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

*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.* GR Research Cables: gr-research.com/cables/ Related Videos: Insider Look at The GR-Research Factory - DIY Audiophile Speaker Haven: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d6m2jJRcq3A.html Full 2+ hr video of Danny Doing the blind test: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-bh_m3CRwwM0.html Support on Patreon: www.patreon.com/jayiyagi follow on Instagram: instagram.com/jays_iyagi/ follow on Facebook: facebook.com/jayiyagiofficial Follow soundstage take 2 reviews: ru-vid.com/group/PLPOzvlhtSqn5xdc__ftuSt4Rxy_wm5Af0 Speaker stands: amzn.to/3ssRhI3 Better speaker stands: solidsteel.it/my-product/ss-7-vintage-hi-fi-speaker-stands/ acoustic panels I use: ua-acoustics.com/ acoustic curtain: amzn.to/31d1zAM BDI Cabinet I use: bit.ly/2OJRwQQ amzn.to/3chBuFZ other BDI Cabinets: bit.ly/3ctxXV1 amzn.to/30bsUCH my fav hifi tweaks: (Isoacoustics devices) amzn.to/3j5FGvM 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

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

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?".

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

I really enjoy listening to two people talk shop, when they really know what they're talking about. This was a good video.

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.

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

Nicely done and thanks for sharing. Looks like a very worthwhile and hugely enjoyable trip. I'm very jealous

I bought the GR KEF Q100 upgrade and 16 wire speaker wire kit and tube connectors to the speaker. It's made such a difference it knocked down the brightness of the tweeter and now the music is spacious and images even better than before the upgrades now it just needs a subwoofer. Hopefully, I can get room treatment and buy a GR speaker kit soon. I love the direction your channel has been taking; thanks for more great content worth watching Jay!

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.

Great job Jay. I very, very much enjoyed this meeting with Danny. Placement, placement, placement, first! I have really loved watching you both on your respective channels and will continue to do so.

Great job guys!!! Never gonna satisfy those that refuse to “LISTEN” for the differences though.

Thanks to you both for using your time and resources for this.

Kudos to you for doing it! Too many shy away from these kind of tests. Great video.

Love Danny and Jay. I'm glad this video and Randy's recent video on cables came out. I've always noticed differences in cables, but it was always such a taboo subject :P

Thank you both for putting this video together.

Well done with the test! There should be more tests like this even with amplifiers and sources. One thing I have found in my setup, eliminating banana / spade termination and using just bare wire directly on the speaker terminals has a very positive effect on sound.

Fantastic! Looking forward to more videos from Texas. Thanks for making the trip Jay!

Thanks Jay, by the way, how that open baffles sounds?

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.

Thanks Jay for spending time with Danny.

Very cool. What what about the speakers?! Do you have another video coming with your overall impressions?

Thank you so much Guys for all of your hard work, and I have learned a lot from this video! I totally agree with you that we can't do measurements on harmonics. It's similar to vinyl/analog vs. digital sources.

I have GR X-Statik speakers (which I love btw) but my room is far from ideal. I am very skeptical of claims about speaker wires but this kind of video is honest and appreciated. Danny is clearly a very talented designer.

Good job Jay, good to see you make the trip to visit Danny. Entertaining for us, hope there’s more content from the trip.

Very fun to watch! Thanks for making the trip Jay and Danny is a great sport to do this test. Watching him beat himself up on getting the last one wrong is too much! Not an easy thing to do. Like you said, it's one thing to hear a difference but a next level thing to connect that difference back to the particular cable used. Love this series!

Great collaboration. I appreciate the candor.

This was very informative on a somewhat controversial subject. Jay, ya done good. That shows me you are a man of good character and are open and honest. I think we ALL learned something here, and for that I will also say, thank you.

This is awesome. I love this video. Thank you BOTH!

Awesome job. I like it when channel creators get together and make good content. Keep rocking! 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼

Even more compelling to me, is the anticipation of your impression of Danny's reference rig.

Thanks Jay, look forward to your listening impressions

That distant noise is the sound of Amir's head exploding. 😮

As a Telecom worker for years originally working on Copper Cable runs (now mainly Fiber Optic Cable) we use diagnostic testing machines that you can physically graph the signal and glean much data, including RF interference. You just need a multi-thousand dollar tool that is precisely engineered with physical graphing ability among many other measurements you can take.

