2. cables
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Yes, cables do make a difference -- regardless of price...

I thought you may find this interesting…or not.  I know, another "cable post".  Disclaimer up front — I am a believer that cables can make a difference in the sound that you hear from your system.  With my speakers, like most high(er) efficiency speakers, I can hear large and small changes made to the system components — and cables are part of that system.

What I want to share is an exercise that I went through with my better half in setting up her recording equipment that she will be using to record audio books.  The hardware part of the system is simple:  Audio Technica Cardioid Condenser Microphone AT2035 connected with a XLR cable to the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 preamp.

We started with the XLR cable that came with the microphone and recorded the short introduction of the book she has been contracted to record.  Then she recorded the same section using each of the our XLR cables I have on hand:  Vovox Excelsus, Mogami 2549, Gotham GAC-3, and Grimm TPR. Each of the cables have the same Neutrik connector and are very good studio cables that I have used in my system at one time.

Listening through headphones via the Scarlett 2i2, it was super easy to hear distinct differences in these cables.  The differences were not small and very apparent.  In the end, the Mogami cable was the winner — it seemed more open and warmer than the other cables and suited the tone of her voice the best. I have heard similar differences from these cables in my stereo system but not to the significant degree borne out by this exercise. 

To keep going, today I replaced the $10 USB C to C cable that I bought as an “upgrade” from the Scarlett 2i2 to a MacBook Air with a $70 Audioquest Forest cable. We were more than surprised that with the AQ cable in the system the drop of the noise floor was very significant and the blackness of background made the sound even more crystal clear.

The purpose of this post is not to promote or compares cables, just a public service posting for those of you who do not believe cables make a difference.  They really do affect how your system sounds (positive or negative) and if you cannot hear a difference then maybe looking at the transparency of your system is a place you should examine.

Imagine peace everyone.

crozbo

Showing 3 responses by lanx0003

lanx0003
676 posts
 

Thank you for going through the process and reporting the results, which did not surprise me. The rule of thumb is to judge by their capacitance specs between conductors (see below). Mogami 2549 (standard dual conductors) has substantially lower capacitance than the rest. I can attest to the experience of using Mogami 2549 as an interconnect cable in the past years, and it has been quite satisfactory. The reason behind this is that the combination of the cable’s capacitance and the output impedance of the source could form a low-pass filter that affects higher-end signal frequencies. 

Mogami 2549 also has much lower capacitance than its quad-conductor peer, 2534 (97 pF/m), and the somehow popular Canare L-4E65 (also quad) cable (150 pF/m). The user feedback among these three was similar: Mogami 2549 is the outperformer.

(Cable brand/model - capacitance, pF/m)

Mogami 2549 - 11

Grimm TPR - 33

Gotham Gac-3 - 150

Vovox Excelsus - 100

@crozbo she recorded the same section using each of the our XLR cables I have on hand: Vovox Excelsus, Mogami 2549, Gotham GAC-3, and Grimm TPR. Each of the cables have the same Neutrik connector ... The differences were not small and very apparent. In the end, the Mogami cable was the winner — it seemed more open and warmer than the other cables and suited the tone of her voice the best.

 

lanx0003
676 posts
 

@kennyc @dave_b Other than the qualitative description of removing undesirable capacitance, resistance, etc., Masterbuilt and/or Transparent cable manufactures seem not being transparent about the technical specifications. While it is not uncommon for high-end or boutique cable manufacturers to emphasize qualitative descriptions and subjective evaluations in their marketing, rather than providing detailed technical specifications, the omission of such transparency impedes customers from making informed decisions when acquiring expensive products like these. It is advisable to reach out directly to the manufacturers to obtain these details before making a substantial investment, however.

Combined with proprietary counter-helix winding geometry to avoid inductance and capacitance interactions, the Signature Line also offers the world’s finest quality connectors to transmit the musical signal with accuracy.

By the elimination of parasitic effects of excess resistance, capacitance, and inductance, the Signature Interconnects can transmit the musical signal so faithfully that their introduction to your system will be as dramatic as any major component upgrade.

lanx0003
676 posts
 

Did you find the Al used in the connector, inside the conductor or both?  Did you actually cut the insulator apart and look inside the conductors?  Are the conductor mixed with separated Cu stains and Al strains?  If so, I agree you could easily tell by using magnet.  But, if the strain is made of Al and plated with Cu, how do you tell?  This is a huge accusation and you need to be cautious with the statement you made. 

@stereo_buff ... I should also mention that much of the wire available now (especially from China) is not pure copper (Cu), but a mix of copper and aluminum (Cu/Al), due to cost, and it's performance is not as good as pure copper wire.

I have made 2-3 purchases from AliExpress, and I find the build and sonic quality, like the one shown below, quite good. The Orgami cable from another batch seems genuine with the label on it.

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