The Stax Thread III
Feb 4, 2016 at 3:56 PM Post #7,876 of 25,261
It
My RCA cables come from mainstream gears bought over the last 30 years, and last time I bought cables, that was those XLR babies : http://www.woodbrass.com/cable-microphone-eagletone-mc20-xlr-xlr-1-5m-p158349.html
I'm also skeptic about price ratio / balance among components :p


Ali


It doesn't hurt to try really. If you don't like your new cables, just return them and get your money back. I personally don't own a super expensive cable but I tested out moon audio black dragon and it clearly superior to my mogami gold xlr cable. With electro stats, your system is quite transparent so testing out cables and detecting any improvement should be easy.
 
Feb 4, 2016 at 4:09 PM Post #7,877 of 25,261
I think I'm not hobbyist enough...with my BHSE coming, I'll probably be done. Even if I could go down the tube-rolling rabbit hole.
Never say never, BTW 
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Ali
 
Feb 4, 2016 at 4:28 PM Post #7,878 of 25,261
  If high quality Stax headphones can convey music of quality equivalent of the most expensive hi-fi speakers there is, shouldn't the Dac, cables and other accessories be of very high quality then?


I would say yes, to get the best out of them, and to avoid digital fatigue by having a very revealing transducer on the end of a mid-fi system IMO.
 
Feb 4, 2016 at 5:27 PM Post #7,880 of 25,261
  Are stax tube amps AC heated?? I was rebiasing mine after installing RCA cleartops and noticed that DC balance swings from -0.8 to +0.5V (measured with a Keithley 199 DMM). Even after 60 mins of warmup - absolutely no way to keep it within 0.2V.
 
Has anyone tried running a power conditioner on them?
 
+
By the way - Cleartops took the grain in the HF from stock 6CG7EH's nicely.

 
I don't know about AC heating, but a bias within -0.8 to +0.5 is already very very good. You shouldn't even have to worry if it stays within a few volts + or -, because it's on a scale of hundreds of volts.
 
Feb 4, 2016 at 6:00 PM Post #7,881 of 25,261
This.
Invest your money in Headphones, amplifier and DAC in that order.
Buy well made cables because they last longer not because they sound better.
Before you believe me or somebody else who disagrees, do some research on it.
There is a lot of money riding on cables, and unfortunately it has become embedded in the audio psyche like gospel.
 
Quote:
  Very skeptic about the cable thing, but the matter is probably the best s(c)hi(i)tstorm-generator in audio world 
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Ali

 
Feb 5, 2016 at 8:24 AM Post #7,884 of 25,261
  Very skeptic about the cable thing, but the matter is probably the best s(c)hi(i)tstorm-generator in audio world 
biggrin.gif
 
 
Ali

Me 2.
I have been in this game for just a few years and in blind testing I can hear everything except cable differences.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 8:30 AM Post #7,885 of 25,261
  I'm definitely down with the headphones, then amp, then DAC priority.

 
With electrostatics this was the order I followed initially to have a very modest (by electrostatic standards) system. However, I've come to realize how important the source is. My next upgrade will be a DAC that I'm hoping to have for a very  long time. Then I'll jump into some better headphones and finally a better amp. I have two systems, dynamic and electrostatic, and the DAC is connected to both. I probably split my time 50/50 between both systems. Since electrostatic system upgrades would be at least $2k and up for me, I'm probably going to focus on my dynamic rig for the next year and then finally jump back into electrostatic upgrades.
 
Where I am now:
Schiit Bifrost MB -> Mjolnir ExStata-> Koss ESP-950
Schiit Bifrost MB -> Schiit Lyr 2 -> Assortment of $150ish cans
 
Where I want to be:
Schiit Yggdrasil -> KGxxx -> Stax SR007 or 009
Schiit Yggdrasil-> Schiit Ragnarok-> Senn HD-800S
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 8:30 AM Post #7,886 of 25,261
  Me 2.
I have been in this game for just a few years and in blind testing I can hear everything except cable differences.

My opinion a few years ago was the same as yours. However over the last 2 years I have upgraded my interconnects to Audio Note Silver and there is a definite improvement in transparency.
 
I have not found speaker cables to do as much though, as long as there is enough gauge copper in the cables and they are not too long. I actually use mains cable 30 amp x 2 for my speakers, sound great.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 9:06 AM Post #7,887 of 25,261
  My opinion a few years ago was the same as yours. However over the last 2 years I have upgraded my interconnects to Audio Note Silver and there is a definite improvement in transparency.
 
I have not found speaker cables to do as much though, as long as there is enough gauge copper in the cables and they are not too long. I actually use mains cable 30 amp x 2 for my speakers, sound great.

If you do hear the difference in blind testing, then there is a difference.
My problem is that most people dont realize how placebo and bias works on your brain, and they can be fooled into spending more money.
I have nothing against people who want to buy expensive cables. I have something to say about those who try to fool customers into it.
 
Feb 5, 2016 at 9:55 AM Post #7,888 of 25,261
Originally Posted by Ali-Pacha 
Very skeptic about the cable thing, but the matter is probably the best s(c)hi(i)tstorm-generator in audio world 
biggrin.gif
 
Ali
Originally Posted by catspaw /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Me 2.
I have been in this game for just a few years and in blind testing I can hear everything except cable differences.

 
High ball: you've probably only tried bad cables
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.
Joke aside, I think good equipment should be largely insensitive to cables that respect certain impedance matching requirements, have low capacitance, low attenuation[, proper shielding] and have fairly good/homogeneous/consistent quality.
There are exceptions, though:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/google-engineer-finds-usb-type-c-cable-thats-so-bad-it-fried-his-chromebook-pixel/
 
I fully agree with the KG priority order: headphone, amp, source[, cables].
 
Nevertheless, in the last 10+ years, only cables have been the same in my systems: a good reason to set the bar and choose once, choose well.
 
When/if I noticed differences between cables, it was around perceived transparency - the same that Astrostar noted - especially bass transparency and timing/group delay.
 
I am pretty much against the idea of compensating problems with cables (mix-and-match), and against spending huge amount of money to eliminate 0.1% of the problems - it will be still a fraction of the total length of cables in the system (transformers, internal cabling etc). If one is so serious about cables, use the 'good' ones (whatever 'good' means for you) in every element of the audio chain[, including power lines :). Hey, what sounds better, wind or water or nuclear energy? Which atoms are better, the ones originating from closer or farther supernovae?].
Even then, it's the last mile in quality and won't make your components' design better. That is why I have a deeper respect towards system designers than towards component designers.
 
I've been laughing my socks off reading some sections of 
The Absolute Sound Buyer's Guide to Cables, Power Products, Accessories, and Music 2015.
Enjoy :).
 

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