sonic benefits from interconnects

[pyonc]

Hi friends,

Currently I use two types of interconnects for my Linn turntable: Audioquest Golden Gate & Linn Black.
Why two? Because there is a phono preamo Parasound Zphono in between. I use the Audioquest as the tonearm cable, while the Linn for the preamp.
In other words, I use the Audioquest between turntable and phono stage, and the Linn between phono stage and preamp.
I hear great sound from this set-up at the moment.
So, this is my question:
Can I get any sonic benefits or improvement if I upgrade to more high-quality interconnects for the turntable?
If that's the case, which path would produce more sonic benefits, Audioquest (right from the tonearm) or Linn (direct into the preamp)?
Thanks a lot for your feedback and advice, as always.

[SEAWOLF97]

I hear great sound from this set-up at the moment.
So, this is my question:
Can I get any sonic benefits or improvement if I upgrade to more high-quality interconnects for the turntable?

so you want "better than great" ? what even is that ?? A1 / GREAT ++ ??

check what your jazz guy in Tokyo likes ?

the cart will make more difference than megabuck cables. IMHO

[Ducatista47]

As long as your interconnects are decent, and I think you have already spent enough, it won't make a difference. Except for expectation bias, which has nothing to do with how they sound but everything to do with how you think they sound.

Spend your money on something, almost anything beside wire, to get any real inprovement. The top candidates, in order, better speakers and better room treatment. This advice has nothing to do with your speakers in particular; it is true of almost everyone's system.

[pyonc]

As long as your interconnects are decent, and I think you have already spent enough, it won't make a difference. Except for expection bias, which has nothing to do with how they sound but everything to do with how you think they sound.

Spend your money on something, almost anything beside wire, to get any real inprovement. The top candidates, in order, better speakers and better room treatment. This advice has nothing to do with your speakers in particular; it is true of almost everyone's system.

Thanks for your helpful feedback. Basically this is what I'm still in doubt: In my case, I have this phono stage between the turntable and the preamp. I think I could hear the difference directly from the direct set-up of turntable and preamp, say, with the Linn silver over black. Due to this phono stage in the middle, however, I wonder if I can any real sonic difference because the signal has to go through two steps, first from turntable to phono stage and then phono stage to preamp, rather than turntable into preamp without the phono stage.

[hjames]

The ONLY person who's opinion matter with such a question is yourself.
Only YOU can decide if spending high end money on interconnect cables is worthwhile.
Many people do not, and have advised you of other places in the system where the
value of spending money may be more quickly realized.

I personally do not buy excessively priced interconnect wires - I think better money value can be found
in improved quality electronics, and speakers. Or on improved phono cartridges (as Seawolf already told you).
GOOD wire is still wire.

If this troubles you and you are in doubt - Do not Wonder - FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. SPEND your money as it amuses you.


Thanks for your helpful feedback. Basically this is what I'm still in doubt: In my case, I have this phono stage between the turntable and the preamp. I think I could hear the difference directly from the direct set-up of turntable and preamp, say, with the Linn silver over black. Due to this phono stage in the middle, however, I wonder if I can any real sonic difference because the signal has to go through two steps, first from turntable to phono stage and then phono stage to preamp, rather than turntable into preamp without the phono stage.

[Mr. Widget]

the cart will make more difference than megabuck cables. IMHO+1

The tone arm wire and the wire between table and preamp will make much more of a difference than the line level interconnect. Note the emphasis is on difference... this cable will affect the cartridge's loading and will therefore have a potentially dramatic effect, however simply buying an expensive cable will not improve the sound.


Widget

[pyonc]

The ONLY person who's opinion matter with such a question is yourself.
Only YOU can decide if spending high end money on interconnect cables is worthwhile.
Many people do not, and have advised you of other places in the system where the
value of spending money may be more quickly realized.

I personally do not buy excessively priced interconnect wires - I think better money value can be found
in improved quality electronics, and speakers. Or on improved phono cartridges (as Seawolf already told you).
GOOD wire is still wire.

If this troubles you and you are in doubt - Do not Wonder - FIND OUT FOR YOURSELF. SPEND your money as it amuses you.

Good point, as always. Thanks!

[pyonc]

+1

The tone arm wire and the wire between table and preamp will make much more of a difference than the line level interconnect. Note the emphasis is on difference... this cable will affect the cartridge's loading and will therefore have a potentially dramatic effect, however simply buying an expensive cable will not improve the sound.


