Jump to content

How do you decide which cable brand to buy or do you buy anything?


Recommended Posts

I'm interested not in whether cables sound the same/different but how you decide which cables to buy? And another thing, once you find a brand, say you like a certain IC, do you stick with that brand for other cables? So do you have your whole system comprising of say, QED cables, IC's, speaker cables, digital cables or is it just a concoction of stuff you've picked up over the years? 

 

What are the reasons you've done it one way or the other? I do ask this question not just out of interest but also as a bit of direction of what I am to do in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



Started off by using professional cables I.e  Belden, Mogami etc.  Then read a bit about lots of ppl liking Aurealis cables so chatted with Geoff and purchased a few for the tt->phono amp->step up->pre amp. 

Then again a lot of ppl talking about Mike Lenehan’s speaker cables so tried those and again internet chatter led me to talk to Galen at Belden which lead me to try Iconoclast by Belden.

Edited by frankn
Add
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, barn door said:

Buy anything (after reading a little about them online) that fits in my price range . . . I’m certainly not brand loyal, but I do stay away from brands that have disappointed me in the past. Once bitten, twice shy.
 

Wonder if it's worth being brand loyal? Would it be a better balance for your system?

Link to comment
Share on other sites



My system was a little on the bright side so I was particularly interested in brands of cable that are known to have a slightly mellower signature sound. Did a bit of research and came up with a shortlist of brands and then went about trying as many of those that I could, either by borrowing from retailers to test or buying on sna where I could resell with minimal loss if necessary. I bought the one I thought integrated best in my system and produced the best sound. But once the right balance is achieved, it is not necessarily the case that the optimal choice for a different cable would be the same brand. For example it might be more neutral.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 09/12/2018 at 11:57 PM, RussB said:

My system was a little on the bright side so I was particularly interested in brands of cable that are known to have a slightly mellower signature sound. Did a bit of research and came up with a shortlist of brands and then went about trying as many of those that I could, either by borrowing from retailers to test or buying on sna where I could resell with minimal loss if necessary. I bought the one I thought integrated best in my system and produced the best sound. But once the right balance is achieved, it is not necessarily the case that the optimal choice for a different cable would be the same brand. For example it might be more neutral.

I found this list:

https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/warmest-interconnects-and-speaker-wire.266840/

 

I don't understand why cable talk is so taboo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read each manufacturer's product description looking for bollocks pseudoscience, then exclude them. After that I look for ones based on scientific principles, even if there is debate over whether those minuscule differences are audible or not, I audition if they're in a reasonable price range and then buy if I like what I think I hear.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, Ittaku said:

I read each manufacturer's product description looking for bollocks pseudoscience, then exclude them. After that I look for ones based on scientific principles, even if there is debate over whether those minuscule differences are audible or not, I audition if they're in a reasonable price range and then buy if I like what I think I hear.

How do you audition? In home?

Link to comment
Share on other sites



On 08/12/2018 at 8:05 PM, blakey72 said:

how you decide which cables to buy?

Look at the list of things which are known to matter most in a cable, and find one which addresses those .... and then move on to other things (not cables) which are known to matter a lot.

 

Low capacitance and/or inductance

Appropriate shielding

High precision geometry

High quality termination

Good enough durability

 

This typically leads me to some "well known" big name cable brands, that have a very large installed base (for good reason).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 09/12/2018 at 9:31 AM, Thekman76 said:

Off-topic a little, do you mind sharing your opinion of these?

I am looking forward to trying them .... to see what the immense price increase offers anything tangible.

 

It will be just a trial .... as although my systems is many many 10s of kilo-bucks, the budget breakdown does not extend to cables of that pricing.   FWIW, regular Belden cable is about 10% the price of "Iconoclast".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 09/12/2018 at 11:57 PM, RussB said:

My system was a little on the bright side so I was particularly interested in brands of cable that are known to have a slightly mellower signature sound. Did a bit of research and came up with a shortlist of brands and then went about trying as many of those that I could, either by borrowing from retailers to test or buying on sna where I could resell with minimal loss if necessary. I bought the one I thought integrated best in my system and produced the best sound. But once the right balance is achieved, it is not necessarily the case that the optimal choice for a different cable would be the same brand. For example it might be more neutral.

What brand did you end up, I’m looking for a so called warm XLR. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Sime V2 said:

What brand did you end up, I’m looking for a so called warm XLR. 

Well I've read quite a lot on 'warm' cables over the past 3-4 days and although not a term used often with cables I have heard other descriptions. 'Rolled off highs', 'tending towards the lower end -bassy', 'neutral and non-fatigueing'. 