Very Brave of both Jay and Danny! That said..I am a #10 solid copper lamp cord guy. 🙂 (I do not have a system like Danny's). I did just remove all the cheap electrolytic-film capacitors and cheap resistors in the tube stage of my Schiit Freya+ Preamp and soldered in $600 worth of V-Cap oil-damped metallized capacitors and Audio Note audiophile resistors. I was extremely pleased with the time and financial investment that truly improved the sound in my system & room. Plus…IT WAS FUN! 😀

“Comparison is the thief of joy”. Doesn't matter who said it. More importantly, just something to consider.

Just so nice to see you two together 😊

OMG , the 'Hey ev'rryybuddeh' from Jay had me howling! lmao! Good show!

And again the room and setup are the glass ceiling. Great video

I give him credit for taking the challenge, guaranteed you couldn't find many if any manufacturers that would do that especially on Camera

This is awesome, guys. I really enjoyed the video.

Lovely, open and honest chewing the fat. And Danny’s place is NOT the kind of home-spun garage set up his videos reflect. Very, very impressive.

Thank you for doing this, it's really interesting to watch something like this so I can get my own opinion. So far I think that cables do make a difference, but of all the things one could upgrade, they are the least bang for buck. I think most other components would make a greater differences in different price classes. But I'm always free to be convinced otherwise.

What tube amplifiers were used? Thanks ,great video

Thnx guys, learned allot!

Can the connectors and unfamiliarity with the test cable be the difference? Usually you’re swapping out your own cables for an upgrade, after having listening time with it, it should be easy to hear differences. Second, can the connectors limit transmission?

3 F's for this video - Fantastic - Fun - Frank :-) Two great guys having fun with a frank discussion about cables and the limitations of certain tracks in order to discern one cable from the next - as in if there is no "air" in a recording it's not all that easy to hear "air' when comparing cables ! Please do more of this guys if you can !! And OH Danny - I do love your reviews and "fix-its" for various speakers - for example the Totem - I was always wondering why I didn't like their sound and your video clearly illustrated the stridency on their top end . . . I really love what you're doing and you too Jay - with YOUR RU-vid productions !! Carry ON!!

Cool vid Jay. Where does one get the Harp device Danny mentioned he attaches to his speaker cable. Do you have any experience with that product? Thanks.

Jay I recently purchased the Wilsenton R8 based on your recommendation. It’s been a great amp. Which speakers would pair better with this amplifier, the Tekton Double impact or the Arendal 1723 speakers?

8/10 = v. Impressive. However, just goes to show, for most people, good standard cables are more than good enough.

Good lord, the story arc!

that is an impressive result!

Danny brings up a great point, "you get lost in the music" you really don't give a crap what type of cable you're using. LOL Funny on how Jay and Danny where hitting heads a few years ago now they are friends, which is a good thing. The problem with that it makes reviewers biased in the long run... ;)

Thank You Jay as your content has been fantastic. You are blooming as a content producer and also keep your mind open and ask questions. Enjoy you travels with your Audio Journey and looking forward to 100K.

Great stuff. I was waiting for the question if Danny’s cables are Ally Express, but modded.

Great video, Thanks!!

Love the collaboration

Great collaboration Jay. See if Danny will send you a pair of the new Brute 3 way retro speaker for review!

interesting it goes against the conclusion of the "coat hanger" tests will this noticeable difference still be noticed on cheap (sub $500) speakers+amp combo ?

Awesome video... Highly entertaining.

This is nice RU-vid "beer summit".

I really appreciate the work and integrity here, thank you. I have noticed an audible differences (with good systems playing quality recordings) between generic 16 awg and 12 awg OF copper cables. A better reference for the comparison with the GRR cables would be properly terminated generic OF copper of the same gauge as the GRR (8 awg)?

It's a US$ 10,00 speaker cable versus a US$ 140,00 one (for a 10 ft cable), tested with his own speakers, in his own treated room, with the songs he chose, and he guessed it 8 out of 10 (when 5 in 10 would be considered sheer luck). We should also consider the possibility that, having built the cable, he would know the sonic signature of the material, and was able to pick up the differences, not necessarily the BETTER one. Congratulations on the courage and honesty of trying your own products on a blind test (God knows that most hifi manufacturers wouldn't do that to not risk embarrasing themselves), but as Danny himself points out at the end of the video, you must have excellent speakers, properly set up on a proper room, with the right equipment, with excellent recordings, in order to start picking up the differences between 2 cables.

Using some AC/DC albums is good for testing because the recordings are very raw such as the "Ballbreaker" album that was used. I use their "Stiff Upper Lip" album for midrange and kick drum testing. AC/DC is a good choice. Great video, thank you!

