One benefit of being 72 and having played rock on stage for 5 years in the 60s/70s, and too many Stones and Hendrix concerts without any hearing protection is I can't hear worth a crap and don't have to spend extra on cables. Thanks for all your excellent videos.
I have hearing loss from live drumming with no ear protection for many years. I am now more sensitive to certain frequencies but find a quality system actually helps my enjoyment by eliminating harshness. But I do find myself leaning in for details sometimes unless the volume is spinning clock-wise
This is the most convincing cable demo ever! Playing through the little 'speakers' on a chromebook (for the hell of it - expected to hear nothing regardless) the positive difference of A is immediately obvious.
Ordered my first set of VBS interconnects (from D90 DAC to twin XTZ 300 amps) a couple of weeks ago. Andre is a straight forward honest seeming man. He did tell me that he had several hundred inquiries (no doubt due to you!!!) and he advised me yesterday my cables are ready to ship. Looking forward to getting them. (PayPal transaction was easy)
I came from the same thinking as you and were blown away when I tried expensive cables and connectors. It is amazing that I could even hear the differences with my pc audio system and headphone. The Set A is cleaner, less congested, more open, and more details and dynamic. I was shock when digital cables were also sound difference.
Great video as usual and yes good cables make a difference. I’m a tweaker and always looking for ways to improve the sound of my system. Love your work, keep it up. Regards from Sydney Australia.
No doubt that set A sounded better than set B. The noise floor was much lower on set A which allowed me to hear more detail leading edges of certain instruments and the air that makes people love analog. I could probably pick out other differences but it’s difficult to judge timber over an iPhone. This is my first listen to your network and your presentation is very compelling. You’ve got a new follower now.
I was always "on the fence" when it came to power cables. However, after purchasing a TOPPING A30/D30 Pro stack with their IEC sockets, I got the itch. This video convinced me and I pulled the trigger on very similar cables, on sale. All I have to say is WOW! They made a noticeable difference akin to what I heard in your sound demo. I knew I could trust you, and thank you! 🤟😎
It’s worth mentioning that cable geometry and dielectric material are usually the key in making an appreciable positive difference in cables vs just something that advertises strictly conductor material or gauge size. Not at all disputing your findings, it’s just an aspect that doesn’t get nearly enough attention when mentioning hifi cabling.
Cables can make a difference. I don't know why this is so hard for the audio community to accept. Doesn't mean every expensive cable will be worth purchasing or that deceptive marketing isn't a factor as well. Pays to be an informed consumer. I appreciate the demo, it's hard to hear the real differences in quality but you can hear a distinct difference between the two. I actually think it'd be more helpful (though maybe more work for you) to hear the same parts of the music back to back, rather than switching from one config to the other.
I have a 50 K audio system. I have about 20 K invested in the cables. They make a huge difference! Thank you for your informative video. Like always, I really enjoy your humor. lol
Yes, actually a big difference, here. Which surprised me. I actually exclaimed, wow! I was already convinced, but that was the first time it was obvious in a vid. Oh, and I knew which one was the “good” ones.
@@elvirredzepovic6898 Yes I can. I heard immediately once switched to B. You can't? A have some M-audio Bx5a monitors and an old m-audio Sound card still running on Windows 7 drivers. Maybe you are listening on your phone's speaker in mono? :p
Very nice video. To me there's no doubt about cables importance. Biggest prove to me was 25 years a ago when I bought some Van den Hull cables. After changing then my ex-wife listened to the music and asked: What have you done?
Thank you again for another great unbiased review . My son and I are equally audiophile aficionados with the Berlin Wall being cables . He was a big advocate of them and felt that they made a huge difference . I believed Monster cables were sufficient. I was itching for an upgrade when he advised that my system was a great one and convinced me to switched to Cardas interconnects and speaker wire . My second son who loves great music but not interested in equipment was going to be the impartial judge . When I played the first minute we all looked at each other like deers looking at head lights . The upgrade was not subtle but enormous. I now listen to my music and am so happy . I don’t want anything touched . I think a large part of this controversy has to do with the quality of gear one has . You won’t necessarily hear a difference on a $1000 system but you definitely will on a high end one.
Hey! Thank you for your brave video and funny ending. Your new cables sound like you changed a component of system to higher quality and price or played us a much cleaner mix of a same song. But there is a question. Do whole set of cables cost as much as a new piece of equipment? They elevate quality of system nonetheless, amazing when I think about it.
Actually yes, all of these cables cost as much as one whole component in my system... and that's roughly how much they bring to the table too, at least to my ears. So it's not like you cheated the system or anything, but just a show that they're the equally important link in the chain. Also, as mentioned in the video, I purchased all of these cables having in mind that upgrading my system is not going to end here. Getting new and supposedly much better speakers is in motion, same for the amplification section... So it's a neverending circle I suppose. 😅
Thank you Srboljub for another really interesting review. I could certainly hear a difference between A and B cable sets through my headphone system with DAC and amplifier. I too thought that system A sounds better. I must say that it surprised me. It must be due to a significant lowering of resistivity of the copper. Dissolved oxygen increases the resistivity of copper, so low oxygen content copper is often quoted for higher quality cables using polycrystalline copper. There are often higher impurity contents at polycrystalline grain boundaries so I would expect a higher electrical resistivity at grain boundaries compared to within each crystal. Removing grain boundaries gives a single crystal which would display a higher conductivity compared to the same material in polycrystalline form. The reduced voltage drop and higher current may explain the difference in sound quality between single and polycrystalline copper. It seems to work, but it’s surprising the difference it seems to make. Well done for demonstrating the effect of single crystal, high purity copper power and interconnection cables. 👍🏼
Svaki kabl je bitan. Blago onome ko ne čuje razliku. Ja je čujem. Nadam se da ću uskoro moći da dođem i sam do tih kablova. Trenutno su mi strujni neki jeftini pravljeni, pa je i sa njima čujno bolje. Sistem mi sad već zavidno zvuči i došao sam do dela gde već zavisi zvuk od samog snimka, ali već sam video da ima prostora da bude još bolje. Da ponovim, stvarno zavidim ljudima koji ne čuju razliku. Koliko im je samo život jednostavniji... 😁
Niko nemoze da me ubedi da dva metra napojnog kabla ponistava sve sto ima kroz elektromrezu.Do stana-kuce ima ko zna koliko prekida,losih kontakata itd.U samom stanu-kuci je instalacija izvedena standardnim bakarnim kablovima ppy i ti sad promenis uticnicu i “bocnes” 2m kabla i imas savrseno napajanje,kako da ne.Znas koliko je “zagadjena” mreza svim i svacim u danasnje vreme od jeftinih Kineskih napajanja,bele tehnike (rso filteri se samo ukidaju niko ih nemenja) itd.Ja mogu da poverujem u razliku u kablovima za zvucnike,interkonekt i sl. a za mrezu samo filteri i nista drugo.Naravno mislim da treba da se ima kvalitetan napojni kabal,utikac i uticnica (ne najeftiniji Kineski) za sve uredjaje.
Why does it make sense to replace power cable . by the same logic we should replace the house electric wires and the wires between the house and the power station. does the last 5 feet between my amplifier and the wall would make such a difference ?
For some reason it does make a difference. Imagine a river running trough some hard terrain and having turbulent flow... Then eventually arriving at a wide plain where it can settle and become calm and turbulence free. It's not exactly the same, but electrical energy flows in a similar way...and it can be distributed at some points but then made more stable at the end, before entering our devices. I always suggest a loan from a friend or a willing nearby audiophile fellow. I started that way myself because I just didn't believe in the whole thing enough to test it out of my own pocket.
@@iiWiReviews I have a very high resolution system and a music room with perfect acoustic . I compared 2 cables one 14g the other special one that cost a lot 12g one connect to one monoblock the other to the second monoblock we ran a test while the system on mono . no difference whatsoever .
@@shdr55 Try an Audio Envy pwr cable on your DAC. I tried 2, one for my PC, and one for my DAC. Well… I ended up buying them for everything else, too. But it was worth it. Cost isn't a guarantee, any more than gauge is.
I put on my HD800s to try to prove to myself that there was no difference, was surprised it was quite significant. The "bad" cables sounded off. Weird! Why?! Did you try which cable made the most difference?
