Do cables cause loss in sound quality? - Page 6

Cables shouldn't affect your quality unless the cable is running through some super electrically/magnetically noisy environment.

What normally ends up affecting sound quality in the majority of cases is the connectors used.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelson 

Im not sure what caused the cheap cables i had to sound different to £20 ish interconnects I bought. All I can say is they definitely sounded worse - more attuenation (quieter), different frequencies varied in loudness - some instruments not clear at all.

If you are lucky enough to get cheap cables that sound good, then that's great. But I would be skeptical that they really will be sufficient to your ear. Especially if you have good quality parts in the rest of your setup.

Have to try it yourself.

Must have been really crappy connectors on the cables.

Personally I have the most ghetto cabling ever:

Home theater system:

- Using 5-wire #18 AWG for the satellites, 1 run of cable on each side and 1 run for the center speakers

- All gold-plated banana plugs

- A single yellow RCA connector to my sub, didn't feel like wasting one of my red/white pairs for a single channel

Computer room:

- Same 5-wire #18 AWG thermostat wire, 1 run to each side to two speakers each

- also using gold-plated banana plugs

- also using a yellow RCA cable for the sub

- using a custom made 3.5 mm > RCA cable with soldered connectors

Car stereo:

- using "lamp" wire, just 2-wire #16 AWG, no colors, had to ensure polarity

- direct connections to wiring harness

- other end has a crimped on spade connected for easy removal

- soldered a 6-inch length of wire to the speaker to a female spade connector

- using a "uni-directional" yellow RCA cable (claims it gives better video signal) from the deck to the amp

- using a old extension cord, the one with no ground slot, to connect the sub to the amp, also for easy removal

Only issue I've ever had was the 3.5 mm to RCA cable I replaced with my custom one.  The one I had before had gold-plated connectors and everything, but always seemed lacking in quality.  I eventually opened it up and found the absolute worse solder job ever.

The solder had actually cracked in a few places and the only thing holding the wire in the connector was the dab of hot glue...

I used the same cable and went out and got some better connectors from "Source" (used to be Radioshack in Canada) and soldered them on myself, problem solved.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Swift Castiel 

As much as I think audio cables are overpriced, that's a damn fine looking cable.

I know, right? He sent me a sample in black and gold at first but I wanted it to look like an old vintage plug so I went with the brown. He even threw a vintage connector on it at no extra cost. Nice surprise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pioneerisloud 

That is a very fine looking cable, but its just a twisted pair copper wire cable. I could make that myself for $5 from radioshack parts honestly.

No doubt do it yourself (DIY) is the better way to go if you have the time and know-how. I don't have either, sadly.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by nelson 

Yes analogue cables make a big difference to audio quality.
10% of audio system budget should be spent on cables.
Anyone who disagrees hasnt experienced a decent hi-fi setup.

I spent $1300 on all my premium gear upgrades: Cable, optical cord, interconnects, two plugs and cyro-treated converter plug, getting pretty much the best of the best out there. I heard improvements from everything. They might be overpriced, but since I am keeping my system for at-least 3 to 5 years and I don't listen to speakers, it was worth it to me. Plus, they can be used with any system upgrade forever. It now no longer has a veil on it and it is clear as the sky.

Granted, they have headphone cables that cost $500 to $700 up and plugs that cost $700 to $1000 up. Even though those companies claim they are better than cheaper ones, I cannot read enough evidence to believe they are better than what I've purchased.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tr8rjohnk 

Careful what you read there. I'm a member (and I lurked for a long time before becoming one) so not knocking it - I really enjoy my stays there. That said, there is a very significant (IMHO) pool of hype surrounding certain products and/or services at HF. I firmly believe that most of these upgrades (although I'm not against rewiring in silver, adding wood for acoustics, etc.) improve things only for your perception. If you just paid $xxx.xx for an upgrade on something you can't scientifically measure, you're going to hear a $xxx.xx difference (your brain will insist on it). As intelligent people (lol, some of us anyway), when empirical evidence lacks to confirm or deny our efforts, we will fool ourselves that we were right. Who ever believes they're wrong until proven otherwise - especially when their own money is involved?
Understand that I have no experience with the Q cable personally and who knows, maybe it changes everything about the headphone (although I seriously doubt it), I'm speaking generally about the site and their almost religious zeal for the sometimes absurd.

I hear what you are saying. I am crazy-tight with money and don't like to waste it. I a/b d everything I bought and I hear changes. With the Q, it wasn't a $200 change, more like a $50 improvement. But I will be a sucker 'cause I like what I hear. The stock can no longer be heard ever again.