I Challenge GR-Research To Blind Test His Own Audiophile Speaker Cables On Camera.

I ask a HiFi manufacturer GR-Research to blind test his own speaker cables that they sell. Danny Richie, the founder gladly accepts. Do Audiophile Cables matter? Is it going to work for everyone?

Related Videos:

0:00 Backstory
1:47 Was Danny Able To Tell A Difference?
12:59 Why is the GR-Research HiFi Cable Better?
16:21 Is There Measurements For Better HiFi Cables?
18:00 How do you design Better HiFi Cables?
19:35 Should You Get GR-Research Cables?

#hifi #audiophile #homeaudio

[Jayiyagi]

*Hey guys. Thank you for stopping by. If the video was helpful or entertaining to you, please consider clicking the like button on the video*
*NOTE 1 (RE: BLIND AB Protocals): as with any cable video or blind tests, people like to comment with how they "think" the test should have been conducted. Please keep note that this test was done with limited resources, time and flaws and therefore is not a perfect blind test. I still think it was better than nothing and entertaining/fun, you may think otherwise and that is fine. Some are asking for my credentials, which is fair. I won't put my entire resume here but I currently work as a researcher (scientist) managing 3 different teams in the field of neuroscience and cognition but that isn't to persuade you into thinking that the blind test I did with Danny is perfect because it is not. I did what I can with time, resources and my own funding available to do it. It's just a matter of people pointing out the obvious flaws (which sure, that is fine) but if some are going to go far as to "tell me how do it right and how I should have done it" - well then, I naturally challenge them to do it themselves and show that it can be done with limited resources and time. Show me how it's done! If I can learn from it, I will. Far as I know, I don't see much blind AB attempts or discussions on youtube*
*NOTE 2 (RE: CABLES USED): Some are commenting that I should have used a similar gauge cable while some are commenting that I should have tested Danny with the Aliexpress cable. I will explain why I did neither of those things. Firstly, there was limited time and resource and so while these tests would have been interesting, I went for the broader topic of "does a generic cable sound different from an audiophile cable and can the manufactures of those cables tell the difference from a "stock cable" or 16awg zip cord which is the most common. If I was testing the same gauge cable as the GR-Research cable, then I'd have to find an 8AWG cable which is not as common and this would also mean that we are totally ignoring and skipping the fact that many cable measurement gurus say that the 16awg zip cord is just as good with no difference in the application of home audio where cable lengths are not terribly long. Some said there was an obvious difference between them because of the differences in the gauges (thickness) of the cables, which may or may not be true but measurement wise, it is not true that there is an obvious difference and so with anything there is a step 1, 2 and 3. I can't skip to step 2 and assume gauges make a difference when measurements do not support that. Hence I went with the very basic step first, which is to test STOCK vs NON-Stock cables. As for the aliexpress cable, again, the comments vary from asking why I didn't take the aliexpress cable to why I didn't modify the aliexpress cable in a similar way to GR-Research's cable and then test it with Danny. To put it simply, again it was skipping to step 3 before even addressing the simpler questions and steps. The title of the video wasn't "can the aliexpress cable be modified to be as a good as the GR-Research cable" - although an interesting topic that I might pursue later, it isn't the topic in this video. Aliexpress cable was simply not brought with me because I quite frankly thought it sounded terrible even compared to other normal generic cables I have at home that I have tested. Quite frankly, I can attest that the generic 16 awg we used in this video was much better than the aliexpress cable. Hopefully this clears up some confusion or questions some of you guys have.*


Related Videos:



0:00 Backstory
1:47 Was Danny Able To Tell A Difference?
12:59 Why is the GR-Research HiFi Cable Better?
16:21 Is There Measurements For Better HiFi Cables?
18:00 How do you design Better HiFi Cables?
19:35 Should You Get GR-Research Cables?

#hifi #audiophile #homeaudio

[scottbayne]

This says ALOT about Danny. Name ONE other industry person who would allow this to happen and be videoed real-time! Bravo Danny!

[bearclaw]

Good on Danny to put himself on the line and he came out on top! Thanks to Jay for putting in some serious effort to answer the question "Do cables make a difference?".

[franciscoortiz]

Thanks for honesty. Dannys cable is kinda reasonable. But in the end one has to decide. 1000/pr + $30 speaker cable vs $800/pr + $230 speaker cable. To this day... better speaker with cheaper cable always wins.

[Reyfox]

So glad you made the trip and are reporting what you experienced, heard and saw. This should be the norm in the industry, where people can get together and challenge manufacturers on their equipment.
Well done Jay and Danny!

