Question: Cheapest Cable That Has Made a Significant Difference (in your experience)
Oct 5, 2009 at 11:52 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 48

The Monkey

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First, I am cable agnostic. Second, this is not a trick question. Third, I do not wish to start a debate about believers vs. non-believers--take that elsewhere.

Here's my question: to those of you who have experienced a sonic difference between different cables, what is the cheapest pair of cables you have used that have presented a noticeable difference/improvement from/over a basic, well-made, but otherwise non-descript cable?

EDIT: Sorry, I am asking mainly about interconnects. Specifically RCA-RCA. Or XLR-XLR.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM Post #2 of 48
Sounds like a trick to me
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. It depends on how much you spend on those cheap cables (i.e. new/used, good deal/so-so deal). I got a great deal on some used Kimber Toniks that gave a noticeable improvement.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 12:18 AM Post #3 of 48
I've found there are quite a few cables that make a significant tonal difference, such as the well-known silver plated (rather than silver extruded) over copper types that make the sound bright and harsh and the pair of Nordost Heimdall XLR I have here that bring forward the mids in a noticeable way. The cheapest cables I own that brought out a significant difference improvement in detail, without adding any tonal changes or distortions that I could detect were the Van Den Hul "The Orchid" RCA I bought off Audiogon for $225.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 6:55 AM Post #6 of 48
Thanks for the input so far. I guess my base comparator would be an IC made with something like Canare or Mogami with reasonable terminations (e.g., Neutrik pro-fi's or similar). Or basic braided SPCC with similar terminations.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 7:35 AM Post #7 of 48
I'm also interested. I'm not much of a believer, but I have bought cables in the past seeking a difference. I might be willing to try another if the price is reasonable. Right now, I use Blue Jeans interconnects.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 8:36 AM Post #8 of 48
Homemade headphone and USB cables. Big difference for both. Night & Day
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 2:18 PM Post #9 of 48
In my case, XLR to XLR Zu Varial MKII. They made a significant change. More dynamic, open, puchy bass without sound harsh, but not the warmest either. A good pair for tube gear. $350 used 1.5m pair on audiogon
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 4:11 PM Post #10 of 48
RSAD Poiema!!! Signature XLR
A clear improvement sound wise over my previous cable, a Signal Cable Silver Resolution XLR. A bit pricey, but well worth it.
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Oct 6, 2009 at 5:47 PM Post #11 of 48
Blue Jeans LC-1 IC's. They sounded smoother and better than the Radioshack and Monster ones I had before them. The difference was subtle and I would have been happy with any of the 3, but for the price ($40 shipped to Canada) it's easy to recommend the LC-1.
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 6:23 PM Post #12 of 48
the old volex 17604, no longer availible, think I paid 8 bucks a piece for 5 of them. Nice upgrade
 
Oct 6, 2009 at 11:25 PM Post #13 of 48
Don't know whether this counts as an improvement in sound quality, but switching over to a BJC 1/8">RCA cable drastically cut down on the interference compared to the Radio Shack "shielded" version I used previously.
 
Oct 7, 2009 at 5:02 AM Post #14 of 48
I should add to my comments, I didn't find any difference between <$100 cables, certainly not significant ones, unless they were cheap rip-offs of known designs, but using cheap connectors that added obvious distortion. That's why I put "significant" at $200. I think that, if the cable itself is ok, better connectors is what makes up much of the improvements when you buy a basically decent cable.
 

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