Has anyone tried Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 RCA IC?

Like anything else in audio more money does not equal to better system.Its all about system matching.I own a pair of Blue Jeans speaker cables for my second system and they are a great match and I switch them out with a pair of cables that cost 5x more  but  I enjoyed the Blue Jeans more.

Blue Jeans believe it makes a difference: their mission is to propose cables that do measure extremely well where it counts depending on the application.

That's  funny , I have done back to back blind swaps .The differences were not subtle.Of course the system synergy is important also ..

Blue Jeans makes good cable, but is certainly not high end...they even say they don't believe that cable makes a difference.

what are the prices of the Groneberg Quattro cables? TS Premium cables?

They're under $500/pair for ICs.

That's funny, I wasn't even trying to guess!  I had been looking at cables in the $600 range, and so for me the Stagers at $120 for a 30" length is pretty cheap.  

Good call on the Silver Solids, that actually is what I am using. They are an amazing value but also expensive compared to the Blue Jeans cables. I didn’t want to call them out by name, but they sound better than anything else I have tried. Probably the cheapest way to use silver without making your own.

For a cheaper silver IC, check out the Stager Silver Solids, at http://stagersound.com/silver/  

A fraction of the price of your typical silver content cables from Kimber, etc., but with some pretty good quality, no nonsense cables.  

I used to use a lot of Blue Jeans LC-1s, but have swapped most of the critical ones out for silver IC’s. I think of the LC-1 as an above average IC that does no harm and has good detail thanks to the low capacitance. It is very good for long runs where you need a shielded cable with low capacitance most. It feels like a high quality cable due to the industrial strength connectors and thick shielding. I still use a 10 footer with good results. The low capacitance helps me feel at ease about the long length because I know I have done what I can to save the top end, and the price is right for that length. That said, I heard more openness and detail when I switched the shorter length LC-1s to unshielded silver RCA cables. My silver IC’s are much more expensive than an LC-1, and in its defense I have heard worse sound from other copper cables in the $100+ per half meter price range. In my system, the LC-1s had a dependable neutrality that I preferred over the EQ swings or just lack of better sound that I heard from the more expensive cables that I sent back for a refund.

what are the prices of the Groneberg Quattro cables? TS Premium cables?

I was running the LC-1 from my Schiit Bifrost Multibit to my Aesthetix Calypso Signature even though the rest of my system uses Groneberg Quattro Reference or TS Premium cables.  When I switched the LC-1 to a Groneberg Quattro Reference, it seemed like a slight veil had lifted.  It could definitely be in my head, but I'll try to DBT and volume match to make sure.

It's a good basic cable just like the current Monoprice RCA cables, they measure well too.  If you've got a home theater receiver and or entry level budget speakers, they are both fine choices, 

Yes - this cable is a no brainer.  It has the desired electrical characteristics, and great canare connectors.

I have a cple pair , a meter rca i had on my tt . For the bucks there ok and cheap . i swapped them out on my vpi to acoustic zen matrix reference 2 and the change was by no means subtle. Transport also . Much higher price though . I have a 3 meter rca set on my subs . I want to change to acoustic zen wows .cables are like football teams everyone is a fan of something someone else hates  lol
i believe firmly az interconects are the best if you can swing the cash . Now saying that different cables have different effects per system imo.

riffer, would you mind elaborating on the differences you noticed between the LC-1 and the Cardas Golden Reference?

Ok, that is impressive for the most part. However, I have found that Cardas over the years is not the most transparent sounding cable, leaning to a more "warm" sound which emphasizes the lower mids/upper bass.

Dave_72

Primarily Cardas Golden Reference.

This is an OK cable for subwoofer, for audio it's pretty muddy compared to cheap XLR cables.

OK, granted, which brand or brands were your old cables.

I had them in my video system, because I didn't really care much about the sound. Then I had to use a pair in a pinch when I rearranged my audio equipment. To cut to the chase, I got rid of all my "high end" cables and switched to the LC-1 throughout. Took the $1,000's of dollars I got for the old cables and put it into equipment.

