• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Audioquest GO-4 Speaker Cable Review

Rate this cable:

  • 1. Waste of money (piggy bank panther)

    Votes: 276 97.2%
  • 2. Not terrible (postman panther)

    Votes: 3 1.1%
  • 3. Fine (happy panther)

    Votes: 2 0.7%
  • 4. Great (golfing panther)

    Votes: 3 1.1%

  • Total voters
    284

dartinbout

Active Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
Messages
271
Likes
276
So once again, the only quest AQ is successful at is separating the audiophile from their money. Maybe they should start a religion\political party and reap even larger sums from the gullible.
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
Did you activate/deactivate the 72V 'bias' system and test for any differences.

I am also wondering the length of the cable in metres/feet, its measured resistance and perhaps capacitance (conductor to conductor).
Yes, the bias box was on and running. I didn't measure the cable length but was about 8 feet. Due to oxidation of the terminals, I gave up on measuring the cable resistance. Finally, I used the cable pair as balanced connection for frequency response.
 

ROOSKIE

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
1,915
Likes
3,394
Location
Minneapolis
I feel like I've said this before, but is there much utility in measuring several products from outfits that do not use objective methods to design their equipment? I think we've busted the cable myth at this point.

So far we've seen an AQ dac, some power conditioners, some power cables, some interconnects and speaker cables.

I can't be the only one who prefers when ASR celebrates the surprisingly good rather celebrating the humiliation of obviously bad products.
Hear ya though my take is that I think busting the myth takes consistent attention.
These products still sell by the many, so the message is not pervasive by any stretch yet.
It is a process and not a simple task.
It is good to keep these tests happening, regular and near the front page.
Many trusting and not nessarilly only the naive folks are still being ripped off.
 

Garrincha

Addicted to Fun and Learning
Joined
Jan 11, 2022
Messages
659
Likes
816
How did it sound?
There is nothing wrong with the sound, i.e. it has no specific one. It is just not very powerful, the built quality is not very good and the painting is chiping off. But I bought it about 10 years ago and it served me well for some time.
 

preload

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
May 19, 2020
Messages
1,554
Likes
1,701
Location
California
Was the dummy load a reactive load (like a simulated or actual speaker load), or was it purely resistive? The reason I ask is that several JAES papers report small FR deviations that are consistent with a cable's LCR parameters in a circuit with a loudspeaker load.
 

ROOSKIE

Major Contributor
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
1,915
Likes
3,394
Location
Minneapolis
Science already destroyed religion, but for some people, it doesn't matter
I am not religious nor an advocate for using religion for social control, that said I don't see science as an enemy of religion nor would it ever be a smart replacement for something like sitting in awe of something intangible. Science is for harnessing the tangible - matter, energy, even force but it would be a great mistake to ignore the value of reverance for the unknowable and a misunderstanding of science to believe it can address and provide the human need for a truly creative and beautiful vision/story.

It great to know my affordable wires can pass accurately all the electrical signals that have been encoded with all the content I love and wow am I glad that content came into this strange world.
 

Mnyb

Major Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Aug 14, 2019
Messages
2,633
Likes
3,592
Location
Sweden, Västerås
A generic cable would in most cases fare better , for a fraction of the cost of AQ you can buy a cable with larger cross section ( lower R) and better termination . Negligible differences in short runs and with typical speakers.

Someone posted a table in the fora with gauge length and impedance factors :)

With some complex very low impedance speakers and very long thin cables you could have some fr response deviation reached the possibility of being audible, but the fix is inexpensive and easily understood
 
OP
amirm

amirm

Founder/Admin
Staff Member
CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Joined
Feb 13, 2016
Messages
44,368
Likes
234,381
Location
Seattle Area
Was the dummy load a reactive load (like a simulated or actual speaker load), or was it purely resistive? The reason I ask is that several JAES papers report small FR deviations that are consistent with a cable's LCR parameters in a circuit with a loudspeaker load.
If you mean the amplifier tests, I tried it both ways with a real speaker and dummy load. Results were the same. I post the dummy one. Without the amp, it is very hard to get a working setup due to termination.
 

