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Warm, rich sounding interconnects?

My system is in flux at the moment with a Wadia Intuition 01 as preamp/amp/DAC bookshelf Tyler speakers and (horror of horrors) an iPhone with an Auris bluetooth connection for the current audio source. Since bluetooth at best sounds somewhat thin and tilted up on higher frequencies, it doesn’t play necessarily well with the Wadia which is great sounding overall but also can be on the revealing side.

I know I should get a better source - but even so I’ll always want the option of wireless in various situations. I’ve owned Purist Audio Museaus’s (rev-c’s) in the past, which would be perfect, but sadly sold them on A-gon some time ago. Those are hard to find and the newer Purist cables are brighter sounding.

So in a nutshell I’m looking for interconnects which will deepen and darken the sound for my current setup - and new/used for under $400. Any ideas?
monsignor
113 responses Add your response
almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
Thanks for the additional background, Monsignor.
I didn’t realize that it had a low impedance - how would that affect the sound?
Compared to output impedances that are considerably higher (as is especially common among tube-based preamps and source components) it will to some degree lessen sensitivity to cable differences, and also to sonic effects that might otherwise result from interactions between that output impedance and amplifier input impedance. So to at least a small degree it works in the direction of improving the accuracy and neutrality with which signals are conveyed from the bluMe to the Wadia.
My assumption was that the Auris wouldn’t have the DAC in the path of the analog being an inexpensive device - but I have no idea.
Since Bluetooth conveys information in digital form it is the analog output of the bluMe rather than the optical output that would have the bluMe’s internal DAC (digital to analog converter) in the signal path. However, although optical interfaces are digital they have tradeoffs and potential downsides of their own, so the only meaningful way to compare the two approaches is to try them both, as you’ve done.

In any event, I would still suspect that trying to use a cable to compensate for the shortcomings of a $169 component providing DAC functionality as well as Bluetooth functionality, and having low output impedance, is not likely to be fruitful. And I would consider the relevance of cable recommendations which are provided based on experience with very different and presumably higher quality applications to be questionable at best.

Good luck, however you decide to proceed. Regards,
-- Al

czarivey
5,781 posts
 

I finally found all possible justifications to the labor, raw materials estimates wires vs. other thingies.

It all merges into the meaning of toy vs. tool or instrument. In the toy department (for children) everything is inflated because of "mama buy me this" market factor (MBMT) is always present so mathematically (what I like most alas from any science behind) it looks as follows:

(Raw materials + Labor) * MBMT.

Note that in wires reaching the price of new car right multiplier always approaches to unity while MBMT approaches to infinity -- no need of knowing any electrical or performance properties as they easily factor out!

The value of MBMT usually contains tons of propaganda and advertisement -- which IS actually LABOR oriented to drain funds of baby boomer's foolish children.

Bypassing all science behind on how good or bad wires sound (do they sound at all?), the most honest value to the product belongs to Mogami and most of pro-audio brands. Mogami Silver series (ones preferred by me) provide better electrical contact than gold according to per-unit resistance/impedance. They run in the range of $25/m pair.

Post removed 
monsignor OP
18 posts
 
Almarg - Thanks, very good points. I’m sure lots of people are in my situation of having converted to music streaming (in my case Spotify) and away from their own limited music libraries.

I used to use a NuForce that direct connected to the system with my iPhone connecting via USB cable instead of wireless. Obviously much better sound that even did justice to my Cary Audio/Verity setup at the time. Of course the Cary CD player was distinctly better, but the NuForce direct connect was still very listenable.

Sadly Nuforce went out of business before apple switched to the lightening interface but I suppose my money is better spent looking for something similar in a wired option. I haven’t been impressed with ANY of the streaming media players out there so far with my small bit of research to this point.  But I'll start looking again.

monsignor OP
18 posts
 
And I think you asked about the Tyler speakers.  I don't remember the model name but they're very large for bookshelf's (and wouldn't fit on any bookshelf I've ever seen).  They have good depth and bass response when positioned correctly.
monsignor OP
18 posts
 
I'll probably upgrade the source first and then the interconnects.
psag
518 posts
 
That's a good idea.
monsignor OP
18 posts
 
Problem is - all I really need is quality SPDIF out from the iPhone.  The Wadia DAC does a nice job of uprezzing from there.  So no need to spend a lot extra for another DACor other bells and whistles.  But the only devices I can find that supply a simple but quality coax or optical line out are wireless these days.  The old docking stations stopped being produced before Apple moved to lightening cables.  Any $500 or less ideas? 
danvignau's avatar
danvignau
935 posts
 
As a true cynic, warm, to me, means just enough 2nd harmonic distoetion, such as Conrad Johnson and Audio Research have been purported to intentionally add to their designs.

fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith
938 posts
 
As a true cynic, warm, to me, means just enough 2nd harmonic distoetion, such as Conrad Johnson and Audio Research have been purported to intentionally add to their designs.
OK. With respect, you need to read up on the inherent electrical characteristics of solid state and tube amps. But absent your doing as I suggest, how about instead, I throw out some casual off-the-cuff remark that Levinson, D'Augustino, and Ayre intentionally add odd order distortion to their amps? Not true, but equally valid and analogous to your remark. 
Now seriously, some tube amp manufacturers strive to minimize second harmonic with ultralinear pentode-based negative feedback designs and others strive for other design goals. You named the wrong manufacturers for the former, though there were admittedly a product or two from each that may have fallen short, particularly C-J preamps of old. 
cellcbern's avatar
cellcbern
61 posts
 
Chris Johnson at Parts Connexion can make finished cables for you (or you can do it yourself) out of the new Dueland tinned copper wire from Parts Connexion - DCA16GA or DCA20GA for interconnects; DCA12GA for speaker cables.  

See Jeff Day's article on "The Art of Tone" at Positive Feedback or his "Jeff's Place" blog.  I replaced $3k per meter Klee interconnects with the Dueland DCA16GA.
ihmeyers
82 posts
 
re an earlier post on Jeff Day replacing Klee cables with much cheaper Duelund interconnects.

Jeff is a great guy.  I have messages with him often  I am happy the Duelunds worked so well in his system.  To be blunt, they stunk in mine.  RCAs, XLRs, speaker cables, didn't matter.  Maybe they just didn't play well with my PS Audio BHK amp and Wilson Duettes.  That happens sometimes.  I've heard from others they were very bright in their systems as well.

I'm late to the wire party.  I haven't invested big money in interconnects or power cables until recently.  I'm also not foolish enough to think that there aren't some cables that are way overpriced.  However, I'm also not naive enough to think that inexpensive cables are regularly as good as those costing many times more.  While the correlation between price and performance isn't 1 it's not 0 either.
phantom_av's avatar
phantom_av
321 posts
 
Purist Audio, Warm, Rich, Detailed, Fatigue-Free. Big Soundstage. The Liquid Cables are probably what you looking for.
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