[Monsterzero]

I recently had the chance to compare 7 different RCA cables,4 USB cables and power cables as well.
This experiment took over one month to complete as many of the cables needed to be burned in prior.

The purpose for this shootout is not to convince non-believers in cables. Any comments made telling me im crazy or high will be flagged and respectfully ignored by me.

The reason for this shootout is to help those looking to upgrade the cables in their systems.
When possible I did not know the retail price of the cables in this shootout prior to testing,to try and minimize any expectation bias.

If you have a cable you'd like to send me to compare to those that i have purchased,you can PM me,and we can discuss it privately.

Gear used in experiment:

ZMF Verite Closed w/ ZMF 2K copper cable.
Glenn Studios OTL GEC U18/20, 2x Ken Rad 6J5, 6x GE 6BX7
Lampizator Atlantic TRP DAC
Aurender N100H server

RCA cables:

Worlds Best Cables Canare Starquad-$35.00
ATL Audio GA-UP 1128-$135.00
ATL GA-40 KLE-$174.00
Wireworld Equinox 7-$140.00
Triode Labs Spirit ll Phono- $449.00-$699.00
C-Marc LessLoss- $850.00
Triode Labs Revelation Prototype-$1000.00

USB cable used: FTA Callisto

USB Cables:

Audioquest Cinnamon-$79.00
Mapleshade Clearview-(discontinued,$140.00 when it was made)
TotalDAC D1-350.00 Euro
FTA Callisto- $880.00

RCA cable used: C-Marc Lessloss

Power Cables

Pangea Audio AC 14SE MK ll Signature- $49.95
LessLoss C-Marc- $1148.00

Note. I received no financial compensation for my experiment. I also will receive no financial compensation from any sale of the products featured or otherwise in this review.

Special thanks to @Zachik , @dminches , @Gopher for loaning me cables used in this shootout.
Also special thanks to Constantin from Atelier13-usa.com and Pete from triodewirelabs.com for their generosity in loaning out cables for this shootout

Sonic attributes I listened for:

speed
staging
mid bass
sub bass
dynamics
mids
highs
air
imaging
PRaT
smoothness

Songs I used for this shootout:

All files are locally stored and redbook quality,unless otherwise noted.

Metallica-Enter Sandman-hard rock 24/96
Lighthouse-One Fine Morning-70s poppy/jazzy/proggy
Ajja and Cosmosis- Into the Deep-psybient
Grateful Dead- Friend of the Devil- folk rock-24/192
I-Bridges of Fire-black metal
Irukanji-goa trance
Carbon Based Lifeforms-Photosynthesis-psybient
Joan Baez-Diamonds and Rust-folk
Deep Purple-Pictures of Home-hard rock 24/96
Snowy White-Bird of Paradise-blues
Beatles-Come Together-2019 remaster-classic rock-24/96
Pink Floyd-Pigs(Three Different Ones)-prog rock-24/96
Parasite Inc.-Pulse of The Dead-melodic death metal

 

[dminches]

Darren, great job on this. Cables matter and they sound different in every system.

 

[mordy]

Hi M0,
Would it be possible to make a list of the cables you like in order of preference with short comments?

 

[Monsterzero]

Darren, great job on this. Cables matter and they sound different in every system.

Thanks man. This was a lot of work. And yes,youre absolutely correct. Cables can make a huge difference,even the "lowly" USB.

Hi M0,
Would it be possible to make a list of the cables you like in order of preference with short comments?

Yeah Mordy I can do that. I need to make dinner,and then im watching Lakers vs. Bucks at 8pm,so it will be later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[mordy]

Thanks man. This was a lot of work. And yes,youre absolutely correct. Cables can make a huge difference,even the "lowly" USB.



Yeah Mordy I can do that. I need to make dinner,and then im watching Lakers vs. Bucks at 8pm,so it will be later tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks - take your time....

 

[bryceu]

Lotta work went into this. Thanks for your time!

 

[maxpudding]

Thanks man, appreciate this.

 

[Monsterzero]

Hi M0,
Would it be possible to make a list of the cables you like in order of preference with short comments?

