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What cables do you use in your systems?

BillG

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Speaker cables: whatever is the best deal going at my local electrical supply store.
Digital cables: whatever is the best deal going at my local computer supply store.
Power cables: whatever the manufacturer includes with the product.

I avoid high end audio stores like the plague, as I can't stand talking to con artists/sales people usually. And I've got an engineering background, and therefore, don't want or need them to "educate" me... :facepalm:
 

trl

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Just found an assertion I'm not convinced it's 110% correct: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1948235105492741/permalink/2259624741020441/ - "This is real science, not BS".

Website here: https://www.analysis-plus.com/make-me-prove-it/ and seems that 1m of RCA-RCA oval cable is around 1000 USD: https://www.analysis-plus.com/product/home-audio/interconnects/silver-oval-in-interconnects/.

Not willing to troll this manufacturer, especially that @amirm already has some postings about these cables in conjunction with the known MSB equipment: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/axpona-2017-msb-analysis-plus-cables.1552/, but still don't think within audio range we can actually see/measure any phase shift or frequency response. I'm sure around 1 MHz thing might be different, althfhough not sure I care much for my audio devices.
 

SIY

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Just found an assertion I'm not convinced it's 110% correct:

I looked at their website. I'm just discouraged that the cable peddlers have long ago exhausted any hint of creativity in their pitch to the gullible. It's the same old recycled stuff. No originality. Sad!
 
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Just now committed another audiophile sin ; bought a 25 feet usb a to b to connect my MacBook to my dac
from across the room .
This setup saved me having to buy a $1200 streamer, the cable was $16 , advertised as an audio cable on amazon,
3 day delivery.
I have been listening to it this aft and this setup sounds actually good to my ears or no different than the 3 foot cable
I was using, saved a few pennies.
 

Newk Yuler

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Blue Jeans Belden stuff. Interconnects, S/PDIF coax, speaker cable. Proper science with very low capacitance where it counts. Reasonable pricing for confidence inspiring, competent, well made products. Buy once, use forever, no worries. Anybody here not heard of Blue Jeans Cables?

I have several sets of Audioquest Diamondback interconnects I bought a dozen or so years ago with a special paycheck I decided would get blown on boutique-ish interconnects. Nice cables.
 

Jaimo

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I’m admittedly OCD and make my own cables. I don’t trust Cable companies. Besides, there’s too much variability in connector quality, dimensions, copper quality (not including the six 9s bull) insulation ratings etc.

For speaker wire I use Belden 5000UP, terminated with Parts Express Crimp (and soldered) banana plugs and cable boots. These are fully insulated.

Interconnects are Canare LV77S coax cable and matching Rcap RCA’s. I invested in a TC1 crimping tool and TS1000E coax stripper.

Balanced cables are Canare L46ES terminated with Neutrik connectors, hand soldered.

USB cables are Amazon Basics cables.

I have enough spools of cable and connectors to make up pretty much any cable I need.

I’ve never bothered to listen to my cables as I don’t buy into the audiophile bunk but I do know that the connections between my equipment is sound and is unlikely to be a source of trouble at any point in time.

I consider this a good investment - some of my cables are 20 years old and show no signs of electrical degradation.
 

RayDunzl

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OK, you all have dirty oxidized connections.

Ok, NO-OX-ID-A when appropriate. I have a multi-lifetime supply.

A tiny bit of that tweeky DeOxit Gold, for little stuff. Sometimes it "fixes" balky things.

Can't remember the last time I cleaned one though. Years, maybe, for the stereo parts.
 

Daverz

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Ok, NO-OX-ID-A when appropriate. I have a multi-lifetime supply.

A tiny bit of that tweeky DeOxit Gold, for little stuff. Sometimes it "fixes" balky things.

Can't remember the last time I cleaned one though. Years, maybe, for the stereo parts.

Thanks. So this is a treatment rather than a cleaner? I've been using 99% isopropyl and cotton swabs to clean connections, and then using a spritz of DeOxit Gold. DeOxit is expensive stuff, though.
 

RayDunzl

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Thanks. So this is a treatment rather than a cleaner? I've been using 99% isopropyl and cotton swabs to clean connections, and then using a spritz of DeOxit Gold. DeOxit is expensive stuff, though.