Interesting. I heard a difference between the two sets and preferred A. Would be interesting to repeat the experiment by keeping the same digital cables and changing only the power leads.
That was actually my first idea, but not much of the difference survived the recording process. That's why I added digital ones to the rescue. Now combined it's much more obvious.
I like a lot your youtube channel! Thank you for presenting this cables from vbs audio. They seem to be very interesting. In what price range are the powercables? Do you also have the power strips from this brand? They also seem to be specially designed...
A well argued presentation of the importance of cables, certainly piqued my interest in VBS, unfortunately I couldn't find a website to visit as they only appear to only be available via Facebook. ☹️
The trouble with cables is they galvanically connect all your parts so any disturbances will reach you sound independent from any digital signal. Also when there are disturbances digital components that send and receive the data have to work harder, introducing their own noise to the system. (Galvanic connection doesn't go for optical but s/pdif has it's own limitations because the clock cannot be handled by the DAC, only by the source, causing more jitter because of cheap components. This is especially measurable with the higher data loads of High resolution audio.
After explaining to the cable doctor (chord speaker cables) "even though after spending thousands of pounds on shielded chord speaker/digital cables, I'm still hearing very subtle high frequencies... so he explained I would be better off changing my current router to a modem and purchasing a new Wi-Fi 6 Asus router, before going ahead and start purchasing shielded ethernet cables! 🤔🤔🤔
I did enjoy the comparasin. Surprised I could tell through the low level audio. I usually heard differences. I found a sweet spot w Nordost, Synergistic Research and more recently ART cables.
Yes, there was big difference, no doubt. I was listening on my samsung tablet and in the 1st song I preffered set A, but in song 2 and 3 I liked more set B. So I'm just wondering if I buy expensive cables I will always preffered them over another? 🤷 I know, I should demo them at home, not over the internet through simple tablet speakers but I only sharing my experience after listening here and now.
Those are Circulo panels produced by Decibel. I'll make a video about them sometime, they're very affordable at ~35€ a piece and have very positive impact on the room acoustics.
Thanks for the answer, it take a while I lost my password, I got this week something new , my new R2R DAC from Holo Audio ua-cam.com/video/Nq0nEmKkR9g/v-deo.html
Mislim da su Karan uređaji, gledajući njihovu cenu i reputaciju, solidno iznad nivoa mog sistema za sada. Ne bih imao uslova da ih realno procenim. Nadam se da će se i to polako promeniti u budućnosti. Veliki pozdrav!
Glad I picked the A set, ideas fooled a little by the thicker sounding Set B cables but the most natural, cleaner most balanced sounding was set A. There isn't an earth shattering difference but its clearly audible here and therefore its a value judgement as to whether they are worth it. Personally I think they can be made at least as well as a DIY project and way cheaper. It then becomes a logical value proposition and a worthwhile investment as it is an audible upgrade. Did you find out which cable made up most of the difference perhaps you should remove one then two swap around etc.
Great demonstration -If you cant hear any difference you need to get your hearing checked! Personally I Use supra cables as they offer a good performance to value ratio.
Excellent video! I agree and have heard a difference between cables as well. I have also compared cheap tweeks that do a pretty good job too. For power cables I add a large ferrite (split in half with a plastic hinge that allows the ferrite to fit around the power cable) that is about an inch diameter and 1.5 inches long. I put the ferrite close to the equipment connector. For speaker cables, I use multi pair Belden data cable (about 15 to 20 pairs of wires inside) and solder the ends so each pair corresponds with + and - on each end. (if you do this check for a short before you use it). A difference compared with zip wire and expensive cables does show that in listening tests this is close to or better performance than some expensive stuff. The Belden cables can also confirm a difference by calculations. I built a spreadsheet calculating impedance for high frequencies using capacitance and inductance specs for each cable. Calculations for 100 feet can show in the range of a 2 dB voltage difference at 20k which means there can be still be an audible difference for 10 feet. With all the small gauge wires in parallel you get about 9 gauge for current carry capacity. Prices for Belden cable are different depending on the type and length (best performance was 9748 and 8748 at around $1 or $2US per foot for 8748). Buy long stuff (like 100 or 500 foot roll) and split the cost among audio friends. I will be returning to check this site if anyone else would please like to comment or share their own low cost tweeks. BTW, the listening tests were performed using a variety of gear to a Pass Labs amp and Magnepan 3.6 speakers. Apologies for the lengthy comment.
I could definitely hear a difference however, I can't say which I preferred to be honest, and the sonic changes differed between the 3 tracks.. Have you tried to narrow this down further by testing the differences between the three cables, ie, Power, Amp Dac Digital interconnect and Ethernet ? i.e Do the power cables make a bigger difference, is it the interconnect or the LAN cable ? Thanks
Yes ... ✓."A" sounds cleaner . BTW in this video I have found out that we are colleagues by profession. That made me glad as well, beside the very honest and detailed cables review.
Maybe in your room yes but thru UA-cam they sounded the same. I had audioquest low-end power cable $89 and the next level up $135 and couldn't tell those from the cheap one that came with the receiver. But I'll try again can you recommend one I can get from Amazon.
Nicely Done. In search for that 5-10% improvement :) I appreciated how you pointed out that without higher end components ($1000-up) these higher end cables are not the right way to go. Maybe letting people know in the future that an enthusiast with a $350 headphone might not get the full benefit on a $600 dac or amp. Save your money for a better headphone. Thanks
10% improvement is HUGE and effortlessly audible! I tried some expensive Furutech power cables on my delicate DAC and CD transport and o, what a difference! Tried the same cables on my PrimaLuna tube amp and there was no significent improvement. What I 'm trying to say: always compare cables in your own system. The difference between a good cable and a high-end one will sometimes be there and sometimes not. If you want to raise the soundquality, invest in all the components. There are some excellent DAC's these days for 600€ ( in my case) , but you wouldn't benefit enough when buying an 1000€ headphone. The quality of all components have to be in balance.
Even with all the caveats you mentioned, I could hear a clear difference. I have always suspected there are benefits to be had for a modest investment in power cables over stock cables and this video demonstrates that clearly, good work. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts/seeing a video on the benefits - if any - of system grounding.
I would be skeptical that the nicer cables improve a digital signal, it would be the cheaper cables that deteriorate the data transfer. That should be measurable. For power, you would be limited to whatever is in your walls, meaning that you would want to be on par and not lower gauge and quality. I struggle to understand how one meter of fancy power cable uplifts the many meters of common grade residential wiring that electricity goes through before getting to the fancy power cable.
Though I picked A whilst listening and only heard a slight improvement I just can't understand why all high end companies such as "Hegel" etc wouldn't spent an extra $30 to $50 to supply such cables if it was such a big improvement I'm sure they would like the Kudos I understand gauge, shielding,connections and materials can make a difference but how much of a difference? I don't lean 1 way or the other when it comes to cabling only testing them when setting up at your home would be beneficial.
There is clearly a difference between A and B. Those cables look really well built. While I do appreciate the work you put into this, I still can't believe that cables of that length will make that much of a difference, I would really need to hear it for myself, not that I don't trust you specifically, but I don't trust anyone on UA-cam when they push a specific product - seems like an ad.
I fully get what you're saying. If places were switched I would also exercise caution when seeing something like this. I hope that after a few years down the road, this channel and myself will grow a good reputation of not being sold out and praising anything just for money. Regarding this particular video, I was quite hesitant to make it but eventually decided to do it, because I believe he has a good thing going on here. For what it's worth, I really use all of these VBS cables in my own system and I paid for most of them. As mentioned in the video, the first one was partially gifted... he knew he has good stuff and wanted to hook me on. 😄
@@iiWiReviews if you believe in these cables, then you are not a sell out. But you do run the risk of others buying and posting results that differ from yours. At that point, only core followers might believe in your listening abilities. It’s a risk for small UA-camrs.
@@De132an That's true, but I really don't want to run this channel afraid for ratings every time I post my honest opinion. For example, some viewers unsubscribed when I posted about USB regenerators - Schiit Wyrd, iFi iUSB 3.0, and Intona. Those videos earned peanuts (like ten bucks each from YT ads) and I lost more than I gained by covering those. I'm still glad I did it, cause it felt right.
