How Big of a Difference?
Hello all,
I have near completed upgrading my system, but have left my speaker wire the same. My system is as follows- Laptop (Tidal) > Schiit Gumby Multibit > Freya S > Vidar monoblocks > speakers. My usb cable is Supra usb, and I am using xlr connections with amazon basics cables. If I am not mistaken, xlr is already super good at being noise resistance so I shouldn't need to spend more $ on fancy cables at my current level of audio equipment. My speaker wire is traditional 12 gauge wire I spliced from the spool. Nothing fancy. The reason I feel I shouldn't spend money on better speaker wire is because I traded the Supra usb for a super cheap usb and could not hear a difference. On top of that, I used to use single-ended connections using Chord C-line cables, and I could not tell the difference between those and cheap ones. What is everyone else's consensus? Can you guys hear a difference in your system? Thanks for the help.
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Differences in cables, even those costing megabucks, is subtle at best even in the most resolving of systems in dedicated listening rooms IMO and IME. I’d suggest buying from a dealer that has a return policy with little to no restocking fees to see if you hear a difference in your system in your home with your ears. Good luck and enjoy the crazy ride. |
I think you have to allow for both sides having some correctness in their position. In other words, cables can act as mild tone controls - some may sound a little different than others -- but the difference between cables, in terms of the cost relationship between standard and the higher end cables, is nowhere near the differences you can get with different primary gear - speakers, source, amps. Also, in general, cables may sound slightly different, but that does not mean expensive ones sound better than cheap ones. This isn’t gourmet food or wine where rarity is created by the quality of the delicacies. This is manufacturers creating culture around their products to create a premium perception. Also, just because someone has thousands of posts on Audiogon and speaks with complete certainty doesn’t mean they are correct. It just means they post a lot and that’s who they are. There are lots of people in this world that speak with complete certainly about total BS. That is not to say that cables have to be total BS, but just don’t let the tone of one post convince you of anything other than as it relates to the personality of the poster. EDIT: to clarify, the above refers to analog cables. On the digital side, people tend to misapply analog logic to their digital cables...and hallucinate major differences that from an engineering perspective cannot be there. [And yes, fine to apply the paragraph above to my opinions as well!] |
@jji666 - thoughtful post covering several key topics in just a few paragraphs +1 |
