2. cables
  3. 158000-138624

Are current audio cable designs superior to 1980s designs?

(I'm reposting this question under a new title because the original was vague, misleading, and elicited irrelevant replies).

Been using the same pair of 1980s AudioQuest rubber-encased XLR cables between pre and power amps since 1987 with good results -- good in the noncomparative abstract, that is. Components have come and gone, but the AQs have remained the sole constant. Until Morrow's recent Reopening Sale gave me an excuse to play with a more contemporary design. Just made the switch and I know the Morrow burn-in can be prolonged. Plan to set FM tuner overnights to "white noise" rather than BBC human voice signal to speed the process.

Question: to what degree do you believe balanced interconnect designs have improved over the past 30-40 years? And, price range being the same (adjusted for inflation), would you expect the current lean, lightweight Morrows to outperform the old, heavy-duty AudioQuest design? Morrow says they will, but what do this forum's many cable experts think about it?  
hickamore
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Silver content in connectors (AudioQuest), control of directionality, cryogenics, polishing of conductor surfaces, cable cookers/burn in tracks, long grain copper, air dielectric, contact enhancers, suspension/elevating of cables. Most of those concepts are post 1980s.
djones51
4,947 posts
 
As long as your connectors or wire isn't starting to oxidize they're fine. If you think you need new speaker wire use something like canare 4s11, for interconnects monoprice has some good ones. 
ebm
9,311 posts
 
YES!!!
mitch2
3,967 posts
 
You asked a generic question, followed by several more focused questions related to your specific cables.  To your generic question; it depends on your definition of “superior.”  Connectors have improved so superior in that way, yes. Otherwise, if you mean sonically and audibly, then probably yes also but maybe not in the multitude of ways or to the magnitude that cable manufacturers would have you believe.  With power transmission (i.e., power cords and speaker cables), wire gauge seems to be the main factor with maybe some audible effects between solid core vs. stranded wire.  With small signal cables, wire gauge, geometry and shielding seem to be key factors, but you don’t need to pay a lot to get those benefits.  Many believe relatively pedestrian Mogami balanced cables sound just fine.Other stuff such as copper purity (beyond OFC), cryogenic treatment, wire direction, exotic wire shapes, exotic dielectrics, etc. seem to be audible to some but not all.  Even if you hear differences, are those differences significant, are they really improvements, and are they worth the many thousands of dollars cable manufacturers have charged over the years?  You need to listen and decide for yourself.  I went down that road for awhile, wasted a bunch of time and money I will never get back, and decided I would rather enjoy the music than worry about cables.
213runnin
914 posts
 
I'm just kind of impressed that some audio manufacturer was putting XLR jacks on the back of their amps in 1987.  Preamp AND amplifier, who was this manufacturer?  

I really hope it wasn't a pro amp like Crown or Belringer.
More to discover