Your point? Ohh, just put a crap sounding cable in place, (cause I think the internals are crap anyway) there will be no difference. If the product inside the chassis is working as a whole sonically, don't you think you need something decent to justify money spent on the two components in the first place.
@@carmenandthedevil2804 The manufacturer already allowed for external cabling, unless you think they don't know you must use the plugs they provide with any cable you can buy...
@@andershammer9307 My point is simple: Designers of systems know that the external cabling is a variable and must be accounted for in the overall audio quality produced by their designs. As such, they do not expect replacing a cable to dramatically affect their equipment, or they would provide them themselves and make BANK...
That Monster cable test was a joke, 1983. They did that test for years to try and convince salespeople that selling high end cables to customers was justified. I was part of one of those demo tests when they went around years ago. Using a zip cable or complete garbage wire compared to even just simple quality copper wire makes an audible difference. I remember asking them to compare generic quality copper wire to theirs... Reply was, "well that difference won't be audible".
Sure, I can agree with that. Monster Cable is essentially a marketing company. I just hope you’re not implying that all cables produce these same results. I own a relatively high-end headphone system with Ultimate interconnects by High Fidelity Cables, Furutech Alpha NanoFlux NCF power cords, and a ToneKraft headphone cable by Audio Envy. The difference in sound between these cables and stock is night and day. And I would bet my life savings that 100% of people in a double-blind study would agree, choosing my high-end cables over stock. Granted, these are very high-end cables. But there are plenty of more reasonably priced cables, DH Labs for example, that are a significant improvement over stock.
@@LorenzoNW if the difference is that great, it should captured and measured by lab equipment. I don't see any cable manufacturer claiming such or even publishing a lab result. Until then its all placebo.
@@IsmaelMartinezPR the same goes for vine tests and food. So if your suggestions stands true. Eat dog food and make your own strawberry vine. Since blindtests can't pick cheap or expensive Bordeaux. And food experts failed on expensive pate and dogfood.
Dankzzz it does not work that way. As a food marketer I can tell you that the differences in food products including alcohol are all subjective. The only way to make sure a product performance is to do a R2 (r square) reliable sample test. I don’t see, never seen any manufacturer of cables or even Multi $$$grand speakers do AB testing. Not casual or coincidental test of products. And yes, a $20 bottle of wine could taste better for most consumers than a multi multi $ chat. Lafite. You can’t measure it, so you need a large sample. Cables =placebo
@@IsmaelMartinezPR the point holds up. Its a fact that expensive vine and food are better.. the question is if the human senses blind can pass the test in a lab. The placebo card is absolutely valid, but that doesn't mean no difference....
Steve, let the guy talk! Steve steered this interview in a direction he wanted it to go. I like Steve and watch a lot of his videos and always hit the like button, so don't get me wrong about my intent here.
Sorry to be so offtopic but does someone know a way to get back into an Instagram account?? I was stupid forgot my password. I love any tips you can give me!
@Zahir Parker i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now. I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
The thing is .. if comparing cartridges cantileverers for a minute.. You can buy the most expensive mp500 from nagoaka or an mc ortofon and be happy. You can be happy with a nagaoaka mp150 Mc is not necessarily better Than mm. And a cartridge that works for a technics 1200 may be too heavy for a dual. Make the most of what you bought make the most if what you have. No need to upgrade. Be happy play music.
A good piece and some sage advice. Many have become far too price driven and yet still expect the full fruit kit for less. And then assume all the service and support is to be supplied basically from thin air. I've heard this increasingly price driven market best described as; "The great race to the bottom." Building a relationship with a dealer you trust, and not feeling the need to screw every sale down through the floor, will generally achieve the best outcome for all concerned. And, yes, one should apply common sense to this equation also, just as you would any other significant purchase.
I am still using that 1980’s Monster Cable in one of my systems and still enjoying it. Great weekend video Steve. Keep ‘em coming!! And yes, Andy is the real deal!!
Mine is the original Monster Cable....purchased from Goodwin's High End in Boston back in the early 80's. It still works for me in a tertiary office system.
I will put my humble .02 in the pot here. In my experience cables make a huge difference. I just did an A/B speaker cable test with some well known industry people and the results were pretty dramatic. 8ft lengths running between modified Tekton Moab speakers and a Bel Canto SET 40 triode amp. Cable A was a cable that was not cheap, and performed very well. Braided silver 24 conductor. Cable B was Silversmith Fidelium Foil cables and wow. Everything sharpened up, so much more coherent across the entire spectrum. It was a stark difference. The physics behind them explains a lot. Highly recommended. I also built a pair of 3 conductor .9999 solid silver cables in 15ga (1 20ga, 1 22ga and 1 24ga) and when compared to very affordable mogami speaker cable the results were less dramatic but still apparent. The silver cables are brighter and faster. The mogami have a rounder sound that may be more desirable to some. The trick is to find gear that play nice with each other, with your room, with your musical tastes, your budget... Cables matter, that being said, I only dropped some real coin on them after I had amazing speakers, amps, dac, TT and the like. Prioritize that first.
Everything matters. I scoffed for YEARS on the benefits of aftermarket, high end power cables...but adding a couple AudioQuest Z3 cables to my system (one on the DAC, one on my AVR) and a Y2 on my Bluesound Node 2i, convinced me. Not only was it a noticeable improvement, it was transformative to my system! I AM a fan of "Anticables"...they make GREAT cables using oxygen free, high quality SOLID copper, with a minimal insulating coating...and they are sold for a very low price (starting at $50 for speaker cable). I have bought about 4 sets of them so far (2 sets were gifted to my father and brother). I also bought some Black Cat cables...a Silverstar digital coax (entry level) and a pair of Coppertone RCAs (also entry level)...the coax goes from the Node 2i to my DAC (Schiit Gungnir multibit), the RCAs go from the DAC to my AVR (Marantz SR7007, running Martin Logan Theos, bi-amped, in "pure direct" stereo only). Again, a HUGE improvement in sound quality. I HIGHLY suggest that you find a dealer who will lend you cables...then listen in your own home on your own system! If you don't hear a difference that justifies the price, DONT BUY THEM! But anyone who gives cables an honest audition will soon learn that yes, the DO make a difference, and yes, they ARE important. You just don't want to put a $500 cable on a $600 amp. A good rule of thumb is to keep your cables at around 10% of your total system budget. But, again, that's up to YOU and what YOU can hear and whether YOU find it of value. TRUST YOUR EARS!
True..... as long as the Cables have proper continuity, make good connections and don't have complicated connectors that do not last, then the Music comes throught just fine.
The test in 83 did not demonstrate stat sig differences in actual music, and basing it on monster vs zip is of no relevance now. Why don't speaker wire companies fund a legit blinded A/B test of their cable vs generic 14g wire? Because they know all too well what the results will be...
I don't "believe" in cables because in most arguments for higher end cables, belief is what's required. However, I DID have a cable experience that made a positive difference and I think there is a scientific reason for it. I bought a spool of 16 gauge cable about 7 years ago when I first got into audio, and I've been using for all my speakers ever since. I recently looked back at my purchase and realized it was Copper-clad aluminum. On a lark I bought a spool of 10 gauge pure copper wire for about $35 with new banana plugs. I made the new cables, cleaned the terminals and plugged everything in. it made a SIGNIFICANT difference - reminiscent of when I give my car a tune up. The system seemed to play louder and significantly more dynamically. I had my SO switch back and forth 5 times listening to the game of thrones intro and I got it right every single time very quickly. I'm chalking this up to the reduced conductivity of the aluminum more than anything else. I don't think I'd experience a difference like this going from $0.60 a foot 10 gauge copper to some fancy shielded $1000 10 foot cable.
I go with the one or 2 step upgrade myself - as much for ( hopefully ) better end of cable connections, superior soldering in the manufacturing process, that type of thing. . original base model M.cable type. Speaker cable - same idea, orig. M.Cable was close to 16 ga with a mysterious plastic inner spacer.... to me 16 ga is fine ( both runs copper, I'm iffy about the Alum. wire) for short runs, say 10 ft per side, key bing get good connections on the ends. I now use 14 ga copper with M.cable basic type ends from E bay
I remember Sound by Singer. You went into that store and Andy dissed everything you owned. Speaking of Monster Cable, I once inherited some Powerline 2 and tried it with my Apogee Calipers. It definitely sounded different than the high quality zip cord that my original dealer supplied with the speakers. It sounded much worse! Seriously. It made the Apogee bass sound fat and boomy. But I agree with Andy that I could tell the difference almost immediately. I went back to the zip cord.
My experience with the original Monster Cable was similar, except the difference was so tiny that I didn't bother changing back to the zip cord. Here's one credible expert -- a long-time speaker and electronics designer for McIntosh who now offers $20K/pair speakers to the audiophile crowd -- who actually makes sense on the subject of speaker wires: roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
That's not the way I remember that article. There were 3 cables under test, 18 gage speaker wire, 16 gage lamp cord and Monster cable. The tests were extensive. The data was analyzed using standard statistical methods. The 18 gage speaker wire was identifiable but there was NO statistically significant difference between the 16 gage lamp cord and the Monster cable. I'm sure the advertising department told the editor to never do anything like that again. Cables are an LCR filter network. They are modeled using the telegraphers equation, see wikipedia. To calculate the effect a particular length of cable will have in a circuit you need the parameters for the cable, the Thevenins equivalent complex output impedance of the source and the complex input impedance of the load. I know because I'm an electrical engineer who has bought many millions of dollars of cable of countless kinds over the last 40 years. A graphic equalizer will do exactly the same job, predictably, adjustably, and at far lower cost so the first thing anyone selling expensive hi fi cables has to convince you of is that equalizers are the devil's work. It takes skill and patience to adjust one but for me it's well worth the effort. For audiophiles, it's your money, not mine and I couldn't care less what you spend it on.
