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How Big of a Difference?

Hello all,

I have near completed upgrading my system, but have left my speaker wire the same. My system is as follows- Laptop (Tidal) > Schiit Gumby Multibit > Freya S > Vidar monoblocks > speakers. My usb cable is Supra usb, and I am using xlr connections with amazon basics cables. If I am not mistaken, xlr is already super good at being noise resistance so I shouldn't need to spend more $ on fancy cables at my current level of audio equipment. My speaker wire is traditional 12 gauge wire I spliced from the spool. Nothing fancy. The reason I feel I shouldn't spend money on better speaker wire is because I traded the Supra usb for a super cheap usb and could not hear a difference. On top of that, I used to use single-ended connections using Chord C-line cables, and I could not tell the difference between those and cheap ones. What is everyone else's consensus? Can you guys hear a difference in your system? Thanks for the help.

oedstrom11
lordmelton's avatar
lordmelton
877 posts
 

Before buying any "Fancy" cables I'd get a decent power supply, my choice would be Plixir but I doubt you'd stump up the cash for one of those.

Secondly get rid of the Laptop and get an inexpensive streamer maybe Emerson Digital or something similar.

Then get some used "Fancy" cables staring with power cables. You'll start to hear which cables need to be changed.

Your system will then start to sound "audiophile" not a flat digital melange.

tweak1
3,671 posts
 

Often, manufacturers will provide XLR I/Os FOR CONVENIENCE, THOUGH THEIR KIT IS NOT TRUE BALANCED. Unless your components have true balanced circuits then XLR won’t make a difference.

What surprises me most is how many reviewers do not have true balanced systems, but their personal kit have XLR I/Os. Their editor sends them true balanced kit to review (WTF?) then they ignorantly say they heard no difference! Well, DUH! I used to rag to the editors about this, but it always fell on deaf ears

 

Underwood HiFi has some reasonably priced speaker cables, said to be of high quality

 

hth

mitch2
4,020 posts
 

@tweak1 

What surprises me most is how many reviewers do not have true balanced systems, but their personal kit have XLR I/Os. Their editor sends them true balanced kit to review (WTF?) then they ignorantly say they heard no difference! 

I agree and am always amazed when the review rig is not aligned with the component being reviewed yet the reviewer runs through the review and then makes some justification at the end. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often but once is too often.  If I were the manufacturer, I would not be pleased.

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