2. cables
  3. 1046807665

Where can I get educated about cables?

I'm still relatively new to this "hobby" compared to most of you it seems, and I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I've finally gotten to the point where I am considering purchasing cables, both for IC's and speakers, but I don't know where to begin.

Here's the deal- I read alot of reviews, talk to dealers, and read threads both here and on AA, and while everyone genuinely seems to want to help, I hear alot of talk about "impedance" and "capacitance", "six-nines', etc, when they talk about various cables. Now, I'm not an electrical engineer (I'm a commercial HVAC tech by trade), but I do know a little basic electronics, and am comfortable with a wiring diagram, so I am familiar with these terms.

Ultimately, I'd like to understand how to choose a cable, and why. I'd like to know how a cables characteristics will affect the sound with my equipment, and I'd like to know what cabling changes to make if I change a different part of my system somewhere down the road. Please don't misunderstand me- I do not believe I will find the perfect combination by simply using a magic formula of some sort. I'm just looking for information on the basics to get me headed in the right direction so I can make an informed decision, and hopefully save myself some grief (and cash) along the way.

Against my better judgement, but as an example, I'll tell you that I have a Sonic Frontiers Line1, a Bryston 4BST, and PSB Gold i's. I borrowed some different IC's from a local dealer, and heard the differences between them. BUT WHY? I wanna know why! Why did cable "XYZ" sound different than cable "ABC"? And what if I changed preamps? Then what? Or my amp? This could get really expensive trying cable after cable after cable, without knowing what to look for or having a frame of reference to start with.

Please, if anyone knows a source of info, a book, a site, or an actual person who can help me, let me know. It would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, if you have experience with my particular COMPLETE setup, not just the individual pieces, your input would probably benefit me here as well.

Thanks for your time.


subcoolman
philefreak
423 posts
 
Subcoolman, Go down to your local Radio Shack and by their best ICs and speaker cables. Use you stock power cords. This will give you an idea of how your systems sounds stock. Do your system matching and the synergy matching with these cables. Then you can can play around with other ICs and power cords to get your final tweaks.The problem is,with cables, that you never finish. It's always a journey of this new design or that new design, or the latest rave here or there. But it's all fun and just another day in the life of an audiophile.
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
"Cables, power conditioning, vibration control, and room teatment (or lack there of) will make or break your system."

Those are very wise words by Tweak1. I strongly adhere to those principles. Work on room treatment first, because it will allow you to hear right--then you will be in a position to make better choices. Then on power conditioning. Clean and stable power will allow your gear to work properly. Vibration will ruin soundstaging and the music's PRAT. You might then try to use very expensive power cords & interconnects to compensate for lack of soundstage and clean power--BIG mistake.

As for the Radio Shack interconnects, their best are a new model and not that cheap. Also, they use ferrite cores for "RFI filtration"--not a good idea. Their cheap ones are really really good for the money and I use them in my video system and for my little sister's system (cooked on a Mobie).
abex
322 posts
 
http://www.audiotweaks.com/collection_descend.htm

If you are into tweeks then that sites for you!I think ome tweeks are really beneficial BTW.Some are almost total non sense and are system\room dependent.
david_d
83 posts
 

Hi again!
Well I feel many well meaned words and great advices are given here. It's nice to see that so many of you know very much about our hobby and are helpfull to the "greenhorns" of Audio (hey, do you remember we all was "greenhorns" before!?). It makes me feel proud to be a part of such a good and well "functioning" society!

I can't but to repeat some already said words: - Room Tuning - Equipment Rack (Vibration "control") - Power supply. Get FIRST this done right and only THEN you will be able to "hear" cables, components, etc. It can (but must not) be a expensive affair but a necessary one if you're serious about this "hoby". And it is a long time investment that will save you much money and allow to learn much more efficently, not to mention it will be a healthy basis for any future upgrade.

Best wishes to all!
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
Right here, that's where. Subcoolman, I take it you trust your ears, and you strike me as someone not easily fooled. And you already know about Audiogon. You're set! One of the very best aspects about this site is probably the risk-free and convenient ability to try different cables in your own system, on your own time. I appreciate your wanting to 'know answers' to your questions, but in the final analysis, all that matters is getting some wires that sound good to you in your system and that you can afford.

Audiogon is ideal for this. Cables are always plentiful around here, and cable shipping is cheap. There's not much to break or go wrong, and you can swap them in and out of your system and A/B them without too much difficulty. Any cable you are interested in, you will quickly begin to see a 'going price' on it if you look regularly in the for-sale sections. Just stick to models that have been on the market for a little while, and are from recognized brands - in any reasonable auditioning time frame, you really cannot lose on buying wires this way. Just set aside a little 'cable fund' to experiment with and start getting some candidates in for auditioning. As you make you choices, turn around and sell the losers for what you bought them at - they might well work better in someone else's system.

Don't be hesitant to get your feet wet - it's the only way to get a feel for what you're dealing with, and you'll never be able to hear anything but a fraction of what's available anyway. Unless you're one of those audiophiles who fancies himself in constant pursuit of the mythical 'state-of-the-art', it shouldn't be too long before you've found a suite of wires that sound better than what you had, that you're happy to stay with for a good while (at least until you've completed that next round of component upgrading and get itchy again!), and you won't have had to spend a fortune coming by that knowledge.
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