I agree for a budget minded audiophile the last place to spend money on Is cable. The gain you receive from high end cables isn't worth the money until you have a system sensitive enough to hear the difference
But right there lies the issue. Most people can hear the difference because after a certain age, all humans loose top end spectrum. its not me saying it, its actual science. So they may have high sampling rate dacs, expensive cables and exotic material speakers, after 55 they probably can hear the difference. If they do, they are lying or are an exception.
As if people didn't know this ALREADY. I once read about an audiophile setup that was basically piping filled with liquid mercury that ALONE cost $10k+ It struck me as utter bullshit then, just as all the uber 'premium' cables of the time did too.
I'd want to hear these cables perform in a comparable system. And if this rig can duplicate the sound of my Stradivarius with 100% accuracy, and my eyes fill up with tears, then I'd be impressed as hell, and offer to cough up no more than half the asking price. *
Music is art, it isn't science. The world is full of arrogant scientists who think they have the answer to everything. We only have a partial understanding of the way we process and enjoy music, we only have a partial understanding of why we can hear and see beauty. These things can't be measured. Of course if you have crap taste in music.....
Just because 75% of people hear a “difference” doesn’t mean the difference is better. I will believe in the impact of high end cables when a statistically significant number of listeners identify more expensive cables as sounding “better” in a double-blind testing environment where neither the person administering the test, nor the listener know which cables are in the setup, all other variables are held equal, and the results are replicable with the same listener to a statistically significant degree and are also replicable across a statistically significant sample of listeners. Under these conditions, I think you find the preference for high end cables vs a good quality basic cable is (spoiler alert) about 50/50.
Shorter the length, good gauge , 14 min. Good quality stranded wire, Short to keep interference to a min. Avoid power lines crossing or next to speaker wire. If you look behind the connections of an amp it’s pcb mount or the thinnest of wires. For that matter look at the other end, speaker crossover and onto driver itself , thin wires! It’s a myth people!
Here's some testing done by Nelson Pass 2/80 on several premium cables plus 18g and 24g zip cord. Nelson occasionally found some "freaky stuff" (my words). www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_spkr_cable.pdf
Steve you know what boss spells backwards?? Double S.O.B., he he. Seriously though thanks again, and I know Singer gets a lot of trash talk against him, but I think he only deserves half of it.
The science has come out... high end cables conduct WORSE then standard 12 or 10awg. Will it change the sound... yes... will it countour the sound... yes... but it isn't fixing the sound, it is coloring it.
@@RennieAsh In my case no. they don't make the bass drivers any longer. But if you want to DIY a speaker look at what others are doing in the DIY community and go from there. Also mind that you need to figure a cross over that works with the speakers of your choice. My brother in law designed the speakers based on Wilson. My father made the cabinets. Now my brother in law has made new speakers and he gave his old ones to me for free! Here is a picture (on the right) those are my very speakers. teresaudio.com/fame/42.html Now I am running those with a Clearaudio Concept MC, Lehmannaudio Decade and Synthesis Nimis tube amp
Mike Hydropneumatic I made a small pair of speakers years ago with proper design, I’ve been meaning to build something bigger eventually, but got caught up in the used market and also creative speakers:)
Think like this everything in the music chain should be synergistic,not the Company !! There one off the biggest ripoff,but everything is relative better electronics better transmission lines I agree for once with this man I have met him quite a few times,he seems to have calmed down,let’s just say very narcissistic about audio and his store 🏬 I walked into his store in the early 90s and was instantly turned off about my experience there,went to another NY dealer long story short was treated so good and respectful I spent 30 thousand + on upgrading my ten year old system,sorry Andrew Singer better luck next time,and I experienced your bad attitude at a few Audio shows also,so as I said I hope you have tamed your narcissism,I’m sure I would have spent my money with you had it not been for it
Cables are not a higher % mark up (for DEALERS) than speakers or components. That simply is not true. Making all these statements about cable profit, labeling other dealers negatively (as if the angel of truth looking out for the customers wallet) with a $42,000 Kronos turntable behind you that you sell is just embarrassing and unprofessional.
Surely no one here thinks the old lamp cord speaker wire sold on those little spools is equally as good as quality cables, or even cheap RCA interconnects are tit for tat with better brands. Still, a pair of quality interconnects for $100, or a set of speaker cable for about the same is likely to provide 99% of the detail that is possible to extract from your system. If you don’t have one of these ridiculous $100,000+++ systems, then it’s money wasted on these esoteric, exorbitant cables. I just cannot imagine myself ever being that fool who’ll pay thousands of dollars for cables to eek out that tiny extra smidget of detail when that money could be spent collecting LPs and CDs. Then again, those fools likely have a few dozen reference discs and that’s ALL they ever listen to. Pathetic. Give me the likes of NAD or Rotel and PSB or ELAC or any of their stablemates and I’ll spend the remainder of disposable income on travel or antiques.
The trouble is there are very few dealers left. I used to work in a High-End audio store and I helped people get better sound. I didn't sell anything that didn't improve sound or didn't sound good for them.
Nope. It relies on your own experience and your own ears. If you can't hear the difference, don't spend the money! Experiment on your own to see what you can hear! Take your wife with you if possible. My wife heard the difference of my new speaker cable. She heard the supertweeters make a difference. That is proof enough for me. I can hear the difference but I just might be convincing myself. She's not convincing herself of anything. I hear the difference in my new (DIY) power cord: more bass and rhythm, better separation of the instruments. My wife didn't say anything but she started dancing to the music. That's good enough for me. All the best, Rob
@Yuvi A Hi Yuvi - can you share some tips for materials and techniques with us? I think many people would be interested to learn from you and save money! All the best, Rob
@@johnholmes912 Sound engineers will tell you about everything, thatts why most recordings sound like crap. Just listen and get what pleases you most. There is just no best cable.
Best cable for my system, 50ft. speaker wire at Fred's for $5. I have always used "regular" speaker wire. Sounds good enough for me. Hooked up on a Sansui 9090 with four Pioneer CS99s. Sounds awesome!! Years ago a friend of mine brought over some expensive cables. We hooked them up and we honestly couldn't tell any difference.
He knows how to sell in the modern world. The consumer is hundreds of times smarter and more informed than consumers were before the internet. We want straight forward honest opinions. A little bit of magic, a little bit of wu-wu is fine! Just don't smother us in BS. This guy gets it right.
Way back when when I worked at Circuit City everyone wanted to sell Monster Cables because that was one of THE best things to sell in the ENTIRE store in terms of commission. There was so much markup in those cables it was ridiculous.
I was one of those that bought into them. Circuit City was where I started my journey into home theater :) although I knew very little aside from what the sales people told me
@@sccanj I've been using 14 awg zip cord for 40 years it lasts a lifetime too. Without even trying it, I know pure copper will sound better. 40 something years ago I just put my money into the Best turntable, and speakers I could afford, and guess what I bought a CARVER integrated receiver, that was my weak link 40 years ago. I'm upgrading now and I'm prepared to spend $1000 on speaker cables and one interconnect. My new components will be. Around $4000 bringing my total up to 5K peanuts for most people but I'm a thrifty guy who knows what he can afford
Sorry but I've got to disagree! Cables can limit in an extreme way good equipment... Just my experience and my 2 cents. Until you have really good cables in your system, you don't know how your loudspeakers, how your cd-player, how your amp really sounds! Of course the biggest profit goes to a cable manufacturer... Unfortunately it's about how they 'sound' and not how much it costs to build them... And yes, I agree, there's a difference between the best cable for a system and the most expensive cable. Sometimes the most expensive ones don't match well as some cheaper cables...
Absolutely correct! - Cables cannot "perfect" the sound of a system, they can only DEGRADE its sound quality to an extent. IOW, the very BEST that any cable can do in your system is to "get out of the way" of the signal, and NONE of them do, due to factors like shitty metal, shitty insulating ability or poor construction! *
This vid does not sit well with me. 1. Clickbait title 2. Not all dealers have the same scrupples or formula of jacking cable recommendations on profit ripped or lower end sales. They were never going to be big sales anyway. 3. I think many people won't understand or take on the 'real' message of what he's trying to say - i.e, it's a 2 way thing - leave enough profit in the sale so the dealer remains interested in your custom and helping you on your audio journey. Remember - dealers usually got into the game because of an interest, expertise and desire that others experience the joy too ... But they do have to make a profit to stay there.
The Monster cable vs zip cord test ONLY proved that thicker gauge cables are better than thin cables due to lower resistance and less voltage drop. So buy 10 ga generic cable it's inexpensive and does the job.
TheViewFromUpHere I’ve used the $100 20’ monster instrument cable they were making in 2000 for live music. The 1/4 inch right angle male the put on it was the tiniest bit bigger than all of the females on all my basses. I didn’t notice this until the monster inevitably failed, and I tried to use my backup. I had to duct tape it into the inputs on my amp and bass live because the bigger male ends of the monster bent and shaved the inputs permanently bigger. I wouldn’t doubt that they did this on purpose. Never again.
Thick cables solve the problem of lowered damping factor. High value of damping factor is important for proper amp feedback control if implemented, because class A tube amps mostly don't have feedback control, have poor damping factor, so in theory then can use as thin and inexpensive cable as possible, since it cannot make out port resistance anyhow worse.
I buy decent cables and use them. Not the Cheapest but not Real Expensive--And I've used expensive before. Now I look for good construction and reliability. I use a good Oxygen Free Speaker cable usually 12 ga. with a flexible jacket, these are usually high quality. Everything has been working fine without a glitch and I get Clean Sound--What more do I need?
I've had good results from the Audioquest affordable interconnects and their Flex 2 in-wall affordable speaker cables. They have some insanely expensive higher end cables with batteries that they call the "dialectric bias system" and other crazy super expensive ridiculous cables, but their entry level cables are well made and sound good.