Widget

Got it! Thanks for your insight, Widget. I can't afford to spend on such expensive interconnects or cables. Currently the main speaker cables are Kimber 8TC for both lows and mid/highs, and Linn, Audioquest interconnects for my LP12 table.

[richluvsound]

I'm with Widget having done this uprade on my 1200 .... https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/m1200.htm

Not an expensive option in any way . I make all my own cables . I use the same materials studios use , XLR ,RCA and cable ..... if its good enough for recording it ,its good enough for playback ... No cable is going to put in what wasn't there in the firstplace IMHO .

Rich

[martin2395]

It makes a difference but it's not worth spending $$$'s on.

My setup sound great with expensive AQ cables as it does on 'no name' cables.

I'm using AQ Colorado and Columbia's, also MIT Shotgun S1 (only because I got them at 1/3 of their normal price) and self made XLR-RCA cable on IXOS 104 cable.
If you want a good quality cable that doesn't affect the tonal balance of your setup I can strongly recommend the swedish brand Supra Cable.
Nice well built cables (mostly tin plated copper, just as the internal cabling used by JBL in the vintage era) and they don't cost you an arm and a leg.

[LowPhreak]

Got it! Thanks for your insight, Widget. I can't afford to spend on such expensive interconnects or cables. Currently the main speaker cables are Kimber 8TC for both lows and mid/highs, and Linn, Audioquest interconnects for my LP12 table.

Cables can make a difference, they certainly have for my rig and didn't cost a lot. These are worth your while: http://www.morrowaudio.com/phonocables.htm Mike and his crew are great to work with, have an EasyPay plan, and 60-money back, no-hassle return policy.

I don't know anyone who's tried them that hasn't heard an improvement in soundstage, detail, clarity, but not at the expense of other things. They have tons of user recommendations on their site. I have the entry-level MA1 i/c's & mid-level SP4 speaker cables and I'd recommend them to anyone.

No affiliation.

[macaroonie]

Don't forget to check your cables for direction. Easy to swap them around costs nothing yet can make a significant improvement.

[pyonc]

Thanks so much for your considerate feedback and advice!:applaud: Frankly speaking, I've been strongly felt to buy high-end but not that expensive Linn Silver interconnects for my turntable phono cables, but now I'm sort of leaning against it thanks to your sound advice. Instead, I've decided to keep the current AQ Golden Gate. Maybe I want to swap it for Linn Black interconnect at hand sooner or later.

[martin2395]

I had the Linn Black (actually it's their entry-level interconnect) for around 3 years, I couldn't find any flaws.

I've had bad experience with silver cables (especially silver plated copper ones), even those expensive 100% silver AQ's didn't do it for me.
Every cable containing silver just gave that nasty, sharp edge around the highs. Even with 3155 networks and "2 driver so it couldn't be the speaker itself. :(

[LowPhreak]

martin, I don't hear that with the Morrow's silver-plated copper, and I've not been a fan of silver conductors. I think because they use small gauge single-core and thin insulation, and given what's known electrically it makes sense. Not sure otherwise but they do sound very good. Some of you I think might be pleasantly surprised if you tried a set.

[pyonc]

I had the Linn Black (actually it's their entry-level interconnect) for around 3 years, I couldn't find any flaws.

I've had bad experience with silver cables (especially silver plated copper ones), even those expensive 100% silver AQ's didn't do it for me.
Every cable containing silver just gave that nasty, sharp edge around the highs. Even with 3155 networks and "2 driver so it couldn't be the speaker itself. :(

Hummm... did you actually find sonic improvement in Linn Silver over Black? That's much about the consistent consensus among audiophiles. I'm just curious.

[pyonc]

Cables can make a difference, they certainly have for my rig and didn't cost a lot. These are worth your while: http://www.morrowaudio.com/phonocables.htm Mike and his crew are great to work with, have an EasyPay plan, and 60-money back, no-hassle return policy.

I don't know anyone who's tried them that hasn't heard an improvement in soundstage, detail, clarity, but not at the expense of other things. They have tons of user recommendations on their site. I have the entry-level MA1 i/c's & mid-level SP4 speaker cables and I'd recommend them to anyone.

No affiliation.

Thanks for your link to this cable maker. Let me try them one of these days.

