[SHURE530]

Quote:

I bought a HE-6 cable for my HE-500 and didn't hear any difference while others were claiming "better micro detail" or some such. I only bought the cable for it's physical characteristics as the stock HE-500 cable is beyond ridiculous (so thick and unwieldy, and frankly it had subpar craftsmanship. It was quite pathetic for being paired with $900 headphones.). Now, I'm not claiming that that extra detail is or isn't there. I'm just glad I can't hear it. I'd rather put my money towards other things. Amps, DAC, better headphones, etc.

wait, shouldn't you be unhappy cause you couldn't hear the difference? o_o;
if you can't hear the difference means your ears can't hear the extra detail.
Thanks for your input!

 

[scootermafia]

I think the point here is that for those that don't hear differences with cables, there's a sense of relief as it's one less thing they have to worry about picking out and spending on.

 

[Girls Generation]

I think the point here is that for those that don't hear differences with cables, there's a sense of relief as it's one less thing they have to worry about picking out and spending on.

x2

But I'm forever plagued. :|

 

[Rebel975]

Quote:

I think the point here is that for those that don't hear differences with cables, there's a sense of relief as it's one less thing they have to worry about picking out and spending on.

 
 
Exactly. 
 
The replacement cable DID do everything I wanted it to do though. It's lighter, thinner, more flexible, etc. That's all I asked of it and that's all I got from it. I don't even want to think about spending half the price of the headphones on a "nice" replacement cable. It was such a relief to not hear any difference.

 

[SHURE530]

Quote:

I've listened to the ADZ-5 and Q-audio cable with the LCD2 rev2 for a while on loan a while back. Obviously I don't have much experience so I'm not arguing specifically on the subject of cables, but against the fact that Head Injury is making such bold presumptions and projecting his opinion onto others that are not so knowledgeable yet. I don't know if he's heard any high-end cables before, but I don't think that's right.
I've also listened to different quality interconnects with gear. So far to me -I'm not too experienced in describing what I hear- that the Q-Audio cable opens up the sound, and the best way I can summarize this to you that makes sense for people who don't know moon-speak, is that it's like a veil is lifted from the sound. There's not a complete breathtaking change, but I can definitely hear it well enough to say it's worth the $200. It's also ergonomically, astronomically better. I can probably say, the ADZ-5 is like having dirty smudged glasses, and the Q-Audio cable is like having the glasses cleaned with a cloth.
Now, these aren't exactly 'high-end' like those multi-thousand dollar cables, but I was sold on dumping my ADZ-5/6 when it came.
Similar products : Q-Audio, Double Helix Cables Nucleotide, and Norse Audio Norn.
As for interconnects, as I confirmed with a couple experienced people on head-fi, the shorter it is, the less difference it makes, whether it's a $300 Piccolino, or a $70 regular upOCC copper.
Please do note that all of the above is purely subjective, and it's all just "in my experience, and what I heard"

 
well i guess if a $200 cable makes the difference for you it's money well spent :/
so if lets say i have an interconnect about 30cm in length, would an interconnect of 5cm perform better? and even if it does perform better it would not be something significant right?
i was thinking about the alo-audio lcd2 cable. (yes, those things cost $450 x_x) and does the jump in performance justify the price tag.
i think most audio reviews are subjective. which is good.
thanks for the input!

 

[geek707]

Wrong question.
And ambiguous on top of that. What do you mean by high end cables to begin with? $10K+ or what.
Wire should not be a major part of your investment in your system. You are not going to make a $500 amp sound like a $2500 amp no matter what amount of money you spend on wire. Not going to make a $1000 CDP sound better than a $5000 CDP/DAC combo. Not going to make a HD600 sound like a 009.
Do they matter in a high end system, sure, why not. It would look stupid, if nothing else to have $10k of gear connected by $2.00 cables. But if you think you are going to make your cheap CDP or headphones sound better by throwing money at high end wire instead of spending the money to upgrade your system..You spend more than 10%-15% of your total system cost on wire, your [size=small]priorities[/size] are wrong and you are wasting your money. 
 

 

[SHURE530]

Quote:

Wrong question.
And ambiguous on top of that. What do you mean by high end cables to begin with? $10K+ or what.
Wire should not be a major part of your investment in your system. You are not going to make a $500 amp sound like a $2500 amp no matter what amount of money you spend on wire. Not going to make a $1000 CDP sound better than a $5000 CDP/DAC combo. Not going to make a HD600 sound like a 009.
Do they matter in a high end system, sure, why not. It would look stupid, if nothing else to have $10k of gear connected by $2.00 cables. But if you think you are going to make your cheap CDP or headphones sound better by throwing money at high end wire instead of spending the money to upgrade your system..You spend more than 10%-15% of your total system cost on wire, your [size=small]priorities[/size] are wrong and you are wasting your money. 
 

 
1. well, i consider $450 to be high end. fair enough?
2. i do realize it should not be a major part of my investment in my system. but i'm happy with the SR71B, Algorhythm Solo, LCD2 rig. portable, at the very least.
3. thing is, my original question was if having really good cables would improve the overall listening experience, apart from cosmetic reasons.
4. as for my priorities.... i already got my SR71B, Algorhythm Solo and LCD2. am i missing anything? is my rig not set up? i don't think my priorities are 'wrong'. i think the only reasonable move now would be a cable upgrade. no? =___=; after all jude has the same rig with upgraded cables. check his 3rd video.

