few and far between.

There you go, no problem!!

DIY wire cooking!!

auldyin

[JeanLuc]

By The Way ... the Eichmann plugs sold / used by them are great (from the electrical and mechanical point of view - not sounding any better, though) and not that expensive - it is a german product that I've once seen in a serious HiFi store in my town ...

[MO!]

Perhaps it might be worth giving it a try before completely rubbishing it? I'm not too sure myself how significant any changes would be, bit I wouldn't completely blank it without even trying it.

MO

[fewtch]

Perhaps it might be worth giving it a try before completely rubbishing it? I'm not too sure myself how significant any changes would be, bit I wouldn't completely blank it without even trying it.

MO 

You give it a try... at the prices they charge, you would have to be a little crazy. Please report back with your ABX test results...

[MO!]

Perhaps it might be worth giving it a try before completely rubbishing it? I'm not too sure myself how significant any changes would be, bit I wouldn't completely blank it without even trying it.

MO 

You give it a try... at the prices they charge, you would have to be a little crazy. Please report back with your ABX test results...

I'm not the one dismissing it. If I was going to use it i'd hope to be able to get a deMO on some before and after cables.

[fewtch]

I'm not the one dismissing it. If I was going to use it i'd hope to be able to get a deMO on some before and after cables.

The trouble is, one has to have a belief in "cable burn in" in the first place to even bother with it. Since the idea is ridiculous from here, I'd no more be inclined to try it than I would buy some "special" gloves at US $1000 that would supposedly let me flap my arms and fly... yeah sure, maybe I really would go soaring into the air, but wouldn't be inclined to spend the money to find out.

This post has been edited by fewtch: Nov 25 2003, 05:38

[Audible!]

I'd no more be inclined to try it than I would buy some "special" gloves at US $1000 that would supposedly let me flap my arms and fly... yeah sure, maybe I really would go soaring into the air, but wouldn't be inclined to spend the money to find out.

Hey! Those gloves really work!
You just don't believe in them enough.

I strapped the gloves on my infamous psychic chihuahua and he's currently cruising the upper troposphere, keeping us all safe from the evil Martian menace!


edited

This post has been edited by Audible!: Nov 25 2003, 06:39

[Dologan]

Lev, I have another idea for your audiophile-ripping company. Cable calibration!
You know, if you use your cables for listening a particular kind of music for an extended period of time (16+ h non-stop or about 24 h with breaks), your cables will get 'bent into' that kind of music. What happens is that the microscopic copper structure of the cable after a while gets accustomed or "molds" to the frequency of the waves that pass through it. This has two primary consequences: First, the cables will get a little desensitized (like everything exposed to a constant stimulus) to some details of the music. This effect is quite subtle, only noticed by the finest of ears on a good audio equipment, but it is there. The other effect, a little more evident is that, if you switch to a different style of music, the sound will be negatively "coloured" by the cable, giving a different tone to that which was intended by the artist. This short-term "decalibration" of the cable can be solved on its own, by conducting a mix of different music styles for at least a time equal to the one that was exposed to the single type of music (or, for best results, twice as long) and then letting the cable rest for several hours. But who wants to let the cables calibrate on their own for a day without being able to use them as we please? And caution! This decalibration, if prolonged too much (120 h non-stop or about a week with breaks), can even be near-irreversible! But don't worry, at Levaudio Inc. we have the solution for all problems. Solve short-term decalibration by using our patented "Portable Cable Calibrator" (PCC) that emits an ultra-condensed multi-layer of frequencies of high intensity that calibrates your cables in less than an hour! Prevent decalibration by using our exclusive SilverCore™ cables, which are inherently resistant to decalibration thanks to its patterned-threading of its silver core. These are made in collaboration with the German technology of the hi-fi audio equipment company KartoffelTech Gmbh for top acoustics, shielding and performance! Pricey, but worth every cent! And what should you do if your cables are near-irreversibly decalibrated? Do not worry. We also provide a service of professional calibration for your cables. Using our high-performance omega-frequency calibrator we can get your cables in like-new condition in as few as two days! Do not let your cables be the weakest link of your hi-fi. Your ears deserve it. Levaudio

*phew* Time to sleep.

[pbirkett]

MO, you are never, ever going to convince people here that it works to be honest, and I have to say, I find the concept fairly outrageous myself. Thats no offence to Tony who offers the service, and power to him if people are going to take up use of the service. However, this is an objective audio site, unpolluted by popular hifi myths, and as such, I can see how such claims look on this site.

PS. Alreet fewtch

[PoisonDan]

My God, I love this thread.

[ScorLibran]

@MO! : I understand your position, but I've personally given at least one reason why the concept would have to be explained in some scientific detail first. After all, you have to propose a theory before asking people to test it. They don't give anything beyond the typical mushy "warmer, richer sound" mumbo-jumbo that we've all heard so many times from "audiophiles" in places where more objective descriptions should be used. What I want to know, as stated before, and before I'll consider testing their idea myself, is How can a variance in the number of electrons that traverse a cable possibly affect it's performance? You're right that an idea should not be discarded out-of-hand, but I, among others, just need a preliminary [i]technical/i] explanation of how cable "burn-in" can have any positive effect...without the words "warm", "full" and "rich" being used.

Lev, I have another idea for your audiophile-ripping company. Cable calibration!
You know, if you use your cables for listening a particular kind of music for an extended period of time (16+ h non-stop or about 24 h with breaks), your cables will get 'bent into' that kind of music.

Hmmm.....My headphone cable "likes" Pink Floyd, for instance, because it sounds good to me when the cable conducts "Floyd-sounds". But it isn't "calibrated" to reggae, among other genres. Whenever a reggae song comes on, it just doesn't sound right to me, almost like I don't prefer the music type. But instead, now I can blame "poor cable calibration" instead of my own tastes!