HAVE CABLES EVER TAKEN YOUR SYSTEM FROM SOUNDING JUST OK TO SOUNDING GREAT? Experiences ?

In 1995 I had the chance to cable my system with Transparent Reference. It was not a subtle difference! I tried the Super, the Ultra and the Reference all within a weeks time. you could point to the soundstage with the change of each set of cables and discern the difference each cable yielded.  The reference gave the most improvement. It provided more separation of instruments and voice. The soundstage was wider. I could distinguish vocals that were muddy with other cables. Try to find the original series used! People hold onto them! Joe

as with most of us, the cables that I use in my system have evolved overtime. Each time I swapped cables, I felt there was an improvement in the sound. I wouldn’t say that it was a tremendous difference, but it was subtle but better. After I started swapping in Shunyata research power cords and then speaker cables, I felt that for my system there was real synergy and a distinct positive improvement in sound. I wouldn’t say that my system went from good to great as a result, but there was definitely an improvement that made the system sound closer to what I like. Then I started upgrading my Shunyata cables from Alpha‘s to Sigma‘s and there was a noticeable step up in sound quality. The same thing occurred when I started to swap out my interconnects for Shunyata Sigma interconnects. A noticeable but small improvement. The bottom line, each time I upgraded a cable, it added some benefit to the sound. Cumulatively, I was very pleased with the result. Weather spending all that money on cables was worth the improvement in the sound quality is a matter of personal preference. To me, it was.

I use Canare Starquad cables throughout my system, mostly for noise rejection, and it's dead quiet.  The genius that is John Siau, agrees with this, and that is what they, (Benchmark), offer for sale with their components.

https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/chatgpt-and-john-siau-discuss-star-quad-cables

Also on a recent Audioholics episode, he categorically lists the components in the audio chain that are most important to overall sound in terms of distortion, and guess what part of the chain is least important, that's right, cables.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIv79_NRASw

I swapped out AQ Fire XLRs for Firebirds and was truly shocked by the improvement. The Firebirds are more balanced, natural and refined. I also demoed the XLR Thunderbirds alongside the Firebirds. Surprisingly, the silver Fire and copper Thunderbirds sounded more alike than the silver Fire and silver Firebirds. The Firebirds are neutral and highly detailed without being fatiguing.

@calvinj  I'll put the your name through to a cable connoisseur/collector who'll show up at my house tomorrow.

I'm more in the business of living vicariously through him and a few other dudes these days. 

@deep_333 o rn the infigo cables demo program. Would you like to,try something.  No cost you only pay shipping back.  

@deep_333 go ahead.  It’s not an out selling smthg. I want opinions on how good they are from people who try them.  It helps us knowing if real listeners like what they do or don’t do. 

"Other than tonearm cables,"

Those are cables.

I had a dealer recently say to me "other than tonearm cables, all the rest is bulls***.  I did not question him on this.  

Pretty accurate. You’ll get more improvement replacing a set of brass binding posts with copper than with replacing cheap copper cables with expensive copper cables. 

"Other than tonearm cables,"

Those are cables.
 

The reason tonearm cables actually make a big difference is because they are handling very low voltage signals, and thus are very susceptible to interference and LCR effects.

Would not even consider chasing expensive cables/interconnects until my room treatment is completed. Way better "bang-for-the-buck" sound quality improvement with room treatments over cable changes.

Yes

15 years ago or so I auditioned the Shunyata Anaconda interconnects and speaker cables as an upgrade to my JPS lab superconductor+
(well regarded)

The improvements were so dramatic. I remember thinking if I have to mortgage my house these are not going back.

and they did not go back

about $12,000 at the time which was quite an outlay for me

didn’t regret it for a second

Worth every penny

Don’t mind anyone commenting but if you don’t believe that cables can make a difference.  Good for you. But it’s not a place to come argue about it. This ain’t the thread for you. 

Don’t mind anyone commenting but if you don’t believe that cables can make a difference.  Good for you. But it’s not a place to come argue about it. This ain’t the thread for you. 

No, because that doesn't happen if you're already using OFC cables at the proper gauge for the length of the run. Period. Anyone who thinks otherwise is lying or willfully ignorant. Science always beats snake oil marketing. Well, it should, but you'd never know that based on some of these replies.

More like, "Now that's more like it", is usually what I experience.  Nothing otherworldly.

