Are cables additive or subtractive?


There’s lots of debates here about the effectiveness of cables. Let’s please keep that elsewhere so we can have a DIFFERENT discussion about cables.

Let’s assume for argument’s sake that yes, cables make a difference and that it’s worth paying for that difference.

Lets assume that is true, then lets ask the question:

  • Do cables ADD or SUBTRACT from the signal?

Again, for this thread, assume cables change something audible.

What do you think and what are your experiences?

Also, let's try to avoid sweeping generalities and try to focus on what happens along this axis:  Subtraction or addition.

erik_squires

The Audioquest comparator box was an embarrassment to them because it proved that all ICs sound alike - that ICs neither add nor subtract anything to a music signal! That's why I remain an IC atheist after trying the comparator!

All you believers in IC "sound" should build a simple comparator box and do the test! 

I wanted to let this conversation go before I spoke about my own experiences.

In all cases I’ve heard differences, and even done single-blind testing with others, the sound has been subtractive.

For IC’s, the most "effective" cables rolled off the high end considerably.

For speakers, that roll off actually contributed to better imaging, but at significant cost to the overall energy in the speaker cables. So, on the one hand, subtracting energy, on the other hand improving imaging, so we could almost call that additive, but my fellow listeners did not like that tradeoff.

My own experiences have turned me to solid silver IC’s and Mogami speaker cables.

@eric-squires,

if high frequency roll-off from cables in your system resulted in improved spatial rendition chances are that you had RFI distortion somewhere in the chain. Cables are rarely anything other than an impedance/capacitance match or mismatch. And always: the shorter the better with the exception of power cables.

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