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

@tonywinga I'm going through the same process now with my ZUs. I really really didn't want to audition cables again and believed I was set in that area forever. Nope.

When putting together my first audio chain, my target was linear neutral so that I can better evaluate component upgrades Years of research for cables using reviews to create a hierarchy of price/performance got thrown out the window after this review for the newer model Siltech Classic cables:

https://hifiplus.com/articles/siltech-classic-legend-cables/#:~:text=Classic%20Legend%20is%20an%20extremely,the%20way%20of%20the%20second

Prior I was targeting the MIT cables at Equis Audio because they seemed like a bargain as their features competed with their more expensive cables.

Reviewers most often review quality components, so sometimes you’d have to read between the lines to find an exceptional product.
“Within a few minutes of serious listening, my first note on the page was “Why haven’t I used Siltech Cables more often?” Alan seemed “surprised” in a positive way- unusual for a seasoned reviewer.

”Classic Legend is an extremely neutral conductor, adding or subtracting next to nothing to the sound of the equipment. It’s also extremely consistent:…” is exactly what I was looking for.

So coupled with this great review, Siltech’s reputation for sonic excellence, Siltech’s seemingly extensive experience with silver purification for audio I purchased my interconnects. At least with this cable I can understand refined Silver, and I’ll buy gold filling in gaps is sonically positive, and the price was a reasonable step up from other silver cables.

Tip- at THE Show, I discovered that monocrystal silver is soft and hard to use and make into cable, and that Albedo cables are made with monocrystal silver as Albedo are “jewelers by trade”. If I want to try out other silver cables like for speakers, I may give them a try.

 

 

I hate the process of buying cables and I managed to find cables from a company that does it well. So I spent a lot buying speaker cables interconnects and power cords.  

I bought the mid upper tier Products they offered. Extreme stuff is ridiculo… I'm very content with the purchases and very happy I don't have to revisit the process of choosing cables.

The name of the company is transparent

I did buy some quality ethernet cable's and HDMI cable's from audio quest which I think do these areas very well.

I used to manufacture cable and have lots of experiments that revealed to me that the connectors  and soldering are even more important than the wire itself

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