[SpeakerBox]

True, but easily accounted for by moving your listening position relative to speaker position.

I can't believe I did not think of that!

 

[MatthiasP]

Magnetic South. Rick Schultz moved from Canada to Texas, and the company is High Fidelity Cables. Actually, Magnetic Conduction uses magnets to eliminate diffusion of the signal and focuses it. No claims of molecular alignment, but definitely a cleaner sound. Noise is something that you don't realize until it is gone.
I reviewed about $7,000 worth of his speaker cables, power cables and interconnects, and even on an "affordable" system, there was a clearly an improvement of sound quality.

So this means the old cables you used for comparisons were flawed?

 

[Robert Padgett]

So this means the old cable you used for comparisons were flawed?

Not at all, what I was using prior to the arrival of his then new CT-2 cables replaced audiophile grade lamp cord, stock power cords, and a set of AR interconnects which we got for $5 from an overstock warehouse.
Flawed, certainly not, Cheap, definitely.

US Blues mentioned Magnetic North, and that was what I was responding to. I own the magnetic adapters for my signal between the DAC to the Valhalla 2. I no longer use SPDIF coaxial so the Digital adapters work on my Audio Advisor Black Mamba Subwoofer cable.
Certainly am not interested in a cable war. I cannot afford $1600 interconnects on a small monthly stipend.

A member of the Trade responded by providing me a pair of properly terminated Belken cables which quite honestly didn't sound "worse" than the $1000 speaker cables. They didn't sound $900 better, and my 'reference system' at that time was worth $500

Cables make a huge difference--or it's all in your head...Monoprice? No, but there are quality cable makers that base the price on the length, type, termination, not some hype. And they are in America. Blue jeans.

 

[MatthiasP]

Hey Robert,
you know that I was teasing... Cables are a great topic to raise audiophile blood pressure!
But I'm on your side: If the cable has no technical flaws, it should deliver.
Connectors can shield, and should have a very low ohmic resistance, especially in the long term. Some are saying a low mass sounds good - don't know.
I make my own cables, because the nice ones have ridiculous prices. I buy the cable from Sommer Cable which sells most of their products to broadcasting studios and recording/mixing studios. I chose by resistance and capacitance, and used insulation material. My connectors are from Neutrik. So nothing too fancy, because it's diy, but I think on a very high level.
One day I'll try silver solid core in PTFE tunes, and thin copper wire with silver coating in PTFE, Eichman bullet plugs.
Now I'm lazy because I'm satisfied! I wished here was an audio pal or club with some crazy persons like us, who says: Matthias, you have to try this!
Would be great!
Cheers

Edit:
Some of the famous belden cable would be also on my list, of cause!

 

[jimmers]

Now I'm lazy because I'm satisfied! I wished here was an audio pal or club with some crazy persons like us, who says: Matthias, you have to try this!

20 years ago Thorsten Loesch of AMR and iFi had some DIY cable ideas (Thorsten, AKA 'Kuei Yang Wang' on www.diyaudio.com)
links on page:
https://www.tnt-audio.com/edit/thorsten.html
and his system information
http://www.arduman.com/aa/Sayfalar/thorsten/thorsten.htm

 

[leafy7382]

A little trip down memory lane. My Theta Cobalt 307 DAC.



Best Wishes Mike!

Does it do 88MPH?

 

[Derrick Swart]

Hey Robert,
you know that I was teasing... Cables are a great topic to raise audiophile blood pressure!
But I'm on your side: If the cable has no technical flaws, it should deliver.
Connectors can shield, and should have a very low ohmic resistance, especially in the long term. Some are saying a low mass sounds good - don't know.
I make my own cables, because the nice ones have ridiculous prices. I buy the cable from Sommer Cable which sells most of their products to broadcasting studios and recording/mixing studios. I chose by resistance and capacitance, and used insulation material. My connectors are from Neutrik. So nothing too fancy, because it's diy, but I think on a very high level.
One day I'll try silver solid core in PTFE tunes, and thin copper wire with silver coating in PTFE, Eichman bullet plugs.
Now I'm lazy because I'm satisfied! I wished here was an audio pal or club with some crazy persons like us, who says: Matthias, you have to try this!
Would be great!
Cheers

Edit:
Some of the famous belden cable would be also on my list, of cause!