James Randi has offered 1 million dollars to anyone who can reliably tell the difference between a cheap and a 7500 dollar interconnect. Surprisingly few have even attempted the challenge, no matter how much they gloat about their prowess in high end.
I suppose that everyone here who defends and invests in extremely expensive cables already has a fully acoustically built and treated room, which is ultimately what makes an audio system sound good. Nope? It is funny to see people who invest 10,000 in cables and listen in a room that measures the same width and height or that the room is made of wood (it is so common in the USA)
A 1983 AB test, thats the only one he can recall. wow. Heres the real problem with the subject. Its that after your 45 birthday you start to loose hearing spectrum. Mr. Singer and Mr. Gettenberg seamed to be in their 60's. Therefore they should address the fact that good or better or cheap cables, people over certain age cant hear the difference. The looming existence of presbycusis (google it) will in time limit the amount of spectrum you can hear and therefore, HD Audio, super high sampling rates and even better cables won't (to your ears) won't make any difference. If you are over 55 be weary of placebo effect.
My Name well congratulations, that you are an exception to the rule. Additionally you don’t say anything, it’s like saying that my memory is as good as an elephant. Sorry, don’t mean to be disrespectful but a teenager these days could be hurt from abuse. I am glad you hear very well. What about others in your age group?
@@pekkatervala8476 Hello, its human nature and many audio reviewers seem not to accept that fact. As a coincidence, Audio Science Review just posted a review of Expensive headphone cables. The precision audio analyzer did not find any difference whatsoever. Cheers
When someone successfully picks out an expensive cable over a cheaper cable in a double blind listening test, we'll talk. It'll never happen. Just as nobody has been able to pick out a higher bitrate lossy file over a lossless hi-res file. People 'hear' differences purely because they expect to. It's called 'expectation bias'. Take away the expectation, take away the nonesense claims.
To each their own, but I can certainly tell a difference between compressed and uncompressed audio files. I can also hear a subtle difference between cables in my system, especially within different gauges. That being said I would never buy expensive cables.
not if you want looks, then you may do a little bit more. I'd say anything over $100 for the pair is over the top. There's only so much pure copper gold plated connectors with fancy translucence covers can cost etc.
tragic to read the people who drunk the coolaide. I master and mix records for a living and I promise no studio is using expensive cables to record music.
I used to employ a lot of young people when I was the manager of a Hi Fi shop and they used to go on and on about cables. I was only 25 at the time and thought snake oil. Yes I used to stock a range of cables with gold plating and silver wires but only because I could make a lot of profit for the company that I worked for. The other day a friend of mine asked me if I wanted a couple of pairs of phono to phono cabled 6 and 10 meters long. I jumped at the chance. He made the comment that I might be fussy about cables and I told him I don't think they make mcc difference.
People love subjective ridiculous things that they can just make definitive statements about without anyone having the chance to disprove them. It satisfies the same part of the brain as someone who knows "local music that's better than anything else on the radio". Some chance at pretending you have exclusive knowledge or getting yourself to believe that you hear things other people don't. The same people probably also have stock tips (without any wealth to show for it) and ghost stories, and perhaps a few robert kiyosaki books.
Finally, someone makes great sense of it all!! And it’s great he didn’t touch power cable as this one doesn’t make sense. Look inside a $10K amp and see how the mains are wired, from the socket to the power supply, usually a transformer is not crazy.
The most expensive cables i would (will) buy is pure silver Mundorf cables. And if they somehow oxidate, even better conductivity. MUNDORF MCONNECT SGW115W Pure Silver/Gold White PTFE Wire 1.5mm www.audiophonics.fr/en/cable-metre/mundorf-mconnect-sgw115w-cable-argentor-isole-ptfe-blanc-15mm-p-1818.html
The kind of cable that was tested in 1983 can be had today for less than a hundred dollars. Cables with decent gauge and high quality copper are common nowdays. Just one more reason to not throw money away on over engineered cables that have no solid evidence about performing better.
now you only have to explain how to select synergy when you have some 250 billion of possible combinations in a typical dealer store of only 20 different items of each: source, pre, amp, speakers, etc.
...a 2019 video that references a test in 1983. With several hundred, (or several thousand), high-end audio shows since then...plenty of opportunities have presented themselves for blind A/B testing with the industry experts taking turns in the proverbial hot seat. (I know, I know...when cable "A" isn't correctly identified as being superior to cable "B", the compromised hotel room, or lack of proper wall/ceiling/floor treatments, or proximity near to or far away from the transformer supplying the hotel's power, etc. would be brought up...)
its tooo many variables. Sometimes noise from ether is so great that only full shielded balanced audio cable can stop them. But thats type of cable add weight to the sound and not everyone like it.
After I purchased a MBL amp, pre amp and CD player ( I already had Merlin speakers) and the dealer lent me some cables and told me to test them out at home for 3 days. I called a friend to perform a blind test. The following day I was the owner of a set if high end cables. Smart dealer, happy customer.
A bit of HONESTY in the audio field? Say it ain't so! 6awg copper zip cord from RF Specialties, 59 cents a foot. RCA interconnects from Monoprice. 3 dollars each. That's as good as it gets.
@@bigaldallas Yes. Confirmed with signal to noise testing and damping tests. Speaker cable need only deliver CURRENT to properly damp the woofers. Interconnects must be 100% shielded to keep out noise. Small capacitance is not a problem with low Z preamplifiers. But I'll tell you this: there's no audible difference with commercial classical recordings because the noise floor of the concert hall and mixing of so many mics masks the slight hum and buzz that cheap 60% braided shield cables that come with CD players introduce into the signal path. It wasn't until I had to play back my Ultimate Fireworks recording that I found the interconnects too noisy. The dynamic range of the recording is 86dB. I swapped out all of my interconnects with Monoprice cables and the slight hum and buzz was gone. I also had to replace my Sony player with an Oppo, because the DAC in the Sony was too gritty down in the background sound levels in the Fireworks disc.
Riddle me this all you cable gurus: how is possible for a cable to improve upon the sound as compared at the output terminals of an amp? IT CANT! All a cable needs to do is the least amount of damage to the signal as measured at the output terminals. I submit to you that all these high dollar cables do sound different because they are damaging the signal vs simply transferring the signal as any simple stranded 12awg wire does! 🤔
@My Name idk about that. I think people like certain combos of "distortion" from vinyl to DACs to tube amps and of course speakers. Some people like the "flavour" of a certain speaker which is in essence distorted. Even cables, but I'm not going to spend $1000 to find out what they did to the capacitance and inductance etc
Funnily, in the lab we do not use such expensive cables with test equipment if we need to make a patch, twin core solid copper mains cable is often used if normal Coax is not required. Mentioned this to a mate who worked for Linn, and he agreed, said they had seen no benefit over mains cable.
Not sure why this video showed up in my feed tonight... but Big Brother may be playing into the mix. I have spent the last couple of months playing with "cables" on my main system. I'm still not convinced that speaker cables make a massive difference (but my HiFi is more MidFi in terms of $ investment) however I have been convinced that interconnects make a difference, but there is a law of diminishing returns, without a doubt a $100 interconnect is noticably better than a $10 one. However I don't think a $500 one is that much better than $100 one!. But sometimes lets get back to the listening experience. I was in my Office tonight, a 1970's vintage Luxman L114A, a Pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 10 v5's a WiiM mini streamer (using it's internal DAC) and no audiophile cable in sight. Yet a glorious sound, not quite as "good" as my "main" system, but a perfect listening experience for the two hours I spent in there working. Yes Cables can be important but there is more "bang for the buck" elsewhere in the system!
If you're a complete novice this video makes sense. But if you're a seasoned audiophile of many years, I want to be telling the dealer what sounds good, or not. I certainly don't need someone else's preferences. Its a long time ago now, but in my youth I worked for Sevenoaks HiFi ... They sold mid to high end kit, and they (like any business) want to make money. My romance with HiFi didn't apply in the shop. And we always stocked flavour of the month HiFi reviewers recommended buys, which usually had good mark ups. The reality was that often really good equipment little known with poor markup value was always pushed to the side - unless I did the god awful thing and push it in favour. Sometimes very knowledgeable audiophiles would venture in and buy such gear. I was dismissed after 18 months when a new CCTV system caught me recommending stuff with little profit, and giving out info as the why, but since we had 3 listening rooms back then it was easy to demonstrate the really cool stuff. And expensive kit was not always the best either.
My system cost me about 10k and I have spent probably 3k on cables. The difference is that the 10k I spent got me gear that would cost about 50k at his store. The Bryston 10 year old gear still has 10 year warranty left on it and once you go Bryston you don't look back or at least I haven't.
When I worked at a high-end stereo store it was just the store owner and me and we had relationship with a lot of customers. We had a lot of repeat customers because they trusted my ears. Yes me made a profit on some things but thats how you stay in business but we didn't recommend anything that didn't sound good at whatever price point.
@@andershammer9307 Most things sold at Sevenoaks HiFi was of good to excellent quality. Even magazine favourites. Just it wasn't always the best value. In those days, people would often come into the shop with a list of recommendations from magazine reviews. It was hard work showing examples of why "X" wasn't always a good choice because "Y" just wouldn't do it justice. But in those days, HiFi reviewers were like Gods and convincing someone otherwise verged on blasphemy, but thank goodness for listening rooms. Time consuming, but always worth it. Unlike now, back then the front end was considered primary for building your system round. Expensive Turntables/arm/cartridge combos with cheap amps & speakers. Though our killer budget system was a dual turntable, NAD amp, and mission speakers. I had a few variations that I felt sounded better for similar money that would often include better speakers or amp. It was the "golden years" for HiFi in terms of interest, and the real stars of the show were budget developments which seemed to constantly push the boundaries.