There sure are a lot of guys who wanna tell other people how ignorant they are when it comes to cables.  The same guys that will never hear what they do or don’t do in your system.  When I see folks making those comments. I turn them off completely.  Most of us have been doing this audio thing 20   30 40 years. We know what we are hearing and what we are not hearing at this point.  

In my system, cables have never made a significant difference. I’ve noticed slight changes, yes, but nothing extraordinary. At this point, I’ve stopped buying and selling cables - I’m done, I have what I need.

@steakster 

Which position is the right one? The most dramatic or the one that places the triangle where it was in the original recording? That’s the goal, right? Was it a live session?

yes

Answer to the OP:

Yes. When i was loaned a pair of Entreq Atlantis interconnects, replacing Tellerium Black. The difference was astounding. So much that the word 'difference' is inadequate; it was a complete transformation from good to utterly magical.

At the time i also compared them to a £2k pair of silver interconnects that were exceptional in isolation. The Entreqs made them sound ordinary, like they were missing the whole point compared to the magic of Entreq.

Since that moment my audio system's excellence stood atop three pillars:

Boulder, Focal and Entreq.

The view from the top utterly blew away the arguments of cable sceptics and proved they are talking from their behinds...or to be kind, maybe they've just never experienced Entreq.

Per Olof is clearly onto something that no-one else has tumbled.

@squared80

Certainty is the enemy of knowledge

@gavman i literally have tried a lot of cables since I started in this 20 years ago. Cables make a difference in all the systems I have tried. Our Infigo Audio cables are what I run in my system. I have loaned them out to people to try because I believed they have a positive affect and improvement on most systems they go in. I let people try them before they buy them so that they determine if it’s worth it to them without the risk. Some people like them so much they never get sent back annd they don’t come out of their systems.  Our ears  in our  systems should be the deciding factor. If you look at the cable deniers most shoot it down without even trying. I stay away from those guys. If you look at my original post it tells you share your EXPERIENCES! They come on the thread to share their scientific opinions and to snake oil name call. Never telling anyone what they tried and on what and when! You should never let someone he will never hear your system tell you why you won’t hear a change in a system that they don’t have and will never! THAT’S NOT SCIENCE THAT’S AGAINST COMMON SENSE! You are the one listening not them!  The other thing is the arrogance that exudes from their comments basically calling the rest of us stupid and deaf if we hear a change. Interesting 🤔

@amitynick just sent a loaner out to a long time audiophile that I have grown to know. He literally is kicking himself for even listening because he said he thought he was done now he has to have them because they match his system so well. Sometimes it’s matching and sometimes the cable’s just get out if the way and let you get the best out of your equipment. 

Yes, I am experiencing this right now.  And it involves several cables in my system with the key to unlocking this experience being a Shunyata Alpha Zitron HC power cable on my power distributor.  When I replaced a Shunyata Venom HC with the used Alpha I was at a loss to understand what I was hearing at first.  More detail, better timing, better spatial resolution in the soundstage, more textured and nuanced bass, just across the board more musical.  This was true for both my digital and analog front ends.

I had previously done some blind testing with a handful of different coax SPDIF cables and decided it was worth making a big upgrade to connect my streamer to my DAC.  I bit the bullet and bought a used Chord cable that cost a lot (for me) with no regrets.  But before the Shunyata Alpha went in the very front end of my system the difference in sound between my best optical cable and the Chord coax was not so great that I couldn’t have been happy with the optical cable.  After putting the new power cord in, the distance opened up between the performance of the good coax and the optical cable is a listening chasm that I just can’t bridge.  The coax cable is much, much better.

My most surprising cable transformation experience that came after adding the Shunyata Alpha has to do with changing analog interconnects from my DAC.  I was using Nanotec #207 cables with Furutech rhodium plugs as my reference for years on both my digital and analog front ends.  I have a number of other interconnects ranging from $200-$500, nothing special and all clearly beat in my estimate by the Nanotecs.  

I started to have problems with the left channel of my digital front end dropping out, and since my DAC was less than a year old, I suspected the interconnect.  I pulled out my box of wires and started going through all the possible replacements and I was stopped short when I put in a $23.81 knock off cable from China.  It had the same mysterious and wonderful effect that the Shunyata Alpha had on the sound.  It just sounded completely different than any of my other interconnects.  Huge and wonderful bass, warm but detailed midrange and treble and enveloping soundstage.  Over time the sound organized and the bass receded to just right.  This is a terrific cable and just what my system needs right now.

