Why Do Cables Matter?

This horse’s been beaten to death. There are many reasons why cables don’t make a difference. Some examples…

1. The equipment (and room) just not resolving enough to reveal the difference between cables 

2. Cables aren’t of quality or aren’t enough of a step up from what is currently in the system. 
3. You aren’t capable of hearing the difference 

4. You simply don’t want to hear the difference 

Your upgrade path should be as follows: components and speakers first, room acoustics next, then cables. Even if you bypass room acoustics, if you have the ear to hear the differences and or know what to look for (trained listener) you will hear the difference between cables and even a difference between various connectors on the same cable. Materials used to build a cable or connectors vary in quality and composition. Shielding matters. Dielectric matters. Gauge of wire matters. All these factors play into the sonic signature of cables. Outlets matter as well. The degree of improvement differs based on what link in the cable chain you upgrade and in what order. 

The only measurement tools that are of any importance are your ears. Again, if you can’t hear the difference if and when you try different cables in your system, use old cables that came with your VCR, just pull the yellow cable off the red and white. Use a lamp cord for your power and speaker cables and congratulations - you have achieved audio nirvana.
For us the unfortunate ones who can hear the difference,  we will work on bringing our cabling to the level of our components, run dedicated lines, use power conditioners, upgrade outlets and do whatever it takes to achieve the sound, tonal balance and soundstage and imaging that we perceive to be ideal or as close to ideal as possible. Some will go as far as upgrading the parts and wires inside the components and speakers to get there. There’s no right or wrong approach to this. 

No one owes anyone any proof or physical evidence of what they can or cannot hear. 
 

Here's another analogy...without good cable a cable car would plunge to the ground. Also, I have a Pangea cable running from the wall to my conditioner (and a few other "fancy" cables here and there because I do want to be as "audio hip" as possible based on likely incurable insecurities), and it almost didn't work as it's so damn thick, like a water hose...I tried replacing it with an actual water hose and that simply will not work as you really need some sort of esoteric adapter for that. Also, a 1" think AC cable will NOT work as a garden hose...trust me...

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gs5556

1,155 posts

05-31-2023 at 12:13pm 

Here’s an analogy. Suppose you have to run 100 feet of hose to a lawn sprinkler from a hose bib. The instructions say to use a 1-inch diameter hose for that length of run in order for the sprinkler to spray the design water pattern. You say that does not make sense because the 2 foot pipe from the water main to the hose bib is only 1/2 inch. The reason is the pressure drop is lower to the hose bib because of the short 2 foot le"ngth. Taking that out 100 feet will reduce the pressure by a factor of 50 and there will not be enough pressure for the sprinkler to work as advertised. To counteract the pressure loss, a larger diameter hose is needed. The hose bib's 1/2 inch pipe is not the weakest link -- it sets the initial condition of water pressure. This is similar for hose bib/amplifier, hose/speaker cable and sprinkler/speaker."

What an excellent analogy!!! Well done!

I have no real idea as to why ables matter.   I hear all the arguments for and against.  What I do really know is that I can hear the difference and so can others.   Therefore, I invest in cables.   I’m not saying that everyone should do the same.   It’s or ears, your system, and your wallet; it’s your decision and no one else’s.

From what I’ve experienced, the further up one goes in quality level within a manufacturer’s line, the law of diminishing returns applies. Most manufacturers have a sweet-spot offering that gets 90-95% of the performance of their reference line. Above the sweet-spot, any further improvements seem harder to discern. Certain cable brands seem to have a ‘house sound’. I personally like Nordost cables for the perceived speed, openness, clarity and resolution that is the Nordost house sound. Some feel that Nordost wire is a little on the lean side. Can someone explain why high efficiency horns / compression driver systems seem to be less affected / dependent on cable quality? I’ve heard such system with basic wire sound really superb.