Geek,, I quite likely will be finding out how good they are, until I find out more about,or purchase, some of the big (i.e, expensive) boys.. Hopefully they’ll be a pleasant surprise.
Mike
Mike
Please tutor me on some integrated amp basics.
Geoff, I’d appreciate if you didn’t head my thread off in a related, but different direction, while I’m trying to figure this out with your and other’s valued advice. Are there any $1000+ cables you’d consider to be a sure bet and should be on my short list? Preferably ones by not too esoteric a manufacturer with a a decent track record? I read your thoughts on cryogenic treatment of cables, and had read some others who passed this off as gimmickry. Not to focus on cryogenics, I’m curious what aspects of cable design you’d recommend I should avoid as gimmicks and what might be legitimate design factors to look for. I really have no way of knowing what’s legitimate design or manufacturing practices, and what’s not, and opinions on the internet are all over the place. I am trying to learn though, best I can by asking questions. Thanks for your advice, >>>Almost all high end cable manufacturers cryo their cables, otherwise they could not compete in the high end marketplace. It’s not a gimmick. I was one of the very first to explore cryogenics for audio applications twenty years ago. Of those companies with a range of prices for cables, including modest cost cables, I’d suggest Audioquest, Shunyata, Anti Cables and other progressive cable companies. Most enlightened cable companies control directionality during the manufacturing process. Good luck in your quest. Geoff Kait Machina Dynamica Advanced Audio Concepts |
Mike, PLEASE read Galen Gareis' articles on PSAudio. These articles are as good a primer as you're likely to find. Although Gareis works for Belden, he's not grinding their axe. https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-1/ https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-2/ https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-time-is-of-the-essence-part-3/ https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-xlr-interconnect-design/ https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-speaker-cable-design-part-1/ https://www.psaudio.com/article/cables-speaker-cable-design-part-2/ 6 9's of the verbiage on some cable manufacturer's sites is only suitable for lining birdcages. From an engineering perspective, many cables are akin to holy jeans: Fashion Over Function Cables [and connectors] are part of the circuit that connects amplifier to loudspeaker. Different amplifier, different cable, different speaker ALL SOUND DIFFERENT! Add in source and room distortions and the probability of predicting performance is VANISHINGLY SMALL! IMO, many manufacturers are preying on the ignorance and insecurity of a well-heeled market. Nearly 30 years ago Ken Kantor opined "Contribution pricing is useful when production runs are smaller, and sales lower. In this scenario, materials cost is not the driving factor. Rather, the manufacturer uses their sales level and overhead to determine how much a product has to sell for to be worth making. This is an iterative process, as sales volume and price are interrelated." Since you mentioned Nordost, their speaker cables are distinctive and eye-catching. From an electrical perspective, not too brilliant as they maximize rather than minimize inductance, the last thing most engineers would want in a speaker cable. They do have a 'sound' and the listener is told that it is an improvement, which it may very well be with the system on demo. The probability of the same improvement on a likely very different system is vanishing small, hence "They need [5 - 50 - 500] hours to burn in." Balderdash! |