The Case of the $7,250 Speaker Cables

Renowned hoax-buster, magician, and all-around skeptic James Randi has a new target: a company that's hawking a pair of 12-foot speaker cables for a jaw-dropping $7,250. Oh, and he has a sub-target, too: the audio "critics" who claim that these cables are worth the cash.

According to Gizmodo, Randi is offering a cool $1 million to anyone who can actually prove that Pear Cable's "Anjou" speaker cables sound better than a similar pair of wires from Monster Cable (a company that—as Gizmodo points out—isn't above selling overpriced cables itself).

The best part of the whole story is this review by Dave Clark, the editor of a Web site called "Postivie Feedback Online." Indeed, I've rarely read a review that's more positive than this one for the Anjou:

Simply put, these are very danceable cables. Music playing through them results in the proverbial foot taping scene with the need or desire to get up and move. Great swing and pace—these cables smack that right on the nose big time. In this area, they are simply way better than anything else I have heard prior to their audition.

"Danceable cables," eh? For $7,250, I'd certainly hope so. Randi says that Clark is more than welcome to apply for the $1 million prize; so far, no word if Clark has taken Randi up on his offer.

Related:
James Randi Offers $1 Million If Audiophiles Can Prove $7250 Speaker Cables Are Better [Gizmodo]