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Which cables go with what?????

I never fails to amaze me, the questions people ask on this forum, always trying to find some synergy between cables and their components/speakers.

The fact is: there are two classes of cables:
1) Those that are neutral
2) Those that impose a sonic signature (tone controls of a sort)

If the average audiophile spent his time trying to weed-out the tone control cables and get some neutral cables, then all that would be left is to determine the right synergy between his or her components. This may mean elimination of an offensive component, as painful as that sounds.

Component synergy is real. Amps and speaker combinations definitely need to be selected carefully. In some cases also preamp-amp synergies are important. If you are using tubes, then there are even more compatibility issues. But cables, forget it. If you are trying to compensate for a poor component or speaker design by using tone control cables, you will probably never be happy and likely compromise the sound of the other components in the process. You will certainly never approach a live or "master-tape" sound. There, that's my editorial. Hopefully some will learn from it.
audioengr

Showing 1 response by sugarbrie

sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
How can you be sure a cable is neutral? The only was you could be positive that a cable does not color the sound, is to know what your system sounds like with no cables.

My reference is live music, not some reference system. If a combination of components sounds right, then I guess you could say it is neutral. I can't really just point to the cables.

While I like many cables, of those I have tried, my favorite single brand of cables is Siltech. Are they neutral? I don't know. Do they make the sound realistic in my system. Absolutely Yes.
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