I can't claim the exact price right now, but each cable should be around couple of hundreds of bucks. Not really cheap, but still performing better than anything else I've heard near that price point.
To my ears and to my friend ears it was better than OYAIDE TUNAMI (if I remember the name correctly) terminated with Oyaide Gelded plugs. He sold it of in favour of this one.
Thank you! I know cable make a big diffidence. I am a Hifi guy for 25 years. Headphone and IEM Cables, USB cables and so on can make big differences! Only the experienced Hifi fans are able to hear small improvements by good fitting cables. That is a fact.
Set A sounded much better than B especially in the first track where B actually sounded broken in comparison. This Demo shows that your cables have bigger differences in sound than even some amplifier comparisons.
It’s a can of worms. I always recommend to somebody starting out as to just get happy and satisfied with the first thing that you seem to enjoy and never read forums or watch UA-cam videos about any of it ever again. :-) I was so happy with my Grado 125s for a decade and then I went crazy buying everything for two or three years and then ended up going back to the Grado plugged straight into the Computer. But now I’ve reopened the can of worms because the Grados are destroyed and they want to charge me basically the price of a new set of headphones to repair them in the past few 2 weeks I’ve ordered 8 pairs of headphones, five amp dac, combos and I’m mixing and matching until I find the sound. I’m happy with ha ha. After binging almost all of these videos, I have two more amps to check out before I make my final decision.
I respect your reviews, however, I am not a fan of magic cable reviews. Perhaps I misunderstand the subject, or the home-made science. Is it that with digital signals reviewers are suggesting that a '0' can be more than a '0', and that a '1' can be more '1' than a '1' with special audiophile cables?
I did notice a slight difference, but I wouldn't be able to explain myself. I preferred set A, but I wouldn't be able to explain why. Going to continue watching and see which is which.
Srboljub - Great video! My experience is the same as yours. Thank you for being unafraid to tell about your cable experience. I am glad you expressed your initial disbelief and how the truth came to you. I, too, hear differences in cables. Of course, interconnects are the most influential to sound. I accidentally discovered that for myself 30 years ago. Even knowing that, I still do not want to believe that digital or power cables make a difference but my ears tell me they do. It makes me crazy that that is true! It's just A/C power or ones and zeros, damn it! But, my system has been subtly transformed with recently purchased power cords and digital cords. It sounds more full and open, with deeper bass and soundstage. I could hear the difference in your demonstration. Even on UA-cam, it was obvious Set A are the better cables. The sound is bigger. I haven't even gotten to your reveal. In set B the sound is smaller, maybe a bit pinched or veiled. Yes, the improvement is not huge but once you hear it in your system, how can you not want the better cables? Even though I live in the USA, I am going to look up VBS. His cables are beautiful!!
"We all have our level of insanity in this hobby". Couldn't agree more! I too am/was a cable sceptic but when I heard a rewired tonearm and could scarcely believe the difference it made, am somewhat unsure where I stand. Good video presented in a non-partisan way. But just wait for the non-believers to rain on you once this video gets more views. Anyway, more views is a good thing for a UA-camr!
First I did think set B sounded just a little bit darker/less emphatic, at least I think but I can't be sure. The other thing I have to say is in almost all of these A - B Comparisons the timestamps of the songs are not matched. Meaning it isn't the same sections of the songs being played on each. Which for me means I don't know it is the different music being played or what I think I hear that is making the difference. I think it was back around '15 or '16 that these type of sound demo's made sure to do that but now it seems like no one does. I know it would mean a heck of a lot more editing/work but I think it would be worth it if you want your watchers/listeners to be presented with the best comparison. Thanks for this video and it has started me thinking. I do know from personal experience that finding an actual Glass Cored Optical Cable helped my person setup by not only eliminating random jitter, it cleaned things up making them clearer, punchier and crisper. It's not an expensive upgrade though but does cost around 5x the cheap stuff. You can find Glass Cored optical cables on Amazon here in the states for around $35 for the 3 ft version branded funnily enough, "Glass" as the company brand. www.amazon.com/dp/B001D1A8KM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
Hi IIWI, i love your videos, can you please review inbuilt QuadDAC comes with Asus ROG 5 Mobile phone? Is it better than other portable dac like hidizs s9 Pro And DH80s
The most noticeable aspect to me is soundstage the openness and depth is more present in cable A especially in the first track. I don't hear any difference in the third track. My setup is Hifiman Sundara with Fiio q5s dac and Topping L50 amp (from your recommendation! and its awesome!).
Could definitely hear a difference, and I picked correctly. This is through iPhone and cheap Bluetooth earbuds!! I can’t imagine what the difference must be in person, wow! Thanks for doing this
My missus said to me "let me get this straight you spend over £1,000 on speaker cables because you can 'hear the difference' but you can't hear me calling you from the kitchen" 🤣
I just had my hearing checked and I have excellent hearing, doctor said like I was still in my 20s. If you could not hear a difference, you need your hearing checked, seriously. B had this uncontrolled brightness that bled into all of the upper-mids and highs. A had so much more control and a darker background. Thanks so much for this video. (I listened from my custom made headphones and balanced topping amp and dac stack.) Can we finally tell these snake oil people to shut the hell up and get your hearing checked?
Listening on my cheapo Koss KPH30 headphones through my laptop it was obvious that group A was the higher end cabling. Night and day. Didn't expect that big a difference wow. I too am skeptical of the difference the budget fancy cables do and it's hard to imagine paying thousands of dollars for the type of cabling that actually makes a difference. I tried making myself some cables that should be pretty good but it's really hard to A/B because of how long it takes to replace all the cables. Maybe I should do a recording next time I want to hear the difference when I change something in my system.
Buy multiple cables of very good quality and rotate. It will allow you to peak the sound for you and your particular gear. I would not go straight into headphone amp with any headphone cable. I use what was very expensive Audioquest Silver cables in link with amazing results. Then select a best sound by trying various headphone or IEM cables plugged into the ends of the Silver Audioquest.
Great video. However, no material difference over my HD600s. I tried twice. If pushed a would say A sounded brighter but not more pleasant. clearly there’s nothing wrong with your recording device, as the scraping sound of the cable connects on the desk was pretty unbearable! I’d like to think there is a difference that cables make and I have upgraded many of my cables from basic freebies, but I don’t think the science supports spending big bucks. Looking forward to seeing what others think.
@@deadline7610 I have different requirements for each component depending on whether they have internal or external power suppliers. I have just switched the PS for my streamer from switch mode to linear. Let’s see! Either way I really don’t expect much difference.
Hi Bro, Set A sounds better to me, using a quality headphone amp and dac, with beyerdynamic T1 headphones. Day and night difference between A and B. :)
Gr8 reviews and all that and therefore what about the sense of using power conditioners or just going with simple power strips... Show us what You've got in the department of separating Your gear from the wall... THX in advance! 🎃
That's the reason I'm proposing the topic... Had a lot of YTbing about the matter + some personal experience, where after replacing a 20 year old wall plug 3x splitter with a contemporary simple yet nice looking and sturdy 5x powercube, My Topping DX3 Pro+ magically 'opened up & became a detail monster' comparing to the previous state... Just as if there was something in that old splitter preventing the current from fully powering the AMP/DAC... Strange, cause it was working without any errors or anything and yet there was this in My oppinion 1/4 sound quality clipping... There was something off in the splitter, cause the clipping affected also the TV by lowering 10% of its brightness and color saturation, and 1/4 of the PC horsepower, so I recon that this powercube is the best 60PLN = 15$ I've spent in my whole life (PS - I'm from Poland, so pronouncing Your name isn't a problem here 🎃)... The YT sages like Paul McGowan from PS Audio do state boldly, that conditioners are in most cases a detriment to the AMP/DAC performance and that they require the noisy current from the wall, so that they can do their magic... so it would imply that a simple powerstrip or powercube like mine is the Holy Grail in all the billion $ gear madness or on the other side of the spectrum one should eventually buy a power plant like those from Paul's PS Audio (it's the most pricey scenario though)... Anyhow don't be affected by any of that, and when You are ready and the time is right, just give US Your experience & thoughts about all of this, cause many people may save money or on the contrary, find another way to pimp up their soundreactor 🤑 BTW I'm following closely anything You say about the AMP/DAC combos and planars that would become an instant OK I'M IN on the GO TO path from My price to performance king DX3 Pro+ & Sennheiser HD 560S... not that the PARA or Edition XS aren't good enough, but it's always some detail or a price/performacne BUT and an overall IS IT WORTH IT to jump not high enough (without testing personaly, not sure how much improvement will there really be)... Wish You well & will be waiting for that powerstrip flick ! 🎃!... and the new All In One FIIO R9 review if You noticed it and consider this thing among all the other goodies 🧐
I have myself actually noticed a remarkable difference by upgrading a S/Pdif cable from an emergency use LOUSY freebee to a inexpensive but more "audiophile" interconnect. That made me fiddle around with it more and I tested that cheap max 10 euro cable against a quite expensive Van Den Hul cable. It made absolutely no futher difference in my very revealing 10k$ system. My conclution was that good enough is good enough. I have also noticed well audible differences by A-B testing when upgrading the subwoofer interconnect and speaker cables. I believe that the difference I heard was 99% from the S/Pdif cable. I cannot believe that powercords and a network cable would make a audible difference. If so, does not that mean that the power supply in the devices are sketchy? After all it is their job to convert and filter the dirty power coming in.
