[Ctn]

Honestly guys, do you find that much of a difference in interconnects?

Starting from $50 and up, there isnt much of an audio difference. There is an audible difference but its so small you barely notice it.

I went from a pretty cheap copper interconnect to accusound bl4 silvers and it was a pretty big difference I grant you that but going from that point onwards, there isnt that big a deal.

 

[Audio-Me]

I like my silver in other hardware, not my electronics.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn Honestly guys, do you find that much of a difference in interconnects? Starting from $50 and up, there isnt much of an audio difference. There is an audible difference but its so small you barely notice it. I went from a pretty cheap copper interconnect to accusound bl4 silvers and it was a pretty big difference I grant you that but going from that point onwards, there isnt that big a deal.

Fair question. Until I started getting into better headphone amps and headphones, I did not believe there was an audible difference in cables. One day as a complete skeptic, I began experimenting with different interconnects. I had my usual cheapies/freebies and couldn’t hear any real difference between all of them so I went out to Best Buy and bought some 40 buck type interconnects. I was floored! I could actually hear a difference! I couldn’t believe it!. I could do everything but a double blind test and I convinced myself the differences were repeatable and quantifiable. And then I began to wonder where the point of diminishing returns was and went to my local snoot in the air shoppe and bought an IC that was $125 bucks. This was a huge amount of money to me to be spending on interconnects. I was chagrined to clearly be able to identify differences and went back to the shop to purchase a couple pair priced in between the Best Buy units and the 125 dollar “high” buck units, hoping to find my point of diminishing returns at a lower price point. Darnit! Not only did the 125 buck cable sound better than all the others, one of the more expensive medium buck cables didn’t sound as good as the 40 dollar jobs from Best Buy, so bottom line was that price was an indicator of quality sound (you usually get what you pay for) but not a guarantor of same (you usually get what you pay for, but not always.) Time went by I found Head-Fi, ended up buying the Max and other goodies and started listening to better and yes, more expensive cables. Darn! There IS A DIFFERENCE! I hate to admit it, not only do some cables sound better than others, but the difference is not subtle, it’s huge! So what to do? Here’s Mr. Science who hears something which has neither been measured nor clearly quantified. Sheesh! Where’d I leave my green marking pen now…

 

[carlo]

kwkarth,

amen!

 

[kwkarth]

Here's an update on the Outlaw PCA interconnects that arrived Friday afternoon at my place...

They really get the job done! I will try to restrain myself from waxing too laudatory until they've broken in, but I am VERY pleasantly surprised.

Great depth and imaging, great dynamics, great extention, still waiting for the treble to smooth out a wee bit...

Due to great sheilding, they're quiet, quiet, quiet.

More news at 11!

Cheers!

 

[acidtripwow]

I have the Zcable Jazz 4 interconnects and think they're very good for the money. I agree that some of their ad seems fishy to me but I really do like the Jazz 4 and haven't felt like removing it from my system. It just has a very open and transparent sound to me compared to other cables I've had like the MITs. I also have their Lightning Power Cord, but couldn't find any difference between it and the $10 Quail.

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by kwkarth Fair question. Until I started getting into better headphone amps and headphones, I did not believe there was an audible difference in cables. One day as a complete skeptic, I began experimenting with different interconnects. I had my usual cheapies/freebies and couldn’t hear any real difference between all of them so I went out to Best Buy and bought some 40 buck type interconnects. I was floored! I could actually hear a difference! I couldn’t believe it!. I could do everything but a double blind test and I convinced myself the differences were repeatable and quantifiable. And then I began to wonder where the point of diminishing returns was and went to my local snoot in the air shoppe and bought an IC that was $125 bucks. This was a huge amount of money to me to be spending on interconnects. I was chagrined to clearly be able to identify differences and went back to the shop to purchase a couple pair priced in between the Best Buy units and the 125 dollar “high” buck units, hoping to find my point of diminishing returns at a lower price point. Darnit! Not only did the 125 buck cable sound better than all the others, one of the more expensive medium buck cables didn’t sound as good as the 40 dollar jobs from Best Buy, so bottom line was that price was an indicator of quality sound (you usually get what you pay for) but not a guarantor of same (you usually get what you pay for, but not always.) Time went by I found Head-Fi, ended up buying the Max and other goodies and started listening to better and yes, more expensive cables. Darn! There IS A DIFFERENCE! I hate to admit it, not only do some cables sound better than others, but the difference is not subtle, it’s huge! So what to do? Here’s Mr. Science who hears something which has neither been measured nor clearly quantified. Sheesh! Where’d I leave my green marking pen now…

Wow what eq do you have to hear such a big difference?
I only hear a very small one. Like the difference between the 580 and 600, well slightly bigger difference.

