In the foreground is the older Ansuz Mainz8 C2, background is the current C3. C3 has a deeper case.
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High End Cables Thread (digital, analog, power)
- Thread starter Roasty
- Start date
sorry for the bad photo.
these are some bad ass acrolink mexcel interconnect cables. they are quite stiff out of the box. i kind of eased (forced) them to this form and they are not comfortable in this position as i can tell from the flex (angle) in the connectors on the devices.
is this normal ? can i give these cables the form i like or not ? i could not be sure if i’m doing something wrong…
any rules of thumb here ? or don’ts ?
these are some bad ass acrolink mexcel interconnect cables. they are quite stiff out of the box. i kind of eased (forced) them to this form and they are not comfortable in this position as i can tell from the flex (angle) in the connectors on the devices.
is this normal ? can i give these cables the form i like or not ? i could not be sure if i’m doing something wrong…
any rules of thumb here ? or don’ts ?
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Bending the conductors past a certain point will degrade their performance. I'm not sure exactly what this point is so its best practice to bend the cables as little as possible.
If you have no choice, what can you do but thats how it is.
Generally speaking, as I've heard from cable manufacturers, you want to keep the cable as straight as is reasonably possible.
I don't remember the exact reason. But I do know you want the conductors to be flat and to be able to relax. You want to try to avoid excessive coiling and tension of the cable. Again I cant recall the scientific reason.(but I know there is one).
I know sometimes we have challenging installs with components. Sometimes, it isn't not possible to have a cable be perfectly straight. No worries. Do what you have to do. But I think when possible a straight cable install is ideal.
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Coiling a cable increases its inductance (thus increasing its resistance at higher frequencies). This is generally only a practical issue when it's carrying significant current, as with speaker cables. Interconnects transmit voltages with minimal current, so it's more important for them to have lowish capacitance (if you want to insure linear frequency response, which is not a given if you're using cables to tune a system).
and what exacly this means with regards to my question ?
The capacitance of interconnects isn't affected by bending or coiling them, so it means you shouldn't worry about it!
Last week a bought a used pair of AudioQuest Red River XLR interconnects, as I wanted something a bit longer than the 1-ft WBC cables I was using in my desktop setup. If I want new interconnects anyways, might as well use this opportunity to explore, and those cables weren't all that expensive vs their retail price.
I get the impression that these AQ cables are built for people who want to tune their systems with cables, and I'm not into that. I get the impression that these cables produce a downward high-shelf tilt in the frequency response, perhaps for people who are sensitive to upper treble. Bass is noticeably stronger in volume (I did not touch the volume controls) while upper treble is diminished. Yet, the mid-treble could sound sharper, grainier, and more fatiguing. It diminishes the air in the sound, while accentuating bass (in the tonal balance way, not in the dynamic punch way), adding a bit more richness to the midrange which can be situationally beneficial, and sharpening the mid-treble to often uncomfortable levels. I originally thought that it could pair well with my estats which can always use more bass, but the more I listen to it, the more annoyed I get with the sound.
By comparison, the difference between the short WBC cables and the 1m Kimber Hero Cu interconnects was much smaller. It was mostly a very small increase in upper treble extension, like there was a bit more air and treble, but also less fatiguing air and treble. I suppose that could be explained by reduced capacitance in the Hero cables, which Kimber helpfully specified as 33.1 pF per meter, improving the interconnect's high-frequency behavior. But this AQ cable is so noticeably different from either the basic or the Hero cables that I feel like something has to be "wrong" with it, either with its physical condition or with its design philosophy.
Anyways, I consider this a useful experience, finding that interconnects can indeed sound different, and if they sound different, then they can also sound worse. I'll keep these cables around for the time being, and maybe I'll find a good chain for them, but worst comes to worst I can sell them off.
I get the impression that these AQ cables are built for people who want to tune their systems with cables, and I'm not into that. I get the impression that these cables produce a downward high-shelf tilt in the frequency response, perhaps for people who are sensitive to upper treble. Bass is noticeably stronger in volume (I did not touch the volume controls) while upper treble is diminished. Yet, the mid-treble could sound sharper, grainier, and more fatiguing. It diminishes the air in the sound, while accentuating bass (in the tonal balance way, not in the dynamic punch way), adding a bit more richness to the midrange which can be situationally beneficial, and sharpening the mid-treble to often uncomfortable levels. I originally thought that it could pair well with my estats which can always use more bass, but the more I listen to it, the more annoyed I get with the sound.
