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Dynamic range - effect on different speaker cables - even very high quality ones

I have siltech Emperor double crown speaker cables. I recently bought Tara Omega Gold. 
The difference was very strange, and significant. I could not put my finger on it and changed interconnects to see if there was a compatibility issue. The Siltechs brought out superbly the main "players" and that sound was bang in my face - great. But it was a bit lean in other areas (more periphery sounds such as tinkling of percussion here and there - that sort of thing). 
The Omegas were exceptionally clean and detailed with EVERYTHING coming through, top to bottom, but no particular light and shade that the Siltechs gave. As such, a great pure sound but a bit soulless and didn't give me the bite that the Siltechs did.
I cannot survive life without the hit that the Siltechs give, so have kept those installed and I use the Omegas in an analogue set up (also lower dynamic range it seems) to enjoy those more

My false assumption before was that different cables had different qualities, and (or but) the basics of each recording would be dealt with principally the same i.e. just a different "house" sound
My dealer was nonplussed too as my description of the differences was a bit out of the ordinary, and the difference were VERY stark. I have tried many different cables over the years and never encountered this issue.

By asking around he came up with an interesting "reasoning"

Normal "players" or sources chuck out at a dynamic range of 70db. My DCS upsampler/clock/dac sends out at twice that, and the cables may get over saturated with the sound and act differently. It may appear that excessive dynamic range was not particularly an issue when they designed the cables and so the effect might be unpredictable?
Does anyone have a practical experience of this too - and I suppose the theory buffs out there could confuse me yet more.

tatyana69
tantejuut
125 posts
 
"Cables may get over saturated with sound". The only thing I can think off is that the current can be too high for the given AWG and the dielectric is getting overcharged and starts compressing. Is the cable getting warm? The cable dielectric can have an effect on the dynamic presentation/contrast you describe. Air/Cotton dielectrics sound more open and dynamic for example. Reduced microphonics can also be a starting point for investigation, or triboelectric noise. Siltech is known for high quality insulation. Enhanced dynamic range of components leading to over saturating the cable sounds like a strange explanation from your dealer. I think you should forward your question to Siltech and Tara Labs for a real explanation


ieales's avatar
ieales
1,201 posts
 
People, your ears and the drivers are compressing LONG BEFORE the cable, assuming anything much larger than 20ga/8Ω.
cakyol's avatar
cakyol
940 posts
 
Now here is some REAL reading, which is written without violating the  rules of physics.  Audiofools.... sorry audiophiles, please read:

https://sound-au.com/cables.htm

tatyana69 OP
269 posts
 
well let's look at 3 bullet points in that article
  • Power leads will rarely (if ever) have any effect on the sound, provided they are of reasonable construction and are not inducing noise into (unshielded) interconnects. The only exceptions are those that use filters of some sort, which will reduce the noise floor in areas where interference is a problem.
    Some leads are of flimsy construction, and may reduce the available power for sustained loud passages, however, the difference will rarely exceed 1dB in most cases.
  • Speaker cables can (and sometimes do) sound different with a given amplifier and loudspeaker combination, even where they are well designed and of reasonable gauge. Excluded are very thin or extremely silly combinations - these will always do something to the sound, rarely good.
  • Interconnects might sound different, but only if they use odd construction techniques. Generally speaking, all properly (sensibly) designed and well made interconnects will sound the same - excluding noise pickup which is common with unshielded designs.
Now - those points are such baloney to beggar belief. It is with great concern that there is a number of people that believe such a totally nonsense set of words. They have not heard my system, nor any half decent one, and you take micky out of audiophiles who clearly know more than you. 
Yet again, a naysayer hijacks the question posed and it naturally degenerates into puerile diatribes. Keep off subjects raised, unless you have the faintest idea what the question is! As expected, all the silly comments come from naysayers - it comes with your ignorance
tatyana69 OP
269 posts
 
and ...... more from that apology of an article .. who is that pathetic author anyway?

"Now, consider the situation with watches. Has any ultra-high-priced watchmaker ever claimed that the ’quality’ of the time told by their watch is superior to that from ’ordinary’ watches, or that the ’sense’ of the time has greater depth and more ’chi’? Maybe they just haven’t thought of that angle yet, but I expect that this is unlikely. The simple fact is that these pieces of jewellery are finely crafted and superbly executed timekeepers, but are usually no better or worse than ’lesser’ brands that do exactly the same job.

The situation with cables is no different - you may choose to pay outlandish prices to get something that looks amazing, and demonstrates to everyone how much money you have, but it will not make a magical difference to the sound, there will be few (if any) real differences in the electrical characteristics, and it will sound much the same as ’lesser’ cables, selling at perhaps 100th of the price."

My case rests The lunatics have taken over the asylum.
WHY ARE YOU ON AUDIOGON IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN YOUR OWN DEVELOPMENT? THE REASON IS CLEAR ... you are so inadequate that you want to control others to make up for your own significant shortcomings. You have no interest in the subject matter, but have great interest in thinking your own ignorance should have some influence in your small world. You know SO little, yet your self opinion knows no bounds. Just create another thread so circulate yourselves all together in your little worlds, just keep off generally in fact, you have NOTHING to offer ANYONE
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