🤗. THANK YOU …SRBOLJUB ( I have no idea how to pronounce your name 🤔😁 BUT I HAVE BEEN HELPED IN MY AUDIOPHILE JOURNEY IN YOUR PREVIOUS VIDEOS AND I HOPE THINGS ARE GOING WELL IN SERBIA 🤗😍😍😍
I can't use headphones as I'm rather electrosensitive -- especially with EM fields close to my head. So I had to use my PC powered speakers (Edifier 1280T). I noticed a difference, but to be honest I thought that set B might sound better. When You made the reveal, I listened again and of course then thought that set A sounded better, particularly on the third track. But in all truth I can only say there's a difference; I'd have to be in the room to make a better judgement. Recently, I decided to try coaxial digital instead of my more usual Toslink cable in my hi-fi rig. To my surprise, I found that I preferred the coaxial. Thing is, it's not all one way. Separation and detail *seems* better on Toslink, but the music is more coherent and enjoyable on coaxial: less analytical, more rhythmical if you like. What do I want to do? Put on my analytic ears, or just enjoy the music? I think I'm gradually coming to lean more towards the latter now. I've ordered some (I hope!) better quality coax cable and RCA interconnects to link up my preamp and power amp and we will see what transpires.
Hey John, what signs are there to look at for EM fields? I'm asking because I had purchased Bluetooth headphones/earphones earlier this year and would start getting a headache and dizziness. Don't have that happening with my regular wired stuff. I chalked it up to me being sensitive to Bluetooth frequencies being so close to the brain with those devices. I wonder if even the wired stuff emit similar radiation.
@@hyedefinition1080 I don't know if it's EM radiation or not, but I know I can't wear wired headphones. I can't even wear a battery-driven wristwatch. I haven't tried wireless headphones but think I'll continue to give them a miss, just like I do all wireless technology, mobile phones, DECT phones, smart meters and so on.
Cables makes slight differences in some systems. Proper acoustical room treatment makes a huge difference in any system, more than most people would expect. And it should be a basic starting point, cables should be the last thing left to upgrade. That's the truth many audiophiles don't understand or don't want to understand. Cheers!
Well Said, Room acoustics are a big one. You got house mains cabling and then the last metre you use an expensive cable and expect miracles!, isn't it better to use a mains filter, much cheaper.
My experience: 1. A Cat8 cable for streaming is essential. 2. A linnear power supplier is basic. 3. Good cables ensure magnetic insulation. This is my experience.
I would think you weren't being honest if I couldn't hear a difference between the two sets of demos. I was never on board with the idea that a power or digital signal cable could improve the sound, and now I don't know what to believe. Edit to add: I did recently notice that a high quality custom headphone cable for my HD600 improved the sound over the cheap thing I was using before. So perhaps there is something in this!
I believe there is a certain synergy can be achieved when all cables within a system are purchased within, of a same manufacturer. Not saying better but can be a different impact on the sound signature observed. Like different flavors of ice cream, it’s all good if you enjoy ice cream, it’s just some flavors might better suit your palette than others, ie there is no terrible ice cream! LOL
I am an EE. Watch a video from Audioholics where they recorded a song through a set of $5 RCA's, $25 RCA's, and $2000 RCA's, then subtracted the original source from the recording through the RCA's. And the winner WAS!!!! Drumroll!!!!!! The $25 RCA's. Most of that expensive stuff is 100% snake oil. And ETHERNET cable!? :rolleyes: my dude... If you can download a 100 gigabyte game, and the game runs with all the same 1's and 0's on ANY PC across the planet, I can assure you, what is getting to the DAC is identical. Money is much better spent on better equipment.
Downloading a file with all checks in place is one thing. Streaming real time with devices that are all interconnected electrically and have to deal with any sort of noise or jitter in real time is another thing. Apples and oranges, and I assure you that difference can be heard in a really good system. BTW, Audiohlics had a whole article about all amps sounding the same if their power is the same few years back. Obvious lack of sound perception and very shallow technical understanding of amplification was simply staggering at that point. So I signed off from that site.
Bigger gains are always had from getting the correct speakers setup properly in the room, with acoustic treatment. Then you find an amp and source that drives your speakers properly. Then go buy music and move on with your life. Instead of jumping on forums looking for a band aid or an overly expensive tweak.
I though that for the first song set B sounded better and for the 2nd song set A. Third one no difference. Might also be youtube compressing everything to hell and back. Anyway, I always feel that more expensive isn't always better. I had a listen to the Focal Grande Utopias a month ago and to be honest, I wasn't that impressed by the 300-350k setup. I still rather have my own alot-cheaper-setup. Audio is all just personal taste I guess.
You always seem so honest & straight talking. Keep it up.
One benefit of being 72 and having played rock on stage for 5 years in the 60s/70s, and too many Stones and Hendrix concerts without any hearing protection is I can't hear worth a crap and don't have to spend extra on cables. Thanks for all your excellent videos.
😂😂
I have hearing loss from live drumming with no ear protection for many years. I am now more sensitive to certain frequencies but find a quality system actually helps my enjoyment by eliminating harshness. But I do find myself leaning in for details sometimes unless the volume is spinning clock-wise
Appreciate the commitment and thorough analysis. Brilliant!
This is the most convincing cable demo ever! Playing through the little 'speakers' on a chromebook (for the hell of it - expected to hear nothing regardless) the positive difference of A is immediately obvious.
Superb demo, the best. A was an easy winner.
Ordered my first set of VBS interconnects (from D90 DAC to twin XTZ 300 amps) a couple of weeks ago. Andre is a straight forward honest seeming man. He did tell me that he had several hundred inquiries (no doubt due to you!!!) and he advised me yesterday my cables are ready to ship. Looking forward to getting them. (PayPal transaction was easy)
Hope you'll enjoy them. Just don't judge them critically first two days or so, they start thin and relax quite a bit within first few days.
I came from the same thinking as you and were blown away when I tried expensive cables and connectors. It is amazing that I could even hear the differences with my pc audio system and headphone. The Set A is cleaner, less congested, more open, and more details and dynamic. I was shock when digital cables were also sound difference.
Great video as usual and yes good cables make a difference. I’m a tweaker and always looking for ways to improve the sound of my system. Love your work, keep it up. Regards from Sydney Australia.
No doubt that set A sounded better than set B. The noise floor was much lower on set A which allowed me to hear more detail leading edges of certain instruments and the air that makes people love analog. I could probably pick out other differences but it’s difficult to judge timber over an iPhone.
This is my first listen to your network and your presentation is very compelling. You’ve got a new follower now.
I was always "on the fence" when it came to power cables. However, after purchasing a TOPPING A30/D30 Pro stack with their IEC sockets, I got the itch. This video convinced me and I pulled the trigger on very similar cables, on sale. All I have to say is WOW! They made a noticeable difference akin to what I heard in your sound demo. I knew I could trust you, and thank you! 🤟😎
It’s worth mentioning that cable geometry and dielectric material are usually the key in making an appreciable positive difference in cables vs just something that advertises strictly conductor material or gauge size. Not at all disputing your findings, it’s just an aspect that doesn’t get nearly enough attention when mentioning hifi cabling.
