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Interconnect - Does short length hinder sound?

In my efforts to upgrade my Interconnects, I was planning to get the
.5 meter length...as this is all I need to reach each component.

In my conversation with several reputable audio stores, they told me that an excessive short length such as .5 Meter, will actually "hinder" the sound. They recommeded purchasing 1.0 - 1.5 Meters, as it allows the sound to travel more uniformly.

With all the knowledgable people on this forum, has anybody ever heard of this theory?
oak3x
slaw3
139 posts
 
Did a weekend shootout once between my Kimber Silver Streak .5m vs. 1m vs. 2m. Tried them all between my Shanling T-100 and Audible Illusions pre, then between the pre and Nuforce Ref 9s. Darned if I could hear any difference at all.
When I brought this up one time, the pro at my local shop (AZ Tube Audio) told me they're just trying to sell you more expensive cables, as .5m are always cheaper. I think he was right. Thanks Dan!
James
fuzzball
20 posts
 
Hello Oak3x,

The shorter cable will not hinder the sound. But reselling them 1m and 1.5m sell easier than a .5 meter.
cwlondon
1,210 posts
 
It would only hinder their profit margin.

Name and shame this evil dealer.

Do not return!
Post removed 
the_smokester
174 posts
 
For analog I have never heard any difference in the audio sound for interconnect lengths less than 3m (which is all I've experienced in a controlled setting). It is conceivable that there are circumstances where 60Hz or RF pickup is a problem and you get a "lucky break" by using the shorter 0.5m length. (I use single-ended.)

I have used 0.5m lengths in the past but changed them all out for 1m...The 0.5m lengths are just too inflexible when it comes to positioning even adjacent components. Also, this short length puts more pressure on the connectors and can transfer vibrations (although I can't say I have actually noticed problems from this).

One advantage of 0.5m is that they are cheap second hand...But I think everyone responding on this thread knows why that is.

Elizabeth talks about length effecting digital signals. There is a long thread about this here:
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=31733
Basically, the issue raised in that link with digital (where the (fourier) frequencies are much higher than audio) is that reflections can add to the main signal just at the time the dac is deciding to accept the next digit. This leads to jitter which is a bane for digital music. The article says that the exact optimal length for digital interconnects is very system dependent on just how a particular dac accepts the incoming waveform.
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