Well, you're done then.

Put on some tunes.

---

From my Digital Telecom years, we'd build a system. No protectants or cleaners on any of the thousands of cables or card edges - all gold to gold connections there, though. DC power, if it had a bolt/screw to hold the cable, would get the NO-OX. Bare copper power cable ends/lugs/bars would get the No-OX. Plug-in power connectors (like to a backplane) - nothing.

You might clean a card edge if you'd been handling it, like when mods were needed, or when the inspector was snooping around.

I'm trying to remember a time there was a trouble we fixed by cleaning a connector. Can't.. It just didn't come up.

There were plenty of other problems to spend our time on, though...

---

Low power fiber, give a lint-free wipe.

High power fiber (on transmitters that could go 50 miles) had to be pristine, and observed with a little microscope, or the laser could heat the dirt and melt the glass.

---

Analog, small voltages, a clean connection is a good thing. Clean it, protect it, forget it.
 
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AndrovichIV

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PSA: I don't know much about cables and haven't experimented a lot, BUT I went through this thread, identified the brands most referred and did a keyword search here for those brands. This is what I found:

RCA interconnects (most commonly referred)
  1. Ghent Audio: could only find positive references
  2. Blue Jeans cables: same
  3. Monoprice/Monoprice Premium: mixed reviews. Some people report reliability problems, with cables getting chipped
  4. KabelDirect: a couple of people say that the connectors are too thin
USB cabels (there's a larger share of people who just use "whichever" cable they have, compared to RCA)
  1. Monoprice: some reliability problems like cables failing after breaking up and exposing wire
  2. AudioQuest: no complaints, but pricey
  3. Amazon Basic: no complaints here

Note: I didn't pay attention to other cable types because I don't use them. Also, I didn't include in this list components for DIY cables because I have no interest in building my own cables ;). Also I didn't include these brand(s) because there some reports that they're snake oil companies:

  1. Nordost
 
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Krunok

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PSA: I don't know much about cables and haven't experimented a lot, BUT I went through this thread, identified the brands most referred and did a keyword search here for those brands. This is what I found:

RCA interconnects (most commonly referred)
  1. Ghent Audio: could only find positive references
  2. Blue Jeans cables: same
  3. Monoprice/Monoprice Premium: mixed reviews. Some people report reliability problems, with cables getting chipped
  4. KabelDirect: a couple of people say that the connectors are too thin
USB cabels (there's a larger share of people who just use "whichever" cable they have, compared to RCA)
  1. Monoprice: some reliability problems like cables failing after breaking up and exposing wire
  2. AudioQuest: no complaints, but pricey

You can't go much wrong with any decently build cables. Btw, Mogami makes good and reasonably priced RCA interconnects.
 

Speedskater

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  1. Ghent Audio: While I don't know much about them, they do use the best bulk cables.
  2. Blue Jeans Cable: Best bulk cables and manufacturing equipment. They set the price point for excellent cables.
  3. Monoprice: Aimed at the budget price point.
  4. KabelDirect: Just another audiophile cable.
  5. AudioQuest: Alternate Universe engineering.
 

Speedskater

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Can anyone comment (and provide links) for cables that have been measured?
What measurements would you like?
Differences in analog cables are all about noise and interference. Measuring these can be a lot of work. But people at the AES occasionally do a paper. (no names listed)
Inspecting the bulk cable spec sheet should give some clues.
 

pozz

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  • XLR Interconnects: Mogami 2534
  • Speaker: N/A
  • Coax: Belden 1694A with Canare RCAP-C53 plugs, terminated by Blue Jeans Cable
  • HDMI: BJC Belden Series-FE HDMI
  • AES/EBU: Mogami W3173
  • TOSLINK: Generic
  • USB: Generic
  • Power: Generic
 
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Sal1950

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AndrovichIV

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What measurements would you like?
Differences in analog cables are all about noise and interference. Measuring these can be a lot of work. But people at the AES occasionally do a paper. (no names listed)
Inspecting the bulk cable spec sheet should give some clues.

Okay I was thinking something like: put DAC "A" connect it to AMP "B" using RCA cables "C", "D", "E",...., etc. Then measure THD + N. Subtract the group mean. The result would be the contribution of the RCA cables to THD + N relative to the group mean
 
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