So an upgrade to Metronome C8 would make more sense in the meantime? I could also potentially buy MSB Discrete with two power supplies instead, leaving me completely penniless, with fears I might not get "musicality".
Can hi-end cables benefit less expensive electronics?
Some time ago, there was a guy on a Polish hi-end forum claiming that in his case it was better to buy some hi-end power chord than investing in a more expensive CD player. Has anybody had an experience where they invested in an expensive cable and felt the investment justified without upgrading the unit utilising the cable? Overall, would there possibly be any point in buying some expensive cable to feed electronics nearly the cost of the cable itself? I'm currently using a KT88 amplifier with a Metronome CD8 (which is also used as DAC) plus Metronome DSS as the streamer (transport only). Speakers: Franco Serblin Accords. In my case, an upgrade in electronics would involve spending at least USD 15,000 to make it sensible. But I can also spend much less and buy a Transparent XL Digital cable to replace my DIY cable that I currently use, at a much smaller expense. Is a high-end digital cable in some cases able to make it a worthwhile investment in a setup which is not top hi-end? I can afford the Transparent XL digital cable, but not necessarily any upgrade to the electronics I own. Has anybody experienced an improvement with an expensive cable even if the rest of the system would rather call for a less expensive one? When I wrote to Transparent about it, they said I should get advice from my dealer. Cable naysayers please do not comment. Also I'm not looking for cheaper alternatives to the Transparent XL. Just fancying buying a cable that many people say is an excellent cable. Of course, I do not expect the same improvement with this cable as with a full DCS Vivaldi setup, but am I likely to get an improvement, considering that the system is balanced and nothing really bothers me in it? Or should I absolutely get a cheaper cable because the more expensive one is bound to make things worse?
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In my experience, the answer is yes. It can make the SQ worse. A quality cable reveals whatever the system is producing. If the power is dirty (noisy), if other components are adding hash to the signal, etc - then those issues will be revealed - if not magnified. When I first started using better cables, I heard all types of distortion. It was most noticeable with vocals - also the piano. I blamed it on the cable. My rookie mistake. It wasn’t until I substantially cleaned up the power with power conditioning & better power supplies that the benefits of good cabling showed up. I recommend working on cleaning up the power first. _ _ _ _ Generally speaking, better components have better power supplies. That's where a lot of the R&D is invested. |
bugredmachine, that's what I fear. On the other hand, I use pretty good hi-end cables already, like the Furutech Nanoflux NCF, and they did bring an improvement (I only regret selling Furutech DPS 4.1, which added some warmth that I loved, one is enough...). |
- 119 posts total