6 HiFi Mistakes In My Audiophile Journey That CHANGED My Mind

[@Jayiyagi]

hey guys. Hope your start of the week is filled with joy and music. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to post about your experiences as well in the comments below Head to squarespace.com/jaysiyagi to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code jaysiyagi

[@gjnbouwmeester5860]

Where does the 'magick' comes from, yeah! Very good question Jay!🙂 How can something that is not 'scientific provable' have such impact in the systems we play with? Is there more than just hard cold data involved? That is our miraculous world and nature "outside of the labs"... I think the academic 'scientific' way of looking (and listening!) at nature as a whole is not 'objective' at all. Its totally flawed and incomplete to define or even suggest any "truth" whatsoever. So, i listen with my ears and let the heart decide. Cheers and thanks for all the great vid's!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Yeah i am about to sign up just need to finish my living room 1st

[@samuelferraro5601]

By far the best rational (explanation) why people need to stop denying that the sound of audio components transcends simple measurements. My system has become dramatically more satisfying since I stopped paying attention to measurements and started listening. That brought me to matching components and paying attention to the room. That is the end game and saves actually me tons of money and leaves me far happier !

[@djfirestormx]

@@samuelferraro5601 i use to be in that too and found that these Hypex and Purifi amps are just aweful. So what if they measure the best in existance, yes it has every bit of detail etc, but you just dont have the feeling to sit and just listen with them. Overhyped based on mesaurements. I got back to my 1978 Luxman every time.

[@handcoding]

Just as a side thing: I’m just so impressed that the edge of your desk is perfectly parallel to the bottom edge of the frame. (It’s not even slightly off!)

[@JohnLee-db9zt]

OCD AF.

[@latheofheaven]

Heh... VERY observant! You are right, the alignment is DEAD on! 👍

[@psyphonyxaudio]

proof that measurements do matter. =)

[@normanham6142]

@@JohnLee-db9zt My thoughts exactly!

[@chenyuyufc]

Guess that’s what it takes to become an audiophile

[@sumtingyum]

Eloquently put. Leaving behind preconceptions and denials is what separates you from the knuckleheads at ASR. Keep doing what you do please

[@mr_mad_scientist]

From my understanding, the problem with looking only at the measurements is that it tells you about the performance of a device only in the parameters which have been measured. So one is getting only a part of the picture since the measurements are usually done with a continuous periodic signal and not with music signal. It can be that one device is performing better in the measured parameters but worse in other which are more relevant to music and our listening experience and we can hear that difference.

[@2ridiculous41]

It has often occurred to me that when you can hear something and somebody says it can't be measured, it would seem entirely possible that they are measuring the wrong thing.

[@ace_king]

Well said! I’m mainly a Home Theater guy but my audio expectations are more in par w/ 2ch audiophiles. I recently bought a UMIK mic and ran REW and I was surprised to see that I had almost a perfectly linear response down to 20hz. My room is heavily treated w/ absorption and I’ve been tweaking it for almost a decade. The only problem REW picked up was w/ the crossover which I raised from 100 to 120hz for a slightly smoother response. At 100hz it had a bump. Point being despite the very good REW measurements I still wasn’t happy and started playing around w/ my left and right speaker placement and bought some IsoAccoustic stands for every speaker. Those stands are great and allowed me to play w/ elevation, angle and and boy did they make a huge difference! Best way I can describe it is they make the speaker cabinet disappear. My 6 speakers reached a level of integration I’ve never heard before. This is something REW could never measure or advise me on. Measurements are not the end all be all! As mentioned they only capture a slice of the sound quality and are good starting points.

[@RennieAsh]

Maybe IMD ?

[@brentnaylor8406]

Knocked it out of the park, Jay. You hit on every important "lesson learned" that Audiophile and music lovers experience during their life- at least the ones I have learned. I especially like your comment on the Kinki EX-M1+. I bought one based on your review, and couldn't be happier. The synergy in my system never ceases to amaze me and make me eager to listen to music. Keep up the great work :)

[@cjbronxny1]

I know you recorded this about a year ago but it hit home for me. I'm in the process of moving and changing rewiring my entire system. Spending time listening before I move again. Taking time to listen. Change out speakers, change integrated from block amps Enjoying the change. Great video. Thanks.!