This is really a case Mordy of before and after adding the high end power cable. Prior to adding the LessLoss power cable,and conditioner dongle,the two clear winners both individually and in combination were the LessLoss C-Marc RCA and Callisto USB. The combo was breathtaking. Once I added in the power treatments,the Callisto still reigned supreme,but the gap between the C-Mark and the protoype Triode RCA was not as wide as it was prior.

The only cable in the whole shootout that failed miserably was the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB. The rest were,as I mentioned in the video,various shades of good. The Callisto was without a doubt the best USB cable,across the board. Unfortunately I did not have another comparably priced USB cable to contest it. More expensive doesnt always equate to better,but in this case it definitely was.

For the RCAs

God Tier:

1.LessLoss C-Marc. Most holographic sounding of all the cables. Diffused sound. All the other RCAs sounded like various shades of HD600s. The C-Marc sounded like a HD800. Thats an over simplification of things,but you get the idea.
I gave it an overall score of 9.83 out of ten. The staging was otherworldly. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it didnt quite provide the direct,gritty drive needed for metal. In essence,its too good for metal.

2. Triode Labs Revalation was my 2nd favorite cable. It didnt quite do the 3D like the C-Marc,but it has more energy up top and drive to make metal sound legit. Once I added the power treatments,the differences between the two was more a matter of preference rather than one being better than the other. Very natural sounding. 9.32 prior to power cable. Closer to 9.5 after.

All World Tier

3. ATL GA-40. I loved this cable at first,almost as much as the C-Marc,but when I started throwing heavier music at it,the slowness and lack of drive drove the overall score down. If you dont listen to metal,dont mind gently rolled off treble,and dont want to drop close to a grand on a cable this would be a very strong choice.

Very Good Tier:

4.Wireworld Equinox 7. Speedy,dynamic,punchy,fantastic treble extension. Not very smooth sounding though. This cable wasnt quite as refined as the ones above it,but it flat out rocks. When things slowed down,and vocals or acoustics took center stage you could hear how it wasnt quite as good. The staging depth wasnt as good either,but if you have a warm system and like to rock out,and cant afford the Revelation,this would be a solid choice.

5. Triode Labs Phono RCA

This cable is just so silky smooth when I tried it as a digital to digital interconnect. It has very little treble extension though. Slow. Great staging,nice sub bass. Its hard for me to give you an accurate description of what it can do as I do not own a turntable. If you want your system to sound like a warm smooth scotch,this is the cable for you.

6. ATL GA-UP-1128- this cable and I didnt get along very well. It had some rough edges in my system,yet it was also not very fast. Staging and mids were its strong points. I have a feeling this cable needed more burn-in time.

7. Worlds Best Cable Canare quad- This cable is like a jacked up muscle car blasting AC/DC,cruising the blvd. on a Friday night. Not refined. Etched sounding,by far the most artificial sounding cable in the test. However it slammed ike no other,was super fast,good treble extension. Very good sounding cable for rock and metal,and dirt cheap by comparison. Good starter cable for someone on a budget.

The power cables was a no contest. 50 bucks vs. 1150.00 Yes,the expensive one brought a whole new dimension to my system.
The Callisto was the USB I used for all of the RCAs,and it is simply fantastic sounding. Another member has heard it and prefers a different USB cable. I reached out to the company that makes this other cable and they had no interest in taking part in this shootout. Take that for what you will.

Hope this helps.

 

[mordy]

This is really a case Mordy of before and after adding the high end power cable. Prior to adding the LessLoss power cable,and conditioner dongle,the two clear winners both individually and in combination were the LessLoss C-Marc RCA and Callisto USB. The combo was breathtaking. Once I added in the power treatments,the Callisto still reigned supreme,but the gap between the C-Mark and the protoype Triode RCA was not as wide as it was prior.

The only cable in the whole shootout that failed miserably was the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB. The rest were,as I mentioned in the video,various shades of good. The Callisto was without a doubt the best USB cable,across the board. Unfortunately I did not have another comparably priced USB cable to contest it. More expensive doesnt always equate to better,but in this case it definitely was.

For the RCAs

God Tier:

1.LessLoss C-Marc. Most holographic sounding of all the cables. Diffused sound. All the other RCAs sounded like various shades of HD600s. The C-Marc sounded like a HD800. Thats an over simplification of things,but you get the idea.
I gave it an overall score of 9.83 out of ten. The staging was otherworldly. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it didnt quite provide the direct,gritty drive needed for metal. In essence,its too good for metal.

