Guest yamaha_man Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 In your experience I'm wondering what you think makes a more audible difference, changing interconnects or speaker cables? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 For me it was speaker cables, if you don't include the TT signal RCAs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luc Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 Heard a difference when I changed speakers cables but haven't heard a discernible difference when swapping out IC's(yet) in my system but heard a chalk+cheese change in presentation at Toma Audio when a MiT IC was popped into a system. Instant change to the music that had me going: "Fark it! So it is true after all...bugger. More money to outlay..." :angry: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Muon Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 The regular ICs made a difference here, just not as profound as the speaker cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joz Posted June 23, 2014 Share Posted June 23, 2014 When changing from copper to silver or visa versa, is when I noticed the biggest differences. Changing within similar construction and gauge, not so much change. I'm not a cable guy at all. But if it looks good and built well I would consider them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muscat Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Changing speaker cables made more of a difference for me. Mind you this was going from unterminated jaycar specials to proper cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bhobba Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 For me - speaker cables. Thanks Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 My view is ICs. More 'information' from the source and between pre and power amp. Of course it all depends... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakeItSo Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Both are equally important ... no different to having a good CDP and good Amplifier ... IME Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I can't help thinking that finding the speaker cables that suit YOUR speakers/amp seems to be an important issue! not sure how that applies to interconnects. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwhitesox Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 My vote goes for speak cables as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamg Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 (edited) Heard a difference when I changed speakers cables but haven't heard a discernible difference when swapping out IC's(yet) in my system but heard a chalk+cheese change in presentation at Toma Audio when a MiT IC was popped into a system. Instant change to the music that had me going: "Fark it! So it is true after all...bugger. More money to outlay..." :angry: It was a significant difference wasn't it Lee. From memory the source was a Rega Apollo CDP . I think it was an entry / mid-range Audioquest IC swapped out for an entry level MIT that smoothed the hard egde right out. I've been trialling some affordable ICs and speaker cables recently. All have had discernible qualities but the speaker cables have had the greatest impact in my case - even using good old BJC ICs. When I was making my enquiries to cable makers (I need custom cables) the general consensus was that the BJCs were the weak link and new ICs would provide the more significant improvement over speaker cable (also BJC). I guess if your system is relatively happy with your current ICs (regardless of cost) but not your speaker cable then the right change in the latter will make the biggest improvement - and vice versa. Edited June 27, 2014 by adamg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancientflatulence Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Speaker cables made an astounding difference. I was unsure if I would be able to hear any difference, but clarity and soundstage were vastly improved and it was immediately apparent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve u Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Having an interconnect comparo at my place this weekend, should be a bit of fun to compare at a few different price points. I'm a cable believer, speaker cable upgrade was the first course of business and now trialing interconnects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wooferocau Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Definitely speaker cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agisthos Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 It was speaker cables, until I experienced High Fidelity Cables ic's and digital cables. These were a quantum leap over all my previous IC's. (and a quantum leap in price I admit) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denimhunter Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Changing power cables and power board make a huge difference too. Didn't believe it until I heard the difference recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini07 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Changing power cables and power board make a huge difference too. Didn't believe it until I heard the difference recently. +1 on that. The ISO Tech gear has been an eye/ear opener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 +2 on the Isotek. The Polaris is just great and makes a huge improvement. The other big change I have experienced was when I switched ICs and speaker cables from Tellurium Q to the ETI Quiessence Q500 . It was a quantum leap and the difference was literally a revelation in my system. The TQ has lots of gushy reviews coming out the Wazzoo but the ETI Quiessence ( which has just one