Which cables go with what?????


I never fails to amaze me, the questions people ask on this forum, always trying to find some synergy between cables and their components/speakers.

The fact is: there are two classes of cables:
1) Those that are neutral
2) Those that impose a sonic signature (tone controls of a sort)

If the average audiophile spent his time trying to weed-out the tone control cables and get some neutral cables, then all that would be left is to determine the right synergy between his or her components. This may mean elimination of an offensive component, as painful as that sounds.

Component synergy is real. Amps and speaker combinations definitely need to be selected carefully. In some cases also preamp-amp synergies are important. If you are using tubes, then there are even more compatibility issues. But cables, forget it. If you are trying to compensate for a poor component or speaker design by using tone control cables, you will probably never be happy and likely compromise the sound of the other components in the process. You will certainly never approach a live or "master-tape" sound. There, that's my editorial. Hopefully some will learn from it.
audioengr
Bravo Audioengr! Wished I had seen your post sooner. Audioengr has nailed it done! About time someone said this as succinctly as you. I even go so far to say that when shopping for audio gear, not only should one take their own music to audition gear with, but also, and perhaps more important, your own cables! At that, I recommend using the most neutrally, transparent cables you can find. That way you get to hear the gear for what it is and honestly determine whether the piece of gear or system being auditioned fancies your listening preferences. Neutral and transparent cabling takes away the “editorial” issue of most cables.

There are tons of great "sounding" cables out there. They work with well with certain systems to one degree or another. Then, there are some great cables available that work great with virtually any system. These offerings reveal the glorious synergy of well-chosen gear or the weakness’ of poorly designed gear or a miss-matched system. With great “sounding” cables, chasing the rabbit can go on and on and it seems you never quit get to the music. Close, but no genuine cigar. It’s easier to change cables every month to six months than address what may be the real issue…poor gear or system synergy.

With great cables, there is no chase and the result is not “close”, it’s magical. If one has taken the care and time to define their listening preferences and to assemble a system that reflects those values, you find yourself captivated by the music only rather than music that directs your attention to the gear. Personally, I hate listening to gear and wires.

I recently received a comment about how one of our cables revealed a weakness in their analog front end. I thought, “Finally, somebody gets it!” Normally, one would say the cables are at fault. Rather than blame the cabling, this individual was familiar enough with their system to recognize where the real fault was. They now have the opportunity to address the real issue rather than go on chasing the cable rabbit and never really fixing the problem. Bravo to that person!

Kind Regards,
Robert
Since we now have two cable manufacturers touting the same theories, how about some background on these theories, what goes into making a "neutral" cable and how these neutral cables measure ??? Sean
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Well, my point and intention was more about philosophy than theory. Anyone can either learn from it, agree with it or disagree with it. That is fine with me. I have no interest to engage in a "theory" discussion other than to say balancing electrical parameters for a given application, topology, insulators and conductor quality are important. How we apply these criteria is not open for debate which is what usually happens when a discussion on "theory" comes up. We do what we do and our cables are what they are. Our offerings are for ears that love music instead of being scruntinized by minds that entertain theory and/or crunch numbers. If this seems to be an easy out, I regret that it's seen that way but, so be it. I mean no disrespect or offense here, just wanting to be to my point.

Kindly,
Robert
Throw the theory and other things aside,
I totally agree with Ridgestreetaudio and Audioengr.

If the cable is well designed, it should perform well in all systems. A good cable should enhance what you already have. i.e. A better cable can bring you more detail and image without changing the tone. IMHO, that would be the ideal "neutral" cable - a cable that is capable of producing same volume at all frequencies passing from the source.

However, some cables do add more than just clean sound to the music. i.e. If a system is too bright ( I see a lot of comments here on audiogon ) then listeners would look for some "tone down" cable. If a system is not enough bass, the listener would look for a cable to add "punch and volume" in the bass. The cables they're looking for is not neutral but just to help the system match issue.

Being able to make DIY cable myself, I'm now have a better understanding of finding the right combination for a bright system, neutral system and dark system. The cable for neutral system will work any the well matched system.
If I walk into a hi-fi store, I'll definitely bring my own "neutral" cable as the reference point.

All these are my opinion based on my own experiment and experience. Your results will vary according to your listening conditions.