Pear Cable CEO Calls James Randi's $1 Million Offer a Hoax

Paulhoff said:
NO, if there is a difference between 10 gage wire that I paid 20 cents a foot for, and this Pear BS wire for speakers, then they added capacitance or inductance or both to their wire.

Paul

:) :) :)
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Or DC resistance. Because the resistance of the cable forms a filter with the reactance of the speaker. But most sensible cables will have a "low enough" resistance.
 
I've just gotten off the phone with Michael Fremer.

I was reading about this story on Gizmodo and was absolutely shocked to see Fremer's name up there - I grew up about 5 minutes from his house and he's very close with my dad. I've been to his home on many occasions. Many times have I marveled at his record collection; more than once have I sat in front of his enormous speaker system and been amazed at the magic it worked on music that I thought sounded good on my paltry 5.1 computer speakers.

So naturally, when I saw the Gizmodo article I called him up right away. He had a few choice words to say about Randi that I won't repeat here. :)

But everything I know about Fremer tells me that he's right man for the job. He doesn't do astrology, ESP, or the paranormal; he's as atheist and skeptic as your average forum-goer here.

Music is his life and he has invested literally hundreds of thousands of dollars into his sound system. He certainly thinks that audio cables make a difference in audio quality. I can't say I'm anything of an audiophile myself, but I'll believe it if he says it. If you ever had the chance to hear his system, I think you'd agree.

Suffice it to say that I'll be very interested in what happens with this challenge. :)
 
You might be able to help Michael Fremer get past the name calling and take the challenge. Have you read through the archives on past applicants? It's a great way to see where negotiations go bad so you can avoid those pitfalls.
 
Dan O. said:
You might be able to help Michael Fremer get past the name calling and take the challenge. Have you read through the archives on past applicants? It's a great way to see where negotiations go bad so you can avoid those pitfalls.
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From the way Fremer described to me his emails with Randi, it sounded like Randi had some misconceptions about Fremer and what Fremer is claiming to do. I think it's also likely that Fremer has some misconceptions about Randi.

I don't think it's really my place to insert myself in this mess, especially when it's not clear who's at fault. I hope, as Fremer said to me on the phone, "that we'll be able to agree on a test and run it".
 
circuit_bent said:
If you think it's 'certainly possible', please put a case against my posts where I say it's definitely impossible.

Please describe how a well-made cable could sound "warm" or "phat".

I predict you might say by boosting or cutting certain frequencies, but then I'll say you didn't read my posts.
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Why the condition of "well made"?

The whole nature of audiophile claims come down to " My product has secret sauce in it that yours doesnt, and costs 100 times more"
 
circuit_bent said:
Err Joe, the idea is the signal is switched while the music or tone or whatever is playing. You want to hotswap the cables? That isn't exactly going to work too well, is it?

And can any A/B switch avoid betraying the switch. Especially at high speeds? That's what worries me about the signal switch idea. I don't know for sure. For all I know there's a perfect switch out there somewhere that can accomplish the task.
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There is probably no switch the audiophile will accept. Any connector, any change in substrate will have them screaming.

We are talking about guys who regularly fight over the sound difference between crimped vs clamped vs soldered connections
 
JoeEllison said:
I don't see what the issue is. You could use a PA board with faders if you prefer?
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If you are fading between speakers, then you are fading between speakers with different stereo placements, you wont be listening to the same thing.

Also one giant objection would be all the extra amplifiers you'd be going thru in any active circuit

And then, the accuracy of the human controlling the faders throws the whole thing out the window, unless you did it under automation.
 
brettDbass said:
I'm pleased to stand corrected.

I admit to laziness and used wiki as my source, which says the standard is only 20-20k.

Your info is very detailed, what was the source?
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Download any of the zillion free wave editing apps out there and either draw or generate DC to a waveform

This doesnt mean the Digital to analog converters will necessarily be able to play it of course, but in theory they could
 
Hi,
There is a science and technology forum section that might be more appropriate for some of this conversation. Please try to keep threads in this section strictly on topic to the MDC.

ETA: Posts later moved out to technology forum.
 