 

I've found that these qualities seem to be a mixed bag. Just because one brands cable exibits certain charactoristics it doesn't mean that another model from the same brand will be the same. 

 

On brand that is mentioned quite a lot as being 'warmish, easy to listen to', is Van Den Hul. That's where I'd start. Oh and I've also read in a few different articles/threads that Audioquest seem to keep a similar sound signature right through their range.

 

None of this info has been tested on humans.......

Link to comment
Share on other sites



1 minute ago, Sime V2 said:

@blakey72 thanks for that, funny thing is, I recently swapped out a VDH XLR for an AudioQuest Columbia which improved things slightly. 

Yeah well that shows how much variation there can be. It also comes down to synergy with your system. So you feel the Audioquest gave a more relaxed sound?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really think there's any way to call it until you've heard it in your own system. Kind of sucks when you live in the country. I was considering trying an XLR cable and was tossing up between VDH and Audioquest.

Edited by blakey72
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My preference is to support Australian manufacturers and ideally, try before I buy. Geoff from Aurealis Audio was very helpful and sent me a range of his IC's to try. I bought the ones that sounded best in my system.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites



9 minutes ago, cdave said:

My preference is to support Australian manufacturers and ideally, try before I buy. Geoff from Aurealis Audio was very helpful and sent me a range of his IC's to try. I bought the ones that sounded best in my system.

Yep another I have considered along with Audio Principe.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm interested not in whether cables sound the same/different but how you decide which cables to buy? And another thing, once you find a brand, say you like a certain IC, do you stick with that brand for other cables? So do you have your whole system comprising of say, QED cables, IC's, speaker cables, digital cables or is it just a concoction of stuff you've picked up over the years? 
 
What are the reasons you've done it one way or the other? I do ask this question not just out of interest but also as a bit of direction of what I am to do in the future.


Really interesting question that has made me think back to when I was experimenting with different cables and thinking through the process at the time.

I have not made changes in IC or speaker cable for a long time! (8-10yrs now).
Yes I still have a collection of Blue Jeans , Belden and Canare IC and speaker cables still in the cupboard; and a range of standard Naim and Flashback cables (Naim, Quad, Leak) which I use in my system in the study.

In main listening room system I use WSS Kable platin Line ICs and tonearm cable. Chord Epic Twin 5mt pair (12-14 yrs).

My general conclusions are, not in any priority order:

* having good connectors are really important and I have WBT and Eichmann on the cables I use in my main listening room system.

*the cables are only one part of a system that ends in the sound produced by the speakers and its interaction with the room environment. So not only cables have to be taken into account, but also placement of speaker, adjustments to component placement and isolation and adjustment of room treatments to get the “sound” you like and want. So not about whether one cable is better than another but what matches ( and what adjustments you can make) with the other components in the chain for the end result you want to enjoy.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, vivianbl said:


*the cables are only one part of a system that ends in the sound produced by the speakers and its interaction with the room environment. So not only cables have to be taken into account, but also placement of speaker, adjustments to component placement and isolation and adjustment of room treatments to get the “sound” you like and want. So not about whether one cable is better than another but what matches ( and what adjustments you can make) with the other components in the chain for the end result you want to enjoy.
 

 

Yeah I agree. I think I've generally sorted most things. My components are up to scratch IMO, not huge high end but good enough to get decent sound. My speakers seem to match well with my components/room. I have applied basic acoustic room treatment.So the only thing I haven't addressed is cables. AC cables are all OEM. Speakers are a mix of RG213/U, Bunnings and cheap white lightning. IC's are just a big pot of hand me downs, cheap specials, 2nd hand.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So back to topic, putting aside the war on cables sound different/same, I kind of get the idea that the process is really trial and error. Not a case of I pick this brand and everything revolves around this. So if in the future I decide to try to improve in this area, there's no guide to the Galaxy. Back to square one really....

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had been out of HiFi long enough by my most recent system upgrade that I googled "best cable". I'm somewhat embarrassed to say I went with a cable that was highly reviewed by What HiFi - QED Reference Audio 40 for my CD player. I subsequently bought Audio Principe 1m SHIELDED Teflon / silver plated for my Phono amp to main amp after reading about them on SNA. I only have them both to compare and to be honest I haven't even bothered switching between them which I should try. My CD source sounds wonderful with high levels of detail in the context of my modest system. I would say it slightly shades my vinyl replay so I should swap them and see if the cable makes any difference.

So I generally read reviews and recommendations for cables and the word "transparent" will attract me and the word "warm" will warn me off.

Link to comment
Share on other sites



  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...
To Top