If you want here is some real speaker nonsense

[CJ14]

This company think putting more passive electronics between the power amp and speaker will improve the sound, do you think this a good idea or just a waste of money?

https://www.fidelity-magazine.com/hms-suprema-ls/

 

[CJ14]

Now this chap has some very strong views on cable, some wrong but interesting.

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

 

[Greyandy]

What is it supposed to do (apart from send you to audio nivarna...)?

 

[CJ14]

Waste power destroy damping or just to look pretty and to show visitors that you have money and glitter. Not seen the circuit so not a clue sorry .

But I do love that the designer he thought of high current above 1A has the the tiny toggle switch will weld closed better or better still open circuit.

But if you have to add this magic box on you amp or speaker to improve the sound, this make me think the designers of the amp or the speaker did a bad job.

No a speaker cable should be a cable to drive power to a motor(speaker) fast and with low impedance over the whole bandwidth of control, so the power supply (amp) has control of the motor and load and not the other way round.

 

[Eyebroughty]

Apparently the person behind the development of these speaker cables is a special person

a handful of developers on the entire highend scene who are like Strassner and not only seriously know what they’re doing but are also exceptional individuals

The cable costs, from doing a search, 6500 Euros for a 3 metre pair, draw your own conclusion.

 

[tuga]

A cheaper option:

 

[yeti42]

The linked article is plainly wrong, it says H “Strassner needs no introduction”, well I’ve never heard if him.

 

[Chris81]

The review is from a German hifi magazine and HMS is a German company. I guess it was meant to be that "in Germany" he doesn't need an introduction which might be right in many cases for people who are buying such expansive cables.

 

[narabdela]

The linked article is plainly wrong, it says H “Strassner needs no introduction”, well I’ve never heard if him.

Neither have I, but for me the real nugget of bollox was: HMS cables are sometimes accused of being so technically perfect that they make some systems even sound “too perfect.”

 

[Hooch500]

Exactly the sort of horseshit I was referring to in another thread ( subjectivist versus science ). There must be about 5E worth of crappy parts in that box.

 

[CJ14]

Exactly the sort of horseshit I was referring to in another thread ( subjectivist versus science ). There must be about 5E worth of crappy parts in that box.

No there is more valuable Oxygen in the box than parts, shame all that effort and money to make glitter could have gone to Ukraine to help save kids.

Neither have I, but for me the real nugget of bollox was: HMS cables are sometimes accused of being so technically perfect that they make some systems even sound “too perfect.”

With signal changer and distorters in the signal not a chance.

It looks a Zobel and choke filter network Ideal for most Class D (digital lies) amplifiers with all the spike load noise on there output ( spit curse).

 

[CJ14]

Neither have I, but for me the real nugget of bollox was: HMS cables are sometimes accused of being so technically perfect that they make some systems even sound “too perfect.”

Now now his Boots deaf aid may be broken now be nice, heheheheh
And who accused him of the great crime? Oh the boss did Strassner himself. mmmmm

 

[Tony L]

I had one of the Spectral/MIT interconnects for a short while ages ago, the type with a box inline containing some passive components. Very obviously a filter to my ears (it seemed to smooth-out the very top-end), though it was quite nice on CD. I sold it on for what I paid for it once I moved to a valve amp, which just sounded superb with digital regardless. I was always uneasy having unnecessary passive components in the signal path, but interesting to try nonetheless. As ever if one buys sensibly second hand this stuff is free. It cost nothing to try beyond a temporary returnable investment. No idea what the hell is going on in that speaker cable box, but looks like some inductors, resistors and capacitors, so I don’t understand how it could avoid attenuating the signal!

 

[chartz]

The price is impossibly high for what’s inside the box. The new marketing trick seems to show what’s inside. People who don’t have a clue about electronics will undoubtedly be impressed and bite.
I for one just can’t stop laughing. Putting just a few components (cheap) inside a fancy box can’t cost thousands, can it?
Risible at best, depressing to me.