I own 6 pair of blue jeans.

I could not stop laughing.

I had a pair of Black cat morpheus cables in my system for about a year and then swapped them out for the LC-1's and I immediately was dismayed by how much detail, sound stage etc was lost. I kept them in for a week but just could not take it anymore so I put in another pair of lower end Black cat LectraLine and they were so much better and almost as good as the Morpheus. Next up is a pair of Kimber Silver Streaks.

The LC-1's are back in my cable container available for an emergency.

I'm a big fan of BJC and have many pairs. I have long runs of ICs for the subwoofers, phono and surround. Money well spent. I have a preference for Signal Cable ICs though and have many pairs as well with Eichman RCA terminations. Also a bargain. All have a money back guarantee.

I own 6 pair of blue jeans.

Guys (and gals) I do also believe that there are some sonic differences in cables. For a few years I have been using silver interconnects in my system. They offered plenty of detail and a silky midrange, but at the expense of the lower midrange. That gut punching slam just isn't there. So, I am going back to copper to give it a try. I decided to take the BJC LC-1 a spin and for the price (60 bucks for 8ft) to connect my EAR 834-P phono-pre to my Korneff 45 SEi amp, it won't break my bank if it doesn't work out. There is plenty of positive posts out there to merit them a try-out.

I used the LC-1's for several years. I recently bought a pair of the Gabriel Gold Reflections and compared the two. The LC1's really made my toe tap and sounded very nice but when I put the Reflections in the sound stage opened up so much in every direction. They didn't make my toe tap as much but instead got me really enthralled with listening within the sound stage to everything that was happening. Very cool and different experience than with the LC1's.
Of course in other systems the comparison might be totally different but in mine the LC1 was more 2-dimensional with not much height or depth and the individual instruments were more compressed into a smaller space, but they still sounded great. I guess it depends on which 'effect' you prefer.
And maybe the LC1 was the more accurate presentation....I don't know, but I prefer the huge sound stage and being able to hear each instrument kind of in it's own space.

I don't agree with what BJC has to say either. They seem to come fom the objectivist school. Not sure if they're hard-liners or not. Sorry to say, their cables are good, but not to be used for the finest of high end audio systems.

Blue Jeans makes good cable....their philosophy is that cable makes no difference in sound....therefore is just "good"

IME, I wouldn't agree with that myself...

Do BJC also believe that all amps sound the same?

Blue Jeans makes good cable....their philosophy is that cable makes no difference in sound....therefore is just "good" . Solder connections, etc. are 1st rate.

BJCs are good, solid OFC cables. They're good for upper mid-fi to entry level high end systems. But, they do not compare to up-occ copper and high grade silver cable. That's what you wanna use for a high end to ultra high end system.

I use BJ LC1 cables in my turntable mainly because of their low capacitance. I like the connectors as well. Nice cable.

For me BJC are nice ones especially for the price, but they sound a bit grainy in my system and are not airy/spacious enough for my taste. They are not as refined as other cables either.

IMO it's worth paying more to get better cables than BJC in high-end/hi-fi system unless you really found good synergy with them.

Blue jeans cables are good economy grade cable. If you are interested in a high end (but not crazy expensive) cable, check out Neustadt Research cables.

Blue jeans cables = Chevrolet

Neustadt Research = Porsche

Both valid choices, really depends on personal preferences and budget.

i just got the LC-1 RCA IC. I'm still need to break it in...I was using Morrow's MA3 silver eichman, so far Morrow has better sounding but we'll see after 100 hours + ...

Blue Jeans are sooo good!! Owned audioquest, anti cables, and heard acoustic zen in the same system...the blue jeans are all I really need :)....not to say cables dont make a difference...they do abit....all system synergy IMO...but blue jeans are really nice!

which signal cable are we talking about? analog one or two?

thanks

BJC do not compare to MIT, sorry. In the budget category I prefer SignalCable due to their use of better termination.

