Here's a quick low-budget story that may or may not help out.
First off, the system tested:
VPI HW-19 Mk 4 turntable with Benz Micro SE cartridge
Jolida Mk2 phono stage with upgrade 1
LSA Statement integrated
Acoustic Zen Adagio speakers
Clear Day Shotgun speaker wires
Rotel 1072 cd player (not tested)
I recently received a pair of 5' Belden 8402 IC's (which began life as industry standard microphone cables) terminated with Switchcraft 3502AAU RCA connectors. I had gotten the idea from this blog here:
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=7325
which I heard about from an audiogon member's own blog about his foray into building tube amps, etc.
Tonight I compared the Beldens (~$90) with my existing Blue Jean LC-1 (~$40) and Acoustic Zen Studio One IC's (~$200 used). Note that the Blue Jean IC's are built with Belden wiring. The AZ is proprietary to Mr. Lee and his company.
Results: Noticeable though not overwhelming differences. I tried various configurations running from the VPI to the Jolida, and from the Jolida to the LSA. The best combination was the LC-1 from the VPI to the Jolida and the AZ from the Jolida to the LSA. A big, warm, open sound. The Belden 8402 were good, too, but a little brighter and a bit more compressed soundstage than the previous configuration.
However, I will say that if someone had sat me down and, without me knowing, played a good recording with the Belden 8402's, I wouldn't have been too disappointed. Yes, they were a bit more thin and had less presence, but they also cost significantly less than the AZ's.
All of these are low-budget cables and I can 't compare them with MIT or Transparent or Cardas or even AZ's much higher-priced IC's. I imagine those would make a palpable difference. Still, I can say that cables, for the most part, do make a difference, however subtle.
First off, the system tested:
VPI HW-19 Mk 4 turntable with Benz Micro SE cartridge
Jolida Mk2 phono stage with upgrade 1
LSA Statement integrated
Acoustic Zen Adagio speakers
Clear Day Shotgun speaker wires
Rotel 1072 cd player (not tested)
I recently received a pair of 5' Belden 8402 IC's (which began life as industry standard microphone cables) terminated with Switchcraft 3502AAU RCA connectors. I had gotten the idea from this blog here:
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=7325
which I heard about from an audiogon member's own blog about his foray into building tube amps, etc.
Tonight I compared the Beldens (~$90) with my existing Blue Jean LC-1 (~$40) and Acoustic Zen Studio One IC's (~$200 used). Note that the Blue Jean IC's are built with Belden wiring. The AZ is proprietary to Mr. Lee and his company.
Results: Noticeable though not overwhelming differences. I tried various configurations running from the VPI to the Jolida, and from the Jolida to the LSA. The best combination was the LC-1 from the VPI to the Jolida and the AZ from the Jolida to the LSA. A big, warm, open sound. The Belden 8402 were good, too, but a little brighter and a bit more compressed soundstage than the previous configuration.
However, I will say that if someone had sat me down and, without me knowing, played a good recording with the Belden 8402's, I wouldn't have been too disappointed. Yes, they were a bit more thin and had less presence, but they also cost significantly less than the AZ's.
All of these are low-budget cables and I can 't compare them with MIT or Transparent or Cardas or even AZ's much higher-priced IC's. I imagine those would make a palpable difference. Still, I can say that cables, for the most part, do make a difference, however subtle.