I don't think any of that matters to him. His mind was made up as soon as you mentioned the brand and price.
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Kimber KS 1036 Silver RCA Cable Review
- Thread starter amirm
- Start date
It's his vast "listening" experience with cables....
Why are we now discussing speaker cables in an RCA cable tread
There is a difference in what they do , low impedance high current vs the opposite
With speaker cables it’s not implausible to have slight differences if they have to much resistance ( thin and long ) and the loudspeaker has low impedance dips , it’s trivial to fix but it’s there .
With analog signal cables you have to get them really long and/or abuse the design parameters to basically will them to misbehave if your want to have any kind of significant difference . ( to much capacitance in long phono cable to an mm pickup or similar abuse ,or being stupid and remove the shielding in long single ended cables )
There is a difference in what they do , low impedance high current vs the opposite
With speaker cables it’s not implausible to have slight differences if they have to much resistance ( thin and long ) and the loudspeaker has low impedance dips , it’s trivial to fix but it’s there .
With analog signal cables you have to get them really long and/or abuse the design parameters to basically will them to misbehave if your want to have any kind of significant difference . ( to much capacitance in long phono cable to an mm pickup or similar abuse ,or being stupid and remove the shielding in long single ended cables )
diddley
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Why have 7 voted great? Are those trolls or misguided people?
Some are trolls.
Some are a bit cheeky, performance actually is great but that’s true for all non broken rca cables
And there are some contrarians on the site that always vote against amir .
And I suspect some sock puppets acount, when someone holds a grudge against ASR in general.
For example the DAC reviews, when amir reviews a DAC with basically flawless performance there is always at least one giving it the lowest ranking regardless .
Well I guess you got me dead to rights on this one. I am indeed predisposed to view extremely cheap stuff on Amazon with suspicion.You are full bias. I have had that Amazon Basics cable for years now. It has gotten more use and abuse than a thousand uses in a normal audio system. Yet is as solid and reliable as day one I bought it. I just found it on Amazon and it wasn't $12, but $6.99!!!
Does that looks like cheap junk to you? Thick connector shell that holds tight but not super tight as to pull out the RCA jack. Cable is thick and supple just like "high-end" cables. It has a whopping 35,000 reviews, averaging 4.7!
I have reviewed it a multiple times: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...-of-rca-cables-mogami-amazon-monoprice.27871/
Yes, there is junk stuff like that monoprice on the right (usability, not performance). Objectively, the Amazon cable even outperformed the Mogami on noise pick up!
It is really, really good stuff leaving no room to pick anything else.
Just one question, if I may. Given that it is marketed by Amazon on behalf of a mystery manufacturer, how do know that what is presently offered is the same design, same maker, etc., as the one you tested against the Kimber? The 50% price difference led me to doubt that it could be the same when I went looking for it.
Amazon’s listing says that “this product may originate from China or Vietnam.” That’s not very specific. I especially enjoy the inclusion of “may.” Read literally, that means the cable “may” originate from somewhere else. On the plus side, there is the featured pitch video: KevinB, who “earns commissions,” says the cables “look like good quality.” Well then.
I’ll stick with my Mogamies, even if that gets me branded as a tinfoil hat wearing audiophool who throws money away on audio jewelry. I don’t know when you got those Amazons, but I have owned Mogami for over 20 years. Never heard a sniff of noise.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #348
How do you know that about Kimber? How do you know they really used that diamond lined extrusion? Or if they ever used such?
FYI, these high-end companies don't make their wire. They buy it from a company that private labels it for them.
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I've used nothing but whatever cables came boxed with my gear (or dirt-cheap equivalents) for nearly 60 years.
"Never heard a sniff of noise."
Not only that, I've never experienced a single failure or shortcoming that could be traced to RCA cables. Home audio "interconnects" have pretty much the least demanding function in a typical system aside from speaker wire, unless of course an extraordinary number of disconnect-reconnect cycles are involved or they have to endure a high-EMI environment.
Game over. I win!
Yes home wiring can be pretty ragged without real problems if the connectors are tight .
