I'd not ask this on any other forum....cables....

[Murrayp]

And maybe I shouldn't here either.....if not just delete it ....

Cables ........ ok, let's keep it to interconnects and speaker cables.....

Over the years I've tried quite a few cables including a few high end brands - prices from a few $ each to a few $k each. What I've found generally is beyond a few hundred dollars the cables seem to be made in this special way, or that, and they have a character. I guess they have to have a point of difference. That character may well suit the brand (eg Kondo), but the character may well not be a good match with other kit. Inevitably the expensive cables have been retired and sold as once I lock on to a colouration in my sound, it annoys me greatly and I can't tolerate it. Perhaps the least coloured audiophile cables I've tried have been Townshend (UK), but even so compared to good microphone cable, the microphone cable wins on balanced sound presently ....

My preference is for cables that adds and subtract nothing.

You guys are very clearly realists - I wonder what cables members here have found acceptable?

I guess I should figure out how to register my system here - actually it varies because I swap in different gear as I get bored with one sound. Mainly it is an Aurender N10, Trinity dac feeding various preamps from a Khozmo balanced pre to a CH Precsion L1, to either TAD M600 or Nord ncore based monos, to TAD Ref 1s mainly, but alternatively (to keep credibility here) JBL Everests, and Sony SS AR1 (guess who's been to RMAF.....both were demonstrated together there a few years back by Ray Kimber). Alternatively I have a Devialet 250 for something different again. The cables are generally balanced.

Power cables are all not very expensive Kimber - which I find better than some expensive stuff I've tried too, but maybe I shouldn't admit to hearing differences between power cables here.....

So I hope that isn't just inflammatory!
thanks
Murray

 

[Thomas savage]

It would only be inflammatory if we had a membership of childish morons

I think people hear a difference between cables, amps, digital sources etc at times that might be because of actual (objectivity observable) differences in the signal as it passes through your system but more often than not it's down to factors to do with our own bias and the way we relate and interpret what our ears send to our brains.

So, the ear might send a similar set of instructions to the brain but those might be interpreted differently by our conscious mind.

If buggering about with cables and endlessly swapping out various boxes entertains you, I don't see why that should worry anybody else... other than your wife/better half ( if you have one )

Sounds like living hell to me, all I want to do is sit in the sweet spot in my chair or lay on my couch that's off to one side and listen to music. I never get bored of that

The logical thought process that audiophiles tend to use ( including myself at one point) is strikingly similar to prehistoric man.

This kind of thought process is what leads one to chop off heads to increase crop yields, ban folk from entering 'that part of the forest' for fear of offending the gods ( the last time jimmy went in there the village suffered terrible luck for weeks) etc etc etc

 

[Purité Audio]

Just buy the cable which is fit for its purpose, cables can be designed to sound differently to each other if you alter their electrical parameters enough but why would you do that?
Over domestic lengths cable with 'usual' L.C.R values will be audibly transparent, 'pro 'Audio cables offer good value and are properly designed.
Keith

 

[Thomas savage]

Just buy the cable which is fit for its purpose, cables can be designed to sound differently to each other if you alter their electrical parameters enough but why would you do that?
Over domestic lengths cable with 'usual' L.C.R values will be audibly transparent, 'pro 'Audio cables offer good value and are properly designed.
Keith

To that end..,
http://www.mogamicable.com/

 

[Purité Audio]

They are my particular favourite, mostly because I like the name.
Although Mogadishu do sell some quite expensive wire, which of course I have purchased to 'try', quad core 'neglex'!
Keith

 

[Murrayp]

Thanks guys. Yes my wife was still here last time I checked....... very tolerant but the line was passed when I recently hung a blanket over the window. in front of the listening spot in our lounge....

And, yes, I have an audio mate who always listens from a couch to the side... Klipschorns with some TAD drivers added - used to be a Single Ended Triode aficionado - nice big, live sound - only needs a watt, or less - he now uses an integrated circuit amp which is better all around - except it doesn't glow I guess. So even he is far from stuck in paradigms...

Mogami - yep I tried some from a friend yesterday actually ..... pretty good - preferred my existing proaudio ones by a small margin.

Regarding listening and hell, You're quite right Thomas - I tell myself I'll stop it just as soon as I get it sorted out ....... "Yes, I am Murray,
and I am an audiophile........" Fortunately I don't take it too seriously. And I enjoy the different presentations.... as well as the music.

Still I'm interested to know who uses what cables here. I am about as frustrated by the many cables and "sounds" available as I am by tweak voodoo products. Does everyone here use good pro audio cables or is there some other common thread or brand respected for honesty?

thanks

M

 

[Purité Audio]

'Honest' not a word usually associated with cable!
The pro audio stuff is honest, low margins in the pro audio market, plus the need for them to actually work and be robust in a studio environment.
If in doubt borrow the most expensive interconnect you can find and compare it unsighted against some standard microphone cable ( good rfi rejection)
Mogami sell pre terminated lengths of the popular cables, fit and forget and then fret about the room's acoustics!
Keith

 

[Thomas savage]

I'm off to see depeche mode in November , I might tell them I'm a audiophile and ask if half way through the gig if they could swap out the cables and maybe swap speaker brand , I don't think that will fly with the other 20000 people though

If your worried about the 'honesty ' contact the studio that recorded some of your favourite recordings and use the cable they have.. that's the best thing I can think of

As for other people's subjective thoughts on the merits of particular brands of cable, I find given the almost unlimited variables surrounding( involved in)their assessments those opinions are of little to no relevance. In fact they are most likely only to impart a unhelpful bias/expectation, that will serve to undermine that 'honesty ' your looking for.