True that. While I was experimenting with my own DIY projects, I did get pretty good results with a Helix design for example.
Cables can make a difference. I don't know why this is so hard for the audio community to accept. Doesn't mean every expensive cable will be worth purchasing or that deceptive marketing isn't a factor as well. Pays to be an informed consumer. I appreciate the demo, it's hard to hear the real differences in quality but you can hear a distinct difference between the two. I actually think it'd be more helpful (though maybe more work for you) to hear the same parts of the music back to back, rather than switching from one config to the other.
Listening to this through my setup, the differences obvious.
Upgraded from lamp cord to Monster Cable back in 1978. The difference was too substantial to ignore. Never looked back !
I have a 50 K audio system. I have about 20 K invested in the cables. They make a huge difference! Thank you for your informative video. Like always, I really enjoy your humor. lol
Yes, actually a big difference, here. Which surprised me. I actually exclaimed, wow!
I was already convinced, but that was the first time it was obvious in a vid.
Oh, and I knew which one was the “good” ones.
Set A had a much wider more open sound stage.
And you heard that thru YOUR speakers on compressed UA-cam audio. Great. Wanna buy a cheap bridge ?
@@elvirredzepovic6898 I heard that the first time he switched from A to B, because I know how this sounds improved. Via a simple HD 280 pro.
@@elvirredzepovic6898 Yes I can. I heard immediately once switched to B. You can't? A have some M-audio Bx5a monitors and an old m-audio Sound card still running on Windows 7 drivers. Maybe you are listening on your phone's speaker in mono? :p
Very nice video. To me there's no doubt about cables importance. Biggest prove to me was 25 years a ago when I bought some Van den Hull cables. After changing then my ex-wife listened to the music and asked: What have you done?
Thank you again for another great unbiased review . My son and I are equally audiophile aficionados with the Berlin Wall being cables . He was a big advocate of them and felt that they made a huge difference . I believed Monster cables were sufficient. I was itching for an upgrade when he advised that my system was a great one and convinced me to switched to Cardas interconnects and speaker wire . My second son who loves great music but not interested in equipment was going to be the impartial judge . When I played the first minute we all looked at each other like deers looking at head lights . The upgrade was not subtle but enormous. I now listen to my music and am so happy . I don’t want anything touched . I think a large part of this controversy has to do with the quality of gear one has . You won’t necessarily hear a difference on a $1000 system but you definitely will on a high end one.
Hey! Thank you for your brave video and funny ending. Your new cables sound like you changed a component of system to higher quality and price or played us a much cleaner mix of a same song. But there is a question. Do whole set of cables cost as much as a new piece of equipment? They elevate quality of system nonetheless, amazing when I think about it.
You forgot to add on a new power supply :)
Actually yes, all of these cables cost as much as one whole component in my system... and that's roughly how much they bring to the table too, at least to my ears. So it's not like you cheated the system or anything, but just a show that they're the equally important link in the chain. Also, as mentioned in the video, I purchased all of these cables having in mind that upgrading my system is not going to end here. Getting new and supposedly much better speakers is in motion, same for the amplification section... So it's a neverending circle I suppose. 😅
Yes, substantial difference through my Sennheiser HD560S. Set A sounds so much better with also a much deeper and wider soundstage.
Totally agree
Thank you Srboljub for another really interesting review. I could certainly hear a difference between A and B cable sets through my headphone system with DAC and amplifier. I too thought that system A sounds better. I must say that it surprised me. It must be due to a significant lowering of resistivity of the copper. Dissolved oxygen increases the resistivity of copper, so low oxygen content copper is often quoted for higher quality cables using polycrystalline copper. There are often higher impurity contents at polycrystalline grain boundaries so I would expect a higher electrical resistivity at grain boundaries compared to within each crystal. Removing grain boundaries gives a single crystal which would display a higher conductivity compared to the same material in polycrystalline form. The reduced voltage drop and higher current may explain the difference in sound quality between single and polycrystalline copper. It seems to work, but it’s surprising the difference it seems to make. Well done for demonstrating the effect of single crystal, high purity copper power and interconnection cables. 👍🏼
Hello! Even through iPhone speakers and headphones, clearly can hear difference. Thank you! Great video!
Svaki kabl je bitan. Blago onome ko ne čuje razliku. Ja je čujem. Nadam se da ću uskoro moći da dođem i sam do tih kablova. Trenutno su mi strujni neki jeftini pravljeni, pa je i sa njima čujno bolje. Sistem mi sad već zavidno zvuči i došao sam do dela gde već zavisi zvuk od samog snimka, ali već sam video da ima prostora da bude još bolje.
Da ponovim, stvarno zavidim ljudima koji ne čuju razliku. Koliko im je samo život jednostavniji... 😁
Niko nemoze da me ubedi da dva metra napojnog kabla ponistava sve sto ima kroz elektromrezu.Do stana-kuce ima ko zna koliko prekida,losih kontakata itd.U samom stanu-kuci je instalacija izvedena standardnim bakarnim kablovima ppy i ti sad promenis uticnicu i “bocnes” 2m kabla i imas savrseno napajanje,kako da ne.Znas koliko je “zagadjena” mreza svim i svacim u danasnje vreme od jeftinih Kineskih napajanja,bele tehnike (rso filteri se samo ukidaju niko ih nemenja) itd.Ja mogu da poverujem u razliku u kablovima za zvucnike,interkonekt i sl. a za mrezu samo filteri i nista drugo.Naravno mislim da treba da se ima kvalitetan napojni kabal,utikac i uticnica (ne najeftiniji Kineski) za sve uredjaje.
Set A sounded deeper and clean
Why does it make sense to replace power cable . by the same logic we should replace the house electric wires and the wires between the house and the power station. does the last 5 feet between my amplifier and the wall would make such a difference ?
For some reason it does make a difference. Imagine a river running trough some hard terrain and having turbulent flow... Then eventually arriving at a wide plain where it can settle and become calm and turbulence free. It's not exactly the same, but electrical energy flows in a similar way...and it can be distributed at some points but then made more stable at the end, before entering our devices.
I always suggest a loan from a friend or a willing nearby audiophile fellow. I started that way myself because I just didn't believe in the whole thing enough to test it out of my own pocket.
@@iiWiReviews I have a very high resolution system and a music room with perfect acoustic . I compared 2 cables one 14g the other special one that cost a lot 12g one connect to one monoblock the other to the second monoblock we ran a test while the system on mono . no difference whatsoever .
@@shdr55 Try an Audio Envy pwr cable on your DAC. I tried 2, one for my PC, and one for my DAC. Well… I ended up buying them for everything else, too. But it was worth it. Cost isn't a guarantee, any more than gauge is.
I didn't believe much in cables either until some friends also lent me cables. I'm not sure if I should thank them or not LOL
I put on my HD800s to try to prove to myself that there was no difference, was surprised it was quite significant. The "bad" cables sounded off. Weird! Why?!
Did you try which cable made the most difference?
Interesting. I heard a difference between the two sets and preferred A. Would be interesting to repeat the experiment by keeping the same digital cables and changing only the power leads.
That was actually my first idea, but not much of the difference survived the recording process. That's why I added digital ones to the rescue. Now combined it's much more obvious.
The thing is that I could hear the difference even on my IPad
Very good cable demo:-)
I like a lot your youtube channel!
Thank you for presenting this cables from vbs audio. They seem to be very interesting. In what price range are the powercables?
Do you also have the power strips from this brand? They also seem to be specially designed...
A well argued presentation of the importance of cables, certainly piqued my interest in VBS, unfortunately I couldn't find a website to visit as they only appear to only be available via Facebook. ☹️
Definitely heard a difference and prefer set A. Even before you reviled which one was which.
The trouble with cables is they galvanically connect all your parts so any disturbances will reach you sound independent from any digital signal. Also when there are disturbances digital components that send and receive the data have to work harder, introducing their own noise to the system. (Galvanic connection doesn't go for optical but s/pdif has it's own limitations because the clock cannot be handled by the DAC, only by the source, causing more jitter because of cheap components. This is especially measurable with the higher data loads of High resolution audio.
