Do good cables really enhance SQ?
- Thread starter Amit Shetty
- Start date
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Technically, you are way ahead of me, but interesting, none the less. Thanks!
A snippet from the cable-challenge articles I linked to above.
I guess blowing up the amp could be described as a night and day difference!
Even the most cynical amongst us could not deny that! 
hyeah:I guess blowing up the amp could be described as a night and day difference!
hyeah: It's as much day-and-night-difference as it gets!well said !
cables enhance SQ:no
cables make difference :yes 90% agree, if not agreed ask what he is using obviously he will not use 20Rs interconnects
Reality : cable interconnects has to be neutral ,well built
before you read human nerves,brain activity, copper related physics, 5000line shootout article just a practical approach:
*Ask local audio dealer to try most of them allow this
*get an experienced forum member to listen + if you like the sound pick them
*basic CDP + amp + speakers ,interconnects of good make in 2k enough ,thicker cables for speakers give a little better Bass/S.stage you should buy used .or imported VANDAMME cables DIY
*else 24SWG of ofc type recommended (max 1k u need , DAC cables i use).Other cheap 20or 50 Rs /m are real bad as i tested .
*high end setup >1lakh : enter the long long threads
*Silver cables : believe me copper many times sound much better
theredcommando
New Member
Capacitance introduced by speaker cable is extremely low. However, individual capacitance and inductance does add to the reactance which is similar to resistance.
Because of non linearity of speaker's impedance, however, this added reactance acts like it affects different frequencies differently.
Speaker Wire
venkat..thanks for sharing. great set of articles.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
QED are selling cables, but I believe that they are honest, and I'm certainly going to be bookmarking those.
Feedback on the Van Alstine experience I posted above? It's a good story: a cable novel with an unexpected ending!
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Feedback on the Van Alstine experience I posted above? It's a good story: a cable novel with an unexpected ending!
Wow, another heavy-weight source that will take some digesting!
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Thad isnt this true. in the end in the impedance due to R, L and C, L&C vary due to frequency. ths is true for the speakers impedance as well..so total impedance varies .
My understandig was thats why different cables behave differently amongst themselves and with different setups..since the impedence curve of the system (Cable + Speaker) is different in every system.
maybe the techies in the forum can answer better..
Reactance is a function of inductance, not capacitance. Simple arithmetic doesn't suffice any more - it takes differential calculus to describe it
It's net effect is to oppose the flow of current, but unlike resistance, it is not linear.A physicist would probably try to correlate how reactance affects audio (since there will always be some amount of stray inductance - and capacitance - in any circuit), but an engineer would strive to find the sweet spot where reactance is acceptable:lol:
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
I'm reading through the link given by theredcommando, and even though some of the technical stuff is not understood by me, it is getting more and more interesting
What Differences Can be Heard?
... but hey, start at the beginning anyway
So resistance is not futile, after all!hyeah:
What Differences Can be Heard?
... but hey, start at the beginning anyway
So resistance is not futile, after all!
hyeah:
srinisundar
Well-Known Member
I request who are all debating that cables will not enhance the SQ or kindly post your kits + cables used so far >>>
Regards
Regards
srinisundar
Well-Known Member
oh man... the shit storm from the previous one isnt over yet and we are at it again..
i am going to go make something or listen to some music, no point wasting time in this....
Oh, you have already wasted one post here and marked your presence,, why not continue
There is no end to this...
We hear differently, we perceive differently and we have different liking for the sound, we have different budget for equipments or cables, so I was wondering other than people who really want to learn, what purpose "debatable" threads serve ??? I think it is high time for a "Cable Meet" with single high end system and post your experiences here.
regards
regards
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Assuming that there is some openness of mind, they educate and inform. They may tell us that what we think is right, wrong or right for the wrong reasons (...or any combination thereof). Is there any point of fixed knowledge, even including, I trust my own senses, which is fixed an immutable and cannot be changed or improved, or deepened?
the article linked by theredcommando is possibly the single best and most informative source on speaker cables that I have ever seen (and many, many thanks for it!). I'm not saying that because it confirms my preconceptions, because, like the articles I posted, it actually doesn't --- but because it explains. It says what does or could sound different and why.