As for Neotech, I make balanced cables from braided 24ga Neotech solid core chassis wire and Vampire XLR's. Much more open and better spacial info than any shielded cable I've tried.

I eventually concluded that Blue Jeans were not in the league of Cardas, Discovery, Empirical Audio, etc, in terms of transparency and refinement.

Agree.
As I'm moving up in gears, BJ LC-1 con't to show their weakest link.

Nothing wrong with the BJ cables though.

Agree again.

I use all BJC / LC-1 with the exception of the cable to the sub and the Mogami Balanced from the CD player.

Some magnet wire DIY may happen over Christmas when I'm between classes.

I eventually concluded that Blue Jeans were not in the league of Cardas, Discovery, Empirical Audio, etc, in terms of transparency and refinement. In the Blue Jeans price range I have a slight preference for Monster Cable (which seems to be a politically incorrect thing to say on Audiogon, alas....).

Nothing wrong with the BJ cables though.

Never heard of Neotech.

Art

I wonder how offerings from Neotech sound like compared to all the IC's that have been discussed here including Blue Jeans cables.
I'm in process of buying an RCA IC and a coax totaling under $150-200 and wondering what if DIY Neotech sounds better than Blue Jeans Cables.

agree = try some real basic DIY first, learn what they sound like in your system and then judge what a more expensive cable can do for you. If DIY is too hard for you to do, then get some BJ, and educate your ears.

Well, I own XLR>RCA BJ IC, which was build for me some time ago, but to tell you the true, I found my DH Labs BL 1 better than BJ, cos they are more open/airy, while BJ are more focused/compressed in presentation, at least to my ears, you can easierly hear that side by side, cos I can switched them quite fast. I am not saying that BJ are bad, even I paid GBP30 instead of USD 30, cos I am in EU and they ship from UK as well, but its system depending, but also your preferences. I do agree about their warmth, but I don't really like their suffer of airiness, even for the price, you have to choose what you like and that's matter. Soon, I am going to get, maybe during January, some pro studio cable from AU, pure Australian cooper at high level, from my friends friend, who is running hi fi shop and using this one all over the place. They will cost more than BJ and DH Labs all together, but I am just very curious how would they do against those I already own. Another example of an budget IC are Van Den Hul D102III Hybrid XLR, which are better than DH Labs, however I never tried their RCA version, so, my plan to go back to 100% cooper based one caused by D102III. I want the cable to be in best possible balance you can have, means warmth and airiness all together, detail and silky top end without bothering or getting to analytical. Is it possible? Don't know, but I am going to try. Last thing I would like to say is the most cable market, like anything else, are pure business, but only few know their product and I already own them, hopefully my next step will not make me think differently.

I just got a pair of LC-1 and Belden 10 gauge white speaker cable for my parents' system and decided to try them out before passing them on.

Now although they have not been broken in- only listened around 30-45 minutes. They are very good. I am comparing to MA3 and SP3 by Morrow Audio. The difference was larger with the interconnect than the speaker cables. The speaker cables almost sound the same-- just cleaner, more refined with the Morrows. The IC's had a larger difference--but again, cleaner, more refined with the Morrow's, but a much clearer gulf between the 2. But the Blue Jeans Cables were very good. And not sure if they would sound a lot better if broken in, but had to give my parents their Christmas gift!

I have a/b'd a pair of LC1's against Acoustic Research Master series (silver plated over copper twisted pair) from my Arcam DV139 to my Wyred4Sound STP-SE preamp. The preamp outputs to the amp are AR's also.
Not even close. The AR caused a loss of soundstage, image and openess that was appalling. The LC1's are crystal clear with that palpable experience. Now what do I do? I just got an email as I am writing this that said my new LC's have been shipped. I will replace the IC's from the pre to the amp and see if it makes a difference there. My amp is seven channel and all of the outputs from my HT pre pro are fed with AR Master Series also. They are well built, made with the right stuff and all, but from my player to the standalone pre the Blue Jeans stomp all over them. I am really interested to see what, if any, difference it makes in the next part of the chain.

