UK Cracking Down on BS Audio Cable Advertising

April 6, 2008 by Lukas Gilkey
Filed under: Home Audio > Wire & Cable


- Image: South Park Episode More Crap

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority exists to protect consumers from the lies and deceit that so many companies try to get away with in false advertising, something the audio industry is all to familiar with. The latest company to be put on notice for shady advertising is Russ Andrews Accessories that sells a multitude of audio equipment including speaker wire, power cables and interconnects in the UK.

According to the ASA, Russ Andrews Accessories was challenged by a consumer on the following claims that showed up in their catalog.

1. "The key to success of our PowerKords is KIMBER's unique cable weave which has proven to dramatically reduce Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) already on the mains supply and to reject further pick up of RFI ...", because he believed the PowerKord cable would have little affect on conducted electromagnetic interference;

2. "... Distortion levels inside equipment is vastly reduced, letting you hear a sound that is vastly clearer and purer, more detailed and far more dynamic ...", because he believed the Signature PowerKord cable would have little affect on measurable distortion in hi-fi equipment, and

3. "... eliminate system sound fluctuation and help to create a super-quiet noise floor, allowing more believable dynamics, deeper bass and lower high frequency distortion ... Listen out for a quieter noise floor (expect more dynamic music and greater detail) and a much more cohesive musical sound ...", because he believed the advertised spike-protecting devices would have little affect on the noise floor in hi-fi equipment.

So what does the ASA do? Submit the claims to an expert for verification of course. The expert determined that the claims were in fact unsubstantiated and that the research papers provided offered no supporting measurements and were not peer reviewed to give them any credibility.

In the end, the ASA told the advertiser to cut the bullshit and, "not use the claims again unless they could substantiate them with robust scientific evidence." Ouch.

Now how do we get an agency like that over here in the US?

Source: UK Advertising Standards Authority
Comments (6)
Dave Kay 3 months and 3 weeks ago

Yeah, unfortunately Kimber has been known to tout how their PCs can actually reduce noise on the line itself. No cable can do anything like that. Twisting wires in a certain way, "star-quad" for example, can make them act in the same way as a conventional metal shield, blocking airborne noise from getting in, and electromagnetic noise generated by the conductors themselves from getting out. That's it.

To have any effect on line noise at all you need to add capacitors, coils, or transformers to the line.

A US version of the ASA would kill off the late night infomercial business entirely.
Doodaddy 3 months and 3 weeks ago

What a fitting picture.

The only attempt at this in the US that I can really think of is the CEA ratings. Why hasn't that caught on?
Electrodynamic 3 months and 2 weeks ago

I don't know why CEA ratings didn't catch on. What I do know is that early on only companies like Audiopipe bought into the rating...and people who were in the market for Audiopipe amplifiers weren't exactly looking for a CEA rated amplifier. They were looking for a "2k watt" 2-channel. ;) That'd be like BOSS using CEA.

Anyway, I don't know why it didn't catch on other than it totally put amps on their arse. Instead of being able to be rated at 200x2 that same amp was now rated at 125x2, which wasn't good news for the marketing departments of major brands.

Back OT, I'm glad that Europe has something like this in place. Speaking of which, what happened to that article on here about attaching pebbles to your interconnects to make them sound better? Wall plates to improve SQ and a majic phone calls were also in the mix I believe.
heavystarch 3 months and 2 weeks ago

I agree that wire by itself (even fancy braids) cannot remove noise from the line however Kimber I believe uses ferrite filters on some of their power cords (I don't know for certain what is inside those clunky chunks on Kimber power cords but I have heard from folks that work there it is a copper tube with Ferrite powder inside). This will filter Common Mode RFI/EMI and other high frequency noise on the line (by how much can all be measured and tested).

heavystarch 3 months and 2 weeks ago

I forgot to mention - the sad thing about the Kimber cord I just mentioned - even though there may be some actual scientific backing for what is inside that black tubular part - it is still overpriced.

A person can buy simple Ferrite snap on elements for a few dollars if one is worried about RF on your interconnects, cables and power cords.




Buy some wire at Home Depot, decent connectors, and a couple ferrite snap on elements and for maybe $20 you've just built what Kimber has (minus the fancy "Audiograde" connectors and chunky black tube).
Dave Kay 3 months and 2 weeks ago

Ferrite powder or slugs can absorb some noise, but I think it's rather limited. To really make a difference you have to shift the noise to neutral or ground via a capacitor or choke.

And yes, the Kimber Palladians are ridiculously overpriced. The PK10 and the Palladian PK10 are identical except for that ferrite tube, and the Palladian version costs $760 more.
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