Hi-fi nonsense

Yeap - a professional Linn dealer who claimed power supply cables don't matter

I tried orange vs black sopras, black got more detail and a tighter bass, expended stage and my wife accepted only black.

So I went for the black!

Emre posted:

I tried orange vs black sopras, black got more detail and a tighter bass, expended stage and my wife accepted only black.

So I went for the black!

Brilliant 

Once you black you never go back.

I recall also being told by a hifi dealer in Cornwall, that speaker cables are not particularly important, their all much the same........

A lot of old nonsense, but I have had five pairs of N-Sats and the black lacquer ones sounded better than the others.

And it's most certainly the case that all black Fraim sounds so much better than maple etc.

I'll get me coat then. 

When it comes to hi fi separates, black boxes are certainly the way to go. 

wenger2015 posted:

I was reading a review on the focal Aria 926's Speakers  and it was claimed that they sounded better in black.....the black lacquer that is used helps the resonance, and helps in the overall performance ect ect 

I was somewhat disbelieving of this claim so checked this with the good people at Naim, the answer was ' it's a load of old nonsense' ...the colour of the speakers is immaterial.

So just wondered if anyone else has experienced what I would describe as Hi-fi Nonsense ...? 

 

I have had both colours on my system in my house and found that the second set sounded better than the first, and they are not black!  

Or, rather than better, different.

wenger2015 posted:

I was reading a review on the focal Aria 926's Speakers  and it was claimed that they sounded better in black.....the black lacquer that is used helps the resonance, and helps in the overall performance ect ect 

I was somewhat disbelieving of this claim so checked this with the good people at Naim, the answer was ' it's a load of old nonsense' ...the colour of the speakers is immaterial.

So just wondered if anyone else has experienced what I would describe as Hi-fi Nonsense ...? 

 

I have a horrible feeling that Naim have made a similar observation about one of their speakers too - I don't remember the exact details, but maybe Richard will recall it I'm correct? Who knows, maybe that's where Focal got the idea from!!

Maybe black speakers help in the inkiness department.

Chris, I think you are referring to the piano blacked finish compared to the veneers. There was certainly a difference, and I personally preferred them prior to having the piano black process applied. They did look nice though... 

btw, the n-SAts were done differently - I.e. They were piano black finished from the start rather than regular finish that was sent away to be done as was the case with the other speakers. Differences with the n-sat finishes were nowhere near as marked and were probably more down to the grille change. 

Of course there was the joke about either the black or white NACA5 being better than the other...

Richard Dane posted:

Chris, I think you are referring to the piano blacked finish compared to the veneers. There was certainly a difference, and I personally preferred them prior to having the piano black process applied. They did look nice though... 

btw, the n-SAts were done differently - I.e. They were piano black finished from the start rather than regular finish that was sent away to be done as was the case with the other speakers. Differences with the n-sat finishes were nowhere near as marked and were probably more down to the grille change. 

Of course there was the joke about either the black or white NACA5 being better than the other...

So am I to conclude. the piano black finish... does sound better... different? 

What do you mean joke Richard??

The black was definitely better .....!

A real night and day difference 

I had a dealer who thought the rosewood plinth on the LP-12 sounded better than the stock walnut. I went for the rosewood because it was prettier and you just never know. 

Grey is the new black when it comes to speaker cables. Do I need to illuminate? 

Black vs. white cabling may be a joke to most people, but I know a very knowledgable guy who insists that black insulation on wiring of any type has a negative effect on SQ.  He claims that the graphite used changes the electrical properties of the wire.  I can't say that I can tell the difference, and it's pretty hard to do a meaningful comparison.  Nevertheless, I followed his advice, and asked the electrician who installed a separate spur for me not to use black wire.  Needless to say, he thought I was nuts.

nigelb posted:

Grey is the new black when it comes to speaker cables. Do I need to illuminate? 

On form tonight Nigel. 

If the LP12 plinths and the Isobarik cabinets are made from different timber, oak, ash, rosewood, teak, afrimosa etc its almost certain they will sound different  well, they did to me !. Better or worse to many people, but certainly different. Colour induced differences from a coating would probably be masked and relatively insignificant.

If these timber items are all made from the same species, they would still sound different, depending on moisture content, grain, cell density......again, colour induced differences might exist but probably swamped by the underlying material.

With materials of more consistency, the pigment of a colour-coating might produce a difference in sound quality as outlined in the initial post.

I wouldn't take "the good people at Naim" and their "it's a load of old nonsense" too seriously. Speakers weren't exactly their greatest line of success...............but white NACA5 was definitely a step up on the black..............

Richard Dane posted:

Chris, I think you are referring to the piano blacked finish compared to the veneers. There was certainly a difference, and I personally preferred them prior to having the piano black process applied. They did look nice though... 

btw, the n-SAts were done differently - I.e. They were piano black finished from the start rather than regular finish that was sent away to be done as was the case with the other speakers. Differences with the n-sat finishes were nowhere near as marked and were probably more down to the grille change. 

Of course there was the joke about either the black or white NACA5 being better than the other...

Found it......actually, it seems it was the other way round! Apparently?

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...45#47323795888999045

nigelb posted:

Grey is the new black when it comes to speaker cables. Do I need to illuminate? 

An illustrious comment, Nigel

Adam Zielinski posted:

nigelb posted:

Grey is the new black when it comes to speaker cables. Do I need to illuminate? 

An illustrious comment, Nigel

Linn K20?

(running away)

Adam Zielinski posted:

nigelb posted:

Grey is the new black when it comes to speaker cables. Do I need to illuminate? 

An illustrious comment, Nigel

A true ' light bulb moment'... 

Trust your ears or eyes, have a home demo, see how they go with curtains! 

And ask your Wife!