3 things I learned from using MANY interconnect cables
Re: point 3 of original post.... while I have never had the order of preference between 2 interconnects change from one system to another, I have noticed that once that preferred interconnect is in place, let’s say between pre and amp, it does not guarantee that the preference will still apply to the next length between DAC and pre. (Even if it was first choice in that position before being inserted between pre and amp.) in fact my recent experience has been that stopping just short of a full loom of a single brand/level of cable has been ideal. That one foreign element seems to keep the rest from seizing up into predictability. I have no real explanation, just the experience. Ymmv. Anyone else ever notice that? |
@johnson0134 - I really late to this party, but found your post to be interesting. 1. The price was NOT indicative of the sound quality unless you go very cheap (less than $100). I think this point is self-explanatory so I am not adding any elaboration. Comment: This makes total sense to me as the price of any product should based on the materials used and time spend to produce it along with the market value for the item. Using more expensive materials and more complex construction doesn't in any guarantee and better cable. I would expect that a more expensive cable within the same brand should be better for any reputable company that isn't just selling snake oil. Also, some companies like Blue Jeans Cable have a business model that's based on value rather than appearing to be a boutique brand, so it's possible that their products can be a much better value. Comment: If true, it's easy enough to disconnect and reconnect a cable when doing comparisons. It seems like this would lead people to prefer the new cable over the old one, so I'm curious how often people try a new cable and immediately do not prefer it. Comment: I think that cables can be system dependent, but I think listener preference is likely a much more significant factor. The science of cables is hard to nail down, but the fact remains that whatever a given cable does it'll always do, so if the listener likes the resulting sound it's expect that they will continue to like it. The system dependent aspect comes when the rest of a system is already too far in the direction that the cable brings out and it's always possible to have too much of a good thing. When it comes to cables being in different parts of the audio chain, it's an apples to oranges comparison. From what I know about gain structure in pro audio applications, it makes sense that you'd want the best cables closer to the source as any noise/distortion will be a more significant portion of the total signal that will later be amplified. In a very general sense, this is why phono cables are much more finicky than speaker cables. |
@stevecham - My systems has been almost exclusively Blue Jeans Cables until recently because I consider them to be a quality product from a high value company. However, when I replaced their LC-1 interconnects with Audioquest Chicago my system was transformed in a way that I didn’t think was possible. I have not played with any other interconnect brands, but I don’t see myself using BJC cables in my reference system anytime soon. At this point the only thing left is my BJC speakers cables. |
