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If Cables Are Not Tone Controls...

I can't count the times audiophiles have said "Cables are not tone controls".  But if we audition (remember that?) two sets of speaker cables and decide that one sounds "better" than the other, aren't we using it as a tone control?  You can call it whatever you want, but in reality we are deciding which cable contours the sound to our liking?  Or should we just buy the speaker cable with the lowest resistance, inductance and capacitance we can find and if it sounds like crap, change other components until it sounds good?  Then we're just using the other components we've swapped out as tone controls. Just asking.  
chayro
inna
7,296 posts
 
I use only two brands and just move higher, step by step. See no reason to experiment with other brands until I start seriously upgrading all or most of the active components. In any case, the most important cable - tonearm cable - I cannot change without tonearm rewiring, it is fixed.
inna
7,296 posts
 
Forgot another brand that I use, one interconnect, but I cannot upgrade it because I am near top of the line already, upgrading it would be extremely expensive.
gp4jesus
36 posts
 
All of my speaker cabling is a few years old. Would not mind doing an upgrade here or there. 
ICs: 2-3 years ago I repurposed some I bought in the 90s w/new connectors. Would like to upgrade some there too but $acing to complete something big first

retired...
jaybe
735 posts
 
Cables are actually so much more than tone controls, that's about the most simplistic description
ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
I cannot upgrade it because I am near top of the line
cost ≠ sonic quality. Cable properties interact with the devices they connect.

I can't count the number of times an upgrade wasn't with one piece of gear and was near nirvana with another.

In the studio, sometimes the original 1950's mic cable gave the best sound and sometimes the latest and greatest prototype.

Cables are actually so much more than tone controls, that's about the most simplistic description
Cables are meant to transfer electrical energy from one place to another without affecting the signal. They can't. A Tone Control is a device to change frequency response. Cables always change frequency response variant on the connected devices. Ergo, cables ARE Tone Controls.
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