Interconnects - better before preamp or after preamp?

There is no guarantee that any particular cable brand or style works best with any particular component. Add in the listeners' sonic preferences and all bets are off.

I've had 'critical' listeners with expensive HiFi systems tell me that my system has 'no bottom' and and another 'no sparkle' while those who know live music make comments like "Joe Pass is sitting right  T H E R E !!"

It's time correct with a slight downward drop from ≈25Hz to >22kHz - ala concert halls.

Buy pro cable (hosa, mogami, roland etc..), it’s why I don’t worry about it.

Very good points herein.

I think why everybody gets so excited it's because they hear differences between cables.  And sometimes the differences improve the experience.

But lots of cables with all those twisted strands that are creatively shielded inside a cable Color the sound.

Coloring the sound and making it sound different is what audio quest, cardas and especially Shunyata do to the sonic signal.  I think it's really deceptive as hell that High end audio Cable manufacturers do this.  You buy it it sounds different and you are impressed, all this for several thousands of dollars. It's a scam. Coloring cables is a scam. 
 

Producing a neutral Cable is what should be pursued if you want the Signal to not be impacted by the cable.  Very tough to figure out who these companies are that do this.

There is no 'better' cable. Cables interact with the connected devices. The 'best' cable is the one that provides the listener with the most satisfying sound with the equipment they own.

I flat out guarantee that most AudioPhools who purchased cables by brand or other people's opinions have sub optimal sound.

Your preamp does not improve the signal. The better the preamp the less it degrades the signal.  Consider that your source is a 100% signal. But the DAC/streamer/phono takes 2% of the goodness.  You're down to 98%.   Interconnects take 2%.  World class preamp only takes 1%.  next interconnects take 1%.  Amp takes 5%.  speaker calbes take 1%.  You get to the speakers with 88% of the quality that was on the source.   

Those thinking cables cords and components add something have it backwards. The artist added everything you're gonna get to the recording.  Your goal is to get as much of it to the speakers as possible.  Speakers job is to get it to your ears.

Jerry

As a temporary situation put the better cable after the source. But later on you should also get the best possible between preamp and amps. 

It’s all in the same chair = quality throughout.

First is always the best. If it’s not preserved upstream it’s gone.

If you drive a Ferrari do you put paraffin in the petrol tank? After all it's the world's best engine.

@jumia -

     BAT VK-D5 CDP to TacT RCS 2.2X pre = KS1130 Kimber

     TT to phono pre = Tricon Analog SR

     phono pre to TacT = KS1030 Kimber

     Tact to Cary SLM 100 main amps = Tesla Apex SR*

     Tact to Hafler 9505 sub amp = Gold Eclipse 8 Wireworld

     mains speaker cables = Big Silver Oval  AP

     subwoofer cables = 8TC Kimber

     two runs of 10/3 Romex from mains box/same 20A breaker to room/Hospital Grade outlets

     outlet to Stealth XXX power conditioner  = AC Master Coupler SR*

     outlet to Hafler 9505 = AC Master Coupler SR*

     PCs to all other components from Stealth = ZU Mother

     wall to VPI SDS = stock

     SDS to tt/SAMA = Zu BOK

               *MPCs modded by Michael Spallone

                        Nothing fancy or expensive.

                                Happy listening!

If the pre out is truly balanced (to a balanced amp) the cable matters far less than from the source. 

Use quality cables period. Now that doesn't take a second mortgage on your home. There are many quality cable  builders that are affordable and sell direct. 

Rodman99999

Great response

What type of cables do you use?

“upstream” should read “downstream” 🤔

+1 @rodman99999 

Every component, including cabling will degrade the signal to some degree. NO component can “improve” the signal and the best we can hope for is that the component will degrade the signal as little as possible, Of course, how much any one component degrades the signal is not an absolute; electrical compatibility with the component that preceded as well that which followed will also be a factor.

                                                 EXACTLY!

                       NO cable can possibly improve your signal.

         The goal is to compromise the signal's integrity as little as possible.

