Audio Phoolery heard in local gadget store - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dataforensics
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 05:10:49 pm
content: Behind me in queue assistant suggested that buyer get a better audio cable as they are on special offer. The cable in question was a stereo screened audio cable.Buyer said he had seen an article that suggested all these were basically the same and that it was not worth paying extra.Assistant stated 'its all down to the hertz' 'cheaper cables do not pass 50Hz' and this is especially important if your have a 50Hz television.Sorry, but I could not resist asking the assistant on what scientific basis this statement was made. His defence being that he had tested it himself using his own system. Seemed quite offended when I politely queried his qualifications in electronics.

author: w2aew
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 05:55:18 pm
content: Must be related to the salesperson I overheard in a local Radio Shack store recently... He was telling a customer that he needed coax cables to hook up his entertainment system - because the video signal travels on the center conductor, and the audio travels on the outer conductor. I had to leave the store....

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 06:10:05 pm
content: Quote from: w2aew on December 24, 2012, 05:55:18 pmYes, and bullshit isolating those two to prevent hearing images and displaying sounds.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 06:14:59 pm
content: And I was in a store where the "assistant" was "helping" a customer select their HDMI cable. "So, what screen size in inches is your TV? For bigger than 32 inch TVs you need <Premium HDMI cable> or it won't work."

author: nitro2k01
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 06:25:46 pm
content: Quote from: tom66 on December 24, 2012, 06:14:59 pmSounds somewhat reasonable, though what would decide if it works is the resolution, and in the extension the data clock rate. It might be that some of the cheaper cables they're selling are not strictly compliant, but happen to work with HDMI 1.0-1.2 (up to 165 MHz clock) but not HDMI 1.3 (up to 340 MHz.) Stray capacitance is a real thing, and they might be tired of customers coming back and complaining that their cable doesn't work properly.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 06:46:11 pm
content: Or they might be clueless idiots who have been told to up-sell cables as much as possible because they carry much higher margins than the TVs themselves.Stuff like this really annoys me. It's not just a well-intentioned mistake, it's a deliberate attempt to extort money from the non-technical by lying to them.

author: Sionyn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 06:58:41 pm
content: if you buy the cable your protected under the trade descriptions act, what the sales assistant says and promises is covered by the lawand if its all bunk the shop is liable for.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 07:19:28 pm
content: Yeah, well, I buy HDMI cables from Poundland. 1m long. No problem with 1080p at 60 Hz from my PC. Only complaint is they're a little short but for £1 you can't expect too much...

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 24, 2012, 08:54:45 pm
content: well, at least your teacher didn't havea 1,6 K$ class 0.05 watt meter or didn't have used an entire pack of 200 diodes just because the circuit ( generator of 15 V in series whit a diode and no load resistor) was a great short circuit... and the real problem was to explain why all diodes actually blown up....Or, if you wish you can measure the efficiency of a short test...These days you don't have to wonder about nothing... It's normal hearing that speeches on stores.