[@jeffkalina7727]

John Curl is credited with saying that Measurements are best used to confirm what your ears tell you. Go John!!!

[@jaimansworld]

Probably one of the best videos your've made. Insightful and illuminating.

[@djhmax09]

If only people in the headphone part of this hobby would experience this as well... It's interesting seeing some of the divide between 2ch and hp/iem audiophiles when it's essentially very similar.

[@allygator3260]

Headphone people are worst than Wine Connoisseurs.

[@josephchamberlain3681]

I fully believe that that the quality of recordings, mixes and mastering make the majority of what an audiophile loves about the *quality of the music they're listening to. I also think that a lot of gear upgrades are done by way of a desire to make loved (although lesser) recordings sound as good as music that is better produced. As a music lover first and an audiophile second it is frustrating to like recordings of music I dont enjoy, and to have music I adore get shredded by more exacting gear.

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

All good points, except the subwoofer part. The low frequencies are so important and tons of music these days digs super low. A sub ads more body and atmosphere even doing the higher bass frequencies…. But yes, technically, you don’t “need” it.

[@bryzabone]

Flight of the cosmic hippo, is a prime example of needing a sub.. you literally miss a whole range of the fret less without that bass extension. 👍

[@ace_king]

Agree with you 100%. However, sub integration is tricky and can really mess with mids and highs if not done right. So many factors play into how bass travels through a room and getting a smooth response is virtually impossible. I’m guessing if Jay could get good sub integration he’d think differently about it. Depending on the music you could be loosing out on a lot of sound by only using bookshelf speakers. Knowing what I know now about subs I’d never use left and rights at full range. A properly placed sub will almost always beat them out in linear and smoother response.

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

@@bryzabone Most R&B and pop songs dig super low these days too. Not to mention film soundtracks, classical, Hans Zimmer... Making the pipe-organ argument is just lazy...

[@latheofheaven]

Well, for this very reason as you state, that is always why I have had a bi-amped or tri-amped system. I am a *FIRM* believer in that! My system is somewhat unusual because it is all open baffle dipole in design, there are no cabinets, boxes, or enclosures of any kind. I have two tall multi-driver dipole line-arrays running the mids & highs, and I have 2-15" open baffle dipole woofers. The line-arrays are driven by an Ayon Orion II Class 'A' integrated tube amp, and the low-end (woofers) are driven by a bridged Crown 2502 with the 2 woofers wired parallel @ 4 ohms (my past tri-amped systems have had the high end driven dual-mono by two amps) So, that way you have the low-end driven by powerful amp and you can balance the lows and highs WITHOUT using the dreaded tone controls or anything else in the signal chain. MOST people just have 2 speakers that produce everything, so it is understandable where many would feel the necessity of having a subwoofer(s) Mine is built in 😊 and I have a more 'Natural' Non-intrusive means of control over the low/high end balance.

[@rmzidann]

Very good points Jay. I have made some of the same mistakes in my journey. Less is more, at times.

[@SuperMcgenius]

Thanks Jay, number one on my list is get your room properly set up with treatment . Number two, understand speaker placement , Number three, components matching. Number four, figure out what you want from a system, imaging , scale, tone, detail, bass . Cables are the last on my list. Just have fun.

[@gteltschik]

One of the most critical things I have learned in this hobby is to maintain perspective. Understanding the music production process (and the creative process that accompanies it) helps you realize that what you think you hear never existed the way (you perceive) you are hearing it. Realizing that people hear things differently means everyone is an expert (and subjectively wrong at the same time). Everything matters, except when it doesn’t because it’s beyond your threshold of discernment, which is not absolute and constant. If you like it, and your happy with the sound, that’s all that really matters.

[@goodgoat3096]

My 1sts system eons ago was a 15 wpc Fisher integrated amp, Dynaco A25 speakers, and a Miracord turntable. The specs by todays standards were terrible, but I much enjoyed that system. Audiophiles should learn to just lay back and do the same

[@brettsterrett1909]

Jay, I appreciate more and more with your common sense. I believe many well meaning KZbinrs fall into the catagories that you have suggested, some I have to take with a grain of salt. Keep up the good work with your journey. Now I just wish I could afford a lot of what you recommend!

