Do Fancy Audio Cables Make a Difference? (video)

[respice finem]

(Real) audio pros buy stuff to fit their job, and they too like stuff that doesn't fall apart.
Nonetheless, the prices are crazy low compared to consumer so called high end, as least as far as cables go:
https://www.thomann.de/de/cordial_cfm_25_fm_sw.htm
https://www.thomann.de/de/pro_snake_8838550.htm
https://www.thomann.de/de/pro_snake_tpl_10_ll.htm
https://www.thomann.de/de/search_dir.html?sw=speakon+kabel&smcs=8cd35a_5765
"ite, Missa est"
If they sometimes buy expensive, is when it matters in the given situation:
https://www.thomann.de/de/search_dir.html?oa=prd&sw=neumann mikrofon
https://www.thomann.de/de/recording_digitalpulte.html?oa=prd
https://www.thomann.de/de/search_dir.html?oa=prd&sw=kabine

 

[Katji]

True, living in the same country, there simply is no hifi shop that sells other brands for audio cabling then “Audiopest”. Good to see that simple cables are just as good . Fijne dag verder.

It seems to me that Audioquest is >50% of cables always being being sold on my local forum. Yesterday I noticed one that has [snake] in the product name. smh
i don't trust them to be actually better made than cheap cables. At least Monster is not full of bullshxt.

PS: ...

 

[Stokdoof]

Designing a good analog signal conducting cable is something industrial cable manufacturers know how to do for many years and they do it cheap, however, for audiophile cable manufacturers designing there cheapest cable is the most difficult because it has to sound bad at audio shows. The good cables they can simply buy somewhere else and brand label it.

 

[Billy Budapest]

Here are some of the pro-type cables I have—all of which sound exactly the same, and all of which are sturdily constructed although in varying diameters and flexibility:

Canare LV-61S with Canare RCAP RCA plugs
Canare LV-77S with RCAP
Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 with BJC’s plugs
VanDamme 268-500-000 with Neutrik Pro-Fi
Gotham 11001 GAC-4/1 with Amphenol ACPR
Belden 8402 with Switchcraft 3502A
Klotz AC110 with Neutrik Rean NYS352

I probably have Mogami and Van Den Hul cable somewhere, too, although I cannot find them at the moment.

 

[_thelaughingman]

The biggest thing that most "audiophiles" should know and look for is shielding to prevent noise from getting into the cable as demonstrated by Amir in the video. This video should put the topic of "boutique, expensive, audiophile grade" cable nonsense to rest. With almost any hobby or special interest, there is always the "next big thing" mentality in selling and shilling snake oil.

 

[Billy Budapest]

I’ve never bought “Worlds Best Cables” but they appear to sell cable in combinations very similar to what I have. The prices are pretty low on Amazon.

 

[Soniclife]

SOT / maybe an idea for a unique review (I've never seen such a review before), without knowing how to measure this: Many active speakers (as studio monitors) have analog inputs only, but internal DSP and digital crossovers, so they must digitize the analog input signal. Today, most signal sources are digital, and this means additional back and forth conversions: DA for compatibility with the input, then AD in the box for its DSP/dig. crossover and DA before its power amps. I can't help but thinking this (the ADC especially) might impact the signal quality, but can this reach potentially audible levels? Because if it can, studio monitors with digital input should be the preferable solution (?)
Sidenote: A similar situation = analog input in an AVR, or active speakers in a surround setup. Then, even having digital inputs in the speakers wouldn't help, because no AVR / AV processor has digital outputs for its single channels (at least none known to me). Having an AV processor with digital outputs would be an elegant solution IMHO.

See https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-choose-the-8th-generation-digital-copy.6827/

 

[respice finem]

...cheapest cable is the most difficult because it has to sound bad at audio shows.

Simple trick I've seen many times, the same with turntable pickups. The "underdog" must play 2-3 dB quieter, so the higher priced one can be "better". That's why they absolutely hate anyone brandishing an SPL meter... OK, turntable pickups are a world of their own, but even there "humbug" prevailed last time I looked.

 

[Billy Budapest]

The biggest thing that most "audiophiles" should know and look for is shielding to prevent noise from getting into the cable as demonstrated by Amir in the video. This video should put the topic of "boutique, expensive, audiophile grade" cable nonsense to rest.

Some people might also want a cable they can run a dump truck over. To them I suggest Belden 8402 with Switchcraft 3502A. Tough combo.

 

[Jerry Sobel]

Absolutely love, love these videos. Listening to your analysis is so great. Keeping doing these.

It would be great for you to do a video on turntables. What are the things to look for etc. I am thinking about replacing my current turntable but not my cartridge and I am confused by all the hype etc as to what makes the biggest difference. Also, no manufacturers well other than Technics provide any measurements and for them it is Wow and Flutter which for their 1000R table is they claim as low as is measurable.

