Mystery man ay!
DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?
Yes they do. I’m not here to advocate for any particular brand but I’ve heard a lot and they do matter. High Fidelity reveal cables, Kubala Sosna Elation and Clarity Cable Natural. I’m having a listening session where all of them is doing a great job. I’ve had cables that were cheaper in my system but a nicely priced cable that matches your system is a must. I’m not here to argue what I’m not hearing because I have a pretty good ear. I’m enjoying these three brands today and each is presenting the music differently but very nicely. Those who say cables don’t matter. Get your ears checked. I have a system that’s worth about 30 to 35k retail. Now all of these brands are above 1k and up but they really are performing! What are your thoughts.
859 responses Add your response
Try using high end cables as coat hangers...very difficult. Also, the only cryo treated item I have are my main speakers which were delivered to my house when I was out of town (unexpected shipping quickness..surprise!) and sat outside on a porch in sub freezing cold for a night. Slowly thawed and sound fine. |
Post removed |
wolf_garcia "Try using high end cables as coat hangers...very difficult." My problem with high-end cables (that would be anything that did not come with a component, although even those may be high-end) is that they are too much like coat hangers. They tend to be hard to bend and therefore inconvenient. |
Copper ions flowing like liquid. FYI -- as reported out of Duke University / Phys.Org https://phys.org/news/2018-10-copper-ions-liquid-crystalline.html |
Why should I buy oxygen free copper (ofc) cable? https://youtu.be/Ms-wqCFaghs 'Won't improve your sound quality', but good enough for the LHC? Now you tell me. Ah well, at least it's better for heat and oxidation. |
News flash! Blind tests cannot prove anything. They can provide evidence... maybe. But most of the time they can’t even do that. Almost even nobody does blind tests, maybe one or two folks, who knows. So how can anyone make any claims for blind tests? There are no standards for audio blind tests. Nobody agrees how they should be performed. Too many things can go wrong with any audio test to be able to say a test with negative results proves anything. |
@rja , Monster1000 speaker cables vs 4 twisted soldered coat hangers. To date the coat hangers have remained unbeaten against all comers from the cable world. https://www.google.com/amp/s/gizmodo.com/363154/audiophile-deathmatch-monster-cables-vs-a-coat-hange... |
cd318
Monster1000 speaker cables vs 4 twisted soldered coat hangers. To date the coat hangers have remained unbeaten against all comers from the cable world.It appears this link just repeats information repeated from another website that repeated it from a post on another audio forum. No details are offered on the test. So this is just hearsay ... at best. |
@cleeds , well there’s plenty of stuff out there regarding cable comparisons. Some of the following from 2010 won’t be music to many. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/testing-audiophile-claims-and-myths.486598/ Surprisingly (?), nothing similar in defence from any cable manufacturer! Surely it would be child’s play for Atlas, Nordost, Kimber, Monster etc to set up comparison sessions between their lowest and highest priced cables to demonstrate worthwhile sonic differences? Unless of course there weren’t any. So all we seem to get are attacks on methodology akin to the ones faced by skeptics such as Peter Aczel and James Randi. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Randi Good read, even if it disillusioned me regarding the case of whom many considered the greatest case in paranormal history, Daniel Dunglas Home. |
cd318 @cleeds , well there’s plenty of stuff out there regarding cable comparisons ...Of course there is. This is a perennial issue. I've done my own evaluations, and am mostly interested in hearing from those who have conducted their own, first-hand testing. Links to tests conducted by third-parties have little value and almost always lack detail about the specific nature of the test. |
Post removed |
Here's a couple of articles from Roger Skoff that can either add or detract, depending on one's inclinations: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rcl-part-1/ & http://https//positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rcl-part-2-roger-skoff-cables/ I think he's forgotten more about cables than most here have learned. All the best, Nonoise |
Post removed |
Corrected second link: https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/rcl-part-2-roger-skoff-cables/ (The "http://" should not have been there, and the "https" should have had a colon after it). Regards, -- Al |
@dave_b I’m glad you enjoyed it, certainly lifts my spirits. Just love deadpan ironic humour. @acman3 yes I’ve seen it before but its brilliance will never get old. Thanks. For me anyway, it's reassuring to know that only solid silver is a better conductor than Oxygen Free Copper, and only marginally so. On the other hand OFC is more resistant to tarnish because of its lower oxygen content. For most of us 10 AWG OFC is overkill so I’m sure 12AWG or even 14AWG would suffice for anything other than extreme lengths (20 metres+) where resistance may lead to heat issues. Here’s an old article on cables which looks at the issue of contact oxidation. https://www.stereophile.com/content/cables-case-solder |
@dave_b you’re right about experience, unless you are lucky enough to find a system that provides long term satisfaction straight off the bat. Some of us have spent decades in sorting out the truths from the fictions with very little help from the audio press., Hopefully some of our experiences shared here may be of use to those who are new to this game. |
Post removed |
Post removed |
Anybody laughing about the cables great for you. If you hear a difference with expensive cables and you can afford it then do it. If it sounds good to your ear they are worth every penny. Went to a show a little over a year ago and switched the cables out after the first day showing. It was night and day. The expensive mix won out |