True. I find cables make a difference but our ears adapt easily to the slightly different sound. It is fun to make your own cables. Most important for me is the connection. Made some rca interconnects and the plugs i bought are just awful, a bummer because the cable sounds good. I am intrigued with blue jeans and townshend audio cable.
Only way to know is try in our own system but a trial for several thousands of euros...hmmm...maybe when the spark hits my gaz-brain

 

[SpeakerBox]

Aaron Diehl on the piano. Worth checking out his "Space Time Continuum" album. But he's best live, especially with CMcLS. They did a fun show at SFJAZZ last season.

Yes, Aaron is very good!

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

Cables do make all the difference in the world.
@Paladin79 can attest to this as the resident specialist.
He once build me the best AES/EBU XLR2XLR cable I ever had (still use) and even compared to very, very expensive others wins all the time.
As all my musical data goes to my DAC trough it, the difference between one or the other is easy to determinate.

 

[Robert Padgett]

Cables do make all the difference in the world.
@Paladin79 can attest to this as the resident specialist.
He once built me the best AES/EBU XLR2XLR cable I ever had (still use) and even compared to very, very expensive others wins all the time.
As all my musical date goes to my DAC trough it, the difference between one or the other is easy to determinate.

No argument here. @Paladin79 makes very good, reasonably priced cables. He has also schooled me on other things about tubes, tube amps, and headphones.

He is indeed a valuable asset to this community.
I am agnostic about cable discussions, if you think it sounds better, who am I to argue. Likewise, if you support the opposite, good for you.

I say enjoy what you have, enjoy the Music.

 

[SpeakerBox]

He is indeed a valuable asset to this community.
I am agnostic about cable discussions, if you think it sounds better, who am I to argue. Likewise, if you support the opposite, good for you.

I say enjoy what you have, enjoy the Music.

I would say that describes my position pretty well. To each his own.

 

[MatthiasP]

With the hint to some technical specifications and the biggest producer of cable meant for audio I wanted the curious give a start to research a bit themselves.
For me any producer who charges more than, let's say 400$ for 2m cable is a modern days criminal: Typically if they produce the cable themselfs (I meant the cable, not the connection of the connector), they cannot guarantee the specs, because you need to buy extremely expensive machines to do so.
And when you do the math, let's use in our minds pure silver, then some isolation, then some nice plugs, and a nice bonus for making then, how could you charge more?
I know that cables of cause make a difference, like a working amp in comparison to a flawed does, and there are better amps then the normal ones. But I'm highly skeptical if expensive cable can make a difference.
I'm reading this thread for many years now, and the things Paladin79 mentions, all make sense to me.
I hope that my post can't be misunderstood for ranting arround, English is not my mother tongue.
In my thinking there are 3 categories of cables:
The too cheap / technically flawed ones
The perfectly fine ones. These is the biggest category.
And the insane (and I mean it psychological) cable category. If the price cannot be argued by the used material, connectors, innovative (but scientific) ideas. Like: If it's hand made by true elves then it's worth the price!
But, like always, if life or somebody teaches me if wrong, I'll change my mind.

 

[MatthiasP]

I say enjoy what you have, enjoy the Music.

Yes, this is the most important!

My last comment on cables: (Because I'm a "new" resident here and so you cannot know what type of guy I am)
And then I have a weak spot for Cardas Cables and Furutech/WBT connectors. And here I don't know where technical arguments end and ideological starts.

 

[SpeakerBox]

Welcome aboard @MatthiasP

 

[MatthiasP]

Welcome aboard @MatthiasP

Thank you very much!