$500 interconnects?

[amey01]

YES, the $500 cable will make a difference to your system.

NO, you'd be better off spending $500 on an incremental upgrade to your amp or preamp (or source or speakers!).

 

[Bernard]

I borrowed some uber-fancy ICs once and couldn't hear a difference.

Haven't we all!

 

[Webinattor]

Probably won't hear a difference either. So, I'll have to get me one of those great big fancy-schmancey POWER CORDS next. "I'm KIDDING!":rocker:

 

[SundayNiagara]

It all depends on where you use the cables. Try them from your source first.

 

[timm]

Probably won't hear a difference either. So, I'll have to get me one of those great big fancy-schmancey POWER CORDS next. "I'm KIDDING!":rocker:

Hahaha.. ir ia over!!! Why? because you ARE thinking about it aren't you? Anyway - here are my impressions on my speaker cable/ power cord / lifting the speaker cable off the ground voodoo magic.

I went from your typical speaker wire (the top notch stuff you can buy at an ACE hardware store) to Audioquest Bedrock - double bi-wire. These cost about 175 bucks - maybe a little more... You know one of those good deals.
The difference to me was a slightly less harsh sound.... Same with getting the power cord online (can't think of the company... someone here recommended it -- great power cord) - and finally lifting my cables..... The total difference to me is slightly less harshness...slightly more analog type sound ... and with the powercord - (on my amp/pre/cd) - to me - the system always sounds like it is warmed up. (i.e. no harshness at all)... To me - that was worth the moderate dollars I paid. and hey - they look cool too... god I'm sick....my wife wants to go on a trip... I want to get a tubed pre-amp....

 

[MiTT]

Oh Boy, the ever popular cable thread. Is there a more polarizing topic in all of audio?

I am myself a firm believer in the differences good cables can bring to a system and have demonstrated their differences to many a scoffer on multiple occasions on my system. In fact I extend an open invitation to all here - if you are ever in my area and have some free time I'd be happy to swap out any cable in the system and let you judge for yourself with your own ears what differences if any can be heard. I have yet to have ANYONE not appreciate the differences.

So here's the thing, and I've said it many times before, cables are a part of your system. They are the link from one component to another. They should neither add to the signal nor detract from it. They should be as neutral as possible, thus allowing the components they are joining simply do their job. In this regard however not all cables are created equal. I've heard a lot of good cables and a lot of bad ones, but I always make sure I judge them based upon the context of the system in which they are inserted. Simply put, a great cable inserted in a system that is incapble of providing the resolution necessary to make a valid observation will sound as if it offers no sonic benefit. Conversely a poor cable inserted between two great components will not allow those components to demonstrate their full potential.

The conversations/discussions/debates I've had with folks who don't believe that cables can make a difference in an audio system have usually revealed that they either...

• Have never really listened to a higher end cable in the context of either their own or another good system because they have rationalized for themselves that cables can't make a difference, therefore no emperical research on their own is necessary

• Have experimented at some point in time with cables, but having heard no difference made a decision that their contribution is either negligible or non existant.

The falacy in the first instance is that no real validation for oneself has occured. The falacy in the second instance lies in the context of the system that the cables may have been heard in. All of us for the most part have systems that are ever evolving. Call it Joeyitis, curiosity, experimentation, the availability of more disposable income or the never ending search for perfection, the fact is that this hobby of ours usually involves one degree or another of evolutionary improvement to ones system. The system I have today is much more resolving than the system I had 10-12 years ago, and leaps and bounds ahead of the Sansui reciever and Technics loudspeakers I had 25 years ago. I suspect that had I inserted a Synergistic Research Designers Reference cable into that old Sansui/Technics system I'd likely not notice any significant change. Insert that same cable between my Esoteric universal player and my BAT tubed pre-amp and I contend you would have to be wearing earmuffs and be battling a headcold not to hear the difference. The difference is the context of the system into which the cable is placed and the symbiotic relationships between every component of that system. If you have tried higher end cables in your system, but have since changed or upgraded your system you don't actually know what effect those same cables may have in your current system. You only know what effect they had in your previous setup. What if the cables were able to give you even more of the sonic benefit that the new component brought into the system? What if in the previous setup it was actually the component that was the limiting factor in the delineation of sonic benefit?

My point is that all of our systems are constantly evolving. What may be true today may not be true 6 months or a year from now. The only real constant is change. To shut yourself off from the possibility of a cable's contribution to your system without real validation may limit its full capabilities.

The invitation of a demonstration in the context of MY system stands to all here.

