I wasn’t aware there were so many psychologists spending their spare time on audio forums, diagnosing audiophiles. That, or there’s a bunch of people projecting their deficiencies on others. So, its ok to post endlessly here about nano particles, quantum this and that, wire orientation, etc., and how people hear profound improvements in the sound of their systems resulting from these things, yet it is somehow off limits to discuss psychological factors that could affect what people believe they hear. BTW, the use of psychological motivation in marketing products is not unique to the audio industry. I have no issue with people spending whatever they want to spend on cables for whatever reason. If you want to make a point or have a discussion then do so, but try to bring something of value to the table. |
As I said above....your components should be differentially balanced for you to get the best from your connections....there is very little difference among cables when using XLR's Most components are not differentially balanced because there needs to be separate circuits for + and -.....much more expensive. Most XLR connections are a sales attraction with little benefit |
I wasn't aware there were so many psychologists spending their spare time on audio forums, diagnosing audiophiles. That, or there's a bunch of people projecting their deficiencies on others.
All the best,
Nonoise |
Kimber are very good cables and not that expensive. |
Back in the analog days I definitely could hear a difference with analog cables. Never did with digital cables.
The dealer I bought the Chord cables from thought I made a mistake by going “cheap”. He recommended to test various cables and that’s what I will do. I have the Canare, a set of Belden and now the Chord cables. If I can’t hear a difference I will stick with the Chord. Otherwise time to upgrade… I have 13 channels going so the cables won’t go to waste. |
Yes. Mitch2 is right, there is such a thing a confirmation bias. However, there are things you can verify yourself and that is the sound. If it doesn't sound good then it is not good, just return it. But my point is that if you buy yourself a 12k box and you supply it with $200 cable retail. How much sound you are going to get out of the box. Try a 2k cable and see. If you don't like what you are hearing just send it back and use what you have. |
Why am I going to want the more expensive cables to sound better? Expectation Bias, Confirmation Bias, Conformity Bias...take your pick You can read about it all the time here in these forums....just take a look at the comment by @bewgow just 3 posts ago. There is an expectation (bias) that the more you spend the better the cables will sound. People who spend more on cables want them to sound better because they have been conditioned to believe so by reading the opinions of others (conformity bias) and because they don't want to think they wasted their money (confirmation bias). |
Why am I going to want the more expensive cables to sound better?
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Go ahead and try other cables because, if you don't, you will always wonder - what if? However, when listening be really honest with yourself - do the other cables truly sound better than your
Canare L-4E6S cabling
or maybe just slightly different. You are going to want the new cables to sound better, you are going to want the more expensive cables to sound better, you are going to want the fancy looking cables to sound better....this is typical expectation bias and one reason cable sales continue to be strong - everyone wants the silver bullet that will make their system sound great and if that bullet costs less than a new component or set of speakers then all the better. If the other cables you try truly sound better to you, then great, there is your answer. Just do your best to get past your bias when evaluating. The home audio industry has made a lot of money by convincing audiophiles that a cable (or fuse, or footer, etc.) can be the one thing holding them back from hearing great sound. |
Yes, don't waste your money. Use the interconnects you have now. If you have to have better looking ones get Neutric gold XLRs and cable casing and install those on the wire you have now. Canare makes excellent cable. |
You just bought a 12k component and you are going to use a $200 cable. It is like buying Porsche and putting the cheap tires on it. How do you think the car is going to perform? |
XLR cables are differential. In a simplistic explanation, since any noise on one cable also manifests itself almost exactly the same on the other cable, and the receiver works on the DIFFERENCE of these signals, the noise, however bad it may be, will be cancelled at the receiving device.
So spending a lot more will NOT make much a difference, unless your original cables were really really bad.
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You get the best results from balanced interconnects by connecting them to differentially balanced components.....otherwise, you're spinning your wheels |
Thanks. I think I'm going for the Chord Clearway XLR cables - highly acclaimed in the UK and Europe.
Appreciate the replies.
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You are right about very good balanced interconnect for you fronts and center speakers.
I am not sure that you need that king of highend interconnects for the other bed speakers and height speakers..
I would invest the most money for the fronts and center speakers interconnects |
I'm surprised that Audio Envy didn't make your shortlist. It often comes up in the "value" category. |
Only you know what works best.
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One of the difficulties in interconnects is predicting the effect on a specific system. Specs don’t really help. It is best to try them. Rent or borrow several brands. You can do this on Line or with a local dealer. Get three or four brands, see what they sound like. If they don’t make you want to buy them, then don’t. Given the level of your new components you want to wait until the components are completely broken in before doing the comparison ( at least 500 hours). You want to know exactly what your system sounds like before doing a cable choice. The most purchased brands of audiophile quality are WireWorld, Transparent, and Audio Quest. I recommend trying each of those and maybe some wild card of something you heard about that is reported to be exceptional.
As an example, I use Transparent Ultra between my music streamer and DAC. I tried some high end Nordost and the sound turned brittle, etched, and harsh. Nordost makes exceptional interconnects. On most systems these are interconnects would sound outstanding. But for some reason on mine for this particular connection they did not. |
I don't know about Wireworld, but would suspect they are shielded. I prefer silver platted copper wire with silver connectors because of the lowest resistance and silver oxide is a great conductor. |
While I really like the Wireworld Equinox and Eclipse, as far as I know, NEITHER is shielded. IN fact, I can't recall any Wireworld interconnect that was shielded. Doesn't mean that they don't perform well, just that you are under an incorrect impression as to the shielding. |