Blue Jeans LC-1 are very good in my system. I am surprised. They are not in the Nordost school, very lean and detailed, like someone mentioned, more like Cardas / MIT, but, the more expensive cables are a bit more detailed and articulate. We are always dealing with diminishing returns the more you spend, but LC-1 raises the bar pretty damn high for inexpensive interconnect.

I feel the same way about BJ's Canare biwire speaker cable. I'm keeping my Audience Au-24 which is a tad warmer and more refined, but I could definitely live with the Canare speaker cable and the LC-1 interconnect both.

Scary good for the price, and both quite enjoyable, even on a fairly high end system (Cary SLI80, Cary 308T, Silverline 17.5, EAR 834p phono stage...).

I have LC-1's in my system. Long story ... after reading a few favorable testimonials about BJC, I ordered a pair for a rather long run from phono pre to preamp/proc mainly because I wasn't sure about getting too heavily into vinyl. So I wanted to keep the price of admission as low as possible. I liked the LC-1's so much that I picked up a pair for a second bedroom system. That led to a purchase of their speaker cable as well.

The I/C's were so cheap I bought an extra pair to use while evaluating a CDP I was auditioning against my reference player. BTW, that led to another cost effective (cheap) discovery ... the Volex power cord. The trick was to have identical cabling (I/C & PC) to easily A/B these players side-by-side.

The result was that I discovered a sound - particularly with my TRL modded CDP - closer to my turntable set-up. This was after trying out a number of low-cost / high-value I/C's ... Signal Analog 2's and Silver Resolution, Speltz Anti-IC's, LAT International, HGA Silver Bullets, Audio Art IC3's, Reality IC, and Morrow Audio. How could this be? I was almost embarrassed to admit that these BJC RC-1's performed as well or better than the more costly models. Multi-channel duties require sets of cables, so I can use most of what I still own. But the RC-1 is the I/C from source to pre for 2-channel. Who woulda thunk it? That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. Give 'em a try.

Hi, I got 'em.

Last year, just for curiousity, I purchased a pair of that analog interconnect LC-1 from BlueJeanCable.com just to see how they stand against the world of high end audio cables.

Long story short, yes, I like them. As matter of fact, I still have them on right now. Being having them on my system have no any means that I do not know how to enjoy "high end cables". I just like changing the seassonings on my stakes from time to time.

So, how do they sound? I say they'd probably sound like Cardas or MIT; very smooth and rounded. Not so bright and details as Nordost but I wouldn't call them "warm" either. Unlike any other ordinary "cheapies", the LC-1have a little "taste of high end" as well. For $30, they're great value and affordable cables. Highly recommend.

I also purchased the, once recommended by Stereophile, digital coaxial Canare LV-61S (single shield 24awg) and the LV-77S (double shield 22awg). I like them both. Those digital Canare cables are body printed "made in Japan". I instantly acknowledge the Japan's very high quality: deeper black, smoother, and softer rubber body. Better feel, prettier, and flexier than the Belden LC1. All three models were terminated by very nice, heavy, and well design Canare RCA fittings. Reason I say "well design" here is because they feel very nice and smooth when they were being inserted inside the female connectors. You know that feelings.....

They may don't look that good in pictures though but give yourself a try and you'd probably scratching your head wondering why the heck BJC would sell them for such at low price. Very fast delivery too.

I feel sometimes (a lot of times) the joke is on us, the audio geeks, with the outrageous price of admission on 'high-end' gear. Last time I bought new was internet direct. Every purchase after that was from agon.

Could be they just work well with your system. I can see how you would scratch your head though. Maybe try a blind A/B with friends? in the end, whatever sounds the best, is the best.

Yes, it is.