WHY CABLES MATTER!
I have seen the argument over and over again on why cables matter and the that wire is just wire and how scientifically it’s impossible for them to make a difference. The thing that surprises me the most is that different materials are used. Different shielding is used. Different connectors are used. Different braiding methods of the cables are used. Materials are sourced from different manufacturers and put through different creative processes but I always get some guy who comes on and says. WIRE IS WIRE AND YOU ARE NOT HEARING WHAT YOU ARE HEARING? To me it’s pure arrogance to think you know more than everybody else to the point where you tell me what we are hearing through my ears and we are not smart enough to know when are minds are playing trick on us. But using all these different materials, process and shielding and creative processes don’t make a difference. I spent the last 15 years trying all the cables I could try. Thoughts anyone?
You're complaining about how you don't understand people, as usual. That looks like about all you do, this thread. When I assumed someone would want 10 story tall speaker system, I went on to assume someone would want IEM's also. Can we assume that there will be proponents of both? If we can't, what should we do? I was just telling you what Dion was saying. Well, he's not looking to get married, is what I said on top of that. Why? Do you have something to say about it? |
To my ears and in my rig+room, i am able to easily discern differences in cables upto a certain pricepoint. I have many of the audioquest cables from their entry/mid price point to higher end. All their cables can preserve/present more detail and clarity than crap wire and crap amazon cables. But , as I go higher up their price ladder, it feels like pulling teeth to hear any differences from their own lower priced cables. Guys with untreated rooms, lower quality gear and poor setups will have a much harder time discerning differences with any cable...in other words, it is a prerequisite that must be met before starting to experiment with cables. Overall, i really don't care to experiment with a bunch of different cables from different manufacturers, swap a bunch of cables all day and wear out the connector/receptacles in my pricier gear. Done! |
Calvinj, Yes and no that cables matter. The following is what I have found to be true, but that is in my $16,000 mid-fi system.....which I keep upgrading: (1) XLR cables versus single ended RCA - My system is "true balanced" on the solid state side, and yes XLR cables do sound better than downgrading to single ended RCA (2) Power supply does matter - Using high quality power receptacles (Furutech GTX-D(G), GTX-D(R), and Oyaide R1 all improved the overall sound. Yes I also have 2 dedicated lines pulled from my power panel, one each for the Panamax power conditioner and one for amplification. Plugging the amplifier directly into the receptacle and not going through the power conditioner provides better dynamics, speed, and soundstage. (3) As I've upgraded the quality of my components, better cables do improve the overall sound quality....to a point. I use cables that deliver above their price point. Morrow Audio, AntiCables, Supra Cables, DHLabs, Zavfino, Oyaide, Cullen Cables Cables that I've borrowed above that price point do make subtle improvements, but definitely not in line with the cost of those cables. My assumption is that my system is not resolving enough to hear the improvements that others may hear with higher end gear. Also I don't think my ears are as discerning as some of you, most everything I still own sounds good.....once I got to a certain level of cables. (4) Cables are system dependent - I have 2 amplifiers, one Tubes4hifi VTA ST-120 tube amp with KT 120 power tubes, and one Denafrips Thallo amp. The best cables for the tube amp are not the best in the Solid State amp, and vice versa (5) Digital cables do make an audible differences. HDMI I2S (Supra 2.1 and Audioquest Vodka), Digital co-ax (Morrow Audio), and USB (Supra Excalibur, Oyaide, and Wireworld), and Toslink optical (Supra, Audioquest). The most improvement is definitely USB cables, and then Digital co-ax.....I think that just upgrading to use I2S was the biggest improvement; but the Audioquest Vodka 48 8K is a noticeable improvement over the Supra 2.1 HDMI cable....but is 3 times the price (6) I love to "tube roll" my tube amplifier, and trying and using different cables provides me with similar enjoyment. Not everyone will feel the same |
@vthokie83 yes now you are talking ! My system is built to be highly resolving. Low noise floors. A super Dac The Infigo Method 4. The Infigo Method 6 stereo amplifier. Gato Speakers. Highly resolving systems show bigger differences. |
