What's the last word on audio cable?

[JktHifi]

Then they aren’t just bad, they are broken.

The cable doesn’t directly make equipment off but it damage over time, can be a year or months. As always, it’s related to reliability issues. Especially the interconnect cable.

 

[Blumlein 88]

For sure bad cable can damage your equipment. Not just better or same quality sound heard but hurt your stuff.

Well I did have an issue once. RCA, cable lost connection with ground resulting in huge hum levels. As I was using bridged Classe 25's (about a kilowatt per channel) it damaged the woofer somewhat. Of course I was using my own custom woven pure six nines silver with pure teflon insulation interconnects. It was the damn WBT locking RCA jacks that did it. Cuased too much physical stress and caused the issue when some basic non-locking RCA's would not have. The Classe amps had XLR input, and if I had a balanced preamp I would have used those. Had I used the RG6 RCA RGB video cables leftover from the cable company cable box all would have been fine. Anecdotal proof that silver cable sucks and is dangerous.

 

[voodooless]

The cable doesn’t directly make equipment off but it damage over time, can be a year or months. As always, it’s related to reliability issues.

Without anyone noticing in between that there is something going on? No way! How would that even work? The only way a cable can damage is either by a short or open circuit, and both are immediately noticeable. Give me one real-world example of this happening?

 

[Hatto]

Without anyone noticing in between that there is something going on? No way! How would that even work? The only way a cable can damage is either by a short or open circuit, and both are immediately noticeable. Give me one real-world example of this happening?

@JktHifi I'm wondering about this as well.

 

[DonR]

I guess an interconnect could short the signal to ground and that might damage a device's output. I personally have never seen a reasonably well-built cable go short but going open is not uncommon, especially when handled regularly and improperly.

 

[fpitas]

An open speaker cable can be bad news for a tube amp, but generally the fireworks inside the output tubes are a giveaway.

 

[Doodski]

I guess an interconnect could short the signal to ground and that might damage a device's output. I personally have never seen a reasonably well-built cable go short but going open is not uncommon, especially when handled regularly and improperly.

I've seen where the solder tabs or cups are located the shorting occurs there. Especially when the tabs are flexible and can be forced into the other conductors tab.

 

[RayDunzl]

How can it be scientifically tested when the two metals have different resistance? Can you do such a comparison please?

Silver is about 7% more conductive than copper.

So I figure for the same wire gauge, it would be like the difference between 72 and 77 inch copper cables.

Silver might give you more "pride of ownership", if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[fpitas]

Silver just looks more pure than copper. I'm sure that improves the sound.

 

[theREALdotnet]

Silver is about 7% more conductive than copper.

If that much. So yes, instead of using silver, make the copper cable 7% shorter and you’re set.

 

[theREALdotnet]

Silver just looks more pure than copper.

To me, copper is the sexiest looking metal. Its only flaw is that it tarnishes relatively quickly and starts to look dull.

 

[fpitas]

The optimum is to silver plate the copper wire for skin effect

 

[Doodski]

To me, copper is the sexiest looking metal. Its only flaw is that it tarnishes relatively quickly and starts to look dull.

Copper is very cool in that it has been recycled for thousands of years.

 

[DonR]

Given the relative cost, making a copper cable slightly thicker would be far more economic than using silver.

 

[fpitas]

Given the relative cost, making a copper cable slightly thicker would be far more economic than using silver.

Or even a heck of a lot thicker. Thick zip cord just doesn't cost that much.

 

[DonR]

I've seen where the solder tabs or cups are located the shorting occurs there. Especially when the tabs are flexible and can be forced into the other conductors tab.

I can see that happening, especially in cheap connectors. Usually, I use heat-shrink on each wire (including any tab) at the joint. Reinforces the connection as well from mechanical separation.

 

[fpitas]

I bet a lot of the exotic silver cables get used with tube amps, where the output impedance is a few tenths of an ohm, or more.

 

[egellings]

Another mish-mash of mixed arguments that go nowhere. You don't understand the subject. You base your opinions on uncontrolled listening and what I would call undisciplined reasoning. And tell the engineers to go figure out something that agrees with your opinions. That is not a good path to get anywhere toward new knowledge.

Agree!

 

[egellings]

I bet a lot of the exotic silver cables get used with tube amps, where the output impedance is a few tenths of an ohm, or more.

Oftentimes whole ohms.

 

[xirtam2005]

I have cables I bought from amazon, I have $250+ self made cables with the stupid crisscrossing from that guy on youtube, and I have $200+ cables that allow biamping (bi-cabling? who knows) from aliexpress.

Do cables matter at all? Should I just stick with my $50 / 50ft spool of Amazon cables (I think they are 12AWG)

I swear I can hear a difference but I can also see that difference in my face, so I don't trust myself.

I've used Blue Jeans Cables for years. Good enough for my needs. Cables should not make a difference, but they can if the cable is too thin for the application or not shielded for the application, if it's in close proximity with other cables or power cords, as can be in the back of amplifiers and pre-amps processors. But that's more "EMI-RFI" rejection that the cable "sounding" better.

It's entirely possible the "some" esoteric cables may sound different, but in that case, that's not a good thing. The sound shouldn't be "improved". If it is, it is altering the signal. All a cable needs to do is fully transmit whatever signal is fed to it from one end to another, without losing the original signal, while rejecting any interference that could alter or distort the signal. That's all.