Cables and Connectors (1 Viewer)

[BarryUK]

I keep reading about how important it is to have quality interconnects and cabling, and as far as video goes, I can see how that would help.

I'm not so sure about audio though. I read reviews about how certain cables are 'bright', 'open' and other, seemingly, non-quantifiable adjectives.

Is this ability to distinguish different sounds, with different connects, something that is only apparent to die-hard enthusiasts, or is it really that obvious to the untrained ear?

To complicate things, I see the same adjectives applied to pretty much all the components in a Home Theatre setup. Would a 'dull' component cancel out a 'bright' component?

I guess what I'm trying to say is, is it really worth spending outrageous (to my novice mind) amounts of money for stuff like speaker cabling... especially given the fact that the audio qualities brought to the party by the cabling may be cancelled out by a whole host other factors?

As you've probably gathered, I'm new to all this!

Barry
UK

 

[Neil Joseph]

Moving to the Connections area.

 

[Robert_Barlow]

Well, I am ashamed to admit it...but I can't tell any real difference in sound between my Rhino interconnects and the R/W cables that came w/my set up. In all fairness, I didn't do any A/B tests and I am certainly not an audiophile. In addition, it is quite possible my system isn't calibrated properly.

I only go into so much detail b/c I want to be clear I am not questioning the quality of the Rhino cables(boy, they have great CS!).

 

[Bob McElfresh]

Hi Barry. Welcome to HTF!

The idea of cables being 'bright' or that $$$$ cables improve the sound is part myth, part sales hype, and a little bit of truth.

Short answer: It really does not matter for a HT system. It's only an issue for high end/accurate music systems. Thats where these myths live.

Your best bet is to buy good quality, Oxygen Free 12 ga speaker wire in bulk and wire up all your speakers. The rest of your time can be spent using a SPL meter and laser-pointer to align/adjust your speaker levels, map your room response to your subwoofer, etc.

All of the adjustments have a MUCH GREATER impact on your sound than nuance produced by expensive wires.

But there will be people that wax poetic about how switching to Ultra-xxx cables made huge differences in their sound. Smile, nod, and dont argue. It just causes fights.

 

[Chu Gai]

As you've probably gathered, I'm new to all this!

Burn your copies of StereoPhile, pay no attention to their 'recommend list', and realize that they knowingly use flawed methodology. Got to keep the advertisers happy after all. After all, it's tough to sell water at dollars per bottle unless you've got nice packaging and maybe oxygenate it a bit. Bon appetit!

 

[BarryUK]

Interesting thread Chu

My own rule of thumb has been to not buy the most expensive, nor the cheapest. Something in-between is a nice compromise between common sense and the urge to have a nice gadget.

At the end of the day, if my wife and kids think it's a decent picture with decent sound, then that's mission accomplished as far as I'm concerned. I'm all for the 'wow' factor, but I sometimes think that it gets in the way of the original purpose... to watch a good film in a nice atmosphere rather than watching, and listening, to the delivery system.

However, I'm only human... and male to boot, so an urge to upgrade and 'improve' will probably be too hard to resist!

 

[Cliff Olson]

I bought a 5.1 preamp for SACD Playback (finally!), and it is capable, of an almost instantaneous switch between inputs. All other pre/pros, took a half second or more to switch. Well, let me start by saying that I was part of the "cables make a huge difference" crowd. I was a FIRM believer, and I have a system capable of fairly high resolution (Lexicon, Legacy Audio Speakers, Sony ES SACD Player, etc). So, the other night, I should have been able to hear a "big" difference between a pair of custom, solid silver ICs and some unknown plain copper ICs. I switched back and forth, MANY times, and much to my frustration, I could not hear even a *slight* difference. I am rethinking this whole cable philosophy that I've had, for years now. I won't even try to guess why I can't hear a difference now, but it may be partly due to the new preamp. With the new preamp, I can turn the volume up much louder, and it doesn't seem to distort (at least it's not audible, to my ears). So, maybe I wasn't turning it up loud enough to do the cable evaluation?? The bright side is, I can save lots of money

 

[Chu Gai]

and sink it into stuff that makes a difference. now I must wax my car this evening. It runs better after I do that. I know it does. It's as if it appreciates the care I've taken. Hopefully it won't know I bought the wax on sale at Walmart