[johnation33]

Hi headfiers,

so I recently received a DIY cable (mogami neglex 2534) that I'm using as a RCA to RCA. I also have a Blue jeans cable LC-1 Rca to rca which uses the Belden cable. The BJC cable is almost 4x thicker than the mogami however... does this mean that the BJC have more shielding? why is the BJC so much thicker than the mogami even though they both perform the same function? of course, this extra thickness makes the BJC a lot less flexible but just wondering why the cable is so much thicker.


SQ wise, I think the mogami sounds more exact and BJC sounds as if there is a veil or a bit of haze over the sound... i really didnt believe SQ made a difference with cables but now i believe it does...its a lot smaller difference than switching amps or headphones though obviously.

 

[JamesL]

I'm not sure which belden cable that BJC uses for their LC-1, but it seems to be a type of Coax cable.
It uses a center conductor, and two layers of shielding which carries the ground channel.
Many people believe it's bad to use the shielding as the ground conductor.

It's also likely that LC-1 has a thicker dielectric, as most coaxial cables do.
The thickness of the shielding matters, but the actual effectiveness of the shielding has more to do with it's proximity to the conductor itself.

Your observation is interesting..
Through my limited research and knowledge, I would have expected the opposite.
The mogami neglex is a 4-conductor, star-quad configured cable that results in high parallel capacitance. While this is less important in speaker cables, and even headphone cables, parasitic capacitance in wires before a high-impedance load such as an amplifier will create a low-pass filter, attenuating the high-frequencies(rolled off highs).
I have yet to determine the extent of the effectiveness and audible qualities that differentiate cables with high capacitance, inductance, and resistivity, but having observed many of the more science-based cable-makers and cable-articles, the general consensus is that at a line-level signal, the slight increase in inductance is not nearly as important as the capacitance.

But back to your question. Cable thickness does not equate to conductor thickness, nor does it equate to more shielding.
The belden has a thinner 26awg signal conductor vs the mogami, but most likely has less DC resistance in the ground channel due to it's thick shield.

 

[johnation33]

ahhh couldnt understand that at all... could someone put that in layman terms for me?

also if it helps its the belden E108998 IC25 cable

 

[JamesL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnation33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ahhh couldnt understand that at all... could someone put that in layman terms for me? also if it helps its the belden E108998 IC25 cable

If my assumptions are right, the belden uses a small wire in the center for the signal, has a thick foamy stuff around it, 2 layers of shielding on the outside(carries ground signal), and then the jacket.

The mogami uses 4 wires, but there is no foamy stuff. Just 4 twisted wires, shield, and cable jacket.


I couldn't find any info on the E108998 IC25 you mentioned.

 

[johnation33]

so which one is supposed to be better in sound quality?

 

[JamesL]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnation33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif so which one is supposed to be better in sound quality?

Tell me.. Which one is supposed to sound better?
HD650s? D2000? K701s? DT880s?

In the audio world, things are more often preference based then not.

Most of the time in hi-fi audio, science doesn't matter.
Most people will continue to think that shiny silver wire will sound thin, bright, clear, and "silvery", while copper will sound warm, full, and "coppery". Gold conductors, even though when scientifically, it has a much higher resistivity than either silver or copper, will tend to bring out "liquid gold" out of the midrange.

As far as linearity goes, I would think the belden would be more linear,
due to it's lower capacitance and good noise rejection.
I don't know however if using the shielding as the ground conductor would negatively impact the sound.

Don't get me wrong.. I do believe cables make a difference, and I respect other people's opinions.
I however am too insecure to decidedly judge what a cable sounds like, and instead pursue a more logical/scientific route.

 

[Lil' Knight]

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnation33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif SQ wise, I think the mogami sounds more exact and BJC sounds as if there is a veil or a bit of haze over the sound... i really didnt believe SQ made a difference with cables but now i believe it does...its a lot smaller difference than switching amps or headphones though obviously.

So, are you happy that you got the Mogami, rather than the BJC?

 

[johnation33]

yea imho i think it sounds better... it also has a larger than expected impact on the bass... makes it a lot more stronger and punchier which is badly needed for my stax... i'm still kind of shocked that its making this much of a difference really

 

[Lil' Knight]

I went a long way, using >10 different kinds of wires and finally I ended up with all my headphones cables, interconnects using mogami

It does sound amazing despite its low price.

 

[meat01]

To answer your question, thicker cable makes a difference only on long runs. At 3 feet or so, both of the cables are thick enough to handle the signal going through them. Yes, there are other factors though, like shielding, as you mentioned.

 

[moogoob]

Interesting thread- if I may field a question to the more experienced, how do braided cables tend to compare versus shielded?