 

[Girls Generation]

 
1. well, i consider $450 to be high end. fair enough?
2. i do realize it should not be a major part of my investment in my system. but i'm happy with the SR71B, Algorhythm Solo, LCD2 rig. portable, at the very least.
3. thing is, my original question was if having really good cables would improve the overall listening experience, apart from cosmetic reasons.
4. as for my priorities.... i already got my SR71B, Algorhythm Solo and LCD2. am i missing anything? is my rig not set up? i don't think my priorities are 'wrong'. i think the only reasonable move now would be a cable upgrade. no? =___=; after all jude has the same rig with upgraded cables. check his 3rd video.

Well... if you're only going to stick with portable, I supposed you can stick a DB2 in there to make it a balanced through-and-through, though that will mean purchasing a 75ohm coaxial spdif IC, and a Hirose 6pin to Kobiconn Iris IC. I would also improve upon the CLAS cable as well.
And if you have not custom cables yet, it seems you're using your SR71B in SE mode, which is a no-no! SR71B was meant for balanced mode.

 

[Uncle Erik]

No, cables aren't worth it. It would be better to discuss why in the Sound Science forum.
 
Suffice it to say that there's no evidence to support real audible differences, and a fair amount to refute them.

Oh really now.

Which cables have you heard again?

You're making a false assumption. You are assuming that a difference exists.

Quod erat demonstratum.

No one has ever demonstrated a difference that I am aware of. So go ahead and demonstrate a difference then we can move on to evaluating your assumption.

Though I'm curious, how do you change the frequency response without actually changin the frequency response? Cables don't change the frequency response, after all. The same signal comes out the other end. If it is the same signal, then how does it make a headphone develop a different response? After all, headphones (well, most of them) are a coil of wire and a magnet.

If a cable produces a certain effect with a coil and magnet, then how could it possibly produce the same result (allegedly) with transducers that work on entirely different electrical theories? I mean an electrostat is completely different from a dynamic; it works kind of like a capacitor. If a cable does something magical with a motor (which is pretty much what a dynamic is) then how does the same result come from a capacitor? Or a balanced armature, planar or AMT? They're all really, really different technologies. How could the magic effect be produced across everything?

That stinks of an imagined difference.

When you get away from the "I hear a difference" claims, nothing adds up with cables. Whenever you take the cable assumptions a step further you end up in impossibilities and nonsense. They sound plausible, like Bigfoot, but the more you look the less you'll find.

For example, a lightbulb will give off slightly different colors depending on the power it is fed. Alright, hook up a magical cable to power a lightbulb as well as an ordinary cable. Take a picture of each and then use Photoshop to see if there is a color difference. There won't be.

I can hear it now. "You're not using an audiophile grade lightbulb." "Your eyes suck." (Admittedly, I'm nearsighted and astigmatic; fortunately my hearing has held up.) "Your camera is cheap and not good enough." "You HATE lightbulbs!" And so on.

But whatever way you slice it, no matter the angle you approach it from, you end up with a whole lot of nothing. Though you will collect plenty of slings, arrows and accusations.

Oddly, the loudest voices and fiercest waving of hands is from those who sell cables.

Imagine that.

Oh, and yes, I have tried cables. I had a Silver Dragon and a Cardas for Sennheisers for a few years. No difference. They measured the same as the stock cables. They were nicely made and looked good, though. I think they were more durable than the stock cables, too. I eventually sold them.

Currently I run a silver Van Den Hul somethingorother between my tonearm and phonostage. It works. It doesn't measure differently from other cables. It came with the arm and works, so I leave it there. Maybe someday I'll build a replacement and sell it.

 

[SHURE530]

Quote:

Quod erat demonstratum.

on a related note, how about interconnecting cables? another bunch of cowpat?

 

[Willakan]

Quote:

on a related note, how about interconnecting cables? another bunch of cowpat?

Uh-huh.

 
 

 

[TMM]

They look pretty and cause a placebo effect. Reminds me of that thread where someone cut open some expensive power cable which ended up to be a regular power cable run through garden hose and filled with sand lol.

 

[Chris_Himself]

Oh hey, another cable thread.

 

[Lenni]

Yes, high-end audio cables matter. the same way a better amp, or source matters. I can’t say it’d matter to everybody, but it matters to me. are they necessary to enjoy a good system’s sound? not necessarily. but if you spent thousands on speakers and tried better cables and heard the difference they make to the sound is very likely that they'll matter to you too.
 
I can’t say specifically of headphone cables as I’ve never tried it, but if I’d own a top hp I’d definitely re-cable it, after I'd taken care of the IC's. I’ve tried a few IC’s and speaker cables, and while I got mixed results... the last speaker cables I bought (Nordost Red Dawn) made a huge difference in the sound; it has to be heard to be believed. Was it worth what I paid for? I’m not completely satisfied with it so can’t say 100%; otherwise, yes,  it was... to me. best cables I’ve had to date.
 

 

[Gatepc]

Being someone who held no opinion one way or the other I went to a local hifi shop and brought my setup. I had been using standard monoprice cables and at the hifishop they had some of the top of the line Cardas Clear interconnects and Cardas clear USB cable. I hooked both up to my headphone setup and A/B them. The results? Well I can tell you they are not worth the price. Did I hear a difference? Well maybe but it was not my mind playing tricks on me the difference was very very minor for a cable that cost upwards of $4000... So even if their was a tiny tiny difference (which may have been placebo) I would say the money is better spent on higher end headphones,amps,dacs etc.