that I know of ) is vastly superior in every way. The only thing is that the speaker and IC cables should be used together to get the maximum benefit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini07 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I think, as a few others have hinted, that the bigger questions are WHICH speaker cables and WHICH interconnects for the system you have (or are putting together). Otherwise it just becomes a never ending merry-go-round. Good power cables/conditioners will mainly boost the attributes of the gear you already have, IMO. I'd also avoid mixing and matching ICs and SCs: try to stick with the same brands/models to ensure consistency of the sonic signature. Also, I wouldn't mix copper cables with silver, even if they made by the same company. Quite different qualities. Personally, I'd look mainly at Australasian brands, not only for the highest quality but also unsurpassed customer service. Most will also let you return gear if you don't like it. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest yamaha_man Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 +2 on the Isotek. The Polaris is just great and makes a huge improvement. The other big change I have experienced was when I switched ICs and speaker cables from Tellurium Q to the ETI Quiessence Q500 . Would be interesting to compare them to my Transparent cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kab Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Both for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanta911 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Well I can tell the difference between XLRs & RCAs as I just finished a month of comparing. These are interconnects that I have had for some 3 or 4 years, same brand and same model - JPS Labs Superconductor Q. My setup: Oppo BDP-105D MF M6 500i amp B&W 803 Diamond speakers Chord Epic Twin speaker cable The first thing I had to get over was a 6db difference in volume but once I had that down pat, there was a discernible difference between them. Whilst it wasn't apparent on all music, the XLRs are cleaner and certainly a touch more transparent or detailed than the RCAs - the detail and crispness on certain recordings is wonderful. In general, the RCAs added a small amount of distortion which made recordings a little "warmer" than the XLRs. Having said that, I will be sticking with the RCAs. There is nothing wrong with a little distortion if it equals musicality. The XLRs can be a little too revealing & clinical with a large part of my music on my system and on some slightly poorer recordings I would describe it as harsh. The RCAs were the better all rounder that added just a touch of colour to even out the differences. So, the quest for detail & transparency does have pitfalls - be careful what you wish for Of course any comparo would depend on equipment and the room, but these were my findings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest myrantz Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I think, as a few others have hinted, that the bigger questions are WHICH speaker cables and WHICH interconnects for the system you have (or are putting together). Otherwise it just becomes a never ending merry-go-round. Good power cables/conditioners will mainly boost the attributes of the gear you already have, IMO. I'd also avoid mixing and matching ICs and SCs: try to stick with the same brands/models to ensure consistency of the sonic signature. Also, I wouldn't mix copper cables with silver, even if they made by the same company. Quite different qualities. Personally, I'd look mainly at Australasian brands, not only for the highest quality but also unsurpassed customer service. Most will also let you return gear if you don't like it. Cheers. Like what Ryuichi Sawada and Ken Ishiwata of Marantz said, cables can "tune" the sound of a system. Think of the system components as food on a plate, and cables the salt and pepper. So it's really season to taste. Like food, salt and pepper aren't the main ingredients. But without these seasonings, the final dish just wouldn't come together, it'd be missing that extra "something". In that context, it is indeed a merry go round, as sometimes you want something a bit saltier, and sometimes you prefer sometimes a bit sweeter.. It all depends on the flavour you like (i.e. the music genere you like). And this can change over time (hence a merry go round). For me, today I actually do mix silver with copper ... With silver interconnects I find there is a lot of clarity in the music, I can hear every little nuance and a lot more detail. But personally I find I can't really listen long to my system when everything is silver. So to balance it out I use copper speakers cables in my system - maintaining that clarity and imaging, and yet still gives me something that's very easy to listen to. This combination works very well to the kind of music I listen to (but it will not work for every genre). Sometimes, it's the different properties that makes it work... (not always though, so YMMV as there are so many factors involved).. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benje Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 denimhunter, gemini07, phantom +1 re the improvement from better power cables and power boards. I just installed the Isotek Polaris power board and power cable (from Toma Audio) and have gone from a disbeliever to a believer. Sorted out the deficiencies in my system. I have posted more detail on the Toma-Audio Hi-Fi blog thread. Now, the next challenge is to hear if a better hdmi cable improves the audio as well. That is for the weekend. Benje Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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