Cable Survey


The idea for this thread came from @sautan 904 op titled “Who thinks $ Speaker cable really better than generic 14awg cable?

My reply:

From op:

SO WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? OR I AM THE LAST PERSON TO FIND OUT THAT EXPENSIVE CABLE JUST A RIP OFF?

Some are, some are definitely not. It really is a matter of discovering what brands out there (and there a lot) offer the best performance for your money. Some are really worth the money and clearly they offer a big increase in sound quality. It seems the dealers you used were not very discriminating about what brands they carry. This does not surprise me since I have found many are not well informed. You really need to seek out somebody who has compared different makes of cable and really believes in what they are selling.

So I thought it a good idea to pool knowledge on this subject and make a list of what people are using and why. This is my current preferences:

Speaker: Hi Diamond 7

IC XLR: Hi Diamond XLR 3

USB: Vovox

Ethernet: AQVOX, Vovox

Power: Belden

The Hi Diamond speaker cable was so much better than other cables I have tried to date. The increase in musicality, depth and detail in bass, increased sound stage and cleaner more detailed top where some of the benefits I had with this cable. The same can be said of their XLR interconnect.

The Vovox I have only been able to compare with some generic cables, and it is much clearer than those. I intend trying some other brands in the near future and I will post my findings.

Ethernet cables I find make a difference and I am currently using both Vovox and AQVOX, compared to various generic makes and the blue Meicord these are both much preferred, opening the sound stage and lowering the noise floor.

Power cables I haven’t so far experimented with a great deal, I’m using heavy Belden cables that are part of a dedicated mains spur arrangement, so that each individual piece of equipment has its own spur. In order to test cable types I will need to introduce a mains block (Shunyata?).

toetapaudio
toetapaudio:     Previously I was using Shunyata Python CX power cords but a few months ago I tried a $695 Shunyata power cord on sale by The Cable Company with the same results.  None could compare to the Audioquest NRG10's.  Presenly I am using 2 NRG's on Martin/Logan SL3 speakers.  I am using 4 NTG100's, which are almost as good as the NRG1000's, of which I am using one.  I was fortunate to be able to purchase most of the Audioquest power cords from a dealer in Ft.Collins, who has to upgrade his own every time Audioquest upgrades their power cords.  He is due o do hat soon as Audioquest is avout to come ou with their latest oferings any time now.  I am also usng two Audioquest Nigara power strips, which replace an Ayre filter and a PS Audio regenerator.  As Hert Reichert has found out, a Audioqust Niagara 1000 power strip is ery, very good for the money.
@lak , I’m interested to find out more about your Furutech Power cables. Are the 55’s better everywhere or only when supplying power to specific components? How do the other Furutech cables compare? Thanks.
@toetapaudio, I think the Furutech Nano-Ag-Au FP-SO22N (14 gauge) sounds best on all front-end components, better than the 55's. 
I used the larger gauge cables on power conditioners or larger draw amps because hypothetically the 14 gauge wire might not handle the load.

I know there are some out there that want me to comment on the DPS-4 (11 gauge) wire. Unfortunatelly I have not had the time to do a compairson of the DPS-4 (11 gauge) vs the FP-SO22N (14 gauge), but I will do that within a week.
@lak thank you for the information. Glad to hear you like the 22 for the front end. I’ve not heard of the DPS-4, is that new? Hi Fi Advice recently tested another variant called the FP-TCS31 and gave it praise compared with an older Furatech cable called Alpha. I will find the review and post a link. Also, I have read that the best NCF connectors make a significant improvement. Have you any experience of these connectors?