After explaining to the cable doctor (chord speaker cables) "even though after spending thousands of pounds on shielded chord speaker/digital cables, I'm still hearing very subtle high frequencies... so he explained I would be better off changing my current router to a modem and purchasing a new Wi-Fi 6 Asus router, before going ahead and start purchasing shielded ethernet cables! 🤔🤔🤔
@@Totalplonker makes sense you cut the copper to whatever noise your internet provider introduces
where can i buy VBS power cables ? tnx
I did enjoy the comparasin. Surprised I could tell through the low level audio. I usually heard differences. I found a sweet spot w Nordost, Synergistic Research and more recently ART cables.
Yes, there was big difference, no doubt. I was listening on my samsung tablet and in the 1st song I preffered set A, but in song 2 and 3 I liked more set B. So I'm just wondering if I buy expensive cables I will always preffered them over another? 🤷 I know, I should demo them at home, not over the internet through simple tablet speakers but I only sharing my experience after listening here and now.
what's the name of de panels on the wall behind your speakers? keep up the good work greetings from the Netherlands !!!
Those are Circulo panels produced by Decibel. I'll make a video about them sometime, they're very affordable at ~35€ a piece and have very positive impact on the room acoustics.
Thanks for the answer, it take a while I lost my password, I got this week something new , my new R2R DAC from Holo Audio
ua-cam.com/video/Nq0nEmKkR9g/v-deo.html
Ima li sanse da rivjuises nesto od Karan Acoustic? Bilo bi lepo!
Pozdrav iz Montreala!
Mislim da su Karan uređaji, gledajući njihovu cenu i reputaciju, solidno iznad nivoa mog sistema za sada. Ne bih imao uslova da ih realno procenim. Nadam se da će se i to polako promeniti u budućnosti.
Veliki pozdrav!
Yes, I could easily hear a difference. I wasn't watch the video the first time it changed, and I knew it had changed, by the sound quality.
Glad I picked the A set, ideas fooled a little by the thicker sounding Set B cables but the most natural, cleaner most balanced sounding was set A. There isn't an earth shattering difference but its clearly audible here and therefore its a value judgement as to whether they are worth it. Personally I think they can be made at least as well as a DIY project and way cheaper. It then becomes a logical value proposition and a worthwhile investment as it is an audible upgrade. Did you find out which cable made up most of the difference perhaps you should remove one then two swap around etc.
Great demonstration -If you cant hear any difference you need to get your hearing checked! Personally I Use supra cables as they offer a good performance to value ratio.
Excellent video! I agree and have heard a difference between cables as well.
I have also compared cheap tweeks that do a pretty good job too.
For power cables I add a large ferrite (split in half with a plastic hinge that allows the ferrite to fit around the power cable) that is about an inch diameter and 1.5 inches long. I put the ferrite close to the equipment connector.
For speaker cables, I use multi pair Belden data cable (about 15 to 20 pairs of wires inside) and solder the ends so each pair corresponds with + and - on each end. (if you do this check for a short before you use it). A difference compared with zip wire and expensive cables does show that in listening tests this is close to or better performance than some expensive stuff. The Belden cables can also confirm a difference by calculations. I built a spreadsheet calculating impedance for high frequencies using capacitance and inductance specs for each cable. Calculations for 100 feet can show in the range of a 2 dB voltage difference at 20k which means there can be still be an audible difference for 10 feet. With all the small gauge wires in parallel you get about 9 gauge for current carry capacity. Prices for Belden cable are different depending on the type and length (best performance was 9748 and 8748 at around $1 or $2US per foot for 8748). Buy long stuff (like 100 or 500 foot roll) and split the cost among audio friends.
I will be returning to check this site if anyone else would please like to comment or share their own low cost tweeks.
BTW, the listening tests were performed using a variety of gear to a Pass Labs amp and Magnepan 3.6 speakers.
Apologies for the lengthy comment.
Hi, can pls help me choose cables from VBS? Should I ask him for copper and banana ends or what will be a better option? No matter the price
I could definitely hear a difference however, I can't say which I preferred to be honest, and the sonic changes differed between the 3 tracks.. Have you tried to narrow this down further by testing the differences between the three cables, ie, Power, Amp Dac Digital interconnect and Ethernet ? i.e Do the power cables make a bigger difference, is it the interconnect or the LAN cable ? Thanks
Yes ... ✓."A" sounds cleaner .
BTW in this video I have found out that we are colleagues by profession.
That made me glad as well, beside the very honest and detailed cables review.
Great review. Any advice from someone on how we can order these cables in the uk?
Thanks
Thanks! Really not sure about ordering from the UK. Feel free to ask a constructor - contact info is in the description.
Maybe in your room yes but thru UA-cam they sounded the same. I had audioquest low-end power cable $89 and the next level up $135 and couldn't tell those from the cheap one that came with the receiver. But I'll try again can you recommend one I can get from Amazon.
Nicely Done.
In search for that 5-10% improvement :)
I appreciated how you pointed out that without higher end components ($1000-up) these higher end cables are not the right way to go.
Maybe letting people know in the future that an enthusiast with a $350 headphone might not get the full benefit on a $600 dac or amp.
Save your money for a better headphone.
Thanks
10% improvement is HUGE and effortlessly audible!
I tried some expensive Furutech power cables on my delicate DAC and CD transport and o, what a difference!
Tried the same cables on my PrimaLuna tube amp and there was no significent improvement.
What I 'm trying to say: always compare cables in your own system. The difference between a good cable and a high-end one will sometimes be there and sometimes not.
If you want to raise the soundquality, invest in all the components. There are some excellent DAC's these days for 600€ ( in my case) , but you wouldn't benefit enough when buying an 1000€ headphone. The quality of all components have to be in balance.
@@paulb.3227 Audio Envy PC's are the bomb. At least in my system. And they're a lot cheaper than most out there. Highly regarded.
What is on top of your Kef's?
Radiation flux compensator 😅
Even with all the caveats you mentioned, I could hear a clear difference. I have always suspected there are benefits to be had for a modest investment in power cables over stock cables and this video demonstrates that clearly, good work. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts/seeing a video on the benefits - if any - of system grounding.
Set A sounded best to me.
I would be skeptical that the nicer cables improve a digital signal, it would be the cheaper cables that deteriorate the data transfer. That should be measurable.
For power, you would be limited to whatever is in your walls, meaning that you would want to be on par and not lower gauge and quality. I struggle to understand how one meter of fancy power cable uplifts the many meters of common grade residential wiring that electricity goes through before getting to the fancy power cable.
Though I picked A whilst listening and only heard a slight improvement I just can't understand why all high end companies such as "Hegel" etc wouldn't spent an extra $30 to $50 to supply such cables if it was such a big improvement I'm sure they would like the Kudos
I understand gauge, shielding,connections and materials can make a difference but how much of a difference?
I don't lean 1 way or the other when it comes to cabling only testing them when setting up at your home would be beneficial.
There is clearly a difference between A and B. Those cables look really well built. While I do appreciate the work you put into this, I still can't believe that cables of that length will make that much of a difference, I would really need to hear it for myself, not that I don't trust you specifically, but I don't trust anyone on UA-cam when they push a specific product - seems like an ad.
I fully get what you're saying. If places were switched I would also exercise caution when seeing something like this. I hope that after a few years down the road, this channel and myself will grow a good reputation of not being sold out and praising anything just for money.
Regarding this particular video, I was quite hesitant to make it but eventually decided to do it, because I believe he has a good thing going on here. For what it's worth, I really use all of these VBS cables in my own system and I paid for most of them. As mentioned in the video, the first one was partially gifted... he knew he has good stuff and wanted to hook me on. 😄
@@iiWiReviews if you believe in these cables, then you are not a sell out. But you do run the risk of others buying and posting results that differ from yours. At that point, only core followers might believe in your listening abilities. It’s a risk for small UA-camrs.
@@De132an That's true, but I really don't want to run this channel afraid for ratings every time I post my honest opinion. For example, some viewers unsubscribed when I posted about USB regenerators - Schiit Wyrd, iFi iUSB 3.0, and Intona. Those videos earned peanuts (like ten bucks each from YT ads) and I lost more than I gained by covering those. I'm still glad I did it, cause it felt right.
What is the price of those cables?
I can't claim the exact price right now, but each cable should be around couple of hundreds of bucks. Not really cheap, but still performing better than anything else I've heard near that price point.