Oh, I did years of buggering about myself . I'm glad that's behind me though.. the answers layed not in cables or any such exterior apparatus but within myself

 

[Murrayp]

Unsighted is a good point - years ago I had two quite different cables that were easily distinguished. Another engineer mate said "fine - lets try ABX" We did, I could easily tell one from the other - except - when we looked at the results I actually did no better than random.......

On another instance i was in the sweet spot with my eyes closed at a show - enjoying the music when I heard an appreciative gasp from all around me - when I opened my eyes I saw that the demonstrating person had just placed his tweak on the equipment and everyone heard an improvement - except me...... a lesson I've not forgotten.

I have enough self deception though to think cables do have effects - probably measurable _ I've never tried.

 

[Murrayp]

As for other people's subjective thoughts on the merits of particular brands of cable, I find given the almost unlimited variables in their assessments those opinions are of little to no relevance. In fact they are most likely only to impart a unhelpful bias/expectation, that will serve to undermine that 'honesty ' your looking for.

fair enough but still interesting to see what others have found. I enjoy audio shows just to hear different approaches and sounds. True, who knows what is accurate but I guess the reality is about enjoyment rather than "honesty" then. Just had a shocking thought - we aren't all hedonists at heart are we.....never let it be said

 

[Thomas savage]

Unsighted is a good point - years ago I had two quite different cables that were easily distinguished. Another engineer mate said "fine - lets try ABX" We did, I could easily tell one from the other - except - when we looked at the results I actually did no better than random.......

On another instance i was in the sweet spot with my eyes closed at a show - enjoying the music when I heard an appreciative gasp from all around me - when I opened my eyes I saw that the demonstrating person had just placed his tweak on the equipment and everyone heard an improvement - except me...... a lesson I've not forgotten.

I have enough self deception though to think cables do have effects - probably measurable _ I've never tried.

I spent 5 years going through hordes of cables, heard profound differences not always price related ( not always more expensive were the best) ..

Ended up spending hideous amounts on power cables and interconnects, I still found myself reading forums and thinking I was possibly missing out on something.

I just dumped the hobby in that form at least and made peace with what I had.

 

[Murrayp]

ah, a recovered audiophile then
Congratulations!

 

[Thomas savage]

fair enough but still interesting to see what others have found. I enjoy audio shows just to hear different approaches and sounds. True, who knows what is accurate but I guess the reality is about enjoyment rather than "honesty" then. Just had a shocking thought - we aren't all hedonists at heart are we.....never let it be said

Intresting but totally unrelated to finding any kind of truth or at least consistent norm.. so more of a self indulgent exploration of creative thought than any useful quest for knowledge.

But many find those exchanges affirming and of merit , after all just about all forums are exclusively made up of such discourse. Even this one, though mainly it follows a engineering narrative.

 

[Thomas savage]

ah, a recovered audiophile then
Congratulations!

Yea, your no good for my sobriety, be off with you

 

[Thomas savage]

Of course creative thought is where scientific quest begins and the reason we are all still here( as a species) ... sadly people tend to react badly when those ( mostly nonsense but not exclusively ) musings and assertions butt up against the knowns we think we have achieved.

It's still the ambition of this forum to be a audiophile ( science) forum , personally I want the creative thought but only from those that aspire to create knowledge though that process and obey the the methods to achieve that end ( evidence, scientific inquiry) .


...the end

 

[Murrayp]

self indulgent.....??? Moi ???? (actually i think the line was "pretentious? moi?" but near enough.)
But, yeah, fair cop.
M

 

[Murrayp]

I sincerely hope my work mates in my professional life as a power electronics engineer never discover that I may think one cable sounds different to another!
I don't think I think about this quite as philosophically as yourself - I admire your thought!
And I enjoy the forum as I get to grips with it - thanks!

 

[fas42]

Last time I worried about "name" cables was 30 years ago - I use stuff that you can buy from any electrical supplies outlet; IOW, as cheap as a trademan's materials. The big difference is that I hard wire, solder all the cables into their positions; this eliminates most of the variation that one hears with the fancy stuff.

 

[Thomas savage]

I sincerely hope my work mates in my professional life as a power electronics engineer never discover that I may think one cable sounds different to another!
I don't think I think about this quite as philosophically as yourself - I admire your thought!
And I enjoy the forum as I get to grips with it - thanks!

It's great to have you here

Yes I can be 'philosophical' ( google translate; full of shite)

 

[RayDunzl]

I wonder what cables members here have found acceptable?