 

[Audio Addict]

For anyone interested, both Music Direct and Audio Advisors are running 10% off all products through the end of April. Certain products such as PS Audio are excluded. The Music Direct website code is SP10 and the Audio Advisor code is WC202HT. Both carry the Audioquest products that have been referenced in this thread.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn Wow what eq do you have to hear such a big difference? I only hear a very small one. Like the difference between the 580 and 600, well slightly bigger difference.

No eq. Absolutely flat. Yes, in many cases, the difference is much bigger than the difference in sound between the 580 and the 600. Further, the differences are not at all confined to frequency response issues, there are large imaging, dynamics, and noise floor differences for example that are hugely audible.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

[size=xx-small]Originally posted by acidtripwow [/size][size=xx-small] I have the Zcable Jazz 4 interconnects and think they're very good for the money. I agree that some of their ad seems fishy to me but I really do like the Jazz 4 and haven't felt like removing it from my system. It just has a very open and transparent sound to me compared to other cables I've had like the MITs. I also have their Lightning Power Cord, but couldn't find any difference between it and the $10 Quail. [/size]

I didn't like the MIT's in my system either.

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by kwkarth No eq. Absolutely flat. Yes, in many cases, the difference is much bigger than the difference in sound between the 580 and the 600. Further, the differences are not at all confined to frequency response issues, there are large imaging, dynamics, and noise floor differences for example that are hugely audible.

Ahh I see. Only things I notice mostly are the frequency response and dynamics. I dont really notice imaging or noise floor differences probably because of the eq Im using

Nothing but perfection for me =) well close to it...

 

[fredpb]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn Honestly guys, do you find that much of a difference in interconnects? Starting from $50 and up, there isnt much of an audio difference. There is an audible difference but its so small you barely notice it. I went from a pretty cheap copper interconnect to accusound bl4 silvers and it was a pretty big difference I grant you that but going from that point onwards, there isnt that big a deal.

Depends on your electronics and your hearing ability.

To me, $50 is just the first jump in audio quality. $100 is the next jump. I audition cables in systems better than mine. Any receiver system can settle with $50 cables. My system is good enough with the $100 cables, though I would like better. My equipment is lower end "high end". It can resolve better cables, but it's not worth the price for me.

The $50 to $100 jump was far more audible for me than the $100 to $200 jump.

The average CD player and system are good with the $50 cables.
Then of course, the speaker cables.....

 

[Ctn]

Quote:

Originally posted by fredpb Depends on your electronics and your hearing ability. To me, $50 is just the first jump in audio quality. $100 is the next jump. I audition cables in systems better than mine. Any receiver system can settle with $50 cables. My system is good enough with the $100 cables, though I would like better. My equipment is lower end "high end". It can resolve better cables, but it's not worth the price for me. The $50 to $100 jump was far more audible for me than the $100 to $200 jump. The average CD player and system are good with the $50 cables. Then of course, the speaker cables.....

My eq is pretty top notch maybe not my cdp

Im got my cables 2nd hand for $80 rrp is i think about 200+

I mean I can hear a difference. Its just that its not that big as people make it out to be.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn My eq is pretty top notch maybe not my cdp Im got my cables 2nd hand for $80 rrp is i think about 200+ I mean I can hear a difference. Its just that its not that big as people make it out to be.

Ctn,
It just dawned on me that you're meaning "equipment" when you use the term "eq." Previously I assumed you meant "equalization." lol! Sorry for the misunderstanding!

 

[pigmode]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ctn I mean I can hear a difference. Its just that its not that big as people make it out to be.

When I switched from a pair of Belden 89259 ICs to some Silver Audio 4.0 cables, the improvement was more than subtle. I think there's a big element of luck in terms of system synergy and which cables you actually are able to try.