At 20:33, a comparison is made between two different environments with the same gear, and in the 2nd environment it sounded flat. This difference often be the changes between power receptacles and power/signal/speaker wire and their orientations. It also can be the difference between the Romex cable gauge and direction within the walls. It's especially dependant on the breaker box parts! Sometimes the power foundation can trump other changes down the line. We experienced this when moving familiar equipment with exacting configurations and parts from an older house to a newer one. The newer house had a completely different breaker box, and very different outlets. I went to the old house and removed some of the outlets to bring to the new house. It was a night and day difference when listening to the same setup at the new house with the old outlets. This got me into searching for better outlets, and I've found some very special sounding ones which remove a serious amount of "veil" and grain/harshness from ANY hifi or guitar amp I plug into them. Every tiny part from power distribution matters. Tone starts at the wall.

I very much enjoyed this, and trial and error is part of science. After all, what is an experiment, but trial and error.

I have blue Jean speaker cables. Wonder if I’d hear a difference if I switch to these. (My room is well treated)

How do you mount a tube connector to an amp's chassis ?

awesome video, love both your videos.

The item on the rear of Danny's speaker connections that was removed for the test am I right to say that device is to effect and change the dampening factor ?

Many years ago, with the second audio equipment sounding much worse than now, I appreciated the difference between the typical/cheap OFC audio cable and the current Kimber Kable 8PR (interleaved like GR-Research's): more detail and, very noticeably, more bass. Now I also notice the difference in the connectors but it is more subtle. The sound improvement after changing tweeter filter components was spectacular. Finally, the quality of the electrical grid is essential, which is getting louder every day. The difference can also be spectacular, at least in my house. If you notice, Danny has a couple of car batteries for the little amps.

Jay finally meets his real father Danny....moving magnet moment

What was the length of both cables? I think if you had used a slightly better (low end) cable it would be much harder to tell the difference, especially for lengths under 3 meters.

I liked the video. Liked the way it doesn't come across as a commercial just to sell something. I appreciated the moment you tell us not to spend money on the cables unless you did everything else. Good point. But 10 blind tests ain't something to draw a conclusion on. If you want results you need to repeat the test with mutiple people everyday for a year. The results could be very different then. Still I myself heard differences between cables. I must say I only heard differences with speaker cables. Never with other cables used in my system. And I have tried different brands and priceranges and most cables are still in use because none of them were bad. Well 1 was badly build and fell apart while unplugging (not the cheapest one).

If this was a sponsored video, then you legally need to click on the "Yes, it includes paid promotion" option.

Danny changed my audio life with his open baffle design videos They enabled me to trial and error design and build killer alnico/neodymium driver open baffles that are my end game sound! no insertion losses soldered direct 🙏❤

Good work. Although, comparing a $400 cable to a $4 cable, I would hope we all would hear a difference! I'd like to see this test done again with a $40 cable compared to the $400 cable.

Hey Jay; have you thought about reviewing the 2TD-X? Thinking about buying those :)

Good one can hear things for the price they pay for cables, I did some testing with two types of cables and my ears did not hear any difference… saved me lots of money. 👍

You could have waited after the Montreal Audio Show…Best show in a long time and no coverage 🥲 Nevertheless, very cool video.

Hi Jay, interesting clip, on your point about how a cable improves sound stage or bass or air, etc... I believe that high-quality cables aren't improving the sound they are allowing "more" of the signal to come through to the speakers. So you hear, closer to 100% of the sound quality that your components are capable of delivering. I think this is why there is a lot of disagreement about cables, people aren't understanding what's going on. So it comes down to what their system is capable of delivering and how much of the sound quality is making to their speakers. This is where well-made cables can really ensure you hear everything your system is doing. Cables unlock the full potential of your system

Ha, ha. Great. Kudus for both, and for the cables. They must be really good.😅

Jay, you should compare cables with the same cross section. Let's say one 4 mm2 cable to another 4 mm2 cable of the same length.

Wish you did a test of his power cables as well

I'd like to buy and try Dannys cables. He is a very experienced guy. Currently I use the thin analysis plus cables which are extremely efficient and sound great. But gr research know their stuff so I will try.

Great! I watched both videos released urn. I work out of a corner for my room. Unreal experience. Let’s stop being in doubt. I don’t need to pull it out far away so it’s not too close. Goodness gets the job done. It not the placement of your ocean, it’s the power of your tower. Boys..to..men. Much love!

We have choices to make. When I began chasing recordings, I realized that my system was now more revealing than fun.

My Wharfedale EVO 4.2 bass is gone when i put the sepaker way out in the room. Can anyone tell me why that happen?