Looking elsewhere

One of my readers asked a great question. "If the nature of a balanced cable is to eliminate noise, why does the construction and quality of the cable matter?" This is a very juicy question because it provides us with insight into how people think and what their mindsets are, while at the same time piquing our interests in what the answer might be. Love it. Of course, the quick answer is that noise is but one of many factors that enter into the equation of what makes for a quality signal. Other factors like bandwidth, capacitance, dielectric absorption, and damage to the transient nature of signals are perhaps more important to sound quality than a quieter background. But back to the question and the power of its narrow focus. When a question starts with a presumptive close—often stating the undeniable, like eliminating noise—the follow-up question places doubt in our minds and itself makes a statement. For example, "If a car's purpose is transportation, isn't it silly to spend more than needed?" See how that works? I intentionally crafted a narrow statement of "fact" that in itself is a false premise. A car's purpose depends on who is making the statement. My political fingers itch to bring up examples in the world of government but that's not somewhere I want to go. No, these posts are a respite from the turmoil around us. Let's work to keep them a safe haven. That said, I do love dissecting words to uncover their power. Once uncovered, they lose their sway over us.