Thad,
QED links posted by venkat are equally good. And I guess there may be many on each views. Proof of the pudding is in the eating. A proper meet will be more eye opening or should I say ear opening :lol:
Best Regards
QED links posted by venkat are equally good. And I guess there may be many on each views. Proof of the pudding is in the eating. A proper meet will be more eye opening or should I say ear opening :lol:
Best Regards
Reactance is a function of inductance, not capacitance. Simple arithmetic doesn't suffice any more - it takes differential calculus to describe it
A physicist would probably try to correlate how reactance affects audio (since there will always be some amount of stray inductance - and capacitance - in any circuit), but an engineer would strive to find the sweet spot where reactance is acceptable:lol:
Here is a little explanation from a "techie" manufacturing reasonably priced good-sounding cables. Hope it helps.
There are two issues with capacitance and interconnects:
the quantity of capacitance,
and the quality of that capacitance.
For instance, an IC may be insulated with foamed polyurethane, and have a capacitance of 14 pF per foot, and using the same grade of copper conductors, a cable made from solid teflon might have a capacitance of 22 pF per foot. The polyureythane cable's capacitance is lower, but the teflon cable will undoubtedly sound better. Quality over quantity.
Yes, low capacitance is a good thing, but it is not the end all for interconnects.
If you perform the calculations, you will see that even for typical high C cables, the roll-off at the high end, even with tube gear, is not that great. The -3 dB points are in the MHz range, and if you extrapolate down, the point where the cable C causes a 0.1 dB deviation on the high end, arguably an inaudiblre amount, is still not within the audio band.
The big deal with looking for low capacitance interconnects is, that USUALLY, this means that the dielectric is a QUALITY material, and the low C was acheived through the use of a quality material.
A more relevant question is: What does an interconnect sound like that has a poor insualting material?
Unfortunately, this is not as easily answered, as there are many grades of insulation ranging from PVC and polyurethane (some of the worst) all the way up to teflon. ANd there are other factors that affect the sound that will impact what you hear with a given cable, the quality of the conductors, the geometry, the attention to details, quality of the solder joints or crimps, etc.
In general, signs of a poor dielectric are a rough charater to the sound, a lack of cohesion and smoothness, along with an overall lack of clarity.
One of the easiest ways to put it for cable neophytes: good cables image, crappy ones don't.
One other thing. While it may seem then that medium to high C interconnects may not be a bad thing, the higher C means more dielectric involvement, so no matter what the quality of the insulator, it will have that much more of an effect. Even with teflon, if the overall C is high, then you will begin to hear it's signature tacked onto the sound as well.
And here is another simple experiment to help "observe before you think" (suggested by Stereophile editor):
Put just one speaker right at the center and play a mono recording. Then put the stereo pair and play the same mono recording. Both give the sound right at the center. But there will be a difference in "tonal body". Why? In the latter, there is an electrical splitting followed by acoustical coupling. Likewise, sound does not travel through a cable, an electrical signal does, and how closely that relates to the sound (before reaching the speakers where only electrical turns into acoustical) depends on the electrical properties of the cables.
My take in this debate: good cables don't improve sound, they only minimise distortion keeping the electrical signal as pure as possible, noticeable in a good hifi system. Of course, there is a law of diminishing returns here in that beyond a certain quality of the cables, improvements tend to be minimal. Where is that point, depends on the individual components in the system.
Hope someone else raises another issue "whether different tubes improve sound quality".
cheers.
murali
Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
A few weeks back I replaced my VDH revolution speaker cables with VDH revelation. The details improved materially, but even after waiting for for sime time for burn in (a week of heavy use) the bass was intolerable. No amount of adjusting speaker positions would do the job. I was on the way to getting six pack abs. But as time went by, I noticed that the bass settled down, and now the sound is detailed and is quite balanced. I have moved the speakers minimally. Can't figure out why it should have changed so much on its own. Any explanations would be welcome.
srinisundar
Well-Known Member
I vouch different tubes improve sound quality
Heard the difference in tube rolling in Rajiv's house with my bronze ears which were getting polished to silver staus Get the Award Winning Diamond 12.3 Floorstanding Speakers on Special Offer
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