@@iiWiReviews better than oyaide ?
To my ears and to my friend ears it was better than OYAIDE TUNAMI (if I remember the name correctly) terminated with Oyaide Gelded plugs. He sold it of in favour of this one.
Thank you! I know cable make a big diffidence. I am a Hifi guy for 25 years. Headphone and IEM Cables, USB cables and so on can make big differences! Only the experienced Hifi fans are able to hear small improvements by good fitting cables. That is a fact.
How do people justify spending insane money on a cable upgrade for clients who are buying $300 amplifiers?
Set A sounded much better than B especially in the first track where B actually sounded broken in comparison. This Demo shows that your cables have bigger differences in sound than even some amplifier comparisons.
It’s a can of worms. I always recommend to somebody starting out as to just get happy and satisfied with the first thing that you seem to enjoy and never read forums or watch UA-cam videos about any of it ever again. :-)
I was so happy with my Grado 125s for a decade and then I went crazy buying everything for two or three years and then ended up going back to the Grado plugged straight into the Computer.
But now I’ve reopened the can of worms because the Grados are destroyed and they want to charge me basically the price of a new set of headphones to repair them in the past few 2 weeks I’ve ordered 8 pairs of headphones, five amp dac, combos and I’m mixing and matching until I find the sound. I’m happy with ha ha.
After binging almost all of these videos, I have two more amps to check out before I make my final decision.
I respect your reviews, however, I am not a fan of magic cable reviews.
Perhaps I misunderstand the subject, or the home-made science.
Is it that with digital signals reviewers are suggesting that a '0' can be more than a '0', and that a '1' can be more '1' than a '1' with special audiophile cables?
Defo prefer Set A to Set B. Thank you.🙏🙏
How to order when not on Facebook?
I've just asked and here is the email you can use for any inquiries: andrejs@mts.rs
@@iiWiReviews Thank you, buddy! That‘s very kind. (BTW I don‘t know if it‘s a good idea to post an e-mail address in plain text)
I did notice a slight difference, but I wouldn't be able to explain myself. I preferred set A, but I wouldn't be able to explain why.
Going to continue watching and see which is which.
It's Quantum sound physics. Simply these things are Beyond the scope of or physical technical abilities to measure a difference
🤗 IT IS GREAT TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND AND FRIENDS TO HELP 🧐😍😍😍
Do you have an email address for VBS (I don't use Facebook)?
OK, I've just asked and here it is: andrejs@mts.rs
Thanks, I'll let him know I watched your video.
Srboljub - Great video! My experience is the same as yours. Thank you for being unafraid to tell about your cable experience. I am glad you expressed your initial disbelief and how the truth came to you. I, too, hear differences in cables. Of course, interconnects are the most influential to sound. I accidentally discovered that for myself 30 years ago. Even knowing that, I still do not want to believe that digital or power cables make a difference but my ears tell me they do. It makes me crazy that that is true! It's just A/C power or ones and zeros, damn it! But, my system has been subtly transformed with recently purchased power cords and digital cords. It sounds more full and open, with deeper bass and soundstage. I could hear the difference in your demonstration. Even on UA-cam, it was obvious Set A are the better cables. The sound is bigger. I haven't even gotten to your reveal. In set B the sound is smaller, maybe a bit pinched or veiled. Yes, the improvement is not huge but once you hear it in your system, how can you not want the better cables? Even though I live in the USA, I am going to look up VBS. His cables are beautiful!!
"We all have our level of insanity in this hobby". Couldn't agree more! I too am/was a cable sceptic but when I heard a rewired tonearm and could scarcely believe the difference it made, am somewhat unsure where I stand. Good video presented in a non-partisan way. But just wait for the non-believers to rain on you once this video gets more views. Anyway, more views is a good thing for a UA-camr!
First I did think set B sounded just a little bit darker/less emphatic, at least I think but I can't be sure.
The other thing I have to say is in almost all of these A - B Comparisons the timestamps of the songs are not matched. Meaning it isn't the same sections of the songs being played on each. Which for me means I don't know it is the different music being played or what I think I hear that is making the difference. I think it was back around '15 or '16 that these type of sound demo's made sure to do that but now it seems like no one does. I know it would mean a heck of a lot more editing/work but I think it would be worth it if you want your watchers/listeners to be presented with the best comparison. Thanks for this video and it has started me thinking.
I do know from personal experience that finding an actual Glass Cored Optical Cable helped my person setup by not only eliminating random jitter, it cleaned things up making them clearer, punchier and crisper. It's not an expensive upgrade though but does cost around 5x the cheap stuff. You can find Glass Cored optical cables on Amazon here in the states for around $35 for the 3 ft version branded funnily enough, "Glass" as the company brand.
www.amazon.com/dp/B001D1A8KM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details
Hi IIWI, i love your videos, can you please review inbuilt QuadDAC comes with Asus ROG 5 Mobile phone? Is it better than other portable dac like hidizs s9 Pro And DH80s
The most noticeable aspect to me is soundstage the openness and depth is more present in cable A especially in the first track. I don't hear any difference in the third track. My setup is Hifiman Sundara with Fiio q5s dac and Topping L50 amp (from your recommendation! and its awesome!).
Could definitely hear a difference, and I picked correctly. This is through iPhone and cheap Bluetooth earbuds!! I can’t imagine what the difference must be in person, wow! Thanks for doing this
My missus said to me "let me get this straight you spend over £1,000 on speaker cables because you can
'hear the difference'
but you can't hear me calling you from the kitchen" 🤣
😂😂
😎
I just had my hearing checked and I have excellent hearing, doctor said like I was still in my 20s. If you could not hear a difference, you need your hearing checked, seriously. B had this uncontrolled brightness that bled into all of the upper-mids and highs. A had so much more control and a darker background. Thanks so much for this video. (I listened from my custom made headphones and balanced topping amp and dac stack.) Can we finally tell these snake oil people to shut the hell up and get your hearing checked?
Listening on my cheapo Koss KPH30 headphones through my laptop it was obvious that group A was the higher end cabling. Night and day. Didn't expect that big a difference wow. I too am skeptical of the difference the budget fancy cables do and it's hard to imagine paying thousands of dollars for the type of cabling that actually makes a difference. I tried making myself some cables that should be pretty good but it's really hard to A/B because of how long it takes to replace all the cables. Maybe I should do a recording next time I want to hear the difference when I change something in my system.
Buy multiple cables of very good quality and rotate. It will allow you to peak the sound for you and your particular gear. I would not go straight into headphone amp with any headphone cable. I use what was very expensive Audioquest Silver cables in link with amazing results. Then select a best sound by trying various headphone or IEM cables plugged into the ends of the Silver Audioquest.
Well they look nice.
Great video. However, no material difference over my HD600s. I tried twice. If pushed a would say A sounded brighter but not more pleasant. clearly there’s nothing wrong with your recording device, as the scraping sound of the cable connects on the desk was pretty unbearable! I’d like to think there is a difference that cables make and I have upgraded many of my cables from basic freebies, but I don’t think the science supports spending big bucks. Looking forward to seeing what others think.
Does your system have an upgraded power supply to go along with your upgraded cables & is there a sonic difference of more than 5- 10-% ?
@@deadline7610 I have different requirements for each component depending on whether they have internal or external power suppliers. I have just switched the PS for my streamer from switch mode to linear. Let’s see! Either way I really don’t expect much difference.
i found set a to be more numb but set b to have much more noise like you raised your mics gain …hmm
Hi Bro, Set A sounds better to me, using a quality headphone amp and dac, with beyerdynamic T1 headphones. Day and night difference between A and B. :)
Gr8 reviews and all that and therefore what about the sense of using power conditioners or just going with simple power strips... Show us what You've got in the department of separating Your gear from the wall... THX in advance! 🎃
I will probably make a video about that. It's an interesting experience because conditioners work well in some cases but not in others.