That must have been a pretty good little system. I still Love Dual turntables and I have about 15 of them. My primary turntable is a Dual 731Q. I also have a LINN LP12
The guy is wrong. Most audiophiles don't use enough on cables. There are only a very little percentage of audiophiles that uses a lot on cables. And on top of that, those few people choose the cables that are usually not the best of the expensive cables but actually some of the worst, usually giving cables a bad wrap. On top of that, most people don't have a good enough system for using really expensive cables on, so sometimes it actually makes the sound worse. This is why most people don't go very far within HIFI world, because they listen to people like this only giving half truths that confuse more than they help. It's quite simple, you need cables that fit the level of gear you own, and in order to know which cables are the perfect match, just try everything you can within reason. Also a lot of money is a very relative concept. Some people think that 50 dollars is a lot, and others think that 10k is a lot. But since I like helping people, let me save most people some time on getting some cheap/good value cables. Yeah if you have a system that is only in the 5-20k USD category, then you can save a lot by just trying Sommercable elephant or the better SC blue cable from the same company. You can use it as a speaker cable and powercable, and it sounds awesome with 079 oyaide plugs, Furutech, and CMC gold and Viborg banana plugs. That is good value cable, get that if you have a 5-20k USD system, that is extremely cheap, and usually costs 5-10x more if it was a known brand cable you bought in a store. (perfect for speakers and power cable. And if you have to buy on ebay which I generally do not recommend, then get the viborg 1501 powercable with Viborg one plugs, that is a good starter power cable with good value) There is a huge amount of really really bad cables on the market, and I personally think that stuff like QED, VDH, Supra, MIT, Silversonic cables, are only good if you want a certain type of effect in your sound. I think these cables generally bias the sound way too much. And yeah a lot of ebay cables are copy cables, and sound so dead/not released/plastic like, that you will most likely be disappointed with your purchase. So do the right thing, and at least pay your local dealer and give a bit more for the cables, because to many people are buying copy plugs and cables, and it is really destroying the industry. Most audiophiles I know use the copy Furutech top power plug model, because it costs like 1/5 of the money and actually sounds pretty close to the real thing, and I find that a bit sad, because now a lot of people are selling them on ebay, and most people don't realise that they are too forgiving/imprecise/does not fully unload the sound, and they are the root to many of their sound problems.
For some reason many casual listeners are simply unable to detect a subtle improvement in sound quality, especially in a mid-fi system. One true test is to remove the new purportedly "better" unit/cables from the system and return the original unit/cables, then re-listen. The downgrade, if any, is more easily detected - even by a casual listener. If you don't hear a difference then send the new unit/cables back to the store. *
I'd ask "what is better?". Maybe some cables do change things, but perhaps it's just that - a change to the sound over what is normal transmission through a wire.
@@RennieAsh - true enuf. But cables are a bit like rocky roads... Personally, I liked how DH Labs' BL-1 silver-coated, OFC interconnects caused my ribbons to "sound" a little "edgier." A question of, "How do you like your poison (distortion) ?" -Lol *
Always use the most expensive digital cables, Monster hdmi cables give a warmer tone to your 0s and 1's. A friend spend a hundred bucks on a video cabe. I swapped it out without him knowing, he never knew the difference.
It only matters for interference or some other kinds of degredation of the signal over long runs with digital ;p Idk ow that manifests itself though, does it just stutter the signal?
There are a lot of inexpensive GREAT cables out there. Studios use Mogami and you can buy a spool and solder the cables yourself. You can call the cable company who has years of experience and will send you multiple pairs of cables and you buy the one you like and return the rest!
@@andershammer9307 They make many different types of cables. I'm quite sure they all don't sound the same. I use them myself, along with Blue Jean I think they're called. Don't remember the exact model I use, but they're the one's that won a sound off among a bunch of AudioKarma members. And mine don't sound dark too me, although like a warm sound. So maybe my warm, is your dark. Anyway, the guy who built them for me, has built tons of them for many AudioKarma members, and everyone seems to like them. It could also be your equipment, and/or room. But either way. I think they sound great in my modest system. They made a noticeable difference from the cheap old cables I was using previous to them. And for the price, they're worth a try. And even if they are too dark now, they might not be later, if you change a component or two. Right? What do you use now? Out of curiosity.
My modified Dynaco FM-3 has an pair of Cardas 300B cables but everything else is Livewire Double-braid Litz cable. All old now but not sure anything new and affordable would be any better.
@@andershammer9307 If your cables alter the frequency response they are insufficient for the task. Are you sure you used the appropriate variety for your purposes?
Audiophiles have a very bad habit of assuming that expensive is always better than cheap. This is not always true, especially when the cheap comes from volume manufacturing and the expensive comes from very limited production boutique manufacturing. Differences between interconnects are way smaller with professional balanced interconnects than for single ended RCA interconnects. Most recording are mastered with balanced interconnects from a small number of volume professional cable companies such as Mogami and D'Adario. Professionals swear by these and a couple of other brands and actually prefer them to high priced boutique brands both for performance and longevity. When a high end audiophile component is very sensitive to cable and power cord choices, this can actually be a sign of poor overall engineering of the component. A component with a properly filtered power supply will be way less sensitive to power cable and line conditioner choices than a component with poor or nonexistent power supply filtering. There is no reason other than poor economies of scale, greed, or bad engineering for any cable of short to moderate length to cost more than a few hundred dollars. Cable manufacturers who sell multi kilobuck cables and the dealers who push them are in fact selling snake oil and should be avoided. When musicians and recording engineers are preferring the above mentioned brands of balanced interconnects and speaker cables, one should take it seriously. These professionals know what music sounds like a good deal better than typical audiophiles do.
Honest interview! Customers have to be reasonable. The dealer/salesperson has to make some money too. Here in Poland, I deal with only one music equipment store. Some things they sell cost less than others, some other items cost a little more. But you what? They know our name and phone number and do the best they can. I haven't spent tons there, but I am always buying from them when our worship team needs something. I went from analog mixer to full digital and bought everything from them. And yes, cables do make a difference.
How can people say this so confidently? Everyone with so much confidence says they can tell the difference but they can never demonstrate it with a blind A/b test. Unless I'm wrong, please demonstrate to me with some evidence that there's a correlation between the cost and quality of a cable and the sound.
@@michaelcorcoran8768 back in the "day" when you would get the "gimme" interconnects with some equipment, you would notice the difference between it and a quality cable. There is a point of diminishing return. Over the years since the original introduction of the Monster Interlink Reference and Powerline 2 cables, I have a draw full of different interconnects from various manufacturers including MIT, Vampire, Monster, Siltech, home brew coax, Belden, Star Quad (Mogami), Morrow etc...some I could tell the difference, others, not at all. The same with the speaker cables I've collected. I didn't like the Monster M1's at all.... I don't have to be blindfolded either. Just not know which is which and if there actually is a referable difference. Have you ever without your bias taken the test yourself? A friend had an Onkyo receiver, a JVC CD Player and some inexpensive turntable all hooked up with "gimme" interconnects. I brought over a pair of the original MIT 330 that didn't have those "boxes". My friend had heard my hi end system, but was happy with what he had. I put in the MIT's. He heard the difference, but said it's not worth the cost for him.
I admire this man's honesty. If only there where more retailers like him around.
@behexen250 Yes I agree now that the title is a bit misleading considering your reply. Thanks for taking the time for this.👍😊
Cable manufacturers must love when you put a $1000 cable on an external connector which is attached to a $0.5 wire inside the chassis...
or inside a speaker cabinet!
Your point? Ohh, just put a crap sounding cable in place, (cause I think the internals are crap anyway) there will be no difference. If the product inside the chassis is working as a whole sonically, don't you think you need something decent to justify money spent on the two components in the first place.
@@carmenandthedevil2804 The manufacturer already allowed for external cabling, unless you think they don't know you must use the plugs they provide with any cable you can buy...
We should just go back to boom boxes where there is no external cable.
@@andershammer9307 My point is simple: Designers of systems know that the external cabling is a variable and must be accounted for in the overall audio quality produced by their designs. As such, they do not expect replacing a cable to dramatically affect their equipment, or they would provide them themselves and make BANK...
I would love if this guy was my boss. He sounds like the perfect person to mentor anybody / everybody.
yes-you make a good point
BRAVO! Finally sensibility in the consumer audio world.
What Andrew says is very true. You need a good dealer.
That Monster cable test was a joke, 1983. They did that test for years to try and convince salespeople that selling high end cables to customers was justified. I was part of one of those demo tests when they went around years ago. Using a zip cable or complete garbage wire compared to even just simple quality copper wire makes an audible difference. I remember asking them to compare generic quality copper wire to theirs... Reply was, "well that difference won't be audible".
Sure, I can agree with that. Monster Cable is essentially a marketing company. I just hope you’re not implying that all cables produce these same results. I own a relatively high-end headphone system with Ultimate interconnects by High Fidelity Cables, Furutech Alpha NanoFlux NCF power cords, and a ToneKraft headphone cable by Audio Envy. The difference in sound between these cables and stock is night and day. And I would bet my life savings that 100% of people in a double-blind study would agree, choosing my high-end cables over stock.
Granted, these are very high-end cables. But there are plenty of more reasonably priced cables, DH Labs for example, that are a significant improvement over stock.
@@LorenzoNW if the difference is that great, it should captured and measured by lab equipment. I don't see any cable manufacturer claiming such or even publishing a lab result. Until then its all placebo.
@@IsmaelMartinezPR the same goes for vine tests and food. So if your suggestions stands true. Eat dog food and make your own strawberry vine. Since blindtests can't pick cheap or expensive Bordeaux. And food experts failed on expensive pate and dogfood.
Dankzzz it does not work that way. As a food marketer I can tell you that the differences in food products including alcohol are all subjective. The only way to make sure a product performance is to do a R2 (r square) reliable sample test. I don’t see, never seen any manufacturer of cables or even Multi $$$grand speakers do AB testing. Not casual or coincidental test of products. And yes, a $20 bottle of wine could taste better for most consumers than a multi multi $ chat. Lafite. You can’t measure it, so you need a large sample. Cables =placebo
@@IsmaelMartinezPR the point holds up. Its a fact that expensive vine and food are better.. the question is if the human senses blind can pass the test in a lab.
