Cables - need help to choose

panditji

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Hi

I have recently bought a Meridian Director DAC of which I am yet to get delivery off. SO since I have never really shopped for cables, I need help to choose one for my system...Please note that I have never heard any cables and therefore have no idea the quantum and type of differences cables make...
I need help in choosing 3 types of cables:

USB cable for the DAC (Do they really make a significant difference????)

Audioquest Cinnamon - $65
Audioquest Forest - $35
Audioquest Carbon - $129

Digital Cable for connecting the CDP to the DAC (Do they really make a significant difference????)

Audioquest Cinnamon - $65
Audioquest Forest - $29

Also decided to buy a pair of RCA interconnects. Are the AUDIOQUEST - KING COBRA any good..getting a 0.75M pair for $134? Is it a good buy and are these cables good???? I like that they are red in colour which is what attracted me in the first place....

Your help would be greatly appreciated and please recommend based on VFM factor....


Warm regards
Rahul Pandit
 
I have tried audioquest king cobra ic. What I remember it as a neutral cable and helped to overcome the sibilance in voice with the another ic.
 
Thanks Ranjeet for your advice...then I guess the Audioquest Forest for USB and Digital and maybe the Cobra for the ICs....
Have heard Digital cables don't make much difference but what is your take on the USB cables? Do they all sound the same and even if not, is the quantum of difference worth the difference in prices?

Also since the Audioquest King Cobra has got 1 vote already and is on the best seller's list of cables on musicdirect.com, I think I will opt for that...
 
Don't buy USB cables from audio companies. Not unless you want to join in the cable religion game. Don't buy rubbish either: buy a known brand, eg Belkin, from the local PC shop.

I just recabled my most important components, and I did so (five stereo interconnect pairs) for a total cost of less than the one interconnect you mention. I don't use Coax digital, but, if I did, I would have no hesitation in buying from them: I'd trust them to get the electrical specification correct, for starters.

Anyway, welcome to the single most contentious area in consumer audio. Cables. Before you decide which path to follow, take a little time and read some of the articles at Blue Jeans Cables. If you like their attitude, buy their cables. I did!

God, that sounds like a corny advertisement! Honest, it isn't. I've been quoting their articles for months, and thought I'd better put my money where my mouth is. I do not expect to replacing those cables unless they fall apart, which, from the build, maybe never.
 
Panditji
My experience is somewhat different. I did not notice any difference with USB cables, with the audioquest cinnamon to a good printer cable (there is a long discussion of this in a thread I started), however with digital coax. it is a different matter. I have tested these digital coax cables from $75 to $300.
1. DH Labs - I think it is called silver sonic
2. Tara Labs RSC
3. Nordost Moonglo2
4. Creative Cable design green hornet
I could clearly hear the differences between these, and I have ended up preferring the green hornet by far, however I also liked the Nordost, so I am using in that my second setup.
I am using the audioquest cinnamon usb for now, but I have ordered a custom silver cable from lavricables on audiogon, with the 5v power lead disconnected. Not too expensive in general about $90, but anyways that is my perspective.
Cheers,
Sid
 
Welcome to the Wonderful world of cable rolling... :)

A change of Cables / using specialist cables can help you achieve 1 or Both of the following goals:

1. Get more detail / resolution thru, from one component to another... ( Improved "Quality" of sound )

2. Tailor the end sound to balance off your system. eg if the System sound is rather shrill, you could select a cable that will compensate this shrillness (eg a Bland-n-Dul Cable ... Jest Kidding :D ).



The MOST Important Rules, Especially for beginners :

a. Never buy a cable without listening to it in YOUR setup. You could end up spending on a cable that does not provide the result you are looking for.

b. If you dont hear a difference in sound, with the cable, DONT buy it.... Either your system or your ears are not capable of resolvving what the cable is doing, and you are Wasting yr money.

With these broad guidelines, go out and Explore... Listen, Listen Listen to your New DAC in your system BEFORE buying cables ...
 
Also since the Audioquest King Cobra has got 1 vote already and is on the best seller's list of cables on musicdirect.com, I think I will opt for that...

I will second the cobra for analog ic's. I have had AQ in the past, liked them a lot, but since then have moved on to Kimber Select. Another option, albeit slightly more expensive than the AQ, I think are Kimber Hero's. I found them to be very neutral regardless of the system.
Cheers,
Sid
 
The problem is not being able to hear the cables in my system...have been wanting to have a cable shootout for a long time but just to hear if and how much of a difference cables make but somehow have not been able to manage it..