For pro use where you disconnect and connects all the time and people walks on them in recording sessions, and you throw them in the back of vans etc, you get reputable pro brands . And XLR
For pro use where you disconnect and connects all the time and people walks on them in recording sessions, and you throw them in the back of vans etc, you get reputable pro brands . And XLR
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MarkS
Major Contributor
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No no no! Kimber makes their own mains Kord! Absolutely necessary to have a single cable ecosystem for system synergy ... and at 1/10 the cost, a tremendous bargain ... /s
Kimber Kable - PK10-Ascent
For over three decades, Kimber Kable has led the audio/video cable industry in technology and precision manufacturing. Today, we are more committed than ever to producing products of preeminent technical merit and performance. Kimber Kable - Products
kimber.com
RetroStereo
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That's so you don't need wire stands for the audio signal to not get rug burn.Your insulation would have lower resistance than the core wire
The audioquest was the cheapest phono cable on Audio Advisor that had a five-pin din connector at the tonearm cable. It's not sold now, but I think I paid something like $60.
Yes, I consider something sounding okay (no audible flaws) to be valid criterion for continuing to use it. What do you do? Just look at measurements or Amir's reccommendations?
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Sure, but what game is it exactly that you're playing at here? Not one that has much to do with enjoying music, it would appear.I've used nothing but whatever cables came boxed with my gear (or dirt-cheap equivalents) for nearly 60 years.
"Never heard a sniff of noise."
Not only that, I've never experienced a single failure or shortcoming that could be traced to RCA cables. Home audio "interconnects" have pretty much the least demanding function in a typical system aside from speaker wire, unless of course an extraordinary number of disconnect-reconnect cycles are involved or they have to endure a high-EMI environment.
Game over. I win!
That's why I asked you where the Kimber you tested came from. No answer. Saying the Audioquest is selling stuff that is not as described in their product literature is an accusation of fraud. Amazon's product literature doesn't say much at all.
Nope, sorry @solderdude, I asked for those measurements and was blown out of the water by @amirm for my foolishness.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #358
It says right in the review: "This is a review and detailed measurements of the Kimber Kable KS1036 "Silver" RCA Cable. It is on kind loan from a member and costs US $4,520 for a pair (1 meter)."
It is not Audioquest but Kimber. That aside, I made no accusation. I test a product objectively and show the result.
Their claim is this:
" These interconnects produce silent backdrops for vivid tonal color and flawless creation of space, time and ultimately the soul of the performance."
No interconnect can do anything about the soul of the performance. Or that such reproduction was flawless. Alas, such claims are likely to be recognized as hyperbole and not prosecutable. But I am not a lawyer....
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No game. Just underscoring what Amir demonstrated a long time ago*: There's no audible or measurable difference between a "name brand" RCA "interconnect" and pretty much the cheapest equivalent, absent outright defects. IOW -- again absent defects -- swapping line-level RCA "interconnects" has zero effect on "enjoying music" one way or another. Capiche?
* Recoton RCA Cable Review (Ultra Cheap Cable)
solderdude
Grand Contributor
Funny story...
As a volunteer I work at a local repair cafe.
One day a guy came in with a record player. It had been modified with a much thicker RCA cable. Shoddy soldering as well. One plug broke off.
He wanted the cable replaced and brought an even thicker audio RCA cable with nice looking connectors.
He got that from the local hardware store b.t.w. they were not expensive (€ 12.-)
So .... I cut the 'audio cable' on one side and found it was non shielded. Just 2 parallel wires inside., not even twisted.
Moral of the story ... looks and nice words on the carton it came in say nothing at all.
Needless to say he was sent back home and the next time I brought some decent plugs with me and put that on the cable that was on there.
As a volunteer I work at a local repair cafe.
One day a guy came in with a record player. It had been modified with a much thicker RCA cable. Shoddy soldering as well. One plug broke off.
He wanted the cable replaced and brought an even thicker audio RCA cable with nice looking connectors.
He got that from the local hardware store b.t.w. they were not expensive (€ 12.-)
So .... I cut the 'audio cable' on one side and found it was non shielded. Just 2 parallel wires inside., not even twisted.
Moral of the story ... looks and nice words on the carton it came in say nothing at all.
Needless to say he was sent back home and the next time I brought some decent plugs with me and put that on the cable that was on there.
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