That's the reason I'm proposing the topic... Had a lot of YTbing about the matter + some personal experience, where after replacing a 20 year old wall plug 3x splitter with a contemporary simple yet nice looking and sturdy 5x powercube, My Topping DX3 Pro+ magically 'opened up & became a detail monster' comparing to the previous state... Just as if there was something in that old splitter preventing the current from fully powering the AMP/DAC... Strange, cause it was working without any errors or anything and yet there was this in My oppinion 1/4 sound quality clipping... There was something off in the splitter, cause the clipping affected also the TV by lowering 10% of its brightness and color saturation, and 1/4 of the PC horsepower, so I recon that this powercube is the best 60PLN = 15$ I've spent in my whole life (PS - I'm from Poland, so pronouncing Your name isn't a problem here 🎃)... The YT sages like Paul McGowan from PS Audio do state boldly, that conditioners are in most cases a detriment to the AMP/DAC performance and that they require the noisy current from the wall, so that they can do their magic... so it would imply that a simple powerstrip or powercube like mine is the Holy Grail in all the billion $ gear madness or on the other side of the spectrum one should eventually buy a power plant like those from Paul's PS Audio (it's the most pricey scenario though)... Anyhow don't be affected by any of that, and when You are ready and the time is right, just give US Your experience & thoughts about all of this, cause many people may save money or on the contrary, find another way to pimp up their soundreactor 🤑 BTW I'm following closely anything You say about the AMP/DAC combos and planars that would become an instant OK I'M IN on the GO TO path from My price to performance king DX3 Pro+ & Sennheiser HD 560S... not that the PARA or Edition XS aren't good enough, but it's always some detail or a price/performacne BUT and an overall IS IT WORTH IT to jump not high enough (without testing personaly, not sure how much improvement will there really be)... Wish You well & will be waiting for that powerstrip flick ! 🎃!... and the new All In One FIIO R9 review if You noticed it and consider this thing among all the other goodies 🧐
I have myself actually noticed a remarkable difference by upgrading a S/Pdif cable from an emergency use LOUSY freebee to a inexpensive but more "audiophile" interconnect. That made me fiddle around with it more and I tested that cheap max 10 euro cable against a quite expensive Van Den Hul cable. It made absolutely no futher difference in my very revealing 10k$ system. My conclution was that good enough is good enough.
I have also noticed well audible differences by A-B testing when upgrading the subwoofer interconnect and speaker cables.
I believe that the difference I heard was 99% from the S/Pdif cable. I cannot believe that powercords and a network cable would make a audible difference. If so, does not that mean that the power supply in the devices are sketchy? After all it is their job to convert and filter the dirty power coming in.
🤗. THANK YOU …SRBOLJUB ( I have no idea how to pronounce your name 🤔😁 BUT I HAVE BEEN HELPED IN MY AUDIOPHILE JOURNEY IN YOUR PREVIOUS VIDEOS AND I HOPE THINGS ARE GOING WELL IN SERBIA 🤗😍😍😍
I can't use headphones as I'm rather electrosensitive -- especially with EM fields close to my head. So I had to use my PC powered speakers (Edifier 1280T). I noticed a difference, but to be honest I thought that set B might sound better. When You made the reveal, I listened again and of course then thought that set A sounded better, particularly on the third track. But in all truth I can only say there's a difference; I'd have to be in the room to make a better judgement.
Recently, I decided to try coaxial digital instead of my more usual Toslink cable in my hi-fi rig. To my surprise, I found that I preferred the coaxial. Thing is, it's not all one way. Separation and detail *seems* better on Toslink, but the music is more coherent and enjoyable on coaxial: less analytical, more rhythmical if you like.
What do I want to do? Put on my analytic ears, or just enjoy the music? I think I'm gradually coming to lean more towards the latter now. I've ordered some (I hope!) better quality coax cable and RCA interconnects to link up my preamp and power amp and we will see what transpires.
Hey John, what signs are there to look at for EM fields? I'm asking because I had purchased Bluetooth headphones/earphones earlier this year and would start getting a headache and dizziness. Don't have that happening with my regular wired stuff. I chalked it up to me being sensitive to Bluetooth frequencies being so close to the brain with those devices.
I wonder if even the wired stuff emit similar radiation.
@@hyedefinition1080 I don't know if it's EM radiation or not, but I know I can't wear wired headphones. I can't even wear a battery-driven wristwatch.
I haven't tried wireless headphones but think I'll continue to give them a miss, just like I do all wireless technology, mobile phones, DECT phones, smart meters and so on.
Even with my Mid-Fi system, 'all' the cables matter. I have done the A-B test. Best, D. #WBCables.
Cables makes slight differences in some systems. Proper acoustical room treatment makes a huge difference in any system, more than most people would expect. And it should be a basic starting point, cables should be the last thing left to upgrade. That's the truth many audiophiles don't understand or don't want to understand. Cheers!
cables are of significant importance - leave out your power cable and you know, what I mean
Well Said, Room acoustics are a big one. You got house mains cabling and then the last metre you use an expensive cable and expect miracles!, isn't it better to use a mains filter, much cheaper.
My experience:
1. A Cat8 cable for streaming is essential.
2. A linnear power supplier is basic.
3. Good cables ensure magnetic insulation.
This is my experience.
Why replace the power cable ? By the same token replace the house wires and the wire to the power station
I would think you weren't being honest if I couldn't hear a difference between the two sets of demos. I was never on board with the idea that a power or digital signal cable could improve the sound, and now I don't know what to believe.
Edit to add: I did recently notice that a high quality custom headphone cable for my HD600 improved the sound over the cheap thing I was using before. So perhaps there is something in this!
Yup, changed all my power cables after trying one each on mp PC and DAC.
🤔 DEFINITELY HEARD A DIFFERENCE…LISTENED WITH MY EYES 👀 CLOSED 👍
I believe there is a certain synergy can be achieved when all cables within a system are purchased within, of a same manufacturer. Not saying better but can be a different impact on the sound signature observed. Like different flavors of ice cream, it’s all good if you enjoy ice cream, it’s just some flavors might better suit your palette than others, ie there is no terrible ice cream! LOL
🤗 CONFESSION IS GOOD FOR YOUR SOUL 🤗😉😍😍😍
A>B
🧐 GREAT TO DO A COST / BENEFIT ANALYSIS AND …. A CHAIN IS ONLY AS STRONG AS IT’S WEAKEST LINK 😍😍😍
🤗YOU DO GET JOY AND SATISFACTION FROM HELPING OTHERS WHO ARE OPEN TO CHECKING OUT AND BENEFITING FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE 🤩😍😍😍
I’m glad you made this video.
I Personally couldn’t any hear a difference at all.
Thank you,
Brian
He still has only facebook?
Yes
@@iiWiReviews i deleted my Facebook account because of their censorship terror
Set A sounds better to me, using a quality headphone amp and dac, with beyerdynamic T1 headphones. Day and night difference between A and B.
I am an EE. Watch a video from Audioholics where they recorded a song through a set of $5 RCA's, $25 RCA's, and $2000 RCA's, then subtracted the original source from the recording through the RCA's. And the winner WAS!!!! Drumroll!!!!!! The $25 RCA's. Most of that expensive stuff is 100% snake oil. And ETHERNET cable!? :rolleyes: my dude... If you can download a 100 gigabyte game, and the game runs with all the same 1's and 0's on ANY PC across the planet, I can assure you, what is getting to the DAC is identical. Money is much better spent on better equipment.
Downloading a file with all checks in place is one thing. Streaming real time with devices that are all interconnected electrically and have to deal with any sort of noise or jitter in real time is another thing. Apples and oranges, and I assure you that difference can be heard in a really good system.
BTW, Audiohlics had a whole article about all amps sounding the same if their power is the same few years back. Obvious lack of sound perception and very shallow technical understanding of amplification was simply staggering at that point. So I signed off from that site.
Bigger gains are always had from getting the correct speakers setup properly in the room, with acoustic treatment. Then you find an amp and source that drives your speakers properly. Then go buy music and move on with your life. Instead of jumping on forums looking for a band aid or an overly expensive tweak.
I always said, "I will not buy Audio Quest". But, for the quality they are affordable. Optical and USB short runs, for the two. $200.
I though that for the first song set B sounded better and for the 2nd song set A. Third one no difference. Might also be youtube compressing everything to hell and back. Anyway, I always feel that more expensive isn't always better. I had a listen to the Focal Grande Utopias a month ago and to be honest, I wasn't that impressed by the 300-350k setup. I still rather have my own alot-cheaper-setup.
Audio is all just personal taste I guess.