[Drag0n]

Theres a difference between cables for sure,but it doesnt mean you have to spend a crazy amount of money to get decent cables.

I have a pair of Tara Labs cables that are dark as hell,and my friend used to have it on his TINNY sounding Carver stereo with his Wharfdale speakers to warm it up and tame the highs. Synergistic Research cables made that system sound like it had an 8" woofer with 10 horn tweeters. ANYONE with 65% of their hearing left above 5000hz should be able to hear that! I know what certain brand cables sound like. So silver and copper cables sound the same too? Hogwash.

 

[erikzen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0mfortably_numb Good quality parts can never be a bad thing, wether you notice a difference well that depends on the person. If you have the money and want extra insurance that your rig is going to sound the best it can sound then go for it.

I agree with you up to a point. I think you should spend the money for something that's properly made, but some cables seem overpriced to me. It's only wire for goodness sake. I'm sure when you buy power supplies or RAM you know what the good brands are and how much they should cost. If a new manufacturer came out saying it was the best and charged twice as much would you bite? I doubt it because you know what works and what it should cost. I would just be cautious about overspending on something that can only do so much.

think it also depends on the manufacturer. If you're going with one of the high quality DIYFSE guys, you're paying for craftsmanship as much as sound quality. The small guys also don't have the benefit of buying materials in bulk so that must be considered in pricing as well.

 

[Chri5peed]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tbln To me, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

All scientists think that too!

If you had a Titanium 10ft chain and replaced one of the links with a link made out of cardboard. When you pulled it, it would go at the cardboard link, obviously.

Which is precisely why I believe in buying equipment thats all in the same league. A $200 mini to mini would be overkill on a system with an iPod and e4s, but it might be just right for a $10,000 stereo with HP-1s.
Same as a $2 Ratshack mini to mini probably wouldn't be good enough?

'Horses for Courses', buy for your setup.

 

[forsberg]

the fact that this thread has so many replies just means that the SQ on different mini mini ICs vs. price value is debateable at best. As a portable rig, I can't imagine luggin' around huge connectors and a thick inflexible cable just because of the little SQ I might or might not gain - it's just way too inconvenient to put in my pocket as I already have a portable amp attached to the ipod.

The cardas hpi is right angled, 6", and flexible for me to wrap around. It's currently the most convenient option for ipod and it shrinks the overall size significantly compared to the stock pa2v2 cable i have.

Now, if somebody created a one-inch or less IC with right angled mini plugs... then I'd be all over that..!

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by erikzen I agree with you up to a point. I think you should spend the money for something that's properly made, but some cables seem overpriced to me. It's only wire for goodness sake.

Yes that is a good point, I should of been more clear in my posting..I am not saying to go and spend $500 for a piece of wire, Im just trying to help someone justify spending say $15 for a Cardas HPI...I mean seriously with some of the equipment we all have who could argue spending $15 to make sure there wasn't a weak link in there system

Quote:

If a new manufacturer came out saying it was the best and charged twice as much would you bite? I doubt it because

Touche, point well takin....and no I wouldn't jump at a new manufacture making huge claims to fame with no history to back those claims. Neither would I really with audio, but I will say on that same note that if there was a new DIY'er that just started making Ic's and or Amps (Come on the PINT is almost ready for production from the looks of it

) that I wouldn't give them a try.

 

[dokebi]

I don't believe in fancy cables. Average priced one are perfectly fine as long as they're made correctly. What kind of material do you guys think make up the contacts of the output jack from the source and input jack of the amp? Then it has to travel again from the output to the headphones. etc etc

If you look at a pcb board, the circuit traces coming from the input/output going to the main circuitry or speaker is extremely narrow and paper thin copper not to mention the numerous amount of resistors that has to carry the signal.

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Heh there is paper thin in interconnects availible to.. take this Mapleshade as on example

 

[fongalv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0mfortably_numb Heh there is paper thin in interconnects availible to.. take this Mapleshade as on example [IMGsnipped[/IMG]

heh...im no science major so corrct me if im wrong but my high school physics tells me that resistance is inversly proportional to cable thickness? wouldnt that affect the resistence of the IC?

