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Do Equipment Cables Make A Difference?

J

jmiles1960

Super Member
I searched, but didn't find a discussion on this topic. Does the quality, grade, manufacturer, type, etc... of the cables used to connect components to the receiver, amplifier and various components really make a noticeable difference? Under what circumstances? I am running average gear from the 70's, Marantz, AKAI, Technics. My cables are (RCA) are just as old. I was wondering if they make any difference or impact when I do future recordings and playbacks. What are people here using or recommend for the average home user? Monster? Etc... Thanks!
 
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IMO, on gear that is just average your money is better spent on music:music: as long as your average cables are functioning as designed, that is... and the distances/type of run aren't calling for something with better interference rejection, ect...
tal
 
Recalling my '70's average gear (Technics receiver, TT - no where near top of the line, Panasonic cassette deck and Large Advent speakers) no, wiring did not make a worthwhile difference.

qboneus is right - just make sure the wires are in good condition, the power cables are not cracked with age, etc. A bad interconnect can blow a speaker (don't ask how I know....)
 
qboneus - do you have Hales speakers? Nice! Very nice!!

I met the designer / owner once in a stereo store - really nice guy.
 
jmiles1960 said:
I searched, but didn't find a discussion on this topic. Does the quality, grade, manufacturer, type, etc... of the cables used to connect components to the receiver, amplifier and various components really make a noticeable difference? Under what circumstances? I am running average gear from the 70's, Marantz, AKAI, Technics. My cables are (RCA) are just as old. I was wondering if they make any difference or impact when I do future recordings and playbacks. What are people here using or recommend for the average home user? Monster? Etc... Thanks!
Click to expand...

The answer, absolutely yes, but perhaps not so much with your system - not that there's anything wrong with it at all. If the cables you're using are old it might not be a bad idea to replace them with new ones, but not Monster.:D
 
GaryP said:
qboneus - do you have Hales speakers? Nice! Very nice!!

I met the designer / owner once in a stereo store - really nice guy.
Click to expand...
:yes: Hales Revelation 3's:yes:


http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=230139


I have spoken with Paul Hales as well myself although, not in person like you and find him to be a very generous and helpful even though he has gone on to different projects he had time to chat with me.
Just wish more people had a chance to enjoy the magic his speakers can create!


cheers,
tal
 
Yes, but maybe you won't hear it. Quality cables need not be expensive to improve on what you're running now. Even a pair of name-brand $15 cables are an improvement over what came with your stuff from decades ago.
 
zip cord - for that authentic vintage sound...

after all the 60s and 70s gear was DESIGNED with zip cord in mind :D
 
jmiles1960 said:
I searched, but didn't find a discussion on this topic...
Click to expand...

You did? And didn't find anything? I don't mean to be rude, but that seems hard to believe, given that this issue is perhaps the most commonly discussed and hotly debated in all of audio.

You will find many people who firmly believe that the more you spend on cables, the better your system will sound.

You will also find many people who believe that a cable is just a cable and the electrons don't know if your interconnects cost $5 or $5000.

And there are also lots of people- perhaps a majority and I'm in this group- who are willing to admit that some cables do sound better than others, but that the law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point. Where this point is- $25, $100, $500 etc depends on 1) your ears, and 2) the quality of your system- it seems pretty clear that after a certain point, you need a pretty highly resolving system, especially speakers, to really be able to discern a difference in better cables.

But as has been said, moving off the bottom of the line $3 cables and spending at least $15-50 will probably provide some benefit in all but bottom of the line systems. And yeah, avoid Monster Cables which are mostly hype.

Clear as mud?

My $.002. Be prepared for a total lack of consensus on this topic.
 
qboneus said:
Just wish more people had a chance to enjoy the magic his speakers can create!
Click to expand...

He really is a nice guy! Was a little surprised to meet him, though. Hales are one of the very few speakers that don't sound like the sound is coming out of a box. Was considering a used pair of the 2's (IIRC) but they were only 2 way and didn't go deep enough. Oh well...
 
I am running average gear from the 70's, Marantz, AKAI, Technics. My cables are (RCA) are just as old. I was wondering if they make any difference or impact when I do future recordings and playbacks. What are people here using or recommend for the average home user?

Look on ebay for discontinued or last years AR brand cables. 35 dollar stereo cable 6 feet long for 5 bucks a pair. Can't beat them. Buy a whole bunch and you will be set for years. They will sound better than what you are now using but more expensive cables will not make a difference to you.

I found a Monster brand cable out for garbage along with a broken stereo cabinet, brought home the Monsters and they actually sound like crap to me...
 
There is nothing particularly wrong with Monster cables. Most disdain their business practices, but at the end of the day, the cables themselves are OK. Better than some not as good as others. You just have to be on the lookout for those with the "death grip" that can ruin your RCA jacks.
 
...

I couldn't do a better job of expressing my own opion than riverrat did:
riverrat said:
(...) some cables do sound better than others, but that the law of diminishing returns kicks in at some point. Where this point is- $25, $100, $500 etc depends on 1) your ears, and 2) the quality of your system- it seems pretty clear that after a certain point, you need a pretty highly resolving system, especially speakers, to really be able to discern a difference in better cables.
Click to expand...

riverrat said:
You did? And didn't find anything? I don't mean to be rude, but that seems hard to believe, given that this issue is perhaps the most commonly discussed and hotly debated in all of audio.
Click to expand...

Yeh, I found this hard to believe also. To give him the benefit of the doubt, I'm often amazed at what the AK search engine won't recognize.
 
Different cables will have different capacitance, inductance, and resistance (these are mostly what we're worried about - there are a few other factors that arguably have an effect) that will impart subtle changes on the signal passed through them.

Some equipment is more sensitive to these changes in cabling than other pieces. Some equipment owners will, whether they admit it or not, use different cables in lieu of tone controls to achieve a sound that pleases them more.

Beyond a basic level of construction competancy (that you'll probably reach with a cable costing <$30 a meter), I'm not sure you can necessarily say that one cable is better than another - different sure, maybe even better for certain combinations of gear, but not all-around better.

If you're unhappy with one boutique (>$30 a meter) cable, try a different one. Don't be surprised if relative price has nothing to do with performance, though. Spending large amounts of money on cables is really only the path to satisfaction if spending large amounts of money satisfies you.

If you've never been happier with your system than when you bought your new expensive cables and you find that your system's sound improves the more you spend on them, I'd like to hear a rebuttal. I love the smell of dead horse in the morning...
 
jmiles1960 said:
I searched, but didn't find a discussion on this topic. Does the quality, grade, manufacturer, type, etc... of the cables used to connect components to the receiver, amplifier and various components really make a noticeable difference? Under what circumstances? I am running average gear from the 70's, Marantz, AKAI, Technics. My cables are (RCA) are just as old. I was wondering if they make any difference or impact when I do future recordings and playbacks. What are people here using or recommend for the average home user? Monster? Etc... Thanks!
Click to expand...

For 'average gear from the 70's', what you have will do just fine, unless those 30 yr old cables need replacing. As long as you're happy with the 'noise floor' with the system you have, then be happy. You need to be happy with your system.

Does upgrading interconnects (IC's) make a difference? Yes. But there is so much more to making a system sound better than improved IC's. And a lot of those improvements deal with addressing the results from radio frequency interference (RFI) from various sources (and whether you want to spend the time & money to address it). Those RF waves are flying everywhere.
 
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