Why Do Cables Matter?


To me, all you need is low L, C, and R. I run Mogami W3104 bi-wire from my McIntosh MAC7200 to my Martin Logan Theos. We all know that a chain is only as strong as its' weakest link - so I am honestly confused by all this cable discussion. 

What kind of wiring goes from the transistor or tube to the amplifier speaker binding post inside the amplifier? It is usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper. Then we are supposed to install 5 - 10' or so of wallet-emptying, pipe-sized pure CU or AG with "special configurations" to the speaker terminals?

What kind of wiring is inside the speaker from the terminals to the crossover, and from the crossover to the drivers? Usually plain old 16 ga or 14 ga copper.

So you have "weak links" inside the amplifier, and inside the speaker, so why bother with mega expensive cabling between the two? It doesn't make logical sense to me. It makes more sense to match the quality of your speaker wires with the existing wires in the signal path [inside the amplifier and inside the speaker].

 

 

kinarow1

Cables may or may not make a difference depending on what they connect.

Even when they do make a difference, some cannot detect it.

And far, far too many audiophools hear with their wallets!

See ieLogical CableSnakeOil

Ignore ALL recommendations for interconnect from anyone who does not have an identical system, musical tastes and room!!!

@1971gto455ho no. I waited it out. It’s all good now. Knew I would get it back. I was only pissed off temporarily. That’s the difference. 

Oh, I will add that if you want to get nice cables just because they look nice, that is a valid reason.  It's like buying a rack or furniture for your gear to sit on.  You could use cinder blocks and 2x4s to support your gear and it would solve the problem and work just fine.

Buy if you are going to spend the cash on some nice stuff, have some nice stuff around it.  

I certainly have tried cables that made my system sound worse...but I just returned them, no reason to try to convince myself that I liked them - some were more expensive, some less...

OP: Are you aware that higher quality preamps and amps are ’voiced’? How do you think the manufacturer does that?

This article was written in 1985. It found that capacitors and resistors affected sound quality. Yes, the ones built into the circuits inside your fancy metal boxes. (Scroll down to the bottom of the article to find out about the author.)

This article was written in 2020. It found that the connectors on power cords affected the sound quality.

Everything matters.