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How to win a million bucks

It's simple to win a million bucks! Here's how:

  • Find some really crap speaker cable. For the lazy - just use coaxial mic cable which has an unacceptably high capacitance and will leak high frequencies, resulting in an obvious and noticable muddy sound.
  • Re-brand the cable. Take out an ad in Stereophile making all sorts of woo-woo and legally artight claims, and charge $5k per metre of the stuff. Heck - you may even sell some cable!
  • Poke the JREF forums to get everyone hopping mad. Ensure that the JREF becomes aware of your preposterous claims.
  • Now, here's the important bit: ensure that the challenge is for you to detect a difference between your cable and monster cable.
  • Do the test. Your cable is far worse than monster cable and you will easily succeed.
  • Claim your million bucks.

Now, wasn't that simple?
 
The fact that everyone will be able to detect the difference makes your proposal nonsense. The cable claim is not about the cables as much as about someone who claims to be able to hear a difference that only exists in scales outside the range a human can detect it.

[As mod - I am merging this with the other cable thread]
 
Are you sure the two thread being merged won't change the tone of the thread? :D

Or is it impossible for anyone to tell the difference?
 
pmurray said:
It's simple to win a million bucks! Here's how:

  • Find some really crap speaker cable. For the lazy - just use coaxial mic cable which has an unacceptably high capacitance and will leak high frequencies, resulting in an obvious and noticable muddy sound.
  • Re-brand the cable. Take out an ad in Stereophile making all sorts of woo-woo and legally artight claims, and charge $5k per metre of the stuff. Heck - you may even sell some cable!
  • Poke the JREF forums to get everyone hopping mad. Ensure that the JREF becomes aware of your preposterous claims.
  • Now, here's the important bit: ensure that the challenge is for you to detect a difference between your cable and monster cable.
  • Do the test. Your cable is far worse than monster cable and you will easily succeed.
  • Claim your million bucks.

Now, wasn't that simple?
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I think you are seriously underestimating the competency of JREF and whatever audio experts they call on to help with this challenge. I've no doubt that, as part of the test protocol, they will insist on checking the cables before the actual test to make sure that what you describe can't happen.
 
Adam Blake takes his cables home and won't play

I doubt anyone is surprised but many are sure to be disappointed. It would have been fun to see this play out to the humiliating conclusion to Pear Cable cable. Jeff did a great job making it clear Adam Blake can decline a challenge he previously accepted with the same integrity he advertises his products with -- none at all.
 
Maybe it is the merging of he threads, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Jeff said what? Where?
 
You mean this?

At the request of Michael Fremer, with whom we have been communicating regarding his challenging of your assertions regarding high-end audio cables, we would like to inform you directly of Pear Cable's decision to not participate in your claimed challenge. While we support Mr. Fremer's efforts, and believe firmly in the performance of our products, we prefer that he simply use his own reference cables in his proposed test.
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Attributed to - Adam Blake, the CEO of Pear Cables
http://www.randi.org/joom/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=27
 
Third – and most interesting – this retreat by Adam Blake effectively closes the current challenge, much to the relief of both Fremer and Blake, of course.
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Jeff Wag
http://www.randi.org/joom/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=27

Why are you, Jeff, saying this ends the challenge? The challenge is about the Cables, not a person.

So, if Randi claims the cables a fraud, only a certain person can accept the challenge? WTF? Now Randi gets to decide "who" is eligible for a challenge about a pair of speaker cables?

That is absurd. Please set the record straight. Now the challenge is about a person, and not about the Pear Cables? Is that what the MDC is now?

"We claim this product is a fraud, but only certain people can accept the challenge to prove if the cables are a fraud?"

Thats crazy.

We’re now looking at the list of others who have expressed interest in taking the challenge in regard to regular-vs-ridiculous speaker cables. The requests are in chronological order, and the next person up for discussion will be announced.
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http://www.randi.org/joom/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=27
 
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robinson said:
"We claim this product is a fraud, but only certain people can accept the challenge to prove if the cables are a fraud?"

Thats crazy.
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Daaaaaaaaaaaaa, the certain people claim the cables are not a fraud, who else should be tested that would count, me.

Paul

:) :) :)
 
robinson said:
Why are you, Jeff, saying this ends the challenge? The challenge is about the Cables, not a person.

So, if Randi claims the cables a fraud, only a certain person can accept the challenge? WTF? Now Randi gets to decide "who" is eligible for a challenge about a pair of speaker cables?[/url]
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The article said this presumably ends the Fremer challenge because Pear won't loan the cables and it is unlikey that Fremer will provide them himself.However, it says that Fremer could provide them himself or use the $42,000 Transparanet cables. It even goes on to say that JREF will look at other applicants that have shown interest in this challenge.
 
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