 

[respice finem]

See https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-choose-the-8th-generation-digital-copy.6827/

Thanks a lot, that's good news for me - so I can take the analog-input KH310A for my future stereo setup, since I got the RME ADI2 DAC anyway, so far working just as a DAC/HPA. Probably I need to worry more to get the listening room half decent.
For science's sake, the same test would be interesting using more "low-endish" ADC/DAC chips like those in cheaper monitors - if those perform comparably well, it would really be "audio atheist heaven"

 

[roog]

For years I have been branded as a ‘non believer’ it has been used against me many times often in front of complete strangers! Usually hifi dealers, I have found it quite hurtful. Sometimes this person has told me they have used me as an example even when I am not present. They seem to use this as a prop to their own insecurities and perhaps as some kind of submissive behaviour when seeking support of dealers.

A dealer is almost the last type of person I would believe, someone who seeks to profit by my purchase.

The thing is, I do believe in cables, without them my system would be very quiet, but they simply need to be capable of performing their task within specification with tolerances, the right cable for the task as it were. I have tinkered with a many DIY cables over the years and I was even persuaded to buy one ‘slightly special cable’ some years ago, not the one featured in this review I might add! None of these cables made any difference to my ears.

Thank you Amir for an excellent site, I hope many others find it and benefit from it.

 

[respice finem]

For years I have been branded as a ‘non believer’ it has been used against me many times often in front of complete strangers! Usually hifi dealers, I have found it quite hurtful. Sometimes this person has told me they have used me as an example even when I am not present.

See it as a nobilitation. I've known a guy (who sadly died a few years ago), who being himself a studio pro was forced (in Poland late 90s) to be selling consumer HiFi - partly "voodoo" stuff, because otherwise he couldn't make a living. When I first came to his shop, I bought a "B-Stock" pair of B&Ws and asked if I need special cables. He answered, "well, if you ask me, they might help a bit, but only if you strongly believe it". Fair enough. I ended up with a set of "used" Van den Hul cables which became too short for the previous owner (being 4x3,5m, I still don't know what was short about them). Anyway, these "used" ones were relatively inexpensive compared to anything you could buy new back there and then (apart from doorbell wire in a hardware store), and I still have them as well as the old B&W speakers.
tl,dr: What I'm trying to say: if a dealer has a) the knowledge and b) cojones, he doesn't need to lie to his customers, and will keep them coming back. He had the small shop for almost 20 years, while many others had to shut down. The opposite is also true, with me anyway, someone smart enough could feed me some BS, I might fall for it if not obvious (many things I still don't know), but only until I learn...

 

[Angsty]

@amirm, you asked...

Keep doing the videos! I subscribed right away. My only concern is if doing videos will “crowd out” doing more reviews! Nonetheless, I appreciate your move to YouTube and will follow your postings in both locations.

 

[Nango]

Moo cable testings with similar findings bz Archimago: http://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/06/musings-audio-cables-summary-non.html

 

[Chrispy]

Just watched it, good stuff. Youtube's auto play next played Gene/Audioholics' video on speaker cables.....I was really hoping for some cable nonsense video, tho.

 

[Katji]

(Real) audio pros buy stuff to fit their job, and they too like stuff that doesn't fall apart.
Nonetheless, the prices are crazy low compared to consumer so called high end, as least as far as cables go:

Like I always say about USB cables - according to standard, and I can assume better QA [wrt the connection joints] than with cheap cables like from a phone accessory shops. Like DJ TechTools, good reputation, gets coiled up and plugged in and out all the time.

 

[respice finem]

In the pro segment, anything "flimsy" would be on everybody's no-buy-list after the first problem with it.
As for USB cables: With the RME ADI2-DAC came a bog standard (but decent quality) USB 2.0 cable. No problems whatsoever, verifiable with the device's own bit-test any time, but I'm not plugging it in and out frequently. With my previous PC, there was USB noise induced probably by the mainboard, but there is no cable that can help with that, since not even "ground lift" did. Different mainboard now, problem gone.

 

[testp]

There were requests in youtube to do a video on high-end audio cables. So I did one based on the review of audioquest Wind cable. If you have already read the text review, there is little new information in there but for the rest of you, this is one you can watch or listen to instead of reading:

FYI, the audio got screwed up in the first recording and had to do it all over. I had tried to optimize the audio but by accident had added a 1 second delay. Anyway, other than the start where it still mutes too much, let me know if the sound is any better.

Video is a little less than 15 minutes.

oh wow, so this who is behind Amirm avatar, i thought first it was just some linked videos here..

nice to see a face behind science

i think you have done already so much, any form and frequency of reviews is extra here..

all the best!

 

[Labjr]

Ted Denny of Synergistic Research would be do differ with you. They make super expensive cables, also these tiny things that look like fishing weights that create holographic sound and fuses which are infused with magic pixie dust.