[@eugeniustheodidactus8890]

Your content is so appreciated ! I am now curating components for my first decent sound system and learning so much from you. Many thanks.

[@burton7023]

You are probably my favorite reviewer

[@Coneman3]

Measurements only tell you so much about a hifi system. You are right that the ear is the best final judge.

[@HD-su9sq]

Thank you for letting us follow you iyage. So many decisions that we make are clouded by emotions and prejudices. We have all made at least some of these mistakes.

[@mitchdowning8188]

You just provided insights that will save new and old audiophiles alike lot of missteps in their iyagi (journey). Yes, its hard for most of us to listen, but if we blindly accept what we're told without experimenting and experiencing things for ourselves, then there's not much chance of getting anywhere near the joy of discovery. Sometimes the truth is just the opposite of what we once believed when using the best scientific methods or principles we were taught. In just the last few months I've seen and heard new ideas come to light and come to fruition. For someone with your youth and enthusiasm, there's bound to be many new revelations to come.

[@brianlewis5042]

Great video. I was a no sub woofer guy until I purchased one for my system. That’s the only thing I disagree with you. For myself, I use a sub to compliment my speakers for a two channel setup. What I experienced was tighter and more accurate bass. The one thing I wasn’t expecting was the midrange opened up and became more resolving. Otherwise your advise is spot on and your viewers are lucky to hear these things.

[@herrtrigger7220]

unless you were able to filter the low frequencies away from the main speakers, the subs had no effect on the midrange a all. pure sighted listening right there, the midrange didn't change but the way you perceived it did.

[@stjernholmreviews]

Love your angle here on subjective vs measurements vs art... That is also what I "preach" on my channel. AND I LOVE YOU ARE HONEST! I only use measurements when I need to solve a problem. Will recommend your channel on my channel. YOU ROCK, Jay!

[@newsigmundfreud3023]

*So well said! Wisdom and reality which you found on your own. Admitting to mistakes and sharing your clarity. THANK YOU.*

[@timothyfreeseha4056]

I'm glad you mentioned measurements as a criteria for vetting products. Then, of course, sound is paramount. Great advice.

[@levdeich9541]

Thanks Jay. I enjoyed this video today. A major factor that many people fail to account for in audio is the mindset of the listener. How do you scientifically explain that some people with a placebo pill actually get healed? It is not rare. In fact it happens in almost every pharmaceutical study. The same thing happens in audio every single day,. Elements that impact your mind are actually just as important as the performance of the product. A nicer room, the high price of the gear, attractive equipment, lighting, type of music, the comfort of your seat are all examples of elements that impact your mindset that can determine your listening enjoyment of a specific system. It is no coincidence that many audio vendors spend a lot of money on cosmetics, design, and user experience that have no measurable impact on the performance of audio-- it helps set your mindset to enjoy your gear. Lots of cool psychology going on here that cannot be under estimated (and it is certainly not unique to audio). Of course, some people are immune to this, which explains why we see diverging opinions/reviews online. Curious to hear what others think.

[@RennieAsh]

Most people dismiss the psychological effects. They are so used to what they perceive as being 100% real that's it's hard to accept things like knowing what component you just swapped to or being told what technology this amplifier runs on, side and type of speakers, cables etc Don't forget the story that's told for equipment is a big factor .I think people like to believe they have something that was carefully crafted to be this or that, or was accidentally discovered etc

[@puffdragon55]

if you like the sound and your happy that enough

[@jfritzy4358]

Great description of your experiences. Inspired me to share a recent unexpected experience. My background is EE degree with 40+ years Aerospace electronics and audio hobby. Measurements and test data are important to both. In some cases chasing measurement minutia does not provide an answer. Experimentation and experience find a solution. My current audio system came together based on technical data, subjective reviews, experimentation, hours of personal listening, and learning from bad choices during my long journey. Recently organized my speaker cables (12 gauge copper stranded wire) into cable raceways strictly for cosmetic reasons. The raceways are mounted to the baseboard trim. Zero expectation of any change in sound. Time constraints left me with Left channel in the raceway and Right channel on the floor for a couple days. Total surprise there was a change in sound to the degree suspected something wrong with Right channel. Soundstage moved left. Checked connections everywhere. Swapped channels at the source, made no difference. Could find no reason for the shift left. Moved on to finish the Right channel cable installation in the raceways. After, Soundstage moved back to the center. No explanation for this unexpected result, but it happened.