The reason I was so surprised by this result is that I had previously listened to this cable in both my main system and another decent but modest system and had rejected it from both as very nice looking and good sounding for twenty bucks, but not the final solution.  After significant run in time it is now my best sounding interconnect, besting wires from Audioquest, Wireworld, Nanotec and Silver Shadow that cost 10-25x the price of the Chinese wire. Someone who listened to my system recently and had been familiar with its sound before was so impressed they bought a whole loom of cables to try in their Naim/Rega/ATC set up.

Wiring is an important part of my system, and the effects of improved wiring are additive and highly system dependent.  

kn

Essentially cables are a sort of tone control, and they are system dependent. Yes, they do make a significant difference whether it's good or bad. Just be prepared to shell out some bucks to experiment.

I did a full loom of expensive cables….when back and forth with the Blue Jean cables I had…sent the expensive cables back saved thousands of dollars…the difference was hardly noticeable….

@phd the approach we take is that the should just get out of the way.  Should should have the sound of your amp and source and speakers. Cables should not be a bottle neck is the approach we take 

I have tested several different cables in my system and noticed subtle changes. It's nothing dramatic, but it's noticeable to me. I'm no engineer or scientist, and many knowledgeable people on this forum can explain why cables do or don't sound different. The only thing no one knows better than me is what sounds good to me. 

"The reason tonearm cables actually make a big difference is because they are handling very low voltage signals, and thus are very susceptible to interference and LCR effects."

Are not all cables subject to the same type of distortion albeit at different scales? Which begs the question - what is done to different TT cartridge cable wires to make some more desirable than others?

@rpeluso - First post on this subject I have seen that I can agree with...all I will add to this discussion is that replacing an obviously bad cable (open or shorted) with one that functions as designed is all the difference I can hear. I have replaced cheap flimsy molded cables that came with a new piece with significantly better made cables and could discern no difference in the sound quality. That said the better made cables fit better, are more physically secure and look better, but sonically, no different. I can think of much better places to put 500-5000 dollars than on a set of fancy cables.

OP  Cables taken an OK sound system to a great sound?

A system's sound can be better than before but it can't never be great. Is there anyone happy with his system sound and stop upgrade/change a component? I don't think so. "Great" means a total satisfaction in audio. My system is great because I can't improve it's sound anymore and there is no other system sounds better than my system. Still I'm not happy with my system's sound. Why? What is the use of a perfect sound system if all recordings in the world sound dirty and distorted.

Alex/Wavetouch audio

"Our Infigo Audio cables"

@calvinj - The wording above, your use of "we" and "us" in your posts, as well as references to loaning out cables and the "infigo cables demo program" leads me to wonder whether you have an industry affiliation with Infigo Audio?  If I missed that disclosure in this thread or in another thread, then sorry.  Also, it doesn't matter to me if you are affiliated but, if yes, that helps me understand the thread a bit better.

@mitch2 i have always let folks know that I’m affiliated with a brand but I have have been an audiophile first for the previous 15 years prior to that. I’m not here to trash any other brand or anyone else’s opinion. I want to know what people think.  I want to know what they hear when they try cables. What they think about them etc. I’m not here to sell anyone anything. I do this in my free time. I have ran a successful law firm for 22 years.  But I’m an audiophile first. I enjoy the hobby and the opinions of those in it. I been on Audiogon for the last 17 years or so. I come in and out. I do what I do to gauge what people are doing and thinking.  Even the loaner program I do requires nothing of the borrower. I just allow people to try things. Follow their own minds in their own systems. I was on the other side where people hype you up,to buy something then disappear when it doesn’t work. My affiliation allows me to not do that to anyone. It allows me to help where I can and where I can’t no cost to anyone. 

@roxy54 this made my day: "Strange use of periods."

@calvinj is a very good guy, he’s just a bit, well let’s say, "grammatically creative" now and then.

@roxy54 yes that. Is correct! Lol 

I’ve swapped a lot of cables over the years and they a sounded much better with a fair bit of alcohol on board.., “ear lube.”

calvinj, it sounds like a good way to go. I think for people that have very revealing systems will be more inclined to hear a big difference. A few years back I was testing a well-known highly reviewed amp. After careful listening I couldn't understand what the fuss was about until I changed out the interconnects. What a difference, it was if I spent thousands of dollars on a far more expensive amp.

