Cable pathways between audio components can affect perceived sound quality

Good read, Thanks for sharing; people who believe their ears always knew that ICs do make a difference.

Few days ago, My co-brother (totally Noob as far as audiophilia is concerned, a SW Engineer by Profession) was listening to his favourite songs on my setup and was quite impressed with the SQ. Amazon guy delivered a Optical cable I had ordered, & I intuitively Changed the previous MX Optical cable to new Cable Creation Optical Cable (From MacBook to DAC): the SQ changed from Warm to Less Warmer Tonality, very minimal difference as far as i know. But, He was spot on to pick up the difference instantly, and pointed it out correctly. Kids are quite sensitive to picking up such changes instantly, I have numerous experiences with my daughters picking up the minute SQ changes more effortlessly. Most people face the problem in putting it in correct words, so we are limited by our vocabulary. So you just need to listen with a open mind and without prejudices.

Conclusions from the article for the people with Paucity of time.

"4 CONCLUSIONS
High-end audio is a subject that is shrouded in controversy. Aside from loudspeakers, consumers exhibit varying degrees of skepticism as to what affects sonic performance. The most contentious ingredient in the chain is the interconnection between components, which concerns both the topology (balanced versus single-ended) and the characteristics of the cable itself. This work shows that two system configurations differing only by the interconnect pathway are audibly discernable, even by average listeners with no special experience in music or audio. To the author’s knowledge, this may represent the smallest change in an audio system proven to be discernable through IRB approved blind listening tests.
The success of these experiments depended first on assembling an audio system with sufficient fidelity to avoid masking the minute differences being auditioned. Secondly, the approach to designing blind listening tests was scrutinized to see what might improve sensitivity. An extended multiple pass (EMP) listening protocol was developed, because preliminary experimentation along with other published observations [22]–[23] indicated that it would be more likely to form a robust and detailed impression of a HEA system’s sound quality compared to a short-segment comparison (SSC) method.
This work did not conduct an exhaustive determination of all possible physical causes of sonic differences in interconnects. For example, time-domain effects such as reflections were not studied because a balanced cable requires a differential amplifier and extra cable (both adding their own noise and distortions) before an oscilloscope. However, the electrical measurements conducted here indicate that noise levels may be one determining factor of sonic performance. The measurements also show that characteristics such as resistance and frequency response, that naïve consumers may focus on, are irrelevant for distinguishing HEA interconnect cables.
A worthwhile future extension of this work, would be to develop high-performance instrumentation that can cleanly switch between two single-ended interconnects. This will allow assessing sonic differences arising from cables’ transmission characteristics that are unrelated to topology, and also facilitate the study of time-domain effects."
 
Past 2 weeks I have been experimenting and researching metals other than copper and silver for interconnects and speaker wires and am overwhelmed by my findings. We always trust and believe anything copper and silver are the only materials that will sound good on interconnections. Unless you try other metals you can never discover. I am experimenting currently with a combination of metals like aluminium, steel, zinc, silver, nichrome, copper to get that balance that I am looking for. I am already overwhelmed by my findings. Hope to conclude this in a month or two.
 
Past 2 weeks I have been experimenting and researching metals other than copper and silver for interconnects and speaker wires and am overwhelmed by my findings. We always trust and believe anything copper and silver are the only materials that will sound good on interconnections. Unless you try other metals you can never discover. I am experimenting currently with a combination of metals like aluminium, steel, zinc, silver, nichrome, copper to get that balance that I am looking for. I am already overwhelmed by my findings. Hope to conclude this in a month or two.
Hopefully this post might help you...

 
Hopefully this post might help you...

Thanks @Dr.Bass , I have read this article many months ago. I am experimenting with different metals. I am also using golden ratio and additionally Fulton length wires. I am still two months away from my state of the art dream interconnect but will like to mention that I have received much success in past 2 to 3 weeks and seem to proceed in the right direction.
 
I have used Afa cables which are made of a combination of different metals.
 
All these material options become necessary when the components are not well designed. In pro audio or in studio applications or in concert venues, it’s normal copper wires. At some places tinned copper is used. That’s about it.
 
All these material options become necessary when the components are not well designed. In pro audio or in studio applications or in concert venues, it’s normal copper wires. At some places tinned copper is used. That’s about it.
I have tried many wires including copper and silver at many price points. I can only say that the material should match with the rest of your setup. Its all the synergy that's important. Not necessarily copper or silver or anything else imo Maybe that's the reason DIY work for me rather than bought products. I can tailor the sound to my ears.
 
Past 2 weeks I have been experimenting and researching metals other than copper and silver for interconnects and speaker wires and am overwhelmed by my findings. We always trust and believe anything copper and silver are the only materials that will sound good on interconnections. Unless you try other metals you can never discover. I am experimenting currently with a combination of metals like aluminium, steel, zinc, silver, nichrome, copper to get that balance that I am looking for. I am already overwhelmed by my findings. Hope to conclude this in a month or two.
very good sir
waiting for your response eagerly
 
Get the Award Winning Diamond 12.3 Floorstanding Speakers on Special Offer
Back
Top