[@doskiller9693]

This video is why I follow this channel ........ thanks Jay ........ ;-)

[@davidjoudrey802]

Well Jay I think this is the best video you’ve ever done

[@markhusbands6132]

One of your best videos Jay.

[@ledze973]

I have a different story, In the 90' I have a Carver 1090, and it sounds very blatant in my room. Then I had an opportunity to take it to an audiophile store and compare it with many exoteric brand gears. What I listening was that a Carver sounded a lot better, the soundstage was huge and pin pointed the musicians. Also, that mimics the sound of a tube amp that cost 6 times his price. I came out not with a new amp, but with my first flat-panel speakers.

[@ufarkingicehole]

Great content. I agree with everything you mentioned 👍 👏 🙌 👌. For cables.... pure copper vs copper coating vs silver makes a massive difference. Also the AWG makes a difference. I have settled on quality pure copper 10-12awg cables work for me. I think the resistance changes (ohms) is the difference.

[@ericharrelson32]

I'd say the changes are most likely associated in the time domain.

[@sama7545]

Really enjoyed this video. It might be one of your best. Personal. Thoughtful. Well reasoned.

[@anthonymoore1175]

Well said! I really liked this. 👏 What we measure and what we hear aren’t the same. Trust your ears and your emotional connection to the music

[@robertashley6394]

Thanks for sharing your stories and thoughts on these things . Very interesting and enjoyable to listen to.

[@richardhernandez7741]

Yay! Jay gets it! Flat Earthers who argue only on the merits of some dogma they heard first, can with time learn the real magic of audio, specs be damned. One never hears about an experienced audiophile going backward into the thought that everything is snake oil if the specs don't prove it. Good talk Jay...

[@johnnguyen6026]

Great video brother. Very scientific and philosophical at the same time.

[@raspucin70]

Best part? Its the hunt. Yes its frustrating, but the worst part of a hobby is boredom. You cannot always get the winning combo, and yes it gets frustrating and disappointing, but man, when you hit that jackpot and you get that "hair at the back of your neck" sensation when you hear something new in the song that you've heard hundred times...it all pays off. Thank you for sharing your iyagi with us, it helps to know that I am not the only one who is always thirsty for something different (not necessary better)

[@hiresaudiocosta873]

What is most important with regards to a stereo system is NOT perfect frequency response. But rather stereo imaging characteristics (such as soundstage depth, width, three dimensionality, layering, focus, and most importantly separation between instruments. ) Otherwise one can have a single speaker with perfect tonality. Not really considered “stereo “.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

Jay, that was really interesting. I remember trying to come to your rescue online a few years ago when you were being mauled by the anti-cable brigade. It's wonderful to hear you comment that "music is art". I think that's obvious to most people who are passionate about music, but I often think that simple truth goes missing with so many of the measurement obsessed guys. Knowing that you have a scientific background only emphasises that you are a highly intelligent man who isn't afraid to think for himself. I stumbled across this video after watching an Audio Science review of the Marantz SA-10 - a review which irked me!

[@ericharrelson32]

Jay, I appreciate you sharing your honest experiences, especially the spicy ones. Thanks

[@RedSinter]

Dear Jay...nice coming to these realizations are like "The Truth will set you Free." That you've come to these is fabulous...nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. Growth is what we like, Integrateds, all go through. I too have a Science background though not specifically as yours. My background was Metallography and Metallurgy. Be that as it may the literal brains I delt with and I do mean brains people with registered IQ's 165 or better when asked what I assumed were simple questions replied, I don't know. I suppose the moral being, the more I learned, the more I realized how little I knew. But one thing I did learn audio wise from my hay day, of the 70's, with it was as you have discovered is it's in the listening and how it makes you feel. Thomas says this often too. Thank you for sharing your awakening.

