Hi friends.
I hear that cables does something with the sound. I use mostly Monster of different kind. Tell you later in this post witch, if there is any interest.
Hi friends.
I hear that cables does something with the sound. I use mostly Monster of different kind. Tell you later in this post witch, if there is any interest.
Cables can color the sound of a system more or less depending on the sensitivities of the components they are used with. Sometimes folks like the differences they hear, sometime they don't, and sometimes the coloration is inaudble. While some expensive cables are probably better built, are less susceptible to noise or interference, and may make better electrical connections than cheap cables I think many people use them almost like tone controls to tweak the sound of their systems to their taste. It often seems like manufacturers claims, and explanations of how their cable works, smell a bit like snake oil to me.
glen
"Make it sound like dinosaurs eating cars"
- Nick Lowe, while producing Elvis Costello
Agreed 100%Originally Posted by glen
I use my eqalizer or toncontrols. Dont like to pay 2500$ for transparant cables with simple R/C-Link in a black box..... an sels whit a lot of "HokusPokus"
/ Heinz
________________________________________
My Vintage JBL: L19x2,L26,L36 & L300, Control 5
There is very little scientific data to back up the claims. A well constructed cable with proper shielding and of suitable gage for the application will do nicely.
Some people pay enormous amounts for a power wire for example. Miles of wire on the poles and romex through the house and four feet of cryogenic silver wire is going to be audible?
Next, of course, you will need "Brilliant Pebbles" to put on your speakers to absorb spurious resonances.
I'm sorry if I sound unimpressed but these people are wasting money that can be put into better speakers and gear that WILL improve the sound.
4406, 4412A, L100, L100t3 (3 pair), L1, L7, 4645C, 4660A, 4695B, SR4735 and various DIY JBL Pro loaded systems.
Several years ago, Ultra Sound, ('Grateful Dead's sound company), did extensive testing of speaker cables, including much of the top of the line stuff available then. Using all the test equipment at their disposal, which was probably more than just about anyone then, (including one of only two B&K FFT analyzers in the U.S. at the time), they could find no measurable or discernable differences between the most expensive cables and standard quality 10 and 12 gauge speaker cables, in runs up to 100 feet, (their longest).
I don't know if/what kind ot testing they may have done on interconnect cables.
John
26+ years ago Nelsen Pass wrote an article for Speaker Builder magazine called "Speaker cables: Science or Snake Oil". Here's a link to the article
http://www.passlabs.com/downloads/articles/spkrcabl.pdf
In the article he measures the impedance, capacitance, and inductance for a number of than popular cables as well as some "zip cord" and plots that against frequency. Have a look.
Speaker Wire-
A Historymore than you ever thot
Some kind of happiness is measured out in miles
Yes Glen, you are very right. Cables do color the sound, and that is why it is important to find cables who doesnt, and that is my whole point with this thread.
I have tried a lot over the years, from $1 to $Extreme. I have found out the the $1 cables is not suitable, and I have never heard a $Extreme that is worth the price, but somewhere in between there a cables that I find doing the least damage to the sound. The most difference I find with interconnects, and that is where I have put the most $.
Maybe we can start with this.
Hi Heinz.
I do not use any equalizer in my setup, nor do I have any tone controls on my equipment. I have tried to "dress" the room so the system plays good. In my ears I have succeeded fairly good.
I can honestly say that I never have bought any product (Amp or Cables) that did not made an improvement. For me that is.
Yes Don, there are not much documentation in this. But because you can't measure much doesnt mean that it is not possible to hear a difference. Agree?There is very little scientific data to back up the claims. A well constructed cable with proper shielding and of suitable gage for the application will do nicely.
Some people pay enormous amounts for a power wire for example. Miles of wire on the poles and romex through the house and four feet of cryogenic silver wire is going to be audible?
Next, of course, you will need "Brilliant Pebbles" to put on your speakers to absorb spurious resonances.
I'm sorry if I sound unimpressed but these people are wasting money that can be put into better speakers and gear that WILL improve the sound.
Interesting conclusion, and remember that much have been done since that article. (1980)
Interesting ... and confusing.
I notice he tested all the way up to 100khz - I don't know if the Ultra Sound tests I mentioned went that high... I also notice he didn't appear to test any "garden variety" cables heavier than 18 gauge - I would have liked to have seen some standard 12/14 gauge tests included.
John
Back when the "designer" cables were first coming out on the market, there were a couple of instances where there were extreme interactions between certain cables and certain amps. These interactions could very well have occured in the ultrasonic range (most amps being BW limited to the 100kHz to 200kHz range). In one case in particular, the amp, when coupled to the cables in question, would go into self destructive oscillations. In general and to a lessor degree, interaction like this could very well affect the sound quality.
One of the points he infers in the article is that the expected results with heavier gauge "zip cord" can just be extrapolated from the 24 and 18 gauge measurements.
A few years ago there was an article in Speaker Builder that focused on making speaker wires from multiple strands of 24 ga beldon tlephone wire. The results were very good. He tested them to 100khz and for the money it was tough to beat.
i think that the room your in affects the sound a lot more than the patch cords, I would focus on acoustic treatments, noise reduction, and speaker placement before whipping out the credit card.
if all else fails just get the speaker cable elevators and lift the wires off the floor. Those that have been on this forum a while remember those little do-dads at 20 dollars each.
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