Anyhow, since my brother was in the US, I was hoping to buy some of the cheap/entry level audioquest cables like the Forest for USB and Digital and maybe the Cobras as the ICs...

With that as the reference, I can actually start making comparisons...

I was told that Digital makes no difference and USB cables do but Sid's experience is otherwise...hence this cables thingy has always confused me...

Since Sid has also voted for the Audioquest Cobras, i think I will go with them .. plus they are nice looking as well...

Thanks everyone..
 
For digital, I've had good luck with the Black Cat Veloce (now replaced by the Silverstar). Been using it for three years now.

For USB, recently got to compare a Belkin Gold USB cable against a US$500 Ridge Street cable. A very noticeable improvement - enough to make me a believer in USB cables. Still not willing to spend US$500 on one though!

Like Dinyar said, better to try and buy. Cables are very much system dependent.
 
For digital, I've had good luck with the Black Cat Veloce (now replaced by the Silverstar). Been using it for three years now.
.

This cable also has been on my list for auditioning, but I never did acquire it. Perhaps down the road.
BTW Panditji is right, in India almost no way to audition cables, unless a fellow FM is willing to lend. So more often than not I just buy the cables and sell the ones that I don't want.
Cheers,
Sid
 
Thad E Ginathom said:
I do not expect to replacing those cables unless they fall apart, which, from the build, maybe never.

And the only cable I have which did actually fall apart is Van der Hul.

Buy the cables you like. Enjoy the experience... but if you pay more than a few tens of $$$ for them, then you are being ripped off, and supporting a rip-off industry.

The only good thing I can say about Audioquest is ...they make rather a good DAC! :eek:hyeah:
 
I agree to below comments.

Not felt any difference in USB but could hear(feel) vast( surely noticeable) difference with coaxial cables.


Panditji
My experience is somewhat different. I did not notice any difference with USB cables, with the audioquest cinnamon to a good printer cable (there is a long discussion of this in a thread I started), however with digital coax. it is a different matter. I have tested these digital coax cables from $75 to $300.
1. DH Labs - I think it is called silver sonic
2. Tara Labs RSC
3. Nordost Moonglo2
4. Creative Cable design green hornet
I could clearly hear the differences between these, and I have ended up preferring the green hornet by far, however I also liked the Nordost, so I am using in that my second setup.
I am using the audioquest cinnamon usb for now, but I have ordered a custom silver cable from lavricables on audiogon, with the 5v power lead disconnected. Not too expensive in general about $90, but anyways that is my perspective.
Cheers,
Sid
 
I think I will start off with the Audioquest Forest for both USB and Digital and maybe move up after comparing more expensive cables in my system and listening to the quantum of difference....Surely there are rich audiophiles in Delhi who have more expensive cables which I can compare with....
 
Thad, The Forest USB and Digital cables are not expensive at $35 and $29 respectively....so I don't mind taking the plunge...Also the Cobra ICs are discounted at $149 at musicdirect.com so even though expensive, it is still cheaper than the exhorbitantly priced ICs from other companies..
 
With usb cables (and any cable that deals with digital signals), any good cable with good engineering should work well. I would ask you to stay with companies that pay attention to these basic engineering issues for audio / video and not the ones that make it for PC industry. From that point onwards, it is about clever engineering. Separating usb power and signal is a good method which has found favor among critical listeners. I would not pay for over engineered stuff with fluffy marketing.

For example, in an audiophile grade network player, shielded network cables makes a slight difference not because they can transmit better data, but because they adequately shield RFI and other **** from entering the player and affecting the processing and making a difference in sound. With data, this is not an issue. With sound, it is.
 
IMHO without question digital cables made the most significant difference to the presentation of the music in my system. The soundstage was different to an appreciable degree, so much so that I wasn't really sure which one was "correct". In the end it didn't matter as I went with which sounded best to me. I would put ICs next and not really to bother about USB cable quality. However, perhaps worth trying out a few to see what difference it makes in your particular system - it is hard to generalize about these things.
If you were in Bangalore I could have let you try out my spare Jorma Design digital cable. I found it better on personal hearing than the four-times more expensive Stealth Audio offering. All the best.
 
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and feedback...just ordered the Audioquest Forest USB and Digital cables as well as the King Cobra ICs....

When I get them in the next 15 days, I will start comparing them with other cables and trying to find out how much differences cables make along with a DAC shootout as well...

Rich Delhi audiophiles: Beware as I will be hounding you to borrow your expensive cables and DACs once my setup is up and running...
 
Not really a rich audiophile here but you are welcome to try anything from my collection of cables.

Shoot me a mail or call me when you are ready.
 
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