@pinwa - you have received some good advice from the postings above, in that you should first select a "baseline cable" - a starting point, and listen to a selection of tracks over a prolonged period and then change to a second set for a comparison.
I’ve found that IF the changes/improvements are not immediately noticeable, then there is likely little difference between the selected cables
Always go back to the baseline cables after the comparison and "re-tune" your ears - or establish your new baseline cable
And NEVER compare more than two sets of cables at a time.
After each comparison you will either
- opt for a new baseline cable
- or have to reset your ears to your previous baseline cable
With most of the cables I have compared, the changes/improvements were noticeable right from the first track.
When I first started auditioning cables, the attributes I listened for
- Base Depth and texture and
- upper range details and clarity
- dynamics
But I now listen for
- Micro Venue Acoustics - those little echoes and reverberations created by the venue and are quite apparent on good systems with good cables.
- They tend to stand out much more on the better built cables
- This tells me much more about the abilities of the cables, because if they can reproduce micro venue acoustics the other attributes are generally taken care of
On any comparison, I choose tracks that offer an uncomplicated production so I can focus on specific aspects of the recording
- nothing orchestral - because there way too many instruments
- no loud rock music
- generally a vocalist and a couple of instruments in a "natural environment" e.g. a live recording. Because it gives a real sense of the space of the venue
- Studio tracks seldom provide convincing venue acoustics at the same level of detail as the real thing - but a few engineers do sometime get it right
So what constitutes a good speaker cable?
- the type of conductor - I’ve found that solid UP-OCC copper provide great details.
- the type of insulation - cotton is very good, but not often used in commercial cables
- and the cable geometry - i.e. how the wires are placed within the cable.
- e.g. Kimber Cable uses a braided geometry whereas Nordost uses a ribbon geometry on their speaker cables
Checkout the following companies for products that really perform well
- Zavfino - uses UP-OCC copper - very dynamic
- In-Akustik - uses an unusual geometry that provides a low noise floor and great details and imaging
- Nordost is one company that is very good at what it does
Many brands of cables will perform to similar levels - there may be slight differences, but they will generally lack the performance level of the brands mentioned above
Any comparison I may undertake generally takes one month to complete
- I start with the baseline - one week of listening
- change to the cables for comparison - two weeks of listening
- and 1 week to Reset my ears if the new cables are not selected
Hope that helps - Steve
