Why Do Cables Matter?


To me, all you need is low L, C, and R. I run Mogami W3104 bi-wire from my McIntosh MAC7200 to my Martin Logan Theos. We all know that a chain is only as strong as its' weakest link - so I am honestly confused by all this cable discussion. 

What kind of wiring goes from the transistor or tube to the amplifier speaker binding post inside the amplifier? It is usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper. Then we are supposed to install 5 - 10' or so of wallet-emptying, pipe-sized pure CU or AG with "special configurations" to the speaker terminals?

What kind of wiring is inside the speaker from the terminals to the crossover, and from the crossover to the drivers? Usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper.

So you have "weak links" inside the amplifier, and inside the speaker, so why bother with mega expensive cabling between the two? It doesn't make logical sense to me. It makes more sense to match the quality of your speaker wires with the existing wires in the signal path [inside the amplifier and inside the speaker].

 

 

kinarow1

This has actually been a fairly reasonable and mature discussion! Normally I skip this subject but I'll add my $.02.

To my knowledge there has never been an ABX blind test that showed that audiophiles can hear the difference between cables if they can't see them or know how they were constructed. [If anyone here has information to the contrary please post it.] There are dozens of tests that show that when you test cables "blind" you simply can't hear the difference. Even a few brave cable manufacturers have failed when challenged with this test.

I use Blue Jean and Mogami cables mostly but I decided to try a pair of AudioQuest silver interconnects because I read so many comments that they had a distinctive sound. I have two CD players hooked up that sound identical to my ears and I have several CDs with two copies. I can rapidly switch back and forth and I can set the volume equally between the two players. I swapped the regular cables on one of the players with the silver cables hoping that I could hear the difference. I left the cables in (they are still there) and over the last year or so and every so often I compare them. So far I cannot hear the difference. When I am listening to the player with the silver cables there have been many times that I thought "wow, that seems to sound better than I remember" but when I put the CD in the other player it always sounds just as good. [System is Krell KSA300S amp, KRC2 pre, Thiel CS6 speakers]

On the other hand, if people think they can hear a difference in cables then there is a difference. If the music sounds better to them that's all that matters. They are perfectly capable of deciding where to spend their money. I am the first to admit that the appearance and story behind a component affects my decision to buy and my pride of ownership.

I'm fortunate because I have been able to assemble an affordable system that goes toe to toe with most of the best systems I have heard at several audio shows. In many cases the cabling for those systems costs more than my entire setup. If the cables or power conditioning is causing some sort of magic to happen I can't hear it. Speakers, on the other hand, are night and day. It would seem to me that an audiophile shouldn't spend too much on cables unless they have no upgrade plans for their speakers. An extra dollar spent on speakers is infinitely more effective than an extra dollar spent on cables in my experience.

Cables may or may not make a difference depending on what they connect.

Even when they do make a difference, some cannot detect it.

And far, far too many audiophools hear with their wallets!

See ieLogical CableSnakeOil

Ignore ALL recommendations for interconnect from anyone who does not have an identical system, musical tastes and room!!!

@1971gto455ho no. I waited it out. It’s all good now. Knew I would get it back. I was only pissed off temporarily. That’s the difference. 

Oh, I will add that if you want to get nice cables just because they look nice, that is a valid reason.  It's like buying a rack or furniture for your gear to sit on.  You could use cinder blocks and 2x4s to support your gear and it would solve the problem and work just fine.

Buy if you are going to spend the cash on some nice stuff, have some nice stuff around it.  

I certainly have tried cables that made my system sound worse...but I just returned them, no reason to try to convince myself that I liked them - some were more expensive, some less...