 

[Kestrel]

Quote:

To me, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link.

Understandable enough - but I don't believe it's fair to lump in the interconnect into that "chain." Let's put it this way - an absolute POS low quality cable *may* make things sound worse. Spending 10-15 bucks on a decent cable is fine.

But the guys out there spending hundreds and hundreds on cables claiming they can hear it? It is not worth it. It really isn't. You're in waaaaay too deep and you need to get out. The difference so absolutely miniscule.... I'd get much more happiness out of taking the girlfriend out to dinner or renting a cessna out at the airport for a few hours.

 

[Drag0n]

Quote:

Originally Posted by c0mfortably_numb Heh there is paper thin in interconnects availible to.. take this Mapleshade as on example

I bet there are suckers that buy that cable too!!! Id like to say that MapleShade is a bunch of rip-off artists,but really they havent hid anything or misrepresented anything by selling that cable,,its just that people are stupid.
OMG,magnet wire covered by a plastic bag!!!! Suckers!

I believe wires make a difference,but i wouldnt over pay that bad and buy obvious crap that would absolutely INSULT my intelligence to the point of buying that playschool crap!

 

[c0mfortably_numb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kestrel You're in waaaaay too deep and you need to get out. I'd get much more happiness out of taking the girlfriend out to dinner or renting a cessna out at the airport for a few hours.

Ah some of us here are single yea....and there is nothing wrong with that IMHO...not to get to OT I am happy to be single right now after the 5 year tour in he|| I just got out of.

I am getting allot more enjoyment and defintley allot more enjoyment in spending money on me and my headphone hobby both, but then again who would spend hundreds on a cable? That is defintley overboard to me....

Heh and the Cessna...I had a freind that had a private pilots license, I went up a couple times with him he had looged quit a bit of hours and I felt safe. Well after the last trip I haven't been back up...We went to rent a plane all they had was a 1970 I beleive it was Cessna 172 I thought I was going to die...I dunno when its last inspection was but that plane needs to be grounded. Every air pocket the plane would creak and moan....about 40 minutes in the engine started sputtering and we had to come down....well a heavy cross wind developed and we where advised NOT to land...my freind was like negative have engine trouble Im coming in...All I remember is the yoke pulled all the way back plane shaking like crazy alarms going off....I thought we where going to fall out of the sky and crash LOL.... So needless to say no planes for a long long time for me.

 

[ILikeMusic]

Quote:

So silver and copper cables sound the same too? Hogwash.

ROFL...

 

[wakked1]

Yes. In particular you can hear a difference between:

a) really cheap interconnect
b) high quality OFC interconnect (like $20)
c) nice silver interconnect ($40+)

Those will probably have the most pronounced differences.

 

[threepointone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ILikeMusic It really depends if you can hear the difference There is no difference to be heard beyond the placebo effect. If any actual difference existed (especially the numerous and sometimes significant differences described here) it surely could be demonstrated, yet there has never, ever been so much as a single properly-conducted blind test that has revealed an audible difference between cables (and of course this is not particularly surprising to anyone with any kind of technical background.) Anyway, I don't mean to hijack the thread but since the original question concerned the value of a cable upgrade I felt that someone had to point out reality. I'll simply refer anyone interested to any of the many past threads on the topic.

hmm... but no one's really proved that it is only placebo. maybe a few people going to the ny head-fi meet could do a short double blind test find out the truth. I would go if I'd reserved earlier and if I had time that weekend.

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by threepointone hmm... but no one's really proved that it is only placebo. maybe a few people going to the ny head-fi meet could do a short double blind test find out the truth. I would go if I'd reserved earlier and if I had time that weekend.

realistically it's going to be too crazy and loud there to do a decent comparo test on cables. heck, we couldn't even pull off a DAC shootout last time, and that was a regional level meet!