Hysteria

Chicken Little, aka Henny Penny, told her barnyard friends "the sky is falling" and all bought in, much to the delight of the fox. We often believe hysterical myth when said with enough authority: seat belts restrict personal freedoms, without lead in gas our cars will never perform, the earth must be flat lest we fall off, and food manufacturers with Jedi mind tricks: "you don't need to know what you're eating, trust us." And then there are conspiracy theorists that counter good sense, like those convinced DSD is really a Sony-led plot, cables and electronics are all the same. I once had a manufacturer tell me the RIAA curve was contrived, a conspiracy amongst engineers, foisted on an unsuspecting public, and I should recoil in horror. The latest hysteria I have read about comes from JREF, the James Randi Foundation and their million dollar challenge, out to prove there's no difference between cables. Here's a great example of putting up a large enough barrier that people figure it's gotta be right. I mean, a million dollars and all. Trouble is, reviewer Michael Fremer tried his best to take the challenge and James Randi backed out, claiming the sky falling debate hadn't been stated properly enough. And now Randi's going after it again with a new set of cables and a new challenge. While great theater, this is hardly the stuff of rational men. My best advice when you're presented with hysterical claims and angry outbursts designed to intimidate and sway opinions, is to rely upon what's inside all of us. Common sense. I've performed multiple blind tests of cables, amps, preamps, software and other audio related things - and so have you - and the differences are obvious, the results repeatable. Common sense tells you you're right and bullying challenges should not change your opinion.