[pyonc]

Don't forget to check your cables for direction. Easy to swap them around costs nothing yet can make a significant improvement.

Thanks much for your insight, Mac. I didn't know that plain truth!

[pyonc]

I'm with Widget having done this uprade on my 1200 .... https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/m1200.htm

Not an expensive option in any way . I make all my own cables . I use the same materials studios use , XLR ,RCA and cable ..... if its good enough for recording it ,its good enough for playback ... No cable is going to put in what wasn't there in the firstplace IMHO .

Rich

Oh, that KBA... I've got KBA strobe disc and light for my turntable, but not other stuff. Thanks!

[LowPhreak]

Not to bash anyone's choices, but I owned a few sets of AQ's years ago and found them a bit gimmicky, i.e. didn't improve anything on rigs I had at the time. :dont-know: A few like Morrow, XLO, Nordost did though, but the latter two got crazy with prices.

[Dave_72]

Hi friends,

Currently I use two types of interconnects for my Linn turntable: Audioquest Golden Gate & Linn Black.
Why two? Because there is a phono preamo Parasound Zphono in between. I use the Audioquest as the tonearm cable, while the Linn for the preamp.
In other words, I use the Audioquest between turntable and phono stage, and the Linn between phono stage and preamp.
I hear great sound from this set-up at the moment.
So, this is my question:
Can I get any sonic benefits or improvement if I upgrade to more high-quality interconnects for the turntable?
If that's the case, which path would produce more sonic benefits, Audioquest (right from the tonearm) or Linn (direct into the preamp)?
Thanks a lot for your feedback and advice, as always.

Man, have you picked the wrong forum to ask that! This is a sea of objectivism around here! Whip out them graphs boys!

Anyway...yes particularly from the tonearm. Audioquest is the better cable, imo.

If you really want the ultimate and not too bad of a price try Neotech NEI-3001.

But, if you want the best, imo; Siltech.

[pyonc]

Anyway...yes particularly from the tonearm. Audioquest is the better cable, imo.



Good point, Dave.
As I mainly listen to records, I've felt the phono cable from the source (TT) matters, and that's the whole reason I've started this thread.

[LowPhreak]

pyonc, you should give Mike Morrow a quick call. He's a very decent guy and quite accommodating. Tell him what you have and try something at whatever price range. You can A-B swap them at your leisure, and send them back anytime in 60 days with nothing to lose but a little shipping if you don't think they improve things. I can tell you the Morrow's do let a lot more harmonics and detail through, the mids and bottom end are excellent.

I know it sounds like hyperbole but I can almost guarantee you'll like them. I've not used the phono level i/c's because I sold my VPI/Well-Tempered rig years ago, but the line and speaker cables I can vouch for.


:bouncy:

[Mr. Widget]

Man, have you picked the wrong forum to ask that! This is a sea of objectivism around here! Whip out them graphs boys!

Anyway...yes particularly from the tonearm. Audioquest is the better cable, imo.

If you really want the ultimate and not too bad of a price try Neotech NEI-3001.

But, if you want the best, imo; Siltech.Maybe graphs are silly sometimes, but if you think about it "objectively" the differences in tonearm cable performance are due to the loading of the cartridge. If you understand this, you will realize that it is not possible that any of these cables is universally superior. The performance will be a function of cartridge used.

Then there is the subjective side where an individual might prefer a rolled off top end or a bump at the bottom and another individual may not.


Widget

[pyonc]

pyonc, you should give Mike Morrow a quick call. He's a very decent guy and quite accommodating. Tell him what you have and try something at whatever price range. You can A-B swap them at your leisure, and send them back anytime in 60 days with nothing to lose but a little shipping if you don't think they improve things. I can tell you the Morrow's do let a lot more harmonics and detail through, the mids and bottom end are excellent.

I know it sounds like hyperbole but I can almost guarantee you'll like them. I've not used the phono level i/c's because I sold my VPI/Well-Tempered rig years ago, but the line and speaker cables I can vouch for.


:bouncy:

Great. Let me do so one of these days. Thanks.

[pyonc]

The performance will be a function of cartridge used.

Widget

You got a point, Widget. For example, In Japan teeming with jazz audiophiles, the predominant tonearms and corresponding cartridges in top jazz cafes like Basie are SME 3009 and Shure V15 type iii. I'm not sure about the cables, though.