Mix & Match Interconnects

I do not use same cable from source to preamp and preamp to amp. The source cable should be as clean as possible and as neutral, open, excellent top to bottom frequency response as possible. The amp cable can vary based on your matching since taste and system matching are different. It should sound similar to the source except fuller sound. IMHO, the amp cable should have bigger band width.

i am a big believer in different interconnects and follow the same line as S23chang...with that being said, i have found a interconnect that works well in both spots, so "for" now" i am using the same.

the key is to experiment....depending on the resolution of your system and what you are trying to acomplish, i would really try as many combinations of interconnects so you can and "dial in" your system.

despite what manufactures say there is no suhc thing as a neutral cable...i have found some more neutral than others, but they do have a sonic signature of some sort. when you take that sonic signature and multiply it ( you use it from cd to pre and pre to amp) it becomes really, really obvious. sometimes to syrpy in the case of the cardas golden cross or somtimes too thin midbass with the xlo signature.

with that being said -i will use xlo signature or straightwire crescendo between source and pre..they are very fast, neutral cables, that image well and have incredible dynamics.

now from pre to amps you can go with the same signature and mutlipy it or change it slightly......i went with the cresendo again...because it is the only cable i have found that works well with minimal sonic signature in both spots ( there was little to no differnce when i had the xlo here) so what i have now is a somewhat neutral cable that is synergestic with my gear.

really experiment with as many cables you can in differnt spots, i think you will be surprised with what you come up with.

hope that helps.

mike

I'm kinda scratching my head at the last couple of posts, starting with S23chang. So I'm supposed to get a clean, neutral cable from source to preamp, and then a different cable between preamp and amp to help offset the things I don't like about the source cable? I'm confused. Why wouldn't I just pick a cable that I like and use it? I'm not saying that you have to use the same cable, I just don't understand why I have to use a clean, neutral cable if that is not my tastes. I've heard plenty of cables that are called neutral, they sound lean or thin to me. Do I have to use them? And then buy a cable that is overly colored and slow to off set the leanness? Using Mike's example, he likes the XLO Signature, that's his cup of tea. I find that my Tara Labs Decade balances nicely between the syrupy Cardas and the lean XLO (my cup of tea). So I use the Decade throughout my system. You're saying that I should get a pair of XLO Signature between my source and preamp and then balance that out by using a Cardas Golden Reference between preamp and amp? Is this what you're saying? I would then ask why? IMO that's like heating up food so it's too hot to eat, then putting it in the freezer to cool it down so it's edible. Why not just heat it to the proper temperature in the first place? Yes, accidents happen, and we all might need to use the freezer from time to time. However, if you've learned to cook to your tastes, why make the freezer part of the cooking SOP?
In other words, yes, you can put a yang cable in to help balance too much of a yin cable, but if you find a cable that's balanced to your tastes, why not use it everywhere?

Maybe I just misread you, but I don't understand what you're saying. Could you clarify?

Cheers,
John

Jmc, What S23Chang is saying using the most
open, and neutral cable from the source is, whatever you
get from the source, it will flow from the source to the
preamp, to amp, sp cable to the speakers, make sense to
me.I do this approach too.
With Mikesinger,what He is trying to say is,If you have
ic that is open and neutral, then you can experiment to
your liking, whatever you want to accomplish from preamp
to amp and speaker,this is simply fine tuning your
system.Until you are happy with sonic you are looking for.
There is a thread on this couple of months ago,Mike and
Sean and I did have post on that. Dont confuse yourself
This is basically putting the best ic on the source,
then Fine tuning.Hope this Helps.

Jayctoy, so you are recommending getting to most open and neutral cable for the source, even if I don't like the sound of it? Then band-aid the leanness that I hear in cables that are deemed neutral by placing a slow, syrupy cable between the preamp and amp to add body. That is the formula for a good system setup? Well, I guess whatever works for you. I've been there and done that, but personally, it didn't work for me. I found it best, for me, to buy a cable that I liked the sound of from the start. Then just buy another one, and another one. That was easier for me than constantly trying different cables to help band-aid faults I found in the other cables that I was supposed to like, because they were alledgedly neutral.

I do realize that there are more than one way to skin a cat, so if buying a neutral cable and then buying another cable to help mask that sound the neutral cable makes works for you, then I'm all for it.

Cheers,
John