[@lib0r]

I appreciate soooo much you sharing your experiences. Thank you 👍

[@fdee6998]

Thanks for sharing those learnings Jay. Best part of this video was explaining the Iyagi connection your grandfather shared with you. How he made the stories he shared with you more interesting. You might enjoy a movie called Big Fish from Tim Burton. Maybe you’ve seen it. But if not you might enjoy how the Iyagi transformed in time between a father and his son as well as all the people whose lives the father positively affected. A beautiful story. Keep up the great Iyagi Jay. Maybe one day you’ll make a movie about it 😊

[@hilde45]

Some measurements correlate very clearly and directly with experienced sound. The idea that there is something called subjectivity at work is a red herring. There are many things that we just do know not how how to measure. This is not saying that measurement will eventually do it all but there is a lot of hype around measurement. But that doesn’t create a subjective versus objective divide. I wish that falsity would stop being repeated.

[@genkifd]

awesome vid man. keep up the good work.

[@CAthomaselliott]

Our ears are not simple sensors, so simple measurements that capture 1 dimensional metrics are blind to the complex of sound and time when recordings are reproduced. Measurements are a means of identifying whether there are major failures in a product and it will never tell us how something sounds. This is why we have reviewers like you, distilling what you are hearing into something descriptive to help us understand what we're listening to. Thank you for your efforts.

[@RennieAsh]

And yet your ears and brain are different, like different music, sound, are in different rooms, different gear, and you think he's going to be a good reference for you? Lol. It's one thing to be subjective for yourself, it's another to think other people are a good way to "understand" what _you're_ hearing

[@stackoverflow8260]

I'm going through the same thing.. I'm an engineer and I have a PhD in neuromorphic computing and Bachelors and Masters in Electrical engineering. I am aware of most of Electrical engineering that goes into audio devices. My background demands for numbers and objectivity but my ears want subjectivity...

[@enlitenaudio6517]

Best video you've done to date, finally you get to the heart of things (not the 'head' of things) - who cares about nitpicking. However one thing is missing in this video: "Thank You Adrian". BTW you might consider more study re: subs - a great sub will improve and 'complete' the music - way into the midrange. You might want to do further investigation on this topic IMHO.

[@corymarcotte5853]

Excellent job Jay. It benefits all use to hear the human side.

[@isobutylquinoline]

Great to hear you mention that the more you've experienced in this hobby, the less you know. The Dunning-Kruger effect is really strong in a lot of fields, especially in audio. Science is about trial and error and discovery. Every amazing speaker, conductor, amplifier, streamer, server, and the like that will absolutely blow our minds is out there waiting to be built and discovered, isn't that exciting? To me that is what makes life just a gift. If I sat around all day with books written by so called experts and some measuring equipment, thinking that everything under the sun when it comes to audio is already known then I'd probably find another hobby. That, or I'd sit around on certain forums with my jaded and grumpy cultists ready to swarm anybody actually happy like a school of piranhas.

[@TheCharlesAtoz]

Jay? What? You are not a jaded fuddy-duddy?! And you're not a self-proclaimed expert KZbinR?! Good video and mature. Keep it going!!

[@robertreynolds2212]

The longer I've spent in this hobby, the more I've based purchases off of subjective impression as opposed to the objective data. As long as YOU enjoy the music, it shouldn't matter how well it measures compared to other setups.

[@jozefserf2024]

Measurements matter but some matter a lot more because our hearing is not linear. It's far easier to ignore bass distortion than any mid or treble issues.

[@tcc5750]

I'm an objectivist and I agree with you. One thing that I learned the hard way was that reliability and build quality is often quite poor in well measuring devices. Had several SMSL and Topping products go bad on me or simply arrived DoA. In comparison Gustard, Singxer, Schiit, RME, Parasound, Benchmark, and Burson have been much better for me in the long run. Some of them measure poorly, but it is what it is. My made in Korea Hidition Viento measure worse than 64Audio U12T, but I prefer the build quality and subjectively prefer the sound on the Hidition Viento IEM. If I only went by measurements then Hidition Viento should be inferior and worse than U12T.