     Think of cables as windows, between your components.     Just a single dirty one, anywhere in your system, will result in a compromised reproduction of your music.

noromance +3.

Basic rule of system building that will will give you better results than most other approaches; many which simply keep us chasing our sonic tails.

Every component, including cabling will degrade the signal to some degree. NO component can “improve” the signal and the best we can hope for is that the component will degrade the signal as little as possible, Of course, how much any one component degrades the signal is not an absolute; electrical compatibility with the component that preceded as well that which followed will also be a factor. In short:

Any information lost on the way from A to B cannot be recovered by C (upstream).

This approach has worked for me, Good luck.

Here's an exception..  I had Nordost Frey 2 in both locations.  Swapping Tyr 2 between pre and power was much better.  Logic says once the signal deteriorates there's no getting it back and I agree.  It must be something else.  The Frey and Try have identical architecture differing only in the number of conductors.  My take is the larger signal after the pre was better handled by the added conductors of the Tyr.  With the Tyr between the source and pre there was little increase in SQ.  I swapped back and forth a few times to make sure.

djones51

4,855 posts

09-14-2022 at 08:28pm 

I wouldn't worry about it.

This surprises no one. I'm sure of it.......

Done what you're asking on two different systems with different cables (Cardas and Analysis Plus) two times.  In both cases best results were with better cables from source to pre.

@emergingsoul

I just replied to another thread, more or less on the interconnect topic.

I relayed the advice I received from a highly regarded seller of vintage NOS tubes, and since typing is such a laborious task for me, I am going to copy & paste that post I just typed.

around 25 years ago I bought a bunch of vintage NOS tubes from someone who most on this & other sites hold in high esteem. At that time he did not sell interconnects, and I don’t know for positive, but I don’t think that he does today, either. I asked him about mixing & matching brands of tubes:

he told me that was not his favorite thing, but not as bad as mixing & matching interconnects.

To oversimplify his explanation on that, if interconnect pair-A from source to preamp do sonic-thing#1 quite well but lack on sonic-thing#2 and is matched with interconnect-pair-B from preamp to amp and those interconnects lack on sonic-thing#1 but do sonic-thing#2 well, those two pairs of interconnect cables are cancelling each other’s best attributes out. Meaning that his advice was to stick with one brand of interconnect from source to amp. At the time, at least during that conversation, he did not have any skin in the interconnect game.

I’m using the same on everything, (Audioquest Colorado RCA and XLR) but my source.  It’s using an Audioquest digital something but I want to change to a USB and haven’t picked one yet.

@noromance +2 

If you have a World class preamp, is there a need to go nuts buying some really nice cables before the Signal reaches the preamp?. Let the preamp do its thing and then provide Royal treatment for Signal‘s Journey to the amplifier.

It only seems logical to me that you would want the signal arriving to that fantastic preamp in the most pristine condition as possible. And it also only seems logical to me that you would want the signal leaving that great pre in the same condition.

That could just be me, however.

@noromance +1 — IME the interconnects that make the most difference are closer to the source.  I used to use silver interconnects from my DAC to preamp and then copper from my pre to the amp.  Didn’t work nearly as well the other way ‘round.  

Personally I'd get the best and use the same from source to pre and then pre to amp(s).

Op, you’re going to get responses all over the map. Do yourself a favor and figure out for yourself what works best in your system. Find a company that has cables you are interested in and have a return policy, buy 2 of the same cables and put them in your system before and after, listen and assess. Then swap in your lower end cable before, listen and assess; and likewise after. Your system, your ears, your assessment, return one better cable if you don’t think it matters to have 2 better cables on both ends. Easy peasy

The signal is as good as it gets AFTER it leaves the source.

Keeping with audiophool philosophy-wouldn't it make sense to attempt in keeping it that way at least to the preamp? 

How does a "better" cable improve it after the pre? Must be nothing more than a tone control and wallet depletion device.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Better cables closer to the source. The better the quality of signal feeding the pre, the better the output from the pre.