 

[Webinattor]

Hey MiTT,

You have a beautfiul set of gear! Whew. I have only been to Colorado twice in 20 years, unfortunately. However, I would love to hear that setup! I like those blue bulbs or whatever, behind the speakers, too. When I was a kid, my parents rented a cabin in a town called Neterland and we hiked up a glacier that provided water for Boulder. At least that is my memory. What a beautiful place to live.

A few years ago, I got to go back to do a meeting at Ball Corporation and I drove around to see the sites I remembered as a kid. (Only had two hours to do that in the middle of a blinding snow storm tho.)

 

[tonyc]

I love these timeless debates...Like religion and politics we are ALL RIGHT, ALL THE TIME! I simply want to make the point as I always do that our individual hearing frequency response curves are likely greater than differences between the frequency responses of well designed components or cables. That said, I believe just about everything makes a difference from components, cables, tweaks, rooms, to mood, etc. I recently purchased a set of interconnects to go between my DAC and preamp that cost more than a fine pair of ML speakers. Do I wish these things were cheaper? Yes Am I going to ask for my money back? No, I love the way my system is sounding. If you do not hear a difference between cables then good for you, as you have one less thing to obsess about. (But now you are obsessing about your hearing aren't you?)

 

[Webinattor]

I have selected a song to use during my cable evaluation after they arrive.

I have selected the song "Don't Cry" by Seal from the album Seal. I selected that song and disk because every time I put that CD in, I think it sounds really well recorded and gives me a "tingle or wow factor about my system."

With my current setup and cables this am, my notes after listening to this cut 3 times are:

Extremely smooth, quiet opening from black background.
Opening synth fadeup has a very wide, mellow, soundstage. Very smooth sound.

Opening vocal is very precise, cutting through the soundstage with authority...no sense of harshness. It sounds impressive. Big. Bass a bit tubby.

As the song builds to the refrain, there is a sense of compression and harshness, instruments and vocals begin to be massed...less sense of openness as there was at beginning. Soundstage collapses and is more forward sounding. I turn down the volume a notch.

So, Let's see if the new cables added to setup give a different impression.

Well, there you go. My first authoritative audio review in words! I better keep my day job.

 

[twich54]

They should neither add to the signal nor detract from it. They should be as neutral as possible, thus allowing the components they are joining simply do their job.

Mr "B", well said ! I feel the above two sentences represent a good foundation upon which to judge !

 

[David Matz]

Oh Boy, the ever popular cable thread. Is there a more polarizing topic in all of audio?

I am myself a firm believer in the differences good cables can bring to a system and have demonstrated their differences to many a scoffer on multiple occasions on my system. In fact I extend an open invitation to all here - if you are ever in my area and have some free time I'd be happy to swap out any cable in the system and let you judge for yourself with your own ears what differences if any can be heard. I have yet to have ANYONE not appreciate the differences.

So here's the thing, and I've said it many times before, cables are a part of your system. They are the link from one component to another. They should neither add to the signal nor detract from it. They should be as neutral as possible, thus allowing the components they are joining simply do their job. In this regard however not all cables are created equal. I've heard a lot of good cables and a lot of bad ones, but I always make sure I judge them based upon the context of the system in which they are inserted. Simply put, a great cable inserted in a system that is incapble of providing the resolution necessary to make a valid observation will sound as if it offers no sonic benefit. Conversely a poor cable inserted between two great components will not allow those components to demonstrate their full potential.

The conversations/discussions/debates I've had with folks who don't believe that cables can make a difference in an audio system have usually revealed that they either...

• Have never really listened to a higher end cable in the context of either their own or another good system because they have rationalized for themselves that cables can't make a difference, therefore no emperical research on their own is necessary

• Have experimented at some point in time with cables, but having heard no difference made a decision that their contribution is either negligible or non existant.

The falacy in the first instance is that no real validation for oneself has occured. The falacy in the second instance lies in the context of the system that the cables may have been heard in. All of us for the most part have systems that are ever evolving. Call it Joeyitis, curiosity, experimentation, the availability of more disposable income or the never ending search for perfection, the fact is that this hobby of ours usually involves one degree or another of evolutionary improvement to ones system. The system I have today is much more resolving than the system I had 10-12 years ago, and leaps and bounds ahead of the Sansui reciever and Technics loudspeakers I had 25 years ago. I suspect that had I inserted a Synergistic Research Designers Reference cable into that old Sansui/Technics system I'd likely not notice any significant change. Insert that same cable between my Esoteric universal player and my BAT tubed pre-amp and I contend you would have to be wearing earmuffs and be battling a headcold not to hear the difference. The difference is the context of the system into which the cable is placed and the symbiotic relationships between every component of that system. If you have tried higher end cables in your system, but have since changed or upgraded your system you don't actually know what effect those same cables may have in your current system. You only know what effect they had in your previous setup. What if the cables were able to give you even more of the sonic benefit that the new component brought into the system? What if in the previous setup it was actually the component that was the limiting factor in the delineation of sonic benefit?