@phd 
one of the customers who tried the Infigo audio usb and interconnects said it felt like he had a new component. The previous cables were a bottleneck. Sometimes the cables hold back your electronics.

Nope. Minor improvements with simple-designed tube amps that naturally have poor input and output impedances and are obviously affected by cable capacitance and inductance. With properly designed gear audio recording studio type XLR is sufficient.

Simple answer NO, need fairy dust !! 

Rick Shultz  Audio former High Fidelity Cables Made some really big improvements in my system. 

An upgrade to an all-CARDAS CLEAR loom took it from “good enough” (..which was already comparatively at a high level … ) to “good”….. a fine but important distinction..

"No, because that doesn’t happen if you’re already using OFC cables at the proper gauge for the length of the run. Period. Anyone who thinks otherwise is lying or willfully ignorant. Science always beats snake oil marketing. Well, it should, but you’d never know that based on some of these replies."

"Simple answer NO, need fairy dust !! "

"Nope. Minor improvements with simple-designed tube amps that naturally have poor input and output impedances and are obviously affected by cable capacitance and inductance. With properly designed gear audio recording studio type XLR is sufficient."

I had a dealer recently say to me "other than tonearm cables, all the rest is bulls***.  I did not question him on this.  

"Pretty accurate. You’ll get more improvement replacing a set of brass binding posts with copper than with replacing cheap copper cables with expensive copper cables."

     No one can tell you whether/how your system, room and/or ears will respond to some new addition.   There are simply too many variables.

     LIKEWISE: no one can possibly know whether a new addition (ie: some kind of disc, crystal, fuse, interconnect, speaker cable, etc)  will make a difference, in their system and room, with their media and to their ears, without trying them for themselves.   

     Some companies offer a 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee, so- those that are actually interested, have absolutely nothing to lose by trying (experimenting with) such.     

     Anyone that knows anything about the sciences, realizes that something like 96% of what makes up this universe, remains a mystery.       

     For centuries; humanity’s seen, heard, felt and otherwise witnessed phenomena that none of the best minds could fathom, UNTIL they developed a science or measurement that could explain it.     

     The Naysayer Church wants you to trust their antiquated science (1800’s electrical theory) and faith-based, religious doctrine, BLINDLY (their credo: "Trust ME!"). 

     Theories have never proven or disproven anything.  It’s INVARIABLY testing and experimentation that proves or disproves theories/hypotheses.   

     IF you’re interested in the possibility of improving your system’s presentation, have a shred of confidence in your capacity for perceiving reality and trust your own senses: actually TRY whatever whets your aural appetite, or- piques the curiosity, FOR YOURSELF.         

                      The Naysayer Church HATES it, when THAT happens,

                                                          PERIOD!

The switch from AQ to synergistic IC was a huge step forward. Then came the SR active ground block… amazing detail and stage definition. Then came the powercell and powercords … the music flows it’s almost like the system is not even there… literally people will be in my home and not even realize where the music is coming from.  It just floats 

@andrewkelley thanks for sharing  the right cables give you the proper synergy. Some of our ears are more sensitive to the little nuances 

When I went from using a pair of Moon Audio Form-Fit BNC cables between my Chord TT2 DAC and my Chord MScaler to a pair of Nick Bacon’s WAVE Storm BNC cables the resulting improvement in the sound of my system was nothing less than astounding. 

@adasdad sometimes. Cables bring clarity soundstage and layering, sometimes it’s how the display treble. Sometimes they give a more open sound. Either way they make a difference. 

No

My experiences trying interconnects and speaker cables was 30 years ago and they made big differences for me. This was back in the days when you could take home cables and try them for a week at a time. My speakers have had tendencies to be a bit forward. So, to have my system open up and be revealing without being too aggressive has been a balancing act. The most “transparent” cables (Cardas, Siltech) could make my system overly aggressive. Once I settled, I’ve never felt tempted to try again. From my perspective, getting the components I own to play at their best is the icing on the cake. If I was still unhappy, I needed to upgrade electronics.

More recently, I have been amazed at the benefits of upgrading my digital interconnect and the power cords for my preamp and DAC. Relatively cheap upgrades the changed my perspectives on equipment I already owned. I had been talked into avoiding those upgrades as being needless and I was wrong.