2. Triode Labs Revalation was my 2nd favorite cable. It didnt quite do the 3D like the C-Marc,but it has more energy up top and drive to make metal sound legit. Once I added the power treatments,the differences between the two was more a matter of preference rather than one being better than the other. Very natural sounding. 9.32 prior to power cable. Closer to 9.5 after.

All World Tier

3. ATL GA-40. I loved this cable at first,almost as much as the C-Marc,but when I started throwing heavier music at it,the slowness and lack of drive drove the overall score down. If you dont listen to metal,dont mind gently rolled off treble,and dont want to drop close to a grand on a cable this would be a very strong choice.

Very Good Tier:

4.Wireworld Equinox 7. Speedy,dynamic,punchy,fantastic treble extension. Not very smooth sounding though. This cable wasnt quite as refined as the ones above it,but it flat out rocks. When things slowed down,and vocals or acoustics took center stage you could hear how it wasnt quite as good. The staging depth wasnt as good either,but if you have a warm system and like to rock out,and cant afford the Revelation,this would be a solid choice.

5. Triode Labs Phono RCA

This cable is just so silky smooth when I tried it as a digital to digital interconnect. It has very little treble extension though. Slow. Great staging,nice sub bass. Its hard for me to give you an accurate description of what it can do as I do not own a turntable. If you want your system to sound like a warm smooth scotch,this is the cable for you.

6. ATL GA-UP-1128- this cable and I didnt get along very well. It had some rough edges in my system,yet it was also not very fast. Staging and mids were its strong points. I have a feeling this cable needed more burn-in time.

7. Worlds Best Cable Canare quad- This cable is like a jacked up muscle car blasting AC/DC,cruising the blvd. on a Friday night. Not refined. Etched sounding,by far the most artificial sounding cable in the test. However it slammed ike no other,was super fast,good treble extension. Very good sounding cable for rock and metal,and dirt cheap by comparison. Good starter cable for someone on a budget.

The power cables was a no contest. 50 bucks vs. 1150.00 Yes,the expensive one brought a whole new dimension to my system.
The Callisto was the USB I used for all of the RCAs,and it is simply fantastic sounding. Another member has heard it and prefers a different USB cable. I reached out to the company that makes this other cable and they had no interest in taking part in this shootout. Take that for what you will.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the listing and the very entertaining comments! You put a lot of effort and time into this project and it needs time to digest all the information.

 

[Zachik]

This is really a case Mordy of before and after adding the high end power cable. Prior to adding the LessLoss power cable,and conditioner dongle,the two clear winners both individually and in combination were the LessLoss C-Marc RCA and Callisto USB. The combo was breathtaking. Once I added in the power treatments,the Callisto still reigned supreme,but the gap between the C-Mark and the protoype Triode RCA was not as wide as it was prior.

The only cable in the whole shootout that failed miserably was the AudioQuest Cinnamon USB. The rest were,as I mentioned in the video,various shades of good. The Callisto was without a doubt the best USB cable,across the board. Unfortunately I did not have another comparably priced USB cable to contest it. More expensive doesnt always equate to better,but in this case it definitely was.

For the RCAs

God Tier:

1.LessLoss C-Marc. Most holographic sounding of all the cables. Diffused sound. All the other RCAs sounded like various shades of HD600s. The C-Marc sounded like a HD800. Thats an over simplification of things,but you get the idea.
I gave it an overall score of 9.83 out of ten. The staging was otherworldly. The only negative thing I can say about it is that it didnt quite provide the direct,gritty drive needed for metal. In essence,its too good for metal.

2. Triode Labs Revalation was my 2nd favorite cable. It didnt quite do the 3D like the C-Marc,but it has more energy up top and drive to make metal sound legit. Once I added the power treatments,the differences between the two was more a matter of preference rather than one being better than the other. Very natural sounding. 9.32 prior to power cable. Closer to 9.5 after.