The placebo card is absolutely valid, but that doesn't mean no difference....
Steve, let the guy talk! Steve steered this interview in a direction he wanted it to go. I like Steve and watch a lot of his videos and always hit the like button, so don't get me wrong about my intent here.
Sorry to be so offtopic but does someone know a way to get back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid forgot my password. I love any tips you can give me!
@Milan Omari instablaster :)
@Zahir Parker i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later with my results.
@Zahir Parker it worked and I now got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much you really help me out!
@Milan Omari You are welcome =)
2,000 from 10,000 of a system for CABLES is lunacy!
Outstanding and honest video! I would definitely purchase from this company! Thanks
The thing is .. if comparing cartridges cantileverers for a minute..
You can buy the most expensive mp500 from nagoaka or an mc ortofon and be happy.
You can be happy with a nagaoaka mp150
Mc is not necessarily better Than mm.
And a cartridge that works for a technics 1200 may be too heavy for a dual.
Make the most of what you bought make the most if what you have.
No need to upgrade.
Be happy play music.
Thank you gentlemen! That is how I feel about interconnects and other cables. More please.
A good piece and some sage advice. Many have become far too price driven and yet still expect the full fruit kit for less. And then assume all the service and support is to be supplied basically from thin air. I've heard this increasingly price driven market best described as; "The great race to the bottom."
Building a relationship with a dealer you trust, and not feeling the need to screw every sale down through the floor, will generally achieve the best outcome for all concerned. And, yes, one should apply common sense to this equation also, just as you would any other significant purchase.
7 people are angry they invested too much on cables
I am still using that 1980’s Monster Cable in one of my systems and still enjoying it.
Great weekend video Steve. Keep ‘em coming!!
And yes, Andy is the real deal!!
Monster cable was once good way back in the 80's but its junk now. Definitely better than even thick zip cord but there were better cables.
Mine is the original Monster Cable....purchased from Goodwin's High End in Boston back in the early 80's. It still works for me in a tertiary office system.
I will put my humble .02 in the pot here. In my experience cables make a huge difference. I just did an A/B speaker cable test with some well known industry people and the results were pretty dramatic. 8ft lengths running between modified Tekton Moab speakers and a Bel Canto SET 40 triode amp. Cable A was a cable that was not cheap, and performed very well. Braided silver 24 conductor. Cable B was Silversmith Fidelium Foil cables and wow. Everything sharpened up, so much more coherent across the entire spectrum. It was a stark difference. The physics behind them explains a lot. Highly recommended. I also built a pair of 3 conductor .9999 solid silver cables in 15ga (1 20ga, 1 22ga and 1 24ga) and when compared to very affordable mogami speaker cable the results were less dramatic but still apparent. The silver cables are brighter and faster. The mogami have a rounder sound that may be more desirable to some. The trick is to find gear that play nice with each other, with your room, with your musical tastes, your budget... Cables matter, that being said, I only dropped some real coin on them after I had amazing speakers, amps, dac, TT and the like. Prioritize that first.
Everything matters. I scoffed for YEARS on the benefits of aftermarket, high end power cables...but adding a couple AudioQuest Z3 cables to my system (one on the DAC, one on my AVR) and a Y2 on my Bluesound Node 2i, convinced me. Not only was it a noticeable improvement, it was transformative to my system! I AM a fan of "Anticables"...they make GREAT cables using oxygen free, high quality SOLID copper, with a minimal insulating coating...and they are sold for a very low price (starting at $50 for speaker cable). I have bought about 4 sets of them so far (2 sets were gifted to my father and brother). I also bought some Black Cat cables...a Silverstar digital coax (entry level) and a pair of Coppertone RCAs (also entry level)...the coax goes from the Node 2i to my DAC (Schiit Gungnir multibit), the RCAs go from the DAC to my AVR (Marantz SR7007, running Martin Logan Theos, bi-amped, in "pure direct" stereo only). Again, a HUGE improvement in sound quality. I HIGHLY suggest that you find a dealer who will lend you cables...then listen in your own home on your own system! If you don't hear a difference that justifies the price, DONT BUY THEM! But anyone who gives cables an honest audition will soon learn that yes, the DO make a difference, and yes, they ARE important. You just don't want to put a $500 cable on a $600 amp. A good rule of thumb is to keep your cables at around 10% of your total system budget. But, again, that's up to YOU and what YOU can hear and whether YOU find it of value. TRUST YOUR EARS!
True..... as long as the Cables have proper continuity, make good connections and don't have complicated connectors that do not last, then the Music comes throught just fine.
What do you know?, A high-end dealer who is honest. Thank you, Mr. Singer.
What brand do you suggest and what do you think about skw speaker cable
The test in 83 did not demonstrate stat sig differences in actual music, and basing it on monster vs zip is of no relevance now. Why don't speaker wire companies fund a legit blinded A/B test of their cable vs generic 14g wire? Because they know all too well what the results will be...
I use kimber for 35years and im very happy 🎉
I don't "believe" in cables because in most arguments for higher end cables, belief is what's required. However, I DID have a cable experience that made a positive difference and I think there is a scientific reason for it. I bought a spool of 16 gauge cable about 7 years ago when I first got into audio, and I've been using for all my speakers ever since. I recently looked back at my purchase and realized it was Copper-clad aluminum.
On a lark I bought a spool of 10 gauge pure copper wire for about $35 with new banana plugs. I made the new cables, cleaned the terminals and plugged everything in. it made a SIGNIFICANT difference - reminiscent of when I give my car a tune up. The system seemed to play louder and significantly more dynamically. I had my SO switch back and forth 5 times listening to the game of thrones intro and I got it right every single time very quickly. I'm chalking this up to the reduced conductivity of the aluminum more than anything else. I don't think I'd experience a difference like this going from $0.60 a foot 10 gauge copper to some fancy shielded $1000 10 foot cable.
CCA is cancer.
@@andrewc1036 Expensive speakers use it now.
There is a reason Bill Low lives in a multi-million dollar home in Newport Beach. His loan is 2.16 million. So he needs to sell a lot of cables.
I go with the one or 2 step upgrade myself - as much for ( hopefully ) better end of cable connections, superior soldering in the manufacturing process, that type of thing. . original base model M.cable type. Speaker cable - same idea, orig. M.Cable was close to 16 ga with a mysterious plastic inner spacer.... to me 16 ga is fine ( both runs copper, I'm iffy about the Alum. wire) for short runs, say 10 ft per side, key bing get good connections on the ends. I now use 14 ga copper with M.cable basic type ends from E bay
you hear this guy about geting deals for people he just sells him more cable to make profit.stay clear of these guys
Words to live by.
Select your gauge of zero oxygen Copper and build your own set of 4 with Bananas and shield jacket for 50-100 dollars.
And the truth shall set you free!!!
I remember Sound by Singer. You went into that store and Andy dissed everything you owned. Speaking of Monster Cable, I once inherited some Powerline 2 and tried it with my Apogee Calipers. It definitely sounded different than the high quality zip cord that my original dealer supplied with the speakers. It sounded much worse! Seriously. It made the Apogee bass sound fat and boomy. But I agree with Andy that I could tell the difference almost immediately. I went back to the zip cord.
My experience with the original Monster Cable was similar, except the difference was so tiny that I didn't bother changing back to the zip cord.
Here's one credible expert -- a long-time speaker and electronics designer for McIntosh who now offers $20K/pair speakers to the audiophile crowd -- who actually makes sense on the subject of speaker wires:
roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm
That's not the way I remember that article. There were 3 cables under test, 18 gage speaker wire, 16 gage lamp cord and Monster cable. The tests were extensive. The data was analyzed using standard statistical methods. The 18 gage speaker wire was identifiable but there was NO statistically significant difference between the 16 gage lamp cord and the Monster cable.
I'm sure the advertising department told the editor to never do anything like that again.
Cables are an LCR filter network. They are modeled using the telegraphers equation, see wikipedia. To calculate the effect a particular length of cable will have in a circuit you need the parameters for the cable, the Thevenins equivalent complex output impedance of the source and the complex input impedance of the load. I know because I'm an electrical engineer who has bought many millions of dollars of cable of countless kinds over the last 40 years. A graphic equalizer will do exactly the same job, predictably, adjustably, and at far lower cost so the first thing anyone selling expensive hi fi cables has to convince you of is that equalizers are the devil's work. It takes skill and patience to adjust one but for me it's well worth the effort. For audiophiles, it's your money, not mine and I couldn't care less what you spend it on.
Awesome video. Thank you
I agree for a budget minded audiophile the last place to spend money on Is cable. The gain you receive from high end cables isn't worth the money until you have a system sensitive enough to hear the difference
But right there lies the issue. Most people can hear the difference because after a certain age, all humans loose top end spectrum. its not me saying it, its actual science. So they may have high sampling rate dacs, expensive cables and exotic material speakers, after 55 they probably can hear the difference. If they do, they are lying or are an exception.
What about room treatment? Shouldn't that be included in the overall approach before cables?
The most important and usually neglected part. If you want to make audible difference.
Doesn't the perfect CD player already contain the perfect DAC? Why would I want to use external DAC if my CD player was perfect?
they probably should have said the perfect CD transport. obviously they'd recommend a $1000+ CD transport plus a $1000 plus discrete DAC.
As if people didn't know this ALREADY.
I once read about an audiophile setup that was basically piping filled with liquid mercury that ALONE cost $10k+
It struck me as utter bullshit then, just as all the uber 'premium' cables of the time did too.
I'd want to hear these cables perform in a comparable system. And if this rig can duplicate the sound of my Stradivarius with 100% accuracy, and my eyes fill up with tears, then I'd be impressed as hell, and offer to cough up no more than half the asking price.
