Having expensive equipment is not a guarantee of better sound for an individual. I have replaced expensive cables with less expensive cables because of interaction between components once the new cabling was in the system. Recently, I was going to replace my DAC but tried the AntiCables Level 5 speaker cables. Those cables gave me the sound which I was seeking and saved me 50% of the cost for replacing my present DAC. Judging the sound of audio equipment is a very personal choice. I have heard a $300k system that had no "wow" factor for me, but for someone else, it was probably a mind-blower. Many manufacturers offer a 30 day trial period so I highly recommend that sautan904 use that method to compare various cabling options to find what appeals to his ears based upon his system components.
Who thinks $5K speaker cable really better than generic 14AWG cable?
I recently ordered high end speaker, power amp, and preamp to be installed in couple more weeks. So the next search are interconnect and speaker cable. After challenging the dealer and 3 of my so called audiophile friends, I think the only reason I would buy expensive cable is for its appearance to match with the high end gears but not for sound performance. I personally found out that $5K cable vs $10 cable are no difference, at least not to our ears. Prior to this, I was totally believe that cable makes a difference but not after this and reading few articles online.
Here is how I found out.
After the purchase of my system, I went to another dealer to ask for cable opinion (because the original dealer doesn't carry the brand I want) and once I told him my gears, he suggested me the high end expensive cable ranging from $5 - 10K pair, depending on length. He also suggested the minimum length must be 8-12ft. If longer than 12ft, I should upgrade to even more expensive series. So I challenged him that if he can show me the difference, I would purchase all 7 AQ Redwood cables from him.
It's a blind test and I would connect 3 different cables - 1 is the Audioquest Redwood, 1 is Cardas Audio Clear, and 1 my own generic 14AWG about 7ft. Same gears, same source, same song..... he started saying the first cable sound much better, wide, deep, bla...bla...bla......and second is decently good...bla...bla...bla.. and the last one sounded crappy and bla...bla...bla... BUT THE REALITY, I NEVER CHANGED THE CABLE, its the same 14AWG cable. I didn't disclosed and move on to second test. I told him I connected audioquest redwood but actually 14AWG and he started to praise the sound quality and next one I am connected the 14awg but actually is Redwood and he started to give negative comment. WOW!!!! Just blew me right off.
I did the same test with 3 of my audiophile friends and they all have difference inputs but no one really got it right. Especially the part where I use same generic 14awg cable and they all start to give different feedback!!!
SO WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? OR I AM THE LAST PERSON TO FIND OUT THAT EXPENSIVE CABLE JUST A RIP OFF?
Here is how I found out.
After the purchase of my system, I went to another dealer to ask for cable opinion (because the original dealer doesn't carry the brand I want) and once I told him my gears, he suggested me the high end expensive cable ranging from $5 - 10K pair, depending on length. He also suggested the minimum length must be 8-12ft. If longer than 12ft, I should upgrade to even more expensive series. So I challenged him that if he can show me the difference, I would purchase all 7 AQ Redwood cables from him.
It's a blind test and I would connect 3 different cables - 1 is the Audioquest Redwood, 1 is Cardas Audio Clear, and 1 my own generic 14AWG about 7ft. Same gears, same source, same song..... he started saying the first cable sound much better, wide, deep, bla...bla...bla......and second is decently good...bla...bla...bla.. and the last one sounded crappy and bla...bla...bla... BUT THE REALITY, I NEVER CHANGED THE CABLE, its the same 14AWG cable. I didn't disclosed and move on to second test. I told him I connected audioquest redwood but actually 14AWG and he started to praise the sound quality and next one I am connected the 14awg but actually is Redwood and he started to give negative comment. WOW!!!! Just blew me right off.
I did the same test with 3 of my audiophile friends and they all have difference inputs but no one really got it right. Especially the part where I use same generic 14awg cable and they all start to give different feedback!!!
SO WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? OR I AM THE LAST PERSON TO FIND OUT THAT EXPENSIVE CABLE JUST A RIP OFF?
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- 1019 posts total
Happy New Year All, I really wish 14AWG alone could get you there. If thats what sounds good to you then stick with it. It would definately would have made my life alot easier and less expensive. It took me a while to wrap my mind about spending $$$ for cables. These companies I have found to be worth the squeeze - investment. www.hb-cable-design.com/ www.stage3concepts.com/ www.tonarm.ch/ |
Here is a simple experiment for those who don't believe speaker cables make a difference (or those who are unsure how much). 1) Find a telephone or cat cable that you are not using and willing to destroy. Take it apart so that you have two sets of twisted pairs (i.e. 4 single wires). 2) Connect them to replace your speaker cables using a single wire for each connection. Best to use the coloured wires as positive and the white wires as negative so you don't mix them up. 3) Play music. 4) Now remove your new telephone wire speaker cables and replace them with what you think are the best speaker cables you have in the house. 5) Play music. The difference should be dramatic and very clearly demonstrate that "cables" do make a difference. If you cannot easily hear a difference, you need to either change your system (or the weak link in your system) or replace your ears. I would expect that somewhere over 90% of the people on this forum would find the difference between cables stark and obvious. It is simple physics, the telephone wire will be unable to properly carry the audio signal, particularly the low frequencies. Now that we have established that cables absolutely DO make a difference, the next question is how much difference is there between proper basic cables and the "expensive" stuff. It is the real question that we are asking. From my experience, one of the easiest ways to compare is to use a well recorded drum track. Perhaps use a Japanese Taiko drum album or similar Chinese drums. Make sure they include the big, deep sounding drums with plenty of chance to listen to the drum harmonics between beats. Its easy to listen for the following: A) After a drum strike, those big drums should have harmonics that last several seconds, depending on recording and drums, at least 4-5 seconds. B) Listen to the big drums in particular. Do they sound like flabby farts, or can you visualize how tight the drum skins are. With a good system (especially full-range), the difference between cables will be clearly evident. With cables that are a good match for your system, you will instantly see the drums as much as hear them. It will be very engaging, you will be eagerly anticipating the next strike. If the cables do not perform well, the drums will sound sloppy and you will quickly get bored. It's like they forgot to tighten the drum skins. It is actually quite amazing how much difference the cables can make. It can really transform a good, but non musical system into a magical sounding system. As many others here have said, the price of the cables has only some influence on the quality. The most important aspect is system matching. As a one time cable agnostic, I wasted much time and money on components, when my speaker cables were the weak link all along. Until I replaced them with something better, I was only spinning my wheels. When I first discovered the difference it was revelatory! Have a great 2017 everyone! |
- 1019 posts total