All World Tier

3. ATL GA-40. I loved this cable at first,almost as much as the C-Marc,but when I started throwing heavier music at it,the slowness and lack of drive drove the overall score down. If you dont listen to metal,dont mind gently rolled off treble,and dont want to drop close to a grand on a cable this would be a very strong choice.

Very Good Tier:

4.Wireworld Equinox 7. Speedy,dynamic,punchy,fantastic treble extension. Not very smooth sounding though. This cable wasnt quite as refined as the ones above it,but it flat out rocks. When things slowed down,and vocals or acoustics took center stage you could hear how it wasnt quite as good. The staging depth wasnt as good either,but if you have a warm system and like to rock out,and cant afford the Revelation,this would be a solid choice.

5. Triode Labs Phono RCA

This cable is just so silky smooth when I tried it as a digital to digital interconnect. It has very little treble extension though. Slow. Great staging,nice sub bass. Its hard for me to give you an accurate description of what it can do as I do not own a turntable. If you want your system to sound like a warm smooth scotch,this is the cable for you.

6. ATL GA-UP-1128- this cable and I didnt get along very well. It had some rough edges in my system,yet it was also not very fast. Staging and mids were its strong points. I have a feeling this cable needed more burn-in time.

7. Worlds Best Cable Canare quad- This cable is like a jacked up muscle car blasting AC/DC,cruising the blvd. on a Friday night. Not refined. Etched sounding,by far the most artificial sounding cable in the test. However it slammed ike no other,was super fast,good treble extension. Very good sounding cable for rock and metal,and dirt cheap by comparison. Good starter cable for someone on a budget.

The power cables was a no contest. 50 bucks vs. 1150.00 Yes,the expensive one brought a whole new dimension to my system.
The Callisto was the USB I used for all of the RCAs,and it is simply fantastic sounding. Another member has heard it and prefers a different USB cable. I reached out to the company that makes this other cable and they had no interest in taking part in this shootout. Take that for what you will.

Hope this helps.

VERY impressive work - thanks Darren for the huge undertaking!!
Glad to see my WireWorld RCA cable is your favorite amongst non-crazy-expensive cables.
For me, I guess it is stick to it or go with the LessLoss $850 cable...

 

[Monsterzero]

VERY impressive work - thanks Darren for the huge undertaking!!
Glad to see my WireWorld RCA cable is your favorite amongst non-crazy-expensive cables.
For me, I guess it is stick to it or go with the LessLoss $850 cable...

Two very different sounding cables,prices not withstanding. Your Equinox is a rocker,and perhaps the best treble extension of the whole shootout.
The LessLoss is just pure class. Uber smooth. Vastly deep and wide staging. Doesnt have the treble extension that your Equinox does though.

Ive really been struggling choosing between the C-Marc and the Triode prototype for my system. On one hand I feel the C-Marc is just a better overall cable,but for my eclectic taste in music,coupled with the extra treble energy the Triode has,I may opt for that one.

EDIT: You might like the ATL-GA-40. When all these cables began arriving in my home,I liked this cable quite a bit,but it eventually was tripped up by fast stuff. Its not stupid expensive either...approx $179.00

 

[demi9od1]

The cost of these cables is going to make me unsub from this thread.

 

[OctavianH]

Great job! It would be very nice to add the DH Labs Air Matrix to your comparison. For me this is an outstanding interconnect.

https://silversonic.com/products/interconnects/air-matrix/

 

[Monsterzero]

The cost of these cables is going to make me unsub from this thread.

Def not cheap. I know dropping large sums of cash on cables is nowhere near as exciting as getting a new pair of headphones or a new amp or DAC. In fact its rather boring. The fact remains though that good cables can have a huge influence on the way your system sounds. All I can do is repeat what I said in the video,make sure you can return the cable if need be.

Atelier 13 sends out demo boxes of their cables for you to try in your system. You just need to leave a credit card as a security deposit. They have some really nice sounding cables.

Great job! It would be very nice to add the DH Labs Air Matrix to your comparison. For me this is an outstanding interconnect.

https://silversonic.com/products/interconnects/air-matrix/

Thanks for the tip. If you have an extra pair you can live without for a few weeks and would like me to check them out and report back here,drop me a PM.

 

[Wes S]

Thanks for taking the time to do this man! I am at that point, where I am fine tuning with cables, and all your info will help me for sure.