[CristhianSerrano]

Jay and Dani giving the internet a lesson of how to go about controversies and disagreements, dialogue and conversation will Always be the answer kudos to you guys really fun video

[kraig]

This was one of the most educational videos I've seen a while. And just when he has me sold on the cables and tube connectors he brings me back down to earth with speakers and room treatment. I like my speakers now but my room is horrible.

[sloboat]

I hope you two do more of this. It was excellent.

[Venus_Isle]

You two lads should hook up together more often. It would be for the greater good in this audiophile world...

[freone]

8 out of 10 with non-audiophile recordings is very impressive. Thank you for taking time to do this. All my music is in crappy recordings and I can relate to this experience.

[zizendorf]

Wow! First time I've ever heard anyone reference Vienna Teng! She's fantastic - her writing and performing. She's also a warm, kind, and compassionate human being - met her prior to a show for a Q&A session. She's got a lot of great stuff out there!

[badgermike]

I think it's pretty awesome that you two were able to get together and discuss audio gear, and even do a blind cable test, without acrimony or even a hint of tension. Great series of videos.

[howardskeivys]

I recently took my 17 year old amp to my local dealer to have them return it to the manufacturer to be refurbished. When I purchased that amp 17 years ago, it was the manufacturer’s flagship model. It is still in production, but now is a MK3 and sports a remote control. Mine is a MK1 and doesn’t sport a remote.

When my refurbished MK1 came back into the store, the staff talked me into auditioning the 2 new amps now above mine in that manufacturer’s range, but, I insisted it be done, blind.

No, I didn’t were a blindfold or mask. All 3 amps were in a rack well behind the listening chair. The set up was totally different to my set up at home. Different cables, different speakers, different cd transport, different dac and vastly different room.

As soon as the 1st track was played through the 1st amp, i knew immediately, beyond question that, that amp was my trusty 17 year old MK1. When the staff member switched to the 2nd amp, I momentarily questioned my 1st decision. The 2nd amp sounded remarkably similar to the 1st. 2 or 3 tracks later I could pick out that the 2nd amp had fractionally tighter bass control. When the staff member switched to the 3rd amp, the sonic signature was very different, much more resolving! I had the amps 100% correct. Amp 1 was my MK1. Amp 2 was the next up in the range, costing twice as much. Amp 3 was the top of the range, 3 times the price.

That experiment was repeated multiple times, using alternative speakers. I correctly identified all 3 amps 100% of the time.

That MK1 amp was the beating heart of my system for 17 years. Thousands of hours of attentive listening. I knew it well. As should Danny know his speaker cable well. I would have thought that his 80% success rate was the very least that should be expected, especially as the comparison was against such a basic, unassuming cable. Prices weren’t mentioned here, but I’d bet Danny’s cable was way more than 80% higher than the Amazan basic?

[leoanthony]

Excellent interview, Jay. and Danny. This is the kind of content I love informative and without bias. I believe Danny has proven himself quite a few times now to be a straight shooter.

[trevorcrowe]

This is a long overdue discussion that I will be sharing quite often. There are so many important nuanced aspects of this discussion that seem to go over peoples heads. These things are argued “to death” on forums and FB discussions. Every discussion seems to inevitably distill down to arguments about the ability to hear differences.
I get so tired of people with desktop systems who cannot hear a difference TELLING others who CAN hear differences in their treated rooms, that they “shouldn’t hear a difference because it cannot be measured” or it’s “just your bias” or some “psychoacoustic placebo effect”.
Thank you guys for doing this.

[adamjj]

Props to Danny for agreeing to do this and also getting 8/10, very impressive! Also, I totally agree with your statements on the frustration about not being able to measure the differences. It would be a lot easier to communicate the benefits of things like this if there was a scientific way to detect and show the differences.

[charlesclifton]

80% accuracy is pretty darn good - especially considering the material selected. I would
need very high quality recordings wherein I was familiar with every nuance both engineered
and presented by the raw talent of the musicians. The fact that Danny chose to challenge
himself demonstrates the level of confidence he has in his products.

[BadMonkeyFinger_Audio]

So, now that I'm done watching this vid in its entirety, I have to say - this was a very entertaining and much-needed open discussion on the topic. Job well done.

[eightrodway]

Good on you Jay, for keeping an open mind and trusting your ears.

[DrGonzo-itfi]

Respect to GR Research for admitting to getting some wrong. And explaining that differences are subtle but evident in better recordings