[brat]

Quote:

 
If this is addressed to me, it is misplaced.  I am tolerant of just about every reasonable belief in this hobby.  Maybe cables make a difference, maybe they don't.  One thing we all know (or should know) is that it is far from settled. I have absolutely no tolerance for the lack of critical thinking demonstrated here (and getting worse).  
 
Every now and then I come back here to re-engage, thinking I will enjoy it.
 
I don't.

No, not for you especially It was more generally because I see often different opinions raise agression and denial.

 

[The Monkey]

Quote:

No, not for you especially It was more generally because I see often different opinions raise agression and denial.

 
 
Fair enough.

 

[The Monkey]

Moving on, I continue to enjoy these cans.  Definitely a pleasant listening experience.  I wish they were more comfortable, but the sound is worth it.  The angled cable entry seems like an excellent development.  The straight entry would have annoyed me--a lot.

 

[Francoy]

For all it’s worth, I agree with you Monkey that the use of the expression « night and day » to explain ones perception of the modification of the sound of a headphone resulting from the switch of a cable is definitely pushing the envelope... You get a « night and day » difference when you change headphones. Or maybe when you go from straight off an iPod to a kick ass analog system. But the sonic difference between two cables representing a « night and day » difference!?! :¬|
 
To me, cables should not be recommended first and foremost to fellow head-fiers who are looking to achieve better sound from their system. In my opinion, cans/amp/source are the main element that should be addressed before going further down the line towards aural nirvana (by « down the line » I mean, cables/mains/tubes and other accessories).
 
 
Having said that, when I changed my stock LCD-2 cable with a Q-audio one, I had a « night and day » difference in terms of looks and micro phonics :¬)
 
(and by the way, sound-wise I hear a bit more details when I A/B my cables - in favor of the Q-audio cable. Not a big difference mind you, but on tracks/records that I know very well, I hear a difference that I appreciate)
 
But one thing is for sure, I don’t think it’s safe to say « there is no difference because you can’t prove it technically/scientifically, so IT MUST be your brain messing with you ». Because if you say that, what guarantees you that the brain will only work one way? What if everybody who hears a difference in the sound with different cables is correct and you are the one suffering from placebo effect. Meaning that you are so certain that cables don’t change the sound, that your brain refuses the identify the sound as being different?

 

[brat]

Quote:

To me, cables should not be recommended first and foremost to fellow head-fiers who are looking to achieve better sound from their system. In my opinion, cans/amp/source are the main element that should be addressed before going further down the line...

Totally disagree! Cables (analog and digital ICs especially) can make differences as big as the change of a source or an amp. But it's significantly cheaper to try changing cables before the expensive components of the system.
 
P.S. Of course expensive cables can't fix the faults of crappy sources/amps/cans

 

[purrin]

FWIW, and just another opinion:, I've never heard any audible differences among the cables I've tried in respect to Audeze headphones. These include the Q-cables, DHC, stock, and Norse. Subject to my rig, my amp, my DAC, so YMMV.
 
It's possible that my equipment is just so well designed and executed that it does not need cables, or minimizes the effects of stock cables, which of course, we assume are always crap (not true). Although I did get the DHC cable because I couldn't stand how the stock ribbon cable would wind up.
 
To put things in perspective, the differences between the LCD2 transducers, especially earlier on when Audeze had the QC issues, were very evident. This was further verified by measurements which I had taken of several Audeze headphones.
 
Also it doesn't seem wise to spend that much on cables when the price difference from a Lyr (a commonly used amp by many LCD2 owners) to the Mjolnir is only $300.

 

[Solude]

Nods.  Spending hundreds on cables interconnect or headphone when the gear itself is only worth hundreds make no sense.  Cables do matter, but their value is terrible compared to actual gear upgrades until you get into diminishing returns prices.

 

[grokit]

Yeah but just think how great that Mjolnir will sound with a $300 cable!