By comparison, the difference between the short WBC cables and the 1m Kimber Hero Cu interconnects was much smaller. It was mostly a very small increase in upper treble extension, like there was a bit more air and treble, but also less fatiguing air and treble. I suppose that could be explained by reduced capacitance in the Hero cables, which Kimber helpfully specified as 33.1 pF per meter, improving the interconnect's high-frequency behavior. But this AQ cable is so noticeably different from either the basic or the Hero cables that I feel like something has to be "wrong" with it, either with its physical condition or with its design philosophy.
Anyways, I consider this a useful experience, finding that interconnects can indeed sound different, and if they sound different, then they can also sound worse. I'll keep these cables around for the time being, and maybe I'll find a good chain for them, but worst comes to worst I can sell them off.
Gotta burn them in and reassess.
More stuff to add to the experiments. I have a new power cord incoming as well, along with some special upgraded tungsten ball bearings for the footers, and pulling apart my speaker system to get at the power distributor is a massive pain, so, I'm waiting for the new cord to arrive before digging in..
Thoughts on Altaira and Everest:
The Everest did more than the Altaira and both would be considered "soso value" from dollars to performance ratio. But if one does have funds and able to sacrifice elsewhere, I highly reccomend regardless.
I had the PSM156 and that did amazing already, but with that said the benefits of the Everest and Altaira (grounded to all my components, all 6 of them) do bring quite a lift to my system.
Notes on the Altaira, you need to buy an Ohm meter and test your components before choosing what ground cables to buy. This sounds annoying as heck and almost I gave up and was going to cancel order but glad I did not...
If someone were to ask me to choose between ONLY Everest or Altaira, that is a hard question to answer because I was not amazed with one or other but with them combined.
*shrugs*
The Everest did more than the Altaira and both would be considered "soso value" from dollars to performance ratio. But if one does have funds and able to sacrifice elsewhere, I highly reccomend regardless.
I had the PSM156 and that did amazing already, but with that said the benefits of the Everest and Altaira (grounded to all my components, all 6 of them) do bring quite a lift to my system.
Notes on the Altaira, you need to buy an Ohm meter and test your components before choosing what ground cables to buy. This sounds annoying as heck and almost I gave up and was going to cancel order but glad I did not...
If someone were to ask me to choose between ONLY Everest or Altaira, that is a hard question to answer because I was not amazed with one or other but with them combined.
*shrugs*
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I wanted to get another iFi Supanova cable for my iFi Phantom as it performs really well with my Schiit Iggy. My dealer unfortunatly did not have one in stock and I did not want to wait 3-4 weeks so I got the Shunyata Research Venom V10 NR which was highly recommended. Interestingly, I plugged my iFi GND Defender with the standard power cable to the Phantom and noticed an immediate improvement to the soundstage, clarity in the midrange and more defined bass. I was then very intrigued on how a better power cable would perform so I will test the Shunyata cable tonight and hopefully there will be a big improvement.
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Thanks for clarifying for meThe capacitance of interconnects isn't affected by bending or coiling them, so it means you shouldn't worry about it!
If you dont mind me asking, how about the power cords ? Can I coil them or they need to be laid as flat as possible ?
Good news. The Venom NR V10 will require at least 500 hours to settle in. I think you'll enjoy that cable. It's the same cable that I began my journey with Shunyata with.I wanted to get another iFi Supanova cable for my iFi Phantom as it performs atoningly well with my Schiit Iggy. My dealer unfortunatly did not have one in stock and I did not want to wait 3-4 weeks so I got the Shunyata Research Venom V10 NR which was highly recommended. Interestingly, I plugged my iFi GND Defender with the standard power cable to the Phantom and noticed an immediate improvement to the soundstage, clarity in the midrange and more defined bass. I was then very intrigued on how a better power cable would perform so I will test the Shunyata cable tonight and hopefully there will be a big improvement.
Please share impressions as you get time on your new cable.
Coiling a power cord would only be an issue (potentially) if it were carrying very high currents, as in feeding a power amp driving speakers at high volume. Coiling is a more serious concern with speaker cables because the increased inductance inhibits higher frequency currents much more than lower ones. AC power is only 50-60 Hz, and most components are only using a small fraction of what the power supply can deliver anyway. So again, coiling power cords is not really something you need to worry about in general.
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