*
Music is art, it isn't science. The world is full of arrogant scientists who think they have the answer to everything.
We only have a partial understanding of the way we process and enjoy music, we only have a partial understanding of why we can hear and see beauty. These things can't be measured.
Of course if you have crap taste in music.....
Just because 75% of people hear a “difference” doesn’t mean the difference is better. I will believe in the impact of high end cables when a statistically significant number of listeners identify more expensive cables as sounding “better” in a double-blind testing environment where neither the person administering the test, nor the listener know which cables are in the setup, all other variables are held equal, and the results are replicable with the same listener to a statistically significant degree and are also replicable across a statistically significant sample of listeners. Under these conditions, I think you find the preference for high end cables vs a good quality basic cable is (spoiler alert) about 50/50.
Shorter the length, good gauge , 14 min. Good quality stranded wire, Short to keep interference to a min. Avoid power lines crossing or next to speaker wire. If you look behind the connections of an amp it’s pcb mount or the thinnest of wires. For that matter look at the other end, speaker crossover and onto driver itself , thin wires! It’s a myth people!
Here's some testing done by Nelson Pass 2/80 on several premium cables plus 18g and 24g zip cord. Nelson occasionally found some "freaky stuff" (my words).
www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_spkr_cable.pdf
Which speaker type for which amp? Tubes prefer some type vs SS?
There is profit then there is greed
Steve you know what boss spells backwards?? Double S.O.B., he he. Seriously though thanks again, and I know Singer gets a lot of trash talk against him, but I think he only deserves half of it.
The science has come out... high end cables conduct WORSE then standard 12 or 10awg. Will it change the sound... yes... will it countour the sound... yes... but it isn't fixing the sound, it is coloring it.
Kimber Cables
Fun fact is that my Wison Watt Puppy (DIY) has the same cable inside as outside.
Great video, yes cables matter but as always it is about matching.
cool story bro
Do they use drivers you can buy yourself online?
@@RennieAsh In my case no. they don't make the bass drivers any longer. But if you want to DIY a speaker look at what others are doing in the DIY community and go from there. Also mind that you need to figure a cross over that works with the speakers of your choice.
My brother in law designed the speakers based on Wilson. My father made the cabinets. Now my brother in law has made new speakers and he gave his old ones to me for free!
Here is a picture (on the right) those are my very speakers. teresaudio.com/fame/42.html
Now I am running those with a Clearaudio Concept MC, Lehmannaudio Decade and Synthesis Nimis tube amp
Mike Hydropneumatic I made a small pair of speakers years ago with proper design, I’ve been meaning to build something bigger eventually, but got caught up in the used market and also creative speakers:)
20% of the System Price for Cables?
Sounds quite normal to me.
Duck and go :D
Think like this everything in the music chain should be synergistic,not the Company !! There one off the biggest ripoff,but everything is relative better electronics better transmission lines I agree for once with this man I have met him quite a few times,he seems to have calmed down,let’s just say very narcissistic about audio and his store 🏬 I walked into his store in the early 90s and was instantly turned off about my experience there,went to another NY dealer long story short was treated so good and respectful I spent 30 thousand + on upgrading my ten year old system,sorry Andrew Singer better luck next time,and I experienced your bad attitude at a few Audio shows also,so as I said I hope you have tamed your narcissism,I’m sure I would have spent my money with you had it not been for it
Cables are not a higher % mark up (for DEALERS) than speakers or components. That simply is not true. Making all these statements about cable profit, labeling other dealers negatively (as if the angel of truth looking out for the customers wallet) with a $42,000 Kronos turntable behind you that you sell is just embarrassing and unprofessional.
I shouldn't have been eating peanuts whilst watching this 😧😵😆
Surely no one here thinks the old lamp cord speaker wire sold on those little spools is equally as good as quality cables, or even cheap RCA interconnects are tit for tat with better brands. Still, a pair of quality interconnects for $100, or a set of speaker cable for about the same is likely to provide 99% of the detail that is possible to extract from your system. If you don’t have one of these ridiculous $100,000+++ systems, then it’s money wasted on these esoteric, exorbitant cables. I just cannot imagine myself ever being that fool who’ll pay thousands of dollars for cables to eek out that tiny extra smidget of detail when that money could be spent collecting LPs and CDs. Then again, those fools likely have a few dozen reference discs and that’s ALL they ever listen to. Pathetic. Give me the likes of NAD or Rotel and PSB or ELAC or any of their stablemates and I’ll spend the remainder of disposable income on travel or antiques.
Its a hobby, not religion.
Expensive cables are BS.
My XLR cables were less than 100 each😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Wow, such a " common sense" view about cables is so refreshing! Bravo!
A good moment of audiophile sincerity. Liked it!
The trouble is there are very few dealers left. I used to work in a High-End audio store and I helped people get better sound. I didn't sell anything that didn't improve sound or didn't sound good for them.
So, the argument that "of course cables matter" relies on a comparison of Monster Cable to zipcord more than 35 years ago.
Nope. It relies on your own experience and your own ears. If you can't hear the difference, don't spend the money! Experiment on your own to see what you can hear!
Take your wife with you if possible. My wife heard the difference of my new speaker cable. She heard the supertweeters make a difference. That is proof enough for me. I can hear the difference but I just might be convincing myself. She's not convincing herself of anything. I hear the difference in my new (DIY) power cord: more bass and rhythm, better separation of the instruments. My wife didn't say anything but she started dancing to the music. That's good enough for me. All the best, Rob
@Yuvi A Hi Yuvi - can you share some tips for materials and techniques with us? I think many people would be interested to learn from you and save money! All the best, Rob
the laws of physics are the same now as 35 years ago; sound engineers will tell you speaker cables aren't that important
@@johnholmes912 Sound engineers will tell you about everything, thatts why most recordings sound like crap.
Just listen and get what pleases you most. There is just no best cable.
Best cable for my system, 50ft. speaker wire at Fred's for $5. I have always used "regular" speaker wire. Sounds good enough for me. Hooked up on a Sansui 9090 with four Pioneer CS99s. Sounds awesome!! Years ago a friend of mine brought over some expensive cables. We hooked them up and we honestly couldn't tell any difference.
nr one, most important component is: room acoustics... and 99.98% of audiophiles don't get this
Maybe 80%..
I immediately want to buy something from this guy now.
He knows how to sell in the modern world. The consumer is hundreds of times smarter and more informed than consumers were before the internet. We want straight forward honest opinions. A little bit of magic, a little bit of wu-wu is fine! Just don't smother us in BS. This guy gets it right.
Way back when when I worked at Circuit City everyone wanted to sell Monster Cables because that was one of THE best things to sell in the ENTIRE store in terms of commission. There was so much markup in those cables it was ridiculous.
I was one of those that bought into them. Circuit City was where I started my journey into home theater :) although I knew very little aside from what the sales people told me
All the monster cable stuff lasts a lifetime though
@@sccanj I've been using 14 awg zip cord for 40 years it lasts a lifetime too. Without even trying it, I know pure copper will sound better. 40 something years ago I just put my money into the Best turntable, and speakers I could afford, and guess what I bought a CARVER integrated receiver, that was my weak link 40 years ago. I'm upgrading now and I'm prepared to spend $1000 on speaker cables and one interconnect. My new components will be. Around $4000 bringing my total up to 5K peanuts for most people but I'm a thrifty guy who knows what he can afford
Sorry but I've got to disagree! Cables can limit in an extreme way good equipment... Just my experience and my 2 cents. Until you have really good cables in your system, you don't know how your loudspeakers, how your cd-player, how your amp really sounds! Of course the biggest profit goes to a cable manufacturer... Unfortunately it's about how they 'sound' and not how much it costs to build them... And yes, I agree, there's a difference between the best cable for a system and the most expensive cable. Sometimes the most expensive ones don't match well as some cheaper cables...
Absolutely correct! - Cables cannot "perfect" the sound of a system, they can only DEGRADE its sound quality to an extent.
IOW, the very BEST that any cable can do in your system is to "get out of the way" of the signal, and NONE of them do, due to factors like shitty metal, shitty insulating ability or poor construction!
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Interviewer, shut up! Just for a minute, let the guy say what he wants to. Why did you do so much yakking? I loved what the man had to say.Thank you.
This vid does not sit well with me.
1. Clickbait title
2. Not all dealers have the same scrupples or formula of jacking cable recommendations on profit ripped or lower end sales. They were never going to be big sales anyway.
3. I think many people won't understand or take on the 'real' message of what he's trying to say - i.e, it's a 2 way thing - leave enough profit in the sale so the dealer remains interested in your custom and helping you on your audio journey.
Remember - dealers usually got into the game because of an interest, expertise and desire that others experience the joy too ... But they do have to make a profit to stay there.
Looks like someone trying to sell turntables badly lol
Hm
The Monster cable vs zip cord test ONLY proved that thicker gauge cables are better than thin cables due to lower resistance and less voltage drop. So buy 10 ga generic cable it's inexpensive and does the job.
TheViewFromUpHere I’ve used the $100 20’ monster instrument cable they were making in 2000 for live music. The 1/4 inch right angle male the put on it was the tiniest bit bigger than all of the females on all my basses. I didn’t notice this until the monster inevitably failed, and I tried to use my backup. I had to duct tape it into the inputs on my amp and bass live because the bigger male ends of the monster bent and shaved the inputs permanently bigger. I wouldn’t doubt that they did this on purpose. Never again.
@@anthonyiodice Anthony, you DID cryo that duct tape....right?
Thick cables solve the problem of lowered damping factor. High value of damping factor is important for proper amp feedback control if implemented, because class A tube amps mostly don't have feedback control, have poor damping factor, so in theory then can use as thin and inexpensive cable as possible, since it cannot make out port resistance anyhow worse.
