Yes, cables do make a difference -- regardless of price...


I thought you may find this interesting…or not.  I know, another "cable post".  Disclaimer up front — I am a believer that cables can make a difference in the sound that you hear from your system.  With my speakers, like most high(er) efficiency speakers, I can hear large and small changes made to the system components — and cables are part of that system.

What I want to share is an exercise that I went through with my better half in setting up her recording equipment that she will be using to record audio books.  The hardware part of the system is simple:  Audio Technica Cardioid Condenser Microphone AT2035 connected with a XLR cable to the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 preamp.

We started with the XLR cable that came with the microphone and recorded the short introduction of the book she has been contracted to record.  Then she recorded the same section using each of the our XLR cables I have on hand:  Vovox Excelsus, Mogami 2549, Gotham GAC-3, and Grimm TPR. Each of the cables have the same Neutrik connector and are very good studio cables that I have used in my system at one time.

Listening through headphones via the Scarlett 2i2, it was super easy to hear distinct differences in these cables.  The differences were not small and very apparent.  In the end, the Mogami cable was the winner — it seemed more open and warmer than the other cables and suited the tone of her voice the best. I have heard similar differences from these cables in my stereo system but not to the significant degree borne out by this exercise. 

To keep going, today I replaced the $10 USB C to C cable that I bought as an “upgrade” from the Scarlett 2i2 to a MacBook Air with a $70 Audioquest Forest cable. We were more than surprised that with the AQ cable in the system the drop of the noise floor was very significant and the blackness of background made the sound even more crystal clear.

The purpose of this post is not to promote or compares cables, just a public service posting for those of you who do not believe cables make a difference.  They really do affect how your system sounds (positive or negative) and if you cannot hear a difference then maybe looking at the transparency of your system is a place you should examine.

Imagine peace everyone.

crozbo

@lordrootman It seems he did "pass" a test in the first post.He neglected to check with you first if it would be acceptable to your standards:-)

But once my system reached a certain level

This and a properly setup system is needed to identity small changes in sound signature. Simply slapping tons of equipment in a spot and then saying you cannot hear slight differences (good or bad), is pure foolish. Such people should learn to appreciate the efforts and pain audiophiles take to setup their system.

I too am a firm believer in cables. I have a very revealing system to begin with and for me it’s easy to hear good and bad or improvements within my system. First off I had for many years all Shunyata Sigma HC and Digital PCs for my sources and King Cobras for my 2 mono amps. First swap was the Shunyata Sigma digital for my cdp to the Audio Quest Dragon Source pc to my CDP. What a very huge difference. Especially the all black background. Totally changed the sound for the better. I really was amazed by the quality of the music. And Shunyata ain’t no slouch when it comes to quality cables. Next was the preamp AQ Dragon source And then my mono blocks to all AQ  HC Dragons. All with great dramatic improvements in MY system. I do believe if your system ain’t up to par or don’t have a revealing system u will not notice a difference.