 

[tuga]

I had one of the Spectral/MIT interconnects for a short while ages ago, the type with a box inline containing some passive components. Very obviously a filter to my ears (it seemed to smooth-out the very top-end), though it was quite nice on CD. I sold it on for what I paid for it once I moved to a valve amp, which just sounded superb with digital regardless. I was always uneasy having unnecessary passive components in the signal path, but interesting to try nonetheless. As ever if one buys sensibly second hand this stuff is free. It cost nothing to try beyond a temporary returnable investment. No idea what the hell is going on in that speaker cable box, but looks like some inductors, resistors and capacitors, so I don’t understand how it could avoid attenuating the signal!

Could it be acting as a low-pass filter?
Many NOS DACs also roll-off the top end, probably their most appealing "quality" (when used with "bright"/"harsh"/"grainy" ancilliaries).

How do you know that it did not attenuate the signal? Did you perform any acoustic or electical measurements?

 

[Tony L]

Could it be acting as a low-pass filter?
Many NOS DACs also roll-off the top end, probably their most appealing "quality" (when used with "bright"/"harsh"/"grainy" ancilliaries).

How do you know that it did not attenuate the signal? Did you perform any acoustic or electical measurements?

My subjective guess is it was acting as an ultrasonic filter, so yes, an LPF of some degree. I had no measurement ability at that point, this was well over a decade ago. I don’t think it was applying any broad-band attention as basic human psychology always selects the slightly louder component on an A B dem (assuming it isn’t driving a system into clipping or limiting), hence some dubious dealers being spotted riding the volume knob on occasion. I did like the Spectral lead (an MI-330) subjectively on a digital source, far less so on analogue. I was always suspicious of it though, there is just no logical reason for passive components in a cable unless one it trying to filter or EQ something, and in that case there are better ways. I personally avoid any EQ (again I don’t want any unnecessary crap, be it passive, active or digital, in the signal path), but do very carefully set stuff up with regards to position and turntable parameters, plus I use valve kit so a lot of final taste-tuning can be done by tube-rolling.

 

[paulfromcamden]

The price is impossibly high for what’s inside the box.

Just wait until you see how much some folk charge for speakers cables that don't have special boxes!

 

[Joe Hutch]

And while some will show off the fancy innards to lure the gullible and technically ignorant, others will keep the cable components top secret, and/or make subtle references to the 'military specifications' and 'hospital grade equipment' used in their manufacture.

 

[tuga]

My subjective guess is it was acting as an ultrasonic filter, so yes, an LPF of some degree. I had no measurement ability at that point, this was well over a decade ago. I don’t think it was applying any broad-band attention as basic human psychology always selects the slightly louder component on an A B dem (assuming it isn’t driving a system into clipping or limiting), hence some dubious dealers being spotted riding the volume knob on occasion. I did like the Spectral lead (an MI-330) subjectively on a digital source, far less so on analogue. I was always suspicious of it though, there is just no logical reason for passive components in a cable unless one it trying to filter or EQ something, and in that case there are better ways. I personally avoid any EQ (again I don’t want any unnecessary crap, be it passive, active or digital, in the signal path), but do very carefully set stuff up with regards to position and turntable parameters, plus I use valve kit so a lot of final taste-tuning can be done by tube-rolling.

It is also my experience that a simpler signal path sounds better.

Have you ever listened to Spectral amplifiers? (don't know if they were ever available in the UK)

 

[Tony L]

It is also my experience that a simpler signal path sounds better.

Have you ever listened to Spectral amplifiers? (don't know if they were ever available in the UK)

Only at a hi-fi show. The kit didn’t make much if any impression on me other than my rather liking the styling of the preamp. Just sounded like perfectly competent solid-state amplification. The person demonstrating it was however a pompous, arrogant and patronising bell-end having a right go at a perfectly legitimate question from someone else in the room. At that point I lost all interest and left.