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
chocaholic
191 posts
 

@davetheoilguy A shielded cable of proper gauge can be had for $20. I think we’re making the same point. I believe most proponents of costly power cables do so not primarily because of shielding, as that’s a given. Rather they are able to hear a sound quality difference.

I personally can hear no difference between shielded power cables. That leaves me with the opinion that a costly power cable that carries no audio signal will not be my choice. Others with a different opinion or experience are certainly welcomed to do as they please.  But shielding alone is not a reason to spend thousands on a short run of electrical cord. 

davetheoilguy
122 posts
 

@chocaholic 

I think we are talking the same point, or close.  I'm certainly not going to spend thousands on a main.  But $40 (probably was $20, but Washington DC has been printing money for some time now) on a shielded power code is good insurance when dealing with cramped wiring at the component end.

My long runs (to right sub and two to phono preamp), btw, are nice, medical grade, cables stolen from a broken MRI machine.  Other than really nice plugs, heavy gauge, and length they are not particularly exotic.  I suppose they have no ferrous alloy of any kind, but I'm not sure that's relevant. I just ran them along the wall in typical Home Depot wire routing "tubes" to keep them neat and untangled.

spotlightaudio
2 posts
 

Herman sums it up perfectly.

The only exception for mine is the shielding capabilities.

Some manufacturers claim to be kings of shielding and charge you an arm & a leg for the privelage. Yet can be out-performed by a cable 30% - 50% cheaper that also generally (but maybe not always) produces something of a much higher standard & finish (in terms of materials, craftmanship and technically superior).

Mogami is a great example of the later. The Chord Company a good example of the former.

kennyc
1,198 posts
 

“How can copper/silver plus different dielectric weave patterns cost so much?”

I can understand how this would drive some people crazy, especially those on a limiting budget.  Besides the  R (resistance), L (inductance) and C (capacitance). as mention in Iconoclast white papers here, I have no clue beyond that.

Therefore, in order to lift the sonics of my system I, like many others, have to rely on reviews including many generously offered my forum members. I don’t look for guarantees as we each have unique hearing abilities, audio chains, room conditions, noise floors, etc.  Instead I look for “probability” - if  many report similar sonic performance in their systems, then it’s likely that I’ll obtain similar results in my system - nothing is guaranteed.

drbarney1's avatar
drbarney1
172 posts
 

Be suspicious of wildly expensive cables. You can't spend $20,000 to manufacture speaker cables. Watch out for junk science claims which include the attenuation of treble in speaker cables due to skin effect. The difference is about 1/100 dB for typical 8-gauge solid wire at 20kHz over direct current. Some manufacturers claim the less than 1 mm difference in signal path length on thick cables at the speed of light smears the sound. 

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