Are current audio cable designs superior to 1980s designs?
As I said upfront, same question, different title. I don't know about you, but my own decision whether or not to read a given thread depends on the title. If the title doesn't properly describe the substance of the question, I will either never know or will quit reading. Same principle as a newspaper headline. Bury the lede and lose the read. |
Older AQ cables from the later 1980s mostly tended to lobb thick generic copper strands together thus blurring the results, IMO. Today in some of the better AQ lines, they do source nice copper from a well known provider and design changes with added dielectrics with less noise and changes in detail, sound stage, clarity, tone. Both can sound nice for different reasons. Some like that older blurred image sound, others prefer more detail and separation. Let your ears be the judge. So many companies and spins on designs, gotta try to know. Sure, there have been changes and new designs in the past 40 years. There are loaner program services offered like the TheCableCo to help try before you buy. The service comes at a price vs. reading and guessing. |
You're questioning whether cables have improved in 40 years? No. Cars, tires, toothpaste, lightbulbs, computers, phones, homes, (5000 items later) and speakers are better. Cables for some strange reason are just the same. Even socks are better. Underwear. But not cables. Sorry, having trouble taking this question seriously. Its that far out there. Even with the cost inflation thing. Its just nuts. Cables are so much better its hard to believe. Ted Denney alone has developed, brought to market, and improved beyond three different technologies- Active Shielding, Quantum Tunneling, UEF- each better than the last. Each generation so much better the worst cheapest version of the new generation outperforms the prior best most expensive model. That's improvement any way you want to slice it. That said, never underestimate the talent of an audiophile to find some pure crap to throw his money away on. DYODD. |
Simple question, simple answer, and just what I wanted to know, so thanks millercarbon.
Are the cable refinements audibly superior or just conceptually niftier? Your assurance is enough. FMI I will go study the Ted Denney evolution. Sorry, ignoring cables for decades and only lately paying attention again.What's objectively better, what's just for show? Because the audio equivalent of Rolex would be anathema to me, and veterans here can help to steer me right. |
I think if you get a cable cooker and then
cryogenically
freeze them as a secondary operation those old cable will be just fine. Seriuosly now copper is copper and there is a lot of money wasted on it that could be far better spent elsewhere in the audio chain to yield better results. I find regular zip cord, normally I use 12g because there are some serious systems I push at times, with good soldered connections at each end work just fine. Buy a better driver, recap your crossover or get a Xilica and leave those expensive money pit wires on the dealers shelf. |
