Man I really do enjoy a good piece of blueberry pie!
Who out there wants to, or has, validated an amazing cable find?
I own a very decent audio system and have slowly been moving up over the last several decades weeding out less-natural sounding equipment and focusing on best sound for my money (what I can afford). My current gear is a collect of Quad, Pass, Klyne, VPI, soekris and a fairly large collection of Kimber, audio quest, Furutech, Cardas, Straightwire, DH Labs cables built up over time.
I have come across lots of high-priced gear that isn't faithful to the music. My reference has always been unamplified voice and instruments and attend such concerts regularly though they are hard to find (but still easy if you live near a major city).
It always a pleasure to come across gear that is low priced and exceeds higher priced gear when it comes to faithful reproduction of music holding to the live unamplifed sound standard.
So.....
I have recently purchased some ATAUDIO cables from Aliexpress that have left me stunned due to low price and performance. Recommended by another audiophile who seemed credible and owned good equipment so decided to give them a try.
A $26 1 meter ATAUDIO copper interconnect cables is running neck and neck my Cardas Clear interconnects and beaten my Cardas clear Cygnus interconnect cables when it comes to clarity, lack of edge and sibilance, warm open holographic sound reproduction.
Would someone here with a good resolving audio system give one of the ATAUDIO cables a try? The price is noise for us who have invested in decent (high-end) audio system.
ATAUDIO power cords and Interconnects have proved amazing. About to try their speaker cables. I would not recommend their silver cables. I tried them and while they sound more robust and full than their copper cables the silver cables have the a high frequency edge similar to other silver cables I have heard.
Just looking for couple of regular posters here to give the ATAUDIO cables a try.
Can't resist passing along an audio bargain.
If you don't believe in cables making differences please don't post here and go do something else as you have already found your happiness.
96 responses Add your response
mclinnguy, For me the exercise is to end up with some really nice cables, but also the assembly process, and ultimately to learn from the experience. The cable I'm starting out with is all highly reputable: Furutech, Neotech, Acoustic Revive, SAEC, Oyaide, RAMM, DHLabs, etc....from reputable US sources, but some purchased and shipped from Japan buy an Expat friend. Copper is OCC, PCOCC, DUCC, Triple-C, Furutech nano, Oyaide 102 SSC; some silver plated, but mostly copper. The same with connectors: RAMM, Oyaide, Furutech, IeGO, SonarQuest, Viborg. It should be fun, and maybe next year I can share some findings.
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@vthokie83 there have been many who have done that, by all means part of this hobby is diy'ing and tinkering, so have fun with it. And who knows, maybe you will end up creating something special in the end that you can sell as a side business. I think @ozzy has some experience with this buying bulk silver cable etc., maybe he can chime in. |
sudnh, I have spent a ton of time over the last 3 months studying cable purity, construction, and geometry. A lot of companies (some Japanese, some US, a few Chinese), are striving to make the very best possible cable and connectors. I personally cannot afford a $2,000 to $10,000 cable, and one would not make sense in my system. What I have decided to do is buy very very high quality bulk cable and connectors, and build my own cables. I've spent several month accumulating the components, and will start construction in a couple of weeks. I can't afford a $2,000 Neotech power cable, but I can afford 2 meters of their bulk cable, split it in half, and put some IeGO connectors on it. We'll see how this experiment works out in the end. |
I am well read in audio, and I’m familiar with the many unusual schemes that have been used to improve cable performance, but you need to realize that just because something sounds wonderful and exotic doesn’t mean that its actual performance is superior. Sometimes it will be, and other times it is not much more than romantic ad copy. |
These things are perplexing to me bc at the end of such production strategies, the cables all get rolled into packaging of some sort or another. What happens to molecularly perfect cylindrical metal surfaces when cables are coiled / uncoiled? This isn’t a prod. It’s just a query on how chemical effects on cables should be lasting if the cables are not infinitely malleable like the T-1000?