I buy decent cables and use them. Not the Cheapest but not Real Expensive--And I've used expensive before. Now I look for good construction and reliability. I use a good Oxygen Free Speaker cable usually 12 ga. with a flexible jacket, these are usually high quality. Everything has been working fine without a glitch and I get Clean Sound--What more do I need?
I've had good results from the Audioquest affordable interconnects and their Flex 2 in-wall affordable speaker cables. They have some insanely expensive higher end cables with batteries that they call the "dialectric bias system" and other crazy super expensive ridiculous cables, but their entry level cables are well made and sound good.
James Randi has offered 1 million dollars to anyone who can reliably tell the difference between a cheap and a 7500 dollar interconnect. Surprisingly few have even attempted the challenge, no matter how much they gloat about their prowess in high end.
@@dingdong2103blabla
I suppose that everyone here who defends and invests in extremely expensive cables already has a fully acoustically built and treated room, which is ultimately what makes an audio system sound good. Nope? It is funny to see people who invest 10,000 in cables and listen in a room that measures the same width and height or that the room is made of wood (it is so common in the USA)
A 1983 AB test, thats the only one he can recall. wow. Heres the real problem with the subject. Its that after your 45 birthday you start to loose hearing spectrum. Mr. Singer and Mr. Gettenberg seamed to be in their 60's. Therefore they should address the fact that good or better or cheap cables, people over certain age cant hear the difference. The looming existence of presbycusis (google it) will in time limit the amount of spectrum you can hear and therefore, HD Audio, super high sampling rates and even better cables won't (to your ears) won't make any difference. If you are over 55 be weary of placebo effect.
My Name I did not say that. I am saying that once you are past a certain age, it does not make any difference.
My Name well congratulations, that you are an exception to the rule. Additionally you don’t say anything, it’s like saying that my memory is as good as an elephant. Sorry, don’t mean to be disrespectful but a teenager these days could be hurt from abuse. I am glad you hear very well. What about others in your age group?
Right. I'm 59 and I don't hear frequencies above 12 kHz. 5 years ago I could still hear 13 kHz...
@@pekkatervala8476 Hello, its human nature and many audio reviewers seem not to accept that fact. As a coincidence, Audio Science Review just posted a review of Expensive headphone cables. The precision audio analyzer did not find any difference whatsoever. Cheers
When someone successfully picks out an expensive cable over a cheaper cable in a double blind listening test, we'll talk.
It'll never happen. Just as nobody has been able to pick out a higher bitrate lossy file over a lossless hi-res file.
People 'hear' differences purely because they expect to. It's called 'expectation bias'. Take away the expectation, take away the nonesense claims.
To each their own, but I can certainly tell a difference between compressed and uncompressed audio files. I can also hear a subtle difference between cables in my system, especially within different gauges. That being said I would never buy expensive cables.
I roll my own. Canare or Belden cable and Neutrik connectors. As long as the capacitance and resistance are proper, the cable will be fine.
Any speaker cable above $2 per foot is snake-oil. This applies to any combination and price for the other components. 🙃
not if you want looks, then you may do a little bit more. I'd say anything over $100 for the pair is over the top. There's only so much pure copper gold plated connectors with fancy translucence covers can cost etc.
supposed it costs really 2$ not a cheap bad cable with price set at 2$ :) then a 1.99$/foot cable is the best cable for me too :)
tragic to read the people who drunk the coolaide. I master and mix records for a living and I promise no studio is using expensive cables to record music.
I used to employ a lot of young people when I was the manager of a Hi Fi shop and they used to go on and on about cables. I was only 25 at the time and thought snake oil.
Yes I used to stock a range of cables with gold plating and silver wires but only because I could make a lot of profit for the company that I worked for.
The other day a friend of mine asked me if I wanted a couple of pairs of phono to phono cabled 6 and 10 meters long.
I jumped at the chance. He made the comment that I might be fussy about cables and I told him I don't think they make mcc difference.
Thanks for that insight into your life, I for one feel richer for it.
People love subjective ridiculous things that they can just make definitive statements about without anyone having the chance to disprove them. It satisfies the same part of the brain as someone who knows "local music that's better than anything else on the radio". Some chance at pretending you have exclusive knowledge or getting yourself to believe that you hear things other people don't. The same people probably also have stock tips (without any wealth to show for it) and ghost stories, and perhaps a few robert kiyosaki books.
Link the blind AB test please.
Finally, someone makes great sense of it all!! And it’s great he didn’t touch power cable as this one doesn’t make sense. Look inside a $10K amp and see how the mains are wired, from the socket to the power supply, usually a transformer is not crazy.
but ist essential when recording :) Good microphone can pick electromagnetic noise from power cords, from your monitor, or even from your phone!.
I run left over remanent cables from a computer network system installation for my 400 wpc system.
The most expensive cables i would (will) buy is pure silver Mundorf cables. And if they somehow oxidate, even better conductivity.
MUNDORF MCONNECT SGW115W Pure Silver/Gold White PTFE Wire 1.5mm
www.audiophonics.fr/en/cable-metre/mundorf-mconnect-sgw115w-cable-argentor-isole-ptfe-blanc-15mm-p-1818.html
The kind of cable that was tested in 1983 can be had today for less than a hundred dollars. Cables with decent gauge and high quality copper are common nowdays. Just one more reason to not throw money away on over engineered cables that have no solid evidence about performing better.
Yes, Monster Cable MC500 was (by the looks) better then QED79 strand back then. Wasnt till later that all the MC500 went green.
Properly shielded copper and call it a day. Cable voodoo is hilarious. It amazes me that people with so much money can be so stupid.
now you only have to explain how to select synergy when you have some 250 billion of possible combinations in a typical dealer store of only 20 different items of each: source, pre, amp, speakers, etc.
...a 2019 video that references a test in 1983. With several hundred, (or several thousand), high-end audio shows since then...plenty of opportunities have presented themselves for blind A/B testing with the industry experts taking turns in the proverbial hot seat.
(I know, I know...when cable "A" isn't correctly identified as being superior to cable "B", the compromised hotel room, or lack of proper wall/ceiling/floor treatments, or proximity near to or far away from the transformer supplying the hotel's power, etc. would be brought up...)
its tooo many variables. Sometimes noise from ether is so great that only full shielded balanced audio cable can stop them. But thats type of cable add weight to the sound and not everyone like it.
After I purchased a MBL amp, pre amp and CD player ( I already had Merlin speakers) and the dealer lent me some cables and told me to test them out at home for 3 days. I called a friend to perform a blind test. The following day I was the owner of a set if high end cables. Smart dealer, happy customer.
Thank you Andrew and Steve for speaking these truths.
According to them….
A bit of HONESTY in the audio field? Say it ain't so!
6awg copper zip cord from RF Specialties, 59 cents a foot.
RCA interconnects from Monoprice. 3 dollars each. That's as good as it gets.
are you serious?
@@bigaldallas Yes. Confirmed with signal to noise testing and damping tests.
Speaker cable need only deliver CURRENT to properly damp the woofers.
Interconnects must be 100% shielded to keep out noise. Small capacitance is not a problem with low Z preamplifiers.
But I'll tell you this: there's no audible difference with commercial classical recordings because the noise floor of the concert hall and mixing of so many mics masks the slight hum and buzz that cheap 60% braided shield cables that come with CD players introduce into the signal path. It wasn't until I had to play back my Ultimate Fireworks recording that I found the interconnects too noisy. The dynamic range of the recording is 86dB.
I swapped out all of my interconnects with Monoprice cables and the slight hum and buzz was gone. I also had to replace my Sony player with an Oppo, because the DAC in the Sony was too gritty down in the background sound levels in the Fireworks disc.
Diy a good occ ofc n7 wire wil do fore all most all of us
Riddle me this all you cable gurus: how is possible for a cable to improve upon the sound as compared at the output terminals of an amp? IT CANT! All a cable needs to do is the least amount of damage to the signal as measured at the output terminals. I submit to you that all these high dollar cables do sound different because they are damaging the signal vs simply transferring the signal as any simple stranded 12awg wire does! 🤔
@My Name
Exactly!!
@My Name idk about that. I think people like certain combos of "distortion" from vinyl to DACs to tube amps and of course speakers. Some people like the "flavour" of a certain speaker which is in essence distorted. Even cables, but I'm not going to spend $1000 to find out what they did to the capacitance and inductance etc
Probably the best justification for cables I've ever heard .
Funnily, in the lab we do not use such expensive cables with test equipment if we need to make a patch, twin core solid copper mains cable is often used if normal Coax is not required. Mentioned this to a mate who worked for Linn, and he agreed, said they had seen no benefit over mains cable.
Genelec dont provide a special cable with there speakers so it cannot be that important.
I’d like to see a video of his shop
Not sure why this video showed up in my feed tonight... but Big Brother may be playing into the mix. I have spent the last couple of months playing with "cables" on my main system. I'm still not convinced that speaker cables make a massive difference (but my HiFi is more MidFi in terms of $ investment) however I have been convinced that interconnects make a difference, but there is a law of diminishing returns, without a doubt a $100 interconnect is noticably better than a $10 one. However I don't think a $500 one is that much better than $100 one!. But sometimes lets get back to the listening experience. I was in my Office tonight, a 1970's vintage Luxman L114A, a Pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 10 v5's a WiiM mini streamer (using it's internal DAC) and no audiophile cable in sight. Yet a glorious sound, not quite as "good" as my "main" system, but a perfect listening experience for the two hours I spent in there working. Yes Cables can be important but there is more "bang for the buck" elsewhere in the system!
If you're a complete novice this video makes sense. But if you're a seasoned audiophile of many years, I want to be telling the dealer what sounds good, or not. I certainly don't need someone else's preferences. Its a long time ago now, but in my youth I worked for Sevenoaks HiFi ... They sold mid to high end kit, and they (like any business) want to make money. My romance with HiFi didn't apply in the shop. And we always stocked flavour of the month HiFi reviewers recommended buys, which usually had good mark ups. The reality was that often really good equipment little known with poor markup value was always pushed to the side - unless I did the god awful thing and push it in favour. Sometimes very knowledgeable audiophiles would venture in and buy such gear.