My point is that all of our systems are constantly evolving. What may be true today may not be true 6 months or a year from now. The only real constant is change. To shut yourself off from the possibility of a cable's contribution to your system without real validation may limit its full capabilities.

The invitation of a demonstration in the context of MY system stands to all here.

Tim,

Great post! I wish we can save this somewhere and point people to this when the subject comes up.

Here's and excellent quote from Fremer from Stereophile talking about an expensive interconnect he likes. When the system synergy is right, these words apply to any good cable, to a good degree:

Here's an example. I transferred the Grateful Dead's "Uncle John's Band" from a plain old original Warner Bros. LP I've played hundreds of times, including recently and pre-XXX. With the single XXX in place, the wood block, ridged gourd, acoustic guitars, and voices just plain sounded real—or at least closer to reality than I'd ever heard them before. The transient attacks were perfect—not hard and edgy, not soft and squooshy, just perfect. The XXX produced greater transparency and revealed more musical complexity than any other interconnect I've ever heard in my system, yet it was not at all bright. It was also smoother, warmer, and richer than any other interconnect I've heard, without sounding soft, rolled-off, or cloying.

Folks who don't believe this, take up Tim (or another audiophile with a resolving system) on his offer. Don't be afraid to try things!

 

[mrmike]

from a plain old original Warner Bros. LP I've played hundreds of times

I bet that LP sounds great

 

[Craig]

You're more likely to benefit or at least hear a change if you replace all the interconnects in the chain rather than just one link of the chain.

The direction of the cable matters because of the grounding shield used in the construction of some cables is connected at one end of the connector and not the other. I'm not sure which end is grounded but this is usually why some cables have directional arrows on them.

A more resolving system and acoustically resolving room will allow you to hear more subtle changes in your system.

It's not always about sound performance. Regardless of any sound characteristics, build quality and physical appearance is desirable (at least to me) feature of well made cables. How well does the cable make a connection? How durable is it? If two different cables sound the same then I'm willing to pay a little more for the better made and better looking cable.


You're never listening to "just a cable". You're always listening to the complete system.

 

[ScottGardner]

You make it sound so simple! Shouldn't this be more...uh, difficult?

Why does one buy a Rolex? At some point the functionality stops being the primary reason one is willing to pay so much. One starts to appreciate the fine craftsmanship and attention to detail or even the status that comes with showing to others what you have. Why does one pay a ton of money for a piece of art? There is a certain emotional connection or even satisfaction in the way something looks. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the cost for some components is driven as much, or more, by the way they look vs. the way they function.

Enjoy your new cables for ALL the reasons that matter to you. Only you can decide if their ‘worth’ it.

 

[JonFo]

Here is a funny example of a $500 interconnect from Denon for their secure, high-speed digital connection between players and receivers / preamps known as DenonLink.

Of course, all it takes is the right kind of CAT6e cable, and you solve the same problem for $20.

Matter of fact, I just spent all of $24 on a 25’ CAT6e shielded cable with shielded end so I could relocate my Denon DVD-2930ci Universal player out closer to me so I can be swapping discs with greater ease.

So not only did I get a much longer length, I got it for a fraction of the purported cost.

If anyone wants a $500 DenonLink cable, please send me a paypal for $500, and I’ll send back a DenonLink cable in your choice of length (under 25’), sheathed in techflex, This cable will have been waved in front of the Monoliths (you know, to set the flow of electrons in the correct direction via the electrostatic field of the Monolith). Guaranteed to improve the sound of the SACD’s and DVD-A’s you play and to be MartinLogan compatible.

 

[Webinattor]

Ok, so I got my cables and installed them a few nights ago. Here's what happened.

I installed them to my receiver's preamp outputs to my main amp very quickly after opening the box. I listened for 3 hours. I kept wanting to like what I had purchased but I didn't. All the spaciousness and air had disappeared from my speakers and the highs were rolled off. I thought, crap I don't like em. No sir, not one bit. So I pulled them off.

Then I noticed I had installed them backwards. There is a little box on one end that does something with capacitance etc. I didn't have them installed with the right signal flow, so I put the cables back in the right direction.

Things changed significantly for the better. I have had some brightness, harshness issues on my system and this helped quite a bit. I don't know what these cables really do, but I like them and will leave them installed. I have a new preamp on the way, so my system sound is going to change again. All in all the $80.00 I spent on these $500 list price cables was worth it. Especially when installed correctly!