[U4ria]

What's the general view on interconnects in this joint? Do they make much of a noticeable difference.

Recently I just had a real crummy old AV RCA cable running between my source CD player and my amp. Just replaced them with some pretty heavy-duty off-the-shelf cable, with two good quality jacks at each end. This cable was just lieing around, and I figured 'nah, couldn't possibly make a difference changing cables'. But I did, and lo and behold, there was an incrementral improvement. Seemed to get deeper bass, and a kind of fuller sound. I dunno I talk a lot of crap.

Is this for real? Or am I just too pleased with myself for making the change because it looks more hardcore? I'd feel less on-drugs if someone else experienced the interconnect improvement phenomenon.

 

[tomek]

the search function is up and running.

take a good long look at the many, many threads about this.

 

[GokieKS]

Let's just put it this way: Anything which you have done which you felt improved your sound and required money/effort/tinkering on your part in the process, some audiophile/sound-enthusiast out there has also felt.

~KS

 

[SunByrne]

Opinions differ vastly on interconnects. Some people believe they make a huge difference all through the price spectrum. Some people believe they make virtually no difference. Some people believe they make some difference up to a point (that is, really bad interconnects sound bad, but all "good" ones sound about the same). And there are probably a number of other variants.

So, yes, some people report similar experiences to you.

Of course, some people report relief from symptoms and/or significant side effects from sugar pills, too.

 

[ampgalore]

There are bad interconnects, there are good interconnects, and there are pure snake oil interconnects.

I decided to settle with the good interconnects

 

[Mikey01]

A trio of friends and myself did a little electrical experiment on that. The results were astonishing. First we ran a fifteen foot length of kite string. attached to two tin cans. Pulled taunt and then talked through. GOOD results. Than we did the same thing only useing one gage copper wire brad. Pulled taunt and then talked through. BAD results and a couple of backachs. So that would suggest cheap thin interconnect cables would work well.

 

[lizzardfire]

Mikey, come on. I know Kite String interconnects are the best, but does it look like this guy wants to pay 1000$ for a .5m length cable?

 

[Chinchy]

IC's are great! I get great sound out of mine, much better than if there were no interconnects. If anyone says IC's don't matter, have them remove them and compare the difference..

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by U4ria Is this for real? Or am I just too pleased with myself for making the change because it looks more hardcore? I'd feel less on-drugs if someone else experienced the interconnect improvement phenomenon.

Most people are aware of the differences between cables.

I just switched a more expensive (relaxed) cable from my phonostage for a less expensive more aggressive cable to get a more exciting sound.

Borrow a cable from someone just to try or try DIY (do-it-yourself) cables.

 

[ServinginEcuador]

After the first few hundred $$$ the returns diminish quite readily. After about $500 it almost always comes down to personal preference. I have yet to hear a bad IC above the $300 point. And the differences I did hear were found doing direct A/B comparisons, and weren't very big at all.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ServinginEcuador After the first few hundred $$$ the returns diminish quite readily. After about $500 it almost always comes down to personal preference. I have yet to hear a bad IC above the $300 point. And the differences I did hear were found doing direct A/B comparisons, and weren't very big at all.

I've heard several interconnects over $300 that didn't sound good in my setup. I won't go so far as to call them "bad", but I would hesitate to recommend them to anyone. In some cases, I've found that interconnects can interact with the rest of the setup...including power configuration and power cords. Change a power cord, and a lifeless interconnect can suddenly seem to wake up. If it sounds like I have no idea what I'm talking about, you're right. I have absolutely no idea how to predict which interconnects or power cords will sound right in any particular system. The only methodology I've found is to work through what I've got until I find something that sounds good, and retains that sound long-term. Even then, there's no guarantee that the same cables will produce similar results in another setup.

 

[Wired_Gargoyle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey01 A trio of friends and myself did a little electrical experiment on that. The results were astonishing. First we ran a fifteen foot length of kite string. attached to two tin cans. Pulled taunt and then talked through. GOOD results. Than we did the same thing only useing one gage copper wire brad. Pulled taunt and then talked through. BAD results and a couple of backachs. So that would suggest cheap thin interconnect cables would work well.

I've experienced excellent results by using a wireless interconnect system...


I used X-Treme tape to tape down the button of my T6000R which I connected it's mate to my Grado's using Vampire wiring and L-plugs.

 

[boodi]

i tried 5 interconnect in my system ,every ic bringed in/out something very noticeable .To my ears different IC change quite a lot the openness / warmness / detailing of a good rig .
True thing that changing IC change sound also in my port. setup , but it's not so easy to notice as for my full rig.

What i understand the most by now is the case of silver wire IC , they naturally tend to uncover details and to close to tonal accuracy but the goal of the design ( and i think this is where you spend the most your money ) is that they have to be balanced and not harsh or sibiling somewhere across the frq. spectrum .

this is of course generally speaking , and surely my humble noob opinion

 

[fredpb]

Like others, I believe interconnects vary. Also depends on resolution of your equipment, and ears.

In my quest, I went to a high end audio shop and used their wonderful equipment to test my and their interconnects.

The good Ratshack Gold, and their $50, $100, and $150+ interconnects.

Each one was audibly a step above the other.

But the differences diminished to my ears above $100. I was quite happy with the $100 Straightwire Encore II's....I have them in my system now. They were WAY better than the RS and $50 ones.

The ones that were more expensive than the Encore's had minute increases in niceness.... Not worth the extra expense in my system.

When I got home with my first pair of Encores, the difference in my system was also obvious. Very happy with them now.

 

[dudlew]

In my opinion, if you try generic cables and good $100 cables and cant tell the difference then your system is not up to snuff or your ears are full of wax

In all honesty, I have noticed difference in cables even in modest systems. I have also heard the difference in speaker cables on mini systems. So in my view, cables make a difference, and are worth a modest investment.

I dont think that cables should cost as much as one of your other components, as I see that as overkill, but once you like what you hear........... thats all that matters.

D