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@roxy54 Oh roxy Much to learn you have about proprietary cable geometry we are not dealing with just twisted pair any more. You can give the same ingredients to 4 different bakers and they will bake 4 different cakes differently. It takes 3 days to a week to make some cables as well. A 2 hour to make cable is cheaper than a 7 day to make cable from labor costs. Also how do they heat treat it? Are they annealed or just cryoed? Do they cryo the connectors as well after they are installed? Are the connectors made in house as well? Are they ultrasonically forged or silver soldered? All sound different! Synergistic literally melts the silver on the cable from super high voltages to smooth out the silver to have a perfect surface, Audioquest rubs the cable between 2 massive plates at high pressures to smooth out imperfections, DH labs draws the cable through a jig to smooth out the silver. THEY ALL SOUND DIFFERENT AND HAVE SAME MATERIALS. Please explain more to me... |
You’re so transparent. In the first sentence of your thread, you mention what you spend for cables to elevate yourself above others (you think). People who do things like that are always compensating for some inner perceived deficiency. The fact is, there are cables that cost a small fraction of the ones that you buy that are made of the same very pure copper or silver with great insulation materials and terminations, so who is that is really being fooled? |
@thecarpathian I am sorry if I hurt your feelings Vigo with my experience crawling up from the button where I made nothing to a successful audiophile over the past 20 years. |
I’ve been down the journey and I was not a cable believer when I was younger and I tried all the cheap stuff, From China to Mogami and bluejeans cables and worlds best cables, and all that stuff! I know none of you heard a cable that cost more than 10 grand! so you have no reference because you have no frame of reference and you mostly listen to components that are not appropriate for those type of cables because they would pull the cheaper boxes to the floor from the heavy weight! |
While in general more expensive components are better in the audio world I have found that it is quite often not the case and sometimes not consistent across components. So, yep, we do want to be faithful to the music in our selection of more expensive components. And we all have our budgets. This said is why a bargain cable that sounds quite good and may be great for some budgets in the high-end circles is worth conversing and sharing and why I made this post. Perhaps suggest you could be our tester for this specific cable. Would like to find out what the reach of this cable is up the high end $$ ladder. The experiment $$ is noise. Have come across other SQ bargains in the past. Accidental flukes or what? In the mid nineties a Panasonic a-110 dvd player had very good digital sound for that time and we were able to validated across a gang of audiophile friends. A inexpensive Philips 763 dvd player in the mid 2000’s made digital tolerable to listen to 😀. etc. |
@vthokie83Quite agree and I would not just go ahead and try any of the other cable brands on pure whim. But this one I tried because of couple of credible audiophiles mentioned them. I dm'd with one of them and he had the right cables and experience in his background so thought $26 was worth a shot. I mean its noise compared to what we audiophiles spend. Your milage may vary and hence seeking for someone to try them and validate. My former small band of local audiophile buddies have moved on or gone. Miss those former days of shared listening and swapping components. |
You said every word that I was thinking. Just because most of us can’t afford to spend 6-10kvon cables does not mean that we don’t consider them to be a component. If we didn’t, why would we try so many different types and discuss them so much? A good friend who texts me daily uses ect instead of etc and it drives me crazy!
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@dayglow , Uh, @pennfootball71 is the naysayer. You guys are disregarding the inexpensive cables simply because they’re inexpensive? Have you tried these cables being discussed? And it's 'etc.', not 'ect.' |
@pennfootball71 +1 Dismiss the naysayers. Until the vast majority consider cables a component and not an afterthought or tone control ect. ignorance will exist in the audio community. |
When I started working in theater sound I was exposed to Mogami speaker cables. Over the next 20 years I dissed them as being basic. After several stints with a variety of flat cables I've come back to Mogami as the least subtractive, and most extended of all the cables I used. Sure I could get more imaging, but always at the cost of musical energy. So, my surprise find were cables I had all along. |
My favorite cables I have tried are synergistic research SRX digital cables and Kubala sosna realization level for everything else. Most of my cables start at 6-10k. That is what works best in my system that has more resolution than yours. Most dealers that know what they were doing with system synergy can teach you about cables. I see just a hodgepodge of randoms you tried out yourself and it’s all over the place. Call the cable company it is all they do is audio cables they can have a real conversation with you about your system and how to get more performance out of it. Those cheap Chinese cables make low resolution systems sound nice but they will never get you to the level you want. I am suspecting just replacing ALL of them made a bigger difference because now you have the same brand all over! That’s where you want to start a journey but you have a long way to go. |
I have been both pleased and impressed with these SKW speaker cables that I purchased on Amazon. |
