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A-B testing of cables

I recently attended The Show in Newport Beach California, and I asked some experts how to upgrade my cables gradually. I was told to start at the source. I should upgrade the source interconnect first then gradually work my way through the system, and I should hear the difference at each stage providing I am using audiophile quality cables; so I bought some cables at over $600 a pair to try out. My current cables cost $250 a pair.
My system is composed of:
McIntosh C2500 preamp
McIntosh 601 mono blocks
McIntosh mcd 205 CD player
VPI Classic 3 turntable
Nola Baby Grand speakers

I bought two y adapters and connected one pair of new cable and old cable between the CD player and preamp to do an A-B test. I also performed the same test with the turntable but I could not tell the difference between the cables whatsoever. I was very surprised and disappointed at the same time. I could not believe it so I called in others to have a listen whithout telling them what I was doing and they too could not tell the difference.

Has anyone else tried this test? I would like to hear your results.
Am I doing something wrong?

What is your experience in doing A-B testing of interconnects?
almandog
denman
112 posts
 
Fwiw,I have Mac stuff C50 pre.501 monos.I recently installed Signal Cable silver reference balanced ic's between pre/pwr combo and dac/ pre combo,and never looked back.There may be better cables out there,but at their price point plus 30 day trial period they represent a great value and have all the audiophile attributes we all look for.Just give them a good 75-100 hrs break in before passing judgement.In my system they are amazing.
mitch2
4,077 posts
 
In my experience, a longer term audition is better than a quick A/B comparison. I have found that by leaving one cable in your system for a longer period (at least two weeks to a month), and then swapping it out with the comparison cable provides a better indication of which cable you will enjoy long-term. Because of the “new factor,” we are sometimes drawn to something that is new and/or different, so this longer term comparison is a more reliable comparison method, to me.

Also, recognize that component-cable interactions may cause a particular cable to sound differently when used with different components. Therefore, settle in on your components before spending a bunch of money on cables.

Finally, I wouldn’t spend a bunch of money on cables. I have found there is often not much correlation between cost and performance since (some but not all of the) cables I have made from high quality bulk cable or wire, and high quality connectors, sound every bit as good as, and in some cases better than, name-brand high priced cables I have owned.
jvitez
10 posts
 
I went cable crazy for a quite a while setting up my main system. In my experience upgrading the power cords made more of a difference than interconnects. Biggest difference in interconnects was:

1. source to pre (by far the largest)
2. preamp to power amp (noticeable)
3. speaker cables (only minimal improvement)

That was helpful as speaker cables are the most expensive as they're generally the longest.

I tried various cables of similar price points with only small but noticeable differences. Only when I took a big leap forward in price and design by trying Nordost did I hear a "Wow!" difference. So yes, a fresh $600 cable may not sound any better initially than your broken-in $250 cable. Cost is not always indicative of price.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,907 posts
 
I'm of the camp that thinks ICs are the most important, particularly from source to amp. Throw in separates and I'd suggest staying with the same ICs. If you're going to throw money at something, do it with the ICs.

I also agree that it makes choosing a SC all the more easier as you don't need to spend insane amounts of money to get great results. Once I settled on the best ICs I could get for my system, I discovered SCs that went for $15/ft. that smoked anything else I had in my (small) inventory.

It made a believer out of me of the importance of getting it right upstream first. As for PCs, I'm tempted to try something else but seriously doubt I could better my present set up without spending more than I'd like.

All the best,
Nonoise
zd542
5,339 posts
 
"07-07-15: Mitch2
In my experience, a longer term audition is better than a quick A/B comparison. I have found that by leaving one cable in your system for a longer period (at least two weeks to a month), and then swapping it out with the comparison cable provides a better indication of which cable you will enjoy long-term. Because of the “new factor,” we are sometimes drawn to something that is new and/or different, so this longer term comparison is a more reliable comparison method, to me."

I agree. That's really the other half of the equation. There are things that I need to listen for when doing a quick A-B test like we were talking about above. But the final test is to leave the cables in the system for a longer period of time. You'll notice just as many differences between cables when you are NOT listening for changes.
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