Jk :wink_face:

 

[Solude]

The good news is I bought good cables years ago in RCA and XLR so no need for cables... ever.  Also have a Q 1/4" and XLR so... I'm good

 

[drez]

.

 

[brat]

Quote:

FWIW, and just another opinion:, I've never heard any audible differences among the cables I've tried in respect to Audeze headphones. These include the Q-cables, DHC, stock, and Norse. Subject to my rig, my amp, my DAC, so YMMV.
 
It's possible that my equipment is just so well designed and executed that it does not need cables, or minimizes the effects of stock cables...

Please, tell me which of my components is not prefessionally designed because I hear changes with power cables, ICs and headphone cables:
Weiss DAC2020U, Violectric HPA V200, Audeze LCD-2 r2.
Maybe these three products are made by amateurs (who don't know how to design their power and output/input sections) for audiophile noobs?
 
P.S. Before you mention it: No, it's not a placebo effect

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

Totally disagree! Cables (analog and digital ICs especially) can make differences as big as the change of a source or an amp. But it's significantly cheaper to try changing cables before the expensive components of the system.
 

 
There are so many things wrong with this post I don't even know where to begin. It is said that you spend 5% of the total cost of your amp, headphone and dac equipment. Do note that a cable does not and will never make differences as big as the change as a source of an amp (unless your source has a defect, or are of low quality bitrates to begin with i.e. poorly ripped or encoded). You can spend whatever you like on said equipment and you can enjoy it and hear differences, but it cables do not make differences as big as a change of the source of amp.

 

[Matt head 777]

If your adamant people might just assume you are "special''. Their was a good post that was mysteriously deleted about a guy that tricked his eletist friend with a made up pretty basic jug chord.
 

 

[DefQon]

Quote:

Please, tell me which of my components is not prefessionally designed because I hear changes with power cables, ICs and headphone cables:
Weiss DAC2020U, Violectric HPA V200, Audeze LCD-2 r2.
Maybe these three products are made by amateurs (who don't know how to design their power and output/input sections) for audiophile noobs?
 
P.S. Before you mention it: No, it's not a placebo effect

What you are experiencing is the placebo effect, I think you need to do a little research on what exactly the placebo effect is. What purrin meant is that the current equipment used and linked between each other is already of the high if not the highest quality and that if the stock cables were replaced with some aftermarket cables, the gains or (loss in some case) is so minimal, that the difference cannot be heard. There is no missing link.
 
I think you should participate in this thread.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/608828/dilemma-should-i-not-believe-any-reviewers-who-talk-about-cables-or-just-ignore-that-section-of-their-review

 

[drez]

Quote:

If your adamant people might just assume you are "special''. Their was a good post that was mysteriously deleted about a guy that tricked his eletist friend with a made up pretty basic jug chord.
 

 
I wouldn't be suprised - but I would put that down to the fact that any perceived difference is necessarily influenced by cognitive bias in terms of the subjective evaulation of the perceived difference.  I have tested a lot of "tweaks" (eg tuning a headphone damping) that made a difference I perceived as positive at first and then changed my mind.  If you couple that with possibility of placebo and the absence of guaranteed positive results, and you have a compelling argument not to spend significant amounts of money on cables.  I have definitely been burnt a few times with certain expensive computer hardware tweaks which in my opinion had negative or imperceptible results on performance, but that is another thing altogether.  With the LCD-2 I tested 3 aftermarket cables, and each of them had definite differences, but nothing I would pay source or amplifier money on, but i guess "source or amplifier money" is a very flexible metric

 
As for equipment being immune to cabling - this really isn't the case with most mid-fi equipment IMO.  over engineering costs money.  I mean if one spent $5000 on a DAC and the same on an amplifier then possibly (at least digital) cables will be less important.  As for a headphone cable though, apart from capacitance causing an amplifier to oscillate, the effects of the cable have little to do with the upstream equipment IMO.  I think we are getting a fair bit off topic discussing interconnects and power cabling.