I found these XLR ICs on ebay, and they made an audible difference over my Mogami Gold ICs: sharper outlines of instruments, more transparent presentation and wider/deeper soundstage: highly recommended! I assume that the higher performance has not only to do with the use of silver wire, but also with the complete absence of PVC insulation, which - at least theoretically (because of the many chlorine atoms with their 6 unpaired and not tightly bound electrons ( not like in Fluorine)) - might have a "muddling" effect on the modulated electromagnetic field around a conductor (that's just my hypothesis). I am using them from my DAC to the preamp and from the pre to the amps. For what they deliver, the price is a steal IMHO. and they made an audible difference over the previous Mogamo Gold |
I was one of the early users of Speltz AntiCables. I can't speak for the ICs or PCs but their original speaker cable beat all others I tried including a couple in the $1000+ range. They are extremely open, transparent, and detailed with good bass. They don't look like much and now have 3 different ranges, but it took a very good sounding $700 cable to beat it several years ago. IC wise, Darwin Silver, Amadi Maddie Signature, were a couple steps up in SQ over the lower cost ICs out there. They were a big ear opener to me and a few of my audio friends. The Darwins don't look like much but you'll hear deep into the recording and there is no etch to the highs--just exceptional clarity. PCs--LessLoss Original were the large jump up from lower cost cords along with Dynamic Design Spirit II. Previous low cost champ in SQ was Absolute Audio II cables. Much better than stock PCs for sure. Still use an AA II to run my TT to phono preamp. It has very secure plugs and is a big upgrade over the lamp cord the 50+ year old Lenco 78 comes attached with. The TT has most of Jean Nantais' upgrades and mods, but has a few of Artisan Fidelity's major upgrades included. My system is a high resolving one that I'm gonna stay with for a long time, as long as it keeps working or I can get it repaired if needed. That AA II cord was $69 new about 15 years ago. My good friend tried one and ended up getting two more for his system. It still sounds excellent in a very small room. He's using Triangle Comete speakers and sold much more expensive and larger speakers later that could not touch the Triangles in his room. The Absolute Audio II PCs and Darwin Silver ICs have been a constant ever since. Bob
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To me, AliExpress has made it difficult to determine which companies are making good products, and which are simply knock off (good quality or not). Some Chinese companies seem to be honest about their cables and connectors, and make excellent products (I'm using Monosaudio bulk cable, and Viborg, SonarQuest, and IeGO connectors on DIY cables right now) Monosaudio http://www.monosaudio.com/goods/index/l/en-us/id/18.html Viborg http://www.viborgaudio.com/en/ Sonarquest, https://www.sonarquest.net/ IeGO (Taiwan power connectors) https://alexsoundtech.com/iego/products Xangsane
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@roxy54Yea, I tried one of their other silver coated/plated cables also and found it to be bright. Mentioned that in my post, that I don't recommend their silver cable. Cables do need time to break in and at least 72 hrs worth of signal passing thru the cable before critical listening. But for all silver based cables, at least at mortal prices, I have not heard any silver cable that didn't have an edginess to the overall sound signature even after break in. But uber expensive silver cables like crystal audio, etc I have not yet heard. |
I bought these, supposedly their best copper cables some months ago and was very disappointed in the sound. They sounded small and seriously lacked bass. They do look pretty. I should have bought Xangsane because their interconnects are amazingly good and affordable,. They are sitting in my audio accessory closet. |
Thanks... Only had these cables for short while and haven’t yet removed the "glue" on one of the connectors to inspect how the cable is connected to the plug and if its a crimp or solder. As for comparing cables I have noted from experience that if you have not broken a RCA/XLR connection (unplugged and then re-plugged) in some time the connection degrades audibly. Reseating ones cables (just a little spin/wiggle for RCAs is enough) after a couple weeks will give an audible improvement in SQ (if one has a high resolving audio system). Same for power cables. So when comparing cables do always go back to the original cable. I typically do the swap between cables several times while listening to favorite tracks to confirm what I am hearing. Will keep an eye on how these age as this cheap experiment continues. And agree with you on cardas cables having a sound. I find them warm and mellow compared to others that have their own sonic signatures. |
I have tried a different ATAudio cable about a year ago. At first I really liked it and left it in my system for a few months. Then I switched back to my Zavfino Fusion XLR cable and realized it was smoother and more musical. Zavfino is not inexpensive but it's not crazy expensive either. I suggest you live with the new ATAudio cable for a month or so and then put your Cardas cable back in and see if the differences are the same as what you initially heard. I owned Cardas Clear cables and good as they are they definitely had a certain sound to them. Probably one of the best cables I ever had in my system were the Nordost Tyr2 interconnects. |
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My post is not an add. Just a wtf on a very low priced cable.... Just looking to pass along and some corroboration for us frugal audiophiles. Difficult to do, I know, when the internet has made most people confused on what's real. That's why I noted any one or a couple of us to corroborate on what $$ wise is noise if you are into high-end audio.
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