What cables do you use in your systems?

[Bleib]

Supra cables for RCA, 1 meter
EKK electric cables for loudspeakers

 

[Audiofire]

I found a coaxial 75 ohm cable called Cordial CVM 06-37. The data sheet states that the capacitance is 67 pF/m. Is it just a mistake that they wrote 82 ohms/m? I calculate the resistance as 0.082 ohms/m.

Yes, it is just a mistake and the data sheet was updated after I told the manufacturer about it (82 ohms/km). This cable is pretty good value for money for those who live in the EU.

Please note that RCA connectors are not strictly necessary if you bought bulk cable and want to solder directly to the equipment:

Using a 75 ohm RCA video cable for as an analog audio cable.

Faraday shielding # Faraday cage. Here’s an intermediate level description: http://g3rbj.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Eddy-Currents-final-2.pdf

audiosciencereview.com

 

[Overseas]

I see 2 types of Topping interconnect, not that cheap.

 

[Ricardus]

I use Mogami 2528 which is siamese signal wire. Kinda like zip cord. So you have an L and an R in the same cable. For those I have been using the Rean (owned by Neutrik) RCA connectors. I don't seem to have a pic handy, but I'll post when I do.

For speaker wire I got a great deal last year from Parts Express on 12 gauge zip, and I use whatever decent Bananas Parts Express has in stock.

 

[TLEDDY]

Yeah, that signal flow direction is critical, otherwise the music plays backwards. Thank goodness those engineers paid attention to that critical parameter.

edit: I actually have some of the Morrow cables (they were a gift from LSAF, where we shared a room with them). The shielding is significantly worse than the generic cables I'm currently using.

 

[Ricardus]

I took a pic of the Mogami 2528 cables I made. The connectors are Rean NYS-373.

 

[Bulldogger]

I use 4 conductor, 12ga power cord from Home Depot for speaker cables, Blue Jeans Belden 1800F terminated with Neutrix XLR for AES/EBU, and a cable I made DH Labs 110ohm cable terminated with Xhadow XLRs for AES/EBU. For long runs between preamps and amplifiers, I use Canare L-4E6S again with Xhadow XLR. I bought the Xhadow connectors used and have used them on various cables over the years. No soldering is the primary reason. I own a DH Labs Mirage USB but it's in the wrapper and I am using generic USB cable at the moment. For BNC cables, I use Straightwire Silverlink II. I bought a used Straightwire Silverlink II 3 meter component video cable on Ebay for $30 and had Straightwire cut it in half to produce four 1.5 meter BNC terminated cables.

 

[Overseas]

Forgive me guys, for I have sinned.
These are rigid heavy beasts. Looks like these are converted from car towing cables. Good thing is they stay as they like, no need and no chance to arrange them as you think you would like. Did I tell you these are heavy rigid absolutely inconvenient cables?
Do they make a difference? Absolutely positively maybe
Their role is primarily to show people you are a badass audiophile, you don't mess around, you go straight to the top (price).
Now seriously, I tested them A/B, QED Silver Spiral vs QED 79, based on Yamaha RN803D 2 speaker outputs + Australe with 2 pairs of sockets (for biwire, biamp). 1st time, with the Silver Spiral plugged down to the low frequency speaker socket, second time I reversed everything both in the amp + speakers. So 1st time I can say I perceived a plus for the Silver (details bla bla), second time not really, kinda like 75% no difference and 25% small difference in favour of Silver. So I am thinking maybe what matters mostly is what up/ down sockets you plug at the speakers and not so much what cable you have.
Anyway, Silver Spiral Rigid Snake is here to stay. It is a small price I pay for my sanity (2x3m, 280 euros), each time I will doubt my Audiophile Way or my stereo sound, I will hold tight the Silvery Snake Rigid Cable as an insurance for my music/life/meaning on Earth...
Did I tell how f... ing rigid they are?!

 

[Audiofire]

Anyway, Silver Spiral Rigid Snake is here to stay. It is a small price I pay for my sanity (2x3m, 280 euros), each time I will doubt my Audiophile Way or my stereo sound, I will hold tight the Silvery Snake Rigid Cable as an insurance for my music/life/meaning on Earth...

