Are cables really worth their high price because of their geometry?
You aren’t even beginning to assess a cable properly that is not used in a set as manufacturer intended. It takes having on hand two or three entire sets of cables to conduct a proper evaluation. Obviously, this is prohibitive for most audiophiles. Rather than say, I have ignorance on the topic, or I do not have experience in evaluating them properly, we have loudmouths and arrogant types who spew their opinions without knowledge. |
Douglas, so entirely not even close to true, much less relevant. Another attempt at setting your own standards for criteria, and if those criteria were met, you’d change them. As after as the Ops question, no idea about geometry, and I don’t bother reading all the marketing hype. I do as so many others do, listen and let my ears tell me what they hear. Are speaker cables overpriced, yes. I doubt those companies could show us that their costs and profit levels are equal to or less than the audio industry standards. Is what it is I suppose, so it’s up to each to decide what it’s worth to them in the end. |
@ hiendmmoe - The Geometry of a cable makes a significant difference in cable perofrmance... e.g.... In-Akustic cables have a simple geometry "conceptually", but building them is where it gets extremely tricky, with lots of custom parts and exceptional wire/insulation quality - and hand built, so their cost is high - But - they are exceptional cables Cardas - their top of the line speaker cable is extremely complex, the cable is built by machine, but the connectors are installed by hand, so their cost is high. But buyers should be aware that some TOTL Cardas speaker cables can cause issues with SOLID STATE amps because of their very high capacitance that can cause some amps to oscillate and cause internal damage. Nordost ribbon geometry is a custom built cable, made from extremely high quality wire and insulation, that has taken years of R&D, and hand assembled so their cost is high. BUT - they are one of the few cables to have very low capacitance AND inductance values and they perform exceptionally well KLE Innovations uses their proprietary formulations that use different conductor gauges and combinations for live and neutral (amongst other things) and are completely hand assembled. Not as expensive as some of the above, but very good performers Kimber Kable cables is a less complex braided geometry, but much better than a simple lamp cord - the "cable" is built by machine and they are pretty easy to add connectors, so they tend to be more affordable, but they are not as good as the others cables mentioned above. Some geometries are very basic and rely solely on conductor quality or using solid wire to improve sound quality. Combining wire quality, insulation quality and an effective geometry will result in a very good cable, but as you said most companies hide behind patents - so how can you tell? Companies that reveal their geometries are confident that they are pretty hard to replicate, and as such they are not giving away their competitive advantage by revealing how their cables are built - i.e.the geometry - these are the companies I would consider. So when selecting a cable, do the research into the geometry, conductor metallurgy and insulation. I would not consider a cable that does not show/mention the geometry employed Unfortunately, the world of cables is very complex and quality comes at a high price. Best practice - ask questions here or try to get loaners or audition in store - and trust your ears. My own quest for a quality cable prompted me to take the DIY route, so take a look at my web site - it might have some useful information http://image99.net/blog/ You’ll also see I’m pretty keen on specific connectors - so it’s not JUST the cables that make a difference Hope that helps - steve |