[@mgsee]

Listening to your video on headphones I heard a deep 'thud' around the 20:29 mark that had me looking around to see if something had happened in the house or outside! 😀

[@nativochileno7091]

EXCELENTE TRABAJO MUCHAS GRACIAS UN FUERTE ABRAZO DESDE SANTIAGO DE CHILE HONESTY WITH YOURSELF

[@bjornganslandt37]

So true. You are on the right track. BR 🙏❤️

[@oleksiifilippov68]

Wow, Jay, that is sooooo true!

[@martinbishop2966]

Great video, I agree with everything you say especially integrated amplifiers which are now so good that why buy a pre/power? More expense, more cables and more space needed on the rack, it's a no brainer. My integrated amp is an Audiolab 8300A which I am completely happy with and is the best amplifier I have ever had in my system.🙂

[@HPLeft]

I balanced my system to sound at least acceptable while listening to the vast majority of recordings that I wanted to hear (many of which were badly multi-miked orchestral recordings from the 1970s and 1980s). That meant choosing a system that was more musical than coldly accurate. It also lead me to realize that loudspeakers were the most important element in the chain and everything else was largely secondary, either enhancing the speakers or detracting from them. I ended up owning nothing but Apogee loudspeakers (at least in my big rig) from the mid-1980s to today (with my Duetta Signatures now approaching 30 years of age and going strong - although if I keep them, I will likely have them rebuilt over the next few years). I also always heard differences in cables - although my conclusion was that while they sounded different, their sound was highly system-dependent. So what sounded good in a thin-sounding audio rig might sound quite bad in a more rich sounding rig. And cost often had little to do with how cables sounded in your particular system. This idea that cables had no sound of their own was completely foreign to my experience. So I remain deeply suspicious of the 'measurement' cult in audio - and reviews in magazines. I remember Sam Tellig of Stereophile raving about a CD player (a Pioneer PD-65) that, when I heard it, sounded so harsh and edgy, it ended up getting me into tube preamps and tube D/As for about a decade. I try to read through Amir's site from time-to-time, just to see what they're saying, but the attitudes there are often so harsh and dogmatic, I mostly lurk.

[@charleshuguley9903]

What seems more likely to me is that, considering two positions, truth probably lies not somewhere in the middle, but somewhere outside the entire framework.

[@mitchdowning8188]

a true understanding of the hegelian dielectic. that third choice is where the truth resides.

[@ptg01]

Your grandpa is SMART !!!!

[@tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120]

Great Job Jay!!!! Yes the music is about fueling your soul) Tune in and Tune out And get lost in the moment 😃

[@johnnydingo8680]

Keep on your journey grasshopper, one day you will get there 😊

[@Langeloudspeakers]

Beautiful video, it gives justice to some products designed also around the parameter "passion".

[@saltzine]

👍 Science is about discovery not necessarily determination, thus “settled science” is a specious notion.

[@theodoro89]

I had the exact opposite experience. I used to buy things just by reviews without looking at measurements and while my gear sounded interesting, I didn't connect to my music until I got good measuring gear. The problem is you can't get perfect gear, so you'll end up at some point fixing stuff by trial and error. So if someone doesn't fully understand what the measurements mean, there's merit to only build an audio system just by trial and error and sometimes it's more fun. But for me, without measurements I'm just running in circles.

[@jasonpmcqueen]

When it comes to cables my view is that they can change the sound, but that they shoudnt change the sound (if that makes sense). A well designed cable should not affect the sound significantly and if the sound IS being affected, then the cable is acting as a tone control by taking the signal and changing it in someway that it shouldn't be doing.

[@adambrown8867]

If something is good enough, it's good enough. You won't gain anything more, except an ego boost by spending more. I only foresee 3 upgrades with my system. 1: A moderately priced tablet that transmits LDAC, or aptx hd/lossless Bluetooth. 2: A line level high pass filter designed by Danny at GR Research. 3: A pair of SVS or Rythmik subwoofers.

[@EskWIRED]

The only exception is that a great amplifier can make OK speakers sound really pretty good. Better than they would otherwise.

