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swapping IC's to demo and cardas's site sdvice.

i'm in the final stages of my xlr IC comparisons. was reading the cardas site's info and was surprised to find that moving the IC's around could require "more break-in"?.

they don't really specify what degree of movement effects the cables. simple removing the connection or new bends ect....

anyone have any input?. i don't yank and throw my cables around but they do get moved repeatedly during my demos/comparisons. only have one xlr connection so keeping all 3 IC's being compared "warm" is impossible.

am i reading too much into this? or do i need to come up with a plan that takes this into account?. should i be waiting x amount of time after a re-connection to make a determination?.

not a huge deal but i seem much more confident of a decision when my a vs b vs c comparisons are done one right after the other, with minimal time in between.

thanks

levy03
7 responses Add your response
krell_man
827 posts
 
You know, there's another way to audition cables. It's put one in and leave it for a week. Then put the next one in and leave it for a week.

You might find that you miss the first cable, or that you don't miss it at all. That tells you something.

Then do the same thing to the third cable and the cable you liked the best from the first two week test.

Chuck
dcrugby
96 posts
 
yeah, i'm sure it's been discussed here in the past if you do a search.

if i recall correctly, it has something to do with creating (and i'm not going to remember the correct term here) "micro cracks" in the wire that the signal then has to deal with.

i try not to bend my cables when i'm not using them, i just lay them straight-ish, just to be safe.
rcrerar
215 posts
 
When I've talked to my Cardas dealer he has said that it will take approximately fifteen to twenty minutes for a cable to settle back down after being moved. He also noted that even a slight nudge or movement will require the cable to re-settle. I have owned many Cardas cables and other brands and have never noticed a difference of any kind in the sound by simply moving the cable. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just that I haven't been able to hear it, and boy have I tried. Other than that I agree with Chuck that quick A/B comparisons is not the way to go about doing comparisons between cables. The method he suggests has always produced the best results for me, and that goes for other things besides cables as well.
levy03 OP
442 posts
 
amazing that this has never occurred to me. after a moments thought...the advantages become obvious. duh!

living with the cable for a few days or week would give me a much better idea of what they do best (or i like best). also might help expose weakness/issue's that might not come up otherwise(this is what happened the first time i tried cable comparisons).

glad i come to you folks with my questions. also nice that most of you don't mind helping a greenhorn out.....even with the obvious.

cheers
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
Just a thought, but if you want to make sure all 3 sets of cables are warmed up and broken in equally, for test purposes you could daisy-chain all three sets (making one real long pair) and play them this way for a week or so, then separate the pairs and play them individually. Sounds kinda anal, but might tell you what you want to know. Good luck, Dave
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lak
4,554 posts
 
All of the above comments sound logical and possible to me. I think it just depends on what degree you are a perfectionist, what can your mind live with and how much time you are willing to spend. Some people aren’t patient enough to wait a week to see if they can hear a difference and some can’t hear a difference when doing a demo A to B after five minutes of listening.
I think the bottom line is when all is said and done which interconnect or cable do you think sounds the best.
samhar
1,048 posts
 
After moving wire around my system sounds "more relaxed" or "settled in" after 3-4 days of no movement, the presentation becomes "smoother" more homogeneous.
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