RHO

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 20, 2020
Messages
1,182
Likes
1,087
Location
Belgium
Saw "speaker cable", saw the price, voted "waste of money". Didn't even read the review.
 

thewas

Master Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jan 15, 2020
Messages
6,736
Likes
16,159
Saw "speaker cable", saw the price, voted "waste of money". Didn't even read the review.
Exactly, for me these tests rather are also waste of Amirs precious time as the outcome is always the same, would rather see the useful Klippel NFS getting used instead.
 

Haskil

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Jul 29, 2019
Messages
317
Likes
534
Location
Gisors, Normandie, France
Thank you Amir : Every audiophile who searches Google will have a chance of finding one of your cable tests.

He will read the test, then the exchanges and a small light will then perhaps come on which will cast doubt on the need to invest money in a speaker cable worth more than a simple multi-stranded electrical cable properly sized.
 

solderdude

Grand Contributor
Joined
Jul 21, 2018
Messages
15,891
Likes
35,912
Location
The Neitherlands
Gee that is poor... I mean this a $600 cable, that should not be happening.

When one lives near the coast one can be sure silver tarnishes really quickly due to the salty air.


About the bias voltage. This is just 6x a 12V battery that is not 'loaded' and one side is only connected to a wire running along in the isolator.
The other side of the battery is probably connected to one wire, or maybe even both via a high resistance but that should be measurable and is not needed.
Maybe, just maybe the batteries inside may be depleted slightly sooner when on due to a tiny leakage current (nA ?) and if one only disconnects the battery the bias voltage will remain on that wire anyway due to the existing capacitance. Unless.... AQ was smart enough to use a CO switch that either connects the 'bias wire' to the battery or to the other side of the battery which must be connected to one (or both via high value resistors).

Nonsensical feature where AQ should provide measurements/proof that this really works and actually is a thing.

Come to think of it. All electrostatic headphones already have such a feature (the bias voltage) which is even higher. Now THAT must be the reason these headphones sound so good.. its the bias voltage in the wire I tell you...
 

delta76

Major Contributor
Joined
Nov 27, 2021
Messages
1,613
Likes
2,452
You need a listening test. there are things that can't be measured.

/s

Thanks for the test Amir. It has been proven times after times that, cables should be the least of your concern (and your wallet). buy decent but cheap ones and spend money elsewhere.
 

oscar_dziki

Active Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2021
Messages
183
Likes
294
Now why do I care? Because it lowers the level of discourse on ASR, attracts idiots, weakens the differentiation of Asr as a platform and deprives us of the opportunities to see tests of products that might sound amazing and contribute to musical appreciation.
Wait, shouldn't we attract idiots and make them a little less idiotic? isn't that the whole point?
 

roog

Senior Member
Forum Donor
Joined
Feb 13, 2020
Messages
369
Likes
397
Location
UK, Keynsham
@617 “I can't be the only one who prefers when ASR celebrates the surprisingly good rather celebrating the humiliation of obviously bad products.”

I feel much the same, far better to attempt to educate rather than humiliate. it Amazes me how entrenched some people become in these situations, I am much more comfortable keeping an open mind, and having science as my dignified guide.
 

voodooless

Grand Contributor
Forum Donor
Joined
Jun 16, 2020
Messages
10,221
Likes
17,799
Location
Netherlands
Here is how these conversations go:
  • "only an idiot buys this"
  • "actually I like them because the interconnect quality is high and it's worth it"
  • "audioquest deserve to be put in jail"
  • "blue jeans cable also has nice quality and doesn't make absurd claims"
  • "only people prone to sheeplike religiousity are capable of being scammed by AQ"
  • mod: "let's keep religion out of it"
  • "I am coming here from SBAF/Stereophile/Steve Guttenburg and these sound amazing, you guys need to get a job and use your ears"
  • "I am going to engage with you scientifically"
  • "Use your ears you nerds"
  • "Here is a whitepaper showing why Amir's measurements are inaccurate when the cable is used with a real load"
  • "I have a degree from MIT and this whitepaper is garbage"
Just a summary of course, one of these threads went to 35 pages.

Then if we're lucky Amir will make a video debunking the product like he's Martin Luther nailing the 95 thesis of
audio science on a door somewhere.

Now why do I care? Because it lowers the level of discourse on ASR, attracts idiots, weakens the differentiation of Asr as a platform and deprives us of the opportunities to see tests of products that might sound amazing and contribute to musical appreciation.
Oaw, why rob us of all the fun?
 
Top Bottom