the eternal cable question


Hi Everyone,

My goal here is to whittle down the mess that is the interconnect jungle with the help of my wise, knowledgable, and generous Audiogoners.

I have been researching and reading tons of stuff, Copper, Silver, Silver over Copper, Gold, Palladium, Rhodium, Fluids, 4N-9N, 99.999%, 99.9999%, 99.99999%, OCC, OHCC, OFC, Twisted, Helix, Double Helix, Solid wire, Stranded wire, Teflon, Air, Shielded, Unshielded, XLR, RCAs,.... Head Exploding!

Some of you have given me some great advice already but I have more questions. 

There seems to be a rule of thought that Silver sounds better with Tubes and Copper / Gold sounds better with Solid State. And well made Pure Solid Silver will sound good with both. Of course I know that it will all depend on my own ears when it comes down to it. However is there some truth to that? 

Is it true that mixing metals can produce different sonic results? Example... Gold RCAs will help tone down Silver wire? Or Silver Eichmanns RCAs can liven up Copper wire? It has been suggested that I use Silver plugs with Silver over Copper wire in teflon. That is the Morrow configuration.

Is it best to go with one company if they offer all the different cables or is combining different okay? You'll see from my list below that Almadi, Cabledyne, and Cerious do not offer a full set of cables.

Should I use the same company for interconnects from the VPI to the Herron and then the Herron to the Coda? The Herron is a Tube Phono preamp. 

Would like to hear from those of you who own SS amps and or similar systems to mine. Those of you who own Tubes amps will have to convince me that your interconnects will sound good on SS.  

My current system is

Coda CSIB Integrated Amp
Oppo BDP 105D
VPI Scout Turntable with an Ortofon 2m Bronze mm cartridge
Herron Audio VTHP-1 Tube Phono Preamp
Revel F52 Speakers
SVS SB13 Ultra Subwoofer
Furman Linear Filtering AC Power Source Conditioner ELITE-15 DMI

Currently running Blue Jeans between everything with 12 gauge copper for the Revels.

They sound alright. A little grainy in the upper ranges, Sound stage fluctuates with the recordings. The biggest thing is that I can't help but think that my sound can be better.

My budget is $1500 for all the cables and interconnects. Used is good.

My current list of cables to audition consists of Morrow, Almadi, Cabledyne, Cerious Graphene Extreme, Gabriel Gold Revelations.

Thank You for your time and generosity in teaching this Audio Grasshopper the ways of the Audiophile Force.

Peace,

Mark 



meambler
Is it true that mixing metals can produce different sonic results?

Yes. This goes for cables mixing metals in their conductors as well as those using connectors with different metals.


Is it best to go with one company if they offer all the different cables or is combining different okay?

There are no absolutes in audio. Going with all one company may work best for you. However, mixing and matching is fine as well. BTW, I think you mean Amadi, not Almadi.

I own a VPI table, and use a tube preamp with SS amps, however, my preamp, amp, and speakers are different than yours. Who knows? My personal musical tastes may be different from yours as well.

This is why I agree with @nonoise  and @nicotico , that only you can determine what works best for you. Take your time, try different cable companies using those that offer a good return policy first, or you could try using The Cable Company for loaner pairs.

As @lowrider57 mentions, start with the interconnect between your VPI and Herron first, as this should give you the most "flavour" of the cable.

It sounds as if you are experiencing grainy sound now, with all copper cables, is this correct? If so, I would avoid silver or silver plated copper cables. I am using almost all pure silver myself, and although my system does not sound grainy in any way, silver can be very revealing. If there is grainy components in your system, the silver will reveal it more than copper.

Gold can sound a bit warmer than copper, you may want to audition the Gabriel Gold for this reason. Also, I have owned the Cerious GE interconnects, and though they claim to have silver in them, they were too warm for my system. You may want to give them a try as well.

I prefer the Amadi, but I would recommend you avoid them, as they may reveal even more grain in your system.
I have not heard the Morrow or the Cabledyne cables, though I believe that Morrow uses silver plated copper and Cabledyne uses pure silver, which I also would avoid both due to your grain issues with copper.
From my experiences, I have found silver plated copper to sound faster, more revealing, and grainier than pure silver.

Take your time, there is no deadline. You may even find some older copper interconnects, like Cardas Golden Cross, Jena Labs, or Kubala Sosna, may eliminate your issue with grain.

Good luck, and happy hunting.

Cheers,
John


After reading Nonoise's post, there's no need for anyone to comment further.
I second AQ. You select the best models within your budget and you'll be happy. Naturally do not pay retail and buy used if possible from a trustworthy seller. Just an opinion but I am a user.


I agree to give AQ a try. Preferably a model with teflon dielectric... the purer the conductors the better. The dbs system is so effective that it virtually gives AQ a corner on the interconnect market especially in which you are dealing with low level signals. dbs just allows a "frictionless flow" to the music that really opens up the sound.