I was dismissed after 18 months when a new CCTV system caught me recommending stuff with little profit, and giving out info as the why, but since we had 3 listening rooms back then it was easy to demonstrate the really cool stuff. And expensive kit was not always the best either.
My system cost me about 10k and I have spent probably 3k on cables. The difference is that the 10k I spent got me gear that would cost about 50k at his store. The Bryston 10 year old gear still has 10 year warranty left on it and once you go Bryston you don't look back or at least I haven't.
When I worked at a high-end stereo store it was just the store owner and me and we had relationship with a lot of customers. We had a lot of repeat customers because they trusted my ears. Yes me made a profit on some things but thats how you stay in business but we didn't recommend anything that didn't sound good at whatever price point.
@@andershammer9307
Most things sold at Sevenoaks HiFi was of good to excellent quality. Even magazine favourites. Just it wasn't always the best value. In those days, people would often come into the shop with a list of recommendations from magazine reviews. It was hard work showing examples of why "X" wasn't always a good choice because "Y" just wouldn't do it justice. But in those days, HiFi reviewers were like Gods and convincing someone otherwise verged on blasphemy, but thank goodness for listening rooms. Time consuming, but always worth it.
Unlike now, back then the front end was considered primary for building your system round. Expensive Turntables/arm/cartridge combos with cheap amps & speakers. Though our killer budget system was a dual turntable, NAD amp, and mission speakers. I had a few variations that I felt sounded better for similar money that would often include better speakers or amp.
It was the "golden years" for HiFi in terms of interest, and the real stars of the show were budget developments which seemed to constantly push the boundaries.
That must have been a pretty good little system. I still Love Dual turntables and I have about 15 of them. My primary turntable is a Dual 731Q. I also have a LINN LP12
The guy is wrong. Most audiophiles don't use enough on cables. There are only a very little percentage of audiophiles that uses a lot on cables.
And on top of that, those few people choose the cables that are usually not the best of the expensive cables but actually some of the worst, usually giving cables a bad wrap. On top of that, most people don't have a good enough system for using really expensive cables on, so sometimes it actually makes the sound worse. This is why most people don't go very far within HIFI world, because they listen to people like this only giving half truths that confuse more than they help.
It's quite simple, you need cables that fit the level of gear you own, and in order to know which cables are the perfect match, just try everything you can within reason.
Also a lot of money is a very relative concept. Some people think that 50 dollars is a lot, and others think that 10k is a lot.
But since I like helping people, let me save most people some time on getting some cheap/good value cables.
Yeah if you have a system that is only in the 5-20k USD category, then you can save a lot by just trying Sommercable elephant or the better SC blue cable from the same company. You can use it as a speaker cable and powercable, and it sounds awesome with 079 oyaide plugs, Furutech, and CMC gold and Viborg banana plugs. That is good value cable, get that if you have a 5-20k USD system, that is extremely cheap, and usually costs 5-10x more if it was a known brand cable you bought in a store. (perfect for speakers and power cable. And if you have to buy on ebay which I generally do not recommend, then get the viborg 1501 powercable with Viborg one plugs, that is a good starter power cable with good value)
There is a huge amount of really really bad cables on the market, and I personally think that stuff like QED, VDH, Supra, MIT, Silversonic cables, are only good if you want a certain type of effect in your sound. I think these cables generally bias the sound way too much. And yeah a lot of ebay cables are copy cables, and sound so dead/not released/plastic like, that you will most likely be disappointed with your purchase. So do the right thing, and at least pay your local dealer and give a bit more for the cables, because to many people are buying copy plugs and cables, and it is really destroying the industry. Most audiophiles I know use the copy Furutech top power plug model, because it costs like 1/5 of the money and actually sounds pretty close to the real thing, and I find that a bit sad, because now a lot of people are selling them on ebay, and most people don't realise that they are too forgiving/imprecise/does not fully unload the sound, and they are the root to many of their sound problems.
I’m still using my 1980s Monster cables. Love em! So do my speakers...
@@deepee1544 they were developed in the late 1970s as far as I know by Noel Lee, the founder of the company. Look it up…✌️
For some reason many casual listeners are simply unable to detect a subtle improvement in sound quality, especially in a mid-fi system.
One true test is to remove the new purportedly "better" unit/cables from the system and return the original unit/cables, then re-listen. The downgrade, if any, is more easily detected - even by a casual listener.
If you don't hear a difference then send the new unit/cables back to the store.
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I'd ask "what is better?". Maybe some cables do change things, but perhaps it's just that - a change to the sound over what is normal transmission through a wire.
@@RennieAsh A good starting point is, All cables degrade, not improve, signal transmission/musical quality. -The only question is, "by how much..."
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@@cactus00001 Idk, because some people probably like the effects of certain cables that change the signal more.
@@RennieAsh - true enuf. But cables are a bit like rocky roads...
Personally, I liked how DH Labs' BL-1 silver-coated, OFC interconnects caused my ribbons to "sound" a little "edgier."
A question of, "How do you like your poison (distortion) ?" -Lol
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Always use the most expensive digital cables, Monster hdmi cables give a warmer tone to your 0s and 1's.
A friend spend a hundred bucks on a video cabe. I swapped it out without him knowing, he never knew the difference.
Excellent! I like my ones baked, and my zeros fried... served warm, of course, never cold!
It only matters for interference or some other kinds of degredation of the signal over long runs with digital ;p Idk ow that manifests itself though, does it just stutter the signal?
Love Andrew Singer.Very smart man.Period.
Sounds like a reasonable guy, perhaps he's already made his $$ in this industry and can afford to call out bs when asked.
People probably trust him more and do business with him
It's the exact opposite. He's earned a comfortable life through acting as a confidence man.
There are a lot of inexpensive GREAT cables out there. Studios use Mogami and you can buy a spool and solder the cables yourself. You can call the cable company who has years of experience and will send you multiple pairs of cables and you buy the one you like and return the rest!
Mogami was too dark sounding for me so I don't recommend it.
@@andershammer9307 They make many different types of cables. I'm quite sure they all don't sound the same. I use them myself, along with Blue Jean I think they're called. Don't remember the exact model I use, but they're the one's that won a sound off among a bunch of AudioKarma members. And mine don't sound dark too me, although like a warm sound. So maybe my warm, is your dark. Anyway, the guy who built them for me, has built tons of them for many AudioKarma members, and everyone seems to like them. It could also be your equipment, and/or room. But either way. I think they sound great in my modest system. They made a noticeable difference from the cheap old cables I was using previous to them. And for the price, they're worth a try. And even if they are too dark now, they might not be later, if you change a component or two. Right?
What do you use now? Out of curiosity.
My modified Dynaco FM-3 has an pair of Cardas 300B cables but everything else is Livewire Double-braid Litz cable. All old now but not sure anything new and affordable would be any better.
@@andershammer9307 If your cables alter the frequency response they are insufficient for the task. Are you sure you used the appropriate variety for your purposes?
Where are the lab tests that show any improvement. Without those, its all hear say.
Audiophiles have a very bad habit of assuming that expensive is always better than cheap. This is not always true, especially when the cheap comes from volume manufacturing and the expensive comes from very limited production boutique manufacturing. Differences between interconnects are way smaller with professional balanced interconnects than for single ended RCA interconnects.
Most recording are mastered with balanced interconnects from a small number of volume professional cable companies such as Mogami and D'Adario. Professionals swear by these and a couple of other brands and actually prefer them to high priced boutique brands both for performance and longevity. When a high end audiophile component is very sensitive to cable and power cord choices, this can actually be a sign of poor overall engineering of the component. A component with a properly filtered power supply will be way less sensitive to power cable and line conditioner choices than a component with poor or nonexistent power supply filtering.
There is no reason other than poor economies of scale, greed, or bad engineering for any cable of short to moderate length to cost more than a few hundred dollars. Cable manufacturers who sell multi kilobuck cables and the dealers who push them are in fact selling snake oil and should be avoided. When musicians and recording engineers are preferring the above mentioned brands of balanced interconnects and speaker cables, one should take it seriously. These professionals know what music sounds like a good deal better than typical audiophiles do.
Honest interview! Customers have to be reasonable. The dealer/salesperson has to make some money too.
Here in Poland, I deal with only one music equipment store. Some things they sell cost less than others, some other items cost a little more. But you what? They know our name and phone number and do the best they can. I haven't spent tons there, but I am always buying from them when our worship team needs something. I went from analog mixer to full digital and bought everything from them.
And yes, cables do make a difference.
How can people say this so confidently? Everyone with so much confidence says they can tell the difference but they can never demonstrate it with a blind A/b test. Unless I'm wrong, please demonstrate to me with some evidence that there's a correlation between the cost and quality of a cable and the sound.
@@michaelcorcoran8768 back in the "day" when you would get the "gimme" interconnects with some equipment, you would notice the difference between it and a quality cable. There is a point of diminishing return. Over the years since the original introduction of the Monster Interlink Reference and Powerline 2 cables, I have a draw full of different interconnects from various manufacturers including MIT, Vampire, Monster, Siltech, home brew coax, Belden, Star Quad (Mogami), Morrow etc...some I could tell the difference, others, not at all. The same with the speaker cables I've collected. I didn't like the Monster M1's at all.... I don't have to be blindfolded either. Just not know which is which and if there actually is a referable difference.
Have you ever without your bias taken the test yourself?
A friend had an Onkyo receiver, a JVC CD Player and some inexpensive turntable all hooked up with "gimme" interconnects. I brought over a pair of the original MIT 330 that didn't have those "boxes". My friend had heard my hi end system, but was happy with what he had. I put in the MIT's. He heard the difference, but said it's not worth the cost for him.