2. cables
  3. 149259-33589

I've never believed much in cables, that said... (USB)

So, in 30+ years of being an audio geek of sorts I've never believed much in cables.  I've always felt once it's a decent gauge and quality (think basic Mogami XLR's and Canare 4s11 speaker) that they don't make much of a difference.  I do try occasionally and try to read the science to see if it makes sense.  

Over the years there have been a couple cables I thought MIGHT have been different (not better or worse, but different).

1.  Gregg Straley Reality cables - these are a solid core and I believe he cryo's them.  I felt the speaker cables MIGHT have brightened things up a bit.  60/40 on if they did, but I'm pretty sure they did.

2.  PS Audio AC3 power cables on my amp.  I inherited this cable with a used amp purchase so said what the hell, I'll try it.  Don't think it did a thing on the pre-amp.  But, with two different amps, I THINK it opened up the soundstage a bit.  Reading about it, I think that the whole highs/lows shapes of cables doesn't make a lot of sense.  But I did think it might make a big enough difference.  For what I essentially paid for it - I kept it and use it.  If anything it looks cool and does stay in the outlet with a vice like grip.  


That said.

Just got my first outboard DAC (oppo sonica) and started with a cheap USB cable then tried an audioquest cinnamon, clearly a difference to me.  I was shocked (and bummed in some ways). But it was obvious, so I tried an audioquest carbon - and yes, again I'm pretty darn sure I heard a difference and it was better.  Everything did have more separation and clarity without being brighter (which is what I thought speaker cables might have done).  This was clear.  It still makes little sense to me (0's and 1's).  I've tried to look at tests like at ASR... but man it's the first time I really felt I can hear a difference.  

Might try the PS audio power cord on the dac, but that means changing on the amp... so not sure if it would be fair or not!
dep14

Showing 8 responses by geoffkait

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 

“The shielding is not comprised of mu-metal as it would not contribute to better Sound Quality plus it would make the cable unmanageable and also way more pricey.”

>>>>Two things. Mu Metal is shielding for magnetic fields not rf. Two, mu metal is not expensive even it were used to shield magnetic fields. If cables are in proximity to transformers or other generators of big magnetic fields most likely mu metal around the cables would be good for sound quality.




geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
andy2
One of the differences (among many) between water and electricity is that before turning on the faucet in your kitchen, the kitchen does not have any water in the first place. But with electricity, even before you turn on the switch of the amp, the amp internally already has a bunch of electrons just waiting to get moving.

So intuitively, you think if the tiny fuse is the bottle neck because all the electrons have to be "squeezed" through such a tiny space, so why then adding a big fat power cable would make a difference?

One possible explanation is that electrons are so small so there are so many more of them than needed even through the tiny fuse. Another thing that helps is that the physical length of the fuse is very short so the electrons would just shoot through it without having any noticeble resistance or phase shift. Now if you increase the length of the fuse to say a "foot" then may be that could cause some problem.

The other explanation is the potential of the electrons in the fuse is at 120V they have a bit more juice before down converted through the transformer.

>>>>That’s an excellent theory except for one minor problem. Electrons aren’t really traveling through the wire or fuse. They are only the “charge carriers” and for all practical purposes they’re stationary. It’s the current that’s traveling. And the current is made up of photons.

geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Andy, did you forget to take your smart pill today? A few years is three years. Did you flunk English and math? In any case it’s not a handful.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Uh, are you pulling my leg? Didn’t you use the word handful? 
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
I am responding to your theory that high end companies only sell a handful of cables and that’s why they have to charge so much. I trust you aren’t trying to defend that position. It’s more or less the same argument people make about high end fuses, that the reason they’re so expensive is because they don’t sell very many. Yet we know the top three aftermarket fuse companies have sold at least 50,000 fuses in the past several years alone. So there goes that theory.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Follow the discussion.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
Huh? Compared to a handful. That was the fellow’s theory, a handful of very expensive cables.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
It’s probably safe to say Audioquest, which is both a high end cable company and a seller of very expensive cables and power cords and HDMI cables, etc., sells many hundreds or even thousands of expensive items each year. I suspect Nordost does pretty well in terms of number of sales. So there goes that theory.
More to discover