QED used litz wire with some tube in the middle for their speaker cable called Signature Genesis Silver Spiral. Skin effect doesn't matter for audio cables, so QED are simply ignorant (they also used silver plating on the copper conductors, which only becomes relevant way higher than audible frequencies). Suffice to say that zip cord offers the same audio quality as that overpriced speaker cable you got (an ABX or blind test is the proper methodology).

This was thoroughly discussed recently here:

Technical Article: Does Audio Cable Skin Effect Matter

Mod note: our technical expert @DonH56 wrote this series article a while back. As I get time, I am porting them here. Alternating current carriers in a conductor tend to travel near the surface. This happens due to opposing eddy currents from the magnetic field generated whenever alternating...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[iv0]

Interconnects: Chord Clearway rca-> din, ViaBlue rca->rca

Speaker cable: ViaBlue sc4

USB cable: ViaBlue

Power cable: Shunyata Venom (all of them)

And the all look pretty.

 

[JeremyFife]

Thanks to ASR my system cabling budget is in credit!
Sold my Nu-vista and Van den Hul interconnects and bought some ordinary TRS stuff. (Stagg, around £5 each for 0.5m)
Might have to learn to make cables as I can't find Pentaconn to TRS (for my iFi Zen Phono) ... having to use Pentaconn to XLR + XLR to TRS which is too long (just untidy) and is the most expensive section now
(Pentaconn to XLR are from scan.co.uk and were £30, the XLR to TRS were an Amazon find and £20 for the pair)

Speaker cable (I need 8m runs) is second-hand QED micro. I may 'downgrade' this to a cheap 14 AWG just to clear that nagging feeling that the QED is thin ... or I may not

 

[eyes-on-you]

Interconnects: Benchmark XLR Cable (Canare 4L6S)

Speaker cable: Canare 4S11 enden with ELEC Audio silver z plug.

Optical cable: Supra ZAC Toslink

Power cable: 1xCanare 4S11, 2xCanare 4S8 Custom Made. Cables ended with ELEC Audio Connectors.

For build instruction:

Belden 83754 Star-Quad Powercord -

The first step is to install the ground wire. The 12 AWG Mil Spec ground wire is cut to a length of 6 feet and fastened to the 5 foot length of Belden 83754 with a Ty-wrap placed about 1/2' from the end. Make sure you pull it tight, the Teflon jackets are quite slippery. Next look at the 83754...

www.takefiveaudio.com

 

[JeremyFife]

I wasn't imagining any of that boring stuff, I was imagining this:

View attachment 18051

Curious ... how many women and other are on ASR ... if not, I wonder why ...

(intended in a gentle, poking fun manner - not outrage or on my high horse!)

 

[RoA]

VdH CS122 Hybrid speaker cables

 

[Julf]

VdH CS122 Hybrid speaker cables

half DC, half AC?

 

[Emulator II]

Balanced:

Sommer Cable Galileo + Neutrik XLR

Unbalanced:

Sommer Cable LLX + Amphenol RCA

Speaker cable:

Sommer Cable Magellan 240 + Neutrik Speakon

 

[mansr]

half DC, half AC?

Or half snake, half oil.

 

[andyfrut]

Interconnects: Wireworld Gold Eclipse 8

Speaker cable: QED XT40i

Optical cable: Wireworld Supernova 7 & Qed Performance

USB cable: Audioquest Carbon

Power cable: Wireworld Elektra 7

 

[Ricardus]

Aluminim foil and coat hangers.

Sounds exactly the same.

 

[Killingbeans]

Interconnects: Wireworld Gold Eclipse 8

Speaker cable: QED XT40i

Optical cable: Wireworld Supernova 7 & Qed Performance

USB cable: Audioquest Carbon

Power cable: Wireworld Elektra 7

That's what I call a lot of bling! The speaker cables seem oddly sane in that assembly.

Gutsy move to post this on ASR, I definitely give you credit for that

EDIT: Just to make it clear; I don't mind jewelry. But if you claim those cables do anything for the sound of your system, I'll reserve the right to be sceptical... to put it mildly.