[@TheHiFiMechanik]

How amazing, really love your channel 😜

[@errolallen5007]

Jay don’t worry about money. I’ve been listening to receivers since 17 and now at 57 I moved to a C49 and a MC462 from McIntosh. 😂😂😂😂you don’t have to be rich just patient.

[@niente58]

Your best video Jay.. It all led to this know how... 🙂

[@HawkFest]

7:02 it's weird, because cables are probably the most scientifically deterministic element of a sound system. Shielding, material, diameter and design etc all are parameters that will expose the quality of a cable to transport and electrical current with the least amount of interference and additional noise (can be measured in that sense). That said, at a certain quality level, those differences don't make much difference, especially with balanced signals (I'm not talking about those cables that are sold between 50 cents and 4 bucks at Alibaba).

[@keithgoh123]

Yeah it comes down to good production quality for high resolution/bitrate to really shine.

[@crimsonghost6454]

Its all just a journey. Good stuff Jay.

[@freelancer1499]

Hey Jay, can u share how were your experiences using the Western electric RCA/speaker cables in modern systems? Really curious about them cos they are sold for me locally by a audiophile made by himself. Thanks!

[@MiguelAngelVelazquez]

Nice video. I absolutely agree with you. Also speaker crossover and amplifier components: capacitors, inductors, resistors. They sound different. That's a reality even if science cannot measure those differences.

[@roccobruno8027]

That is so lovely.

[@arnejensen9216]

Thanks for the video! I really like how you merge facts and measurements with personal experiencess that are just undeniable even if not explainable with pure knowledge. There are so many parameters that dont apear on any datasheet and cant be measured with any test equipement but nonetheless they are there. In my opinion the biggest factor of how much joy music can give you is set and setting...of course this is rather useles when it comes to reviewing and I'm sure it's possible to assume a certain "mode" of objective listening if you know what to listen for and train you perception accordingly but I'm sure not every reviewer on youtube is aware of the fact that a setup that makes you smile blissfully on one day might do nothing even close on another day simply because the mixture of hormones in our blood is never the same. Anyway...your videos are always refreshing to watch and I like your way of explaining why things which I thought to be snake oil in fact are not that slippery at all...I once had a pair of straight wire interconnects and with some amp/source combinations I thought they sounded better than other interconnects...back then I thought cables dont matter though and that it's purely imagination and I sold them...big mistake...I miss them! Thanks for not trying to explain whats not to explain and making me accept that if it sounds great it IS great...why is irrelevant.

[@novicatoncic6908]

All good points Jay except the integrated amp, separates still lead the way. To date I haven’t heard any integrated capable of replacing my seps. Including H390, moon 600i etc.

[@jackfalco5351]

Pass?

[@KingFiercer_zip]

Very good points

[@ianstorm45]

An OEM of speakers have to have a point of reference to go by to ensure that all speakers are meeting specks” But this chamber or room used for these measurements looks nothing like our listening space and it doesn’t mean that the perfectly measured speaker going to sound great at our home, we will have to do some additional work.

[@eprohoda]

broth ,Yahoo. breathtaking vlog!see u around!

[@dan.nathan]

Thanks for the video Jay, I really appreciate the humble demeanor you bring to this hobby. Through my journey, I have made similar mistakes to you - also coming from a scientific background. However, when it comes to cables and hearing a difference I think it's too narrow to simply say that it goes against science. The scientific method starts with observation, not rules or laws. Too many times I have listened to people try to explain to me why I shouldn't be able to hear a difference due to scientific principles, but how does one know for sure that known electrical principles correlates to what is perceived with ones ear? What if 10 people hear it? What if its 1,000? - Shouldn't one set out to formulate hypothesis which can be tested when something new is being observed? This is science. ASR has gotten it backwards. You don't explain with measurements what should be heard, instead you try to measure what is being heard.

[@davidjosephgill9702]

This is awesome. I am on the same page with all that you said!

[@adamjj85]

Great video Jay and interesting perspective on the first one about good measuring speakers vs. emotional connection. Have you found that there is a commonality with boosts in certain frequencies or type of dispersion pattern of speakers that causes this engagement? I'm thinking there has to be an engineering explanation for this.

[@chlopen1]

when I was 16 years old, I got old speakers made in communist Czechoslovakia (Tesla 1PF 067 08) and they played amazingly! once I went outside and I understood them 7 floors down and I was surprised that there was a label at the back max 35Watts,

[@chlopen1]

i was playing metal bass guitar at the time, and i bought a TESLA Music 70 AZK 450 tube amp for about $30 and played through it for 2 years perfectly happy, but a 400 watt transistor American Bass 400 came along...what to say it had a horrible sound and wouldn't play as much as the 70w tubeamp :) those were the times of adolescence ...

[@herrtrigger7220]

The gear you were hearing in the showroom had 2 things your home system didn't: acoustics and the visual impact of very expensive impressive gear, also known as sighted listening. As a neuroscience guy you know that. I'm sure you have some treatments in your room but it isn't the showroom. Have a friend swap cables from left to right, in a way you cannot see them of course, using $30 cables vs $3K cables. Try and see how many out of 10 attempts you can get. After a few runs you'll find you can't reliably get it right beyond 50/50. If they actually made a difference, you'd get all 10 attempts right every time. They don't make a difference, if any cable company could demonstrate this using controls in a double-blind level-matched test that they'd own the market. Measurements make difference when you buy a 500 watt amp only to discover it actually makes just 350 watts. Owners will say "oh, it still sounds great" but inside they know they got ripped off by a dishonest company. ASR represents the middle-ages dogmatic way of thinking: if it can't be shown on a scope it doesn't exist. They're the modern day version of (arrogant) flat earthers, hilarious.

[@emarshallp]

Great, now i have a rotel 991 amp, a parasound zpre3, a pair of Dali oberon 7 with a topping d50s. Wishing to know the weaker link on my system. I believe is the dac but i'm considering on buying a audiolab 6000a play to substitute my d50s and my rotel. Also considering replacing my dac for a vmv d1se, because of your great review. Now after viewing your video cables, hahaha. Lets see what i'm going to do. Thanks for sharing your knoledge. Greetings from Argentina, south america!

[@davidcrawford2498]

Hi Jay: Watch and enjoy your channel. I was wanting to install diffusers in my home theater and wanted to get information on the diffuser in your studio. Appreciate your help. David

[@xavi-HH-108]

Thank you so much Jay. Your passion and honesty is truly appreciated. Like you I have come to truly appreciate what my ears are experiencing, what grabs and moves me. So, in my modest system, cables truly matter. They have always mattered, just not to the extent of my DAC or my phono cartridge. I once heard this wise saying: "measurements can only be used to explain what we hear". John Curl himself, if I'm not mistaken. Please keep up your amazing journey, we're all along for the ride....

[@terryhu57]

Jay, apparently your Grandfather lives on with you also. Wonderful story.

[@NemoPropaganda]

But Jay... EVERYONE needs a subwoofer!!!!!!!!!! jk jk, bass is a lot like treble in that how much is enough is a very personal experience.

[@tysonn4736]

Great video. Subscribed.

[@chironjo]

How would you improve my music sound by adding/changing from my setup: L+R+C Wharfedale EVO 4.2 and 4.4 (I wanted to watch TV listening from Center channel), Yamaha Adventage RX-A2A receiver, Rega P3 phono, Apple Music app in my TV connected through eARC to receiver and CDs played through a Sony Blu-ray player?

[@BIGSMONITORS]

phase response of cables as well as in/output impedance interactions seem to explain all aspects of cable characteristics in systems - yes cables make a difference but its easily explainable and demonstrable - any scientist in e/m propagation and an understanding of Maxwells equations can make sense of cable performance and resulting listening experiences. Same is true of acoustical performance of speakers in rooms except its a wave phenomena in an elastic medium with boundary conditions. Very complex and not worth analyzing - easier to just listen and be bewildered and confused - and then hope for happy synergies through the guidance of trial and error

[@ace_king]

Great video, all good points. I agree w/ you on everything but subs. Subs are very difficult to integrate properly, especially in high end audio where accuracy is really important but if you add it correctly you’ll never go back! But badly integrated subs do more harm than good which is probably where you’re coming from?

[@Jayiyagi]

I’m coming from the department that subs are not necessary for all speakers and all listening habits