Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Is Transporter compatible with CAT6 cabling?
bits;617578 Wrote: Why do it? The ethernet port on your transporter is only capable of 100mbit/sec, standard cat5 was capable of that over a 100m run. Would you replace the perfectly capable and fine power lead on your kettle for $10?Well, if I were in the process of networking my home and forked out for a roll of CAT6 or 7 I'd use it rather than specially go and buy a 5 cable just for the transporter. You could also connect the cable to a switch and the Transporter to the switch, thereby allowing you to exploit the additional speed on for other applications e.g. moving data across the network. -- audiomuze *'Linux finally gets a great audio tagger' (http://www.ubuntugeek.com/linux-finally-gets-a-great-audio-tagger.html): 'puddletag' (http://puddletag.sourceforge.net/)* audiomuze's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=33613 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86292 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
But as ever, there is an interesting question at the heart of this... I have sOme old QED 79 strand cable. I have been wondering for some time whether this needs upgrading, or whether the lengths can be different (currently the same length, but one sPeaker much closed to the amp) or whether I should bi wire. Or is the whole speaker cable debate a red herring? I know there's no right answer, but I wish there was! -- JonWill Main system: SB Touch, Arcam A85, Mission 733i speakers SB Classic into old JVC microsystem (next thing on list to upgrade!) SB Boom, Logitech Z4 subwoofer SB Radio SB Server 7.5.1 (SSODS4) running on a Synology DS210J NAS iPeng on iPhone 3GS JonWill's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=20259 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Don't Naim amps have stability issues with certain types of cable ? Can't remember the specifics of it all Chris :) -- Stratmangler There is no element of personal attack in my response. Stratmangler's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=20387 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I totally agree with the comments about not wasting your time with overpriced speaker cables but, in my system, one of the best upgrades I did was changing from copper to silver cables. Now the copper cables I was using were cheap, so I may have been perceiving a big difference that doesn't apply if I had been using a good quality copper cable originally. Slightly off topic, a better quality digital cable between dac and Touch was a very worthwhile improvement. -- Covenant Covenant's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=36495 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Muele;617598 Wrote: Resist the temptation, don't feed the troll. Don't now if the trollscore goes this low, but I would rate it 0/10 I hope I'm not considered the troll here... :) This is the one cable type upgrade where I could really hear the difference on a pair of Magnepans that I once owned. Beyond that, either my system or my ears aren't good enough to hear the difference between the speaker cables lying on the ground versus being suspended above the carpet. ;) . http://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Triad-Cable-Lifts/productinfo/CABLELIFT/ -- vrette (2) SB Touch, (1) SB3, Cambridge Audio 840AV2, 340T, DacMagic, BW 683, HSU VFT2-MK3, Logitech Harmony 880, SB Server - Asus E35M1-M PRO, Win 7 64 bit, and a bunch of other stuff... vrette's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15256 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Why do things sound the way they do?
ralphpnj;617573 Wrote: I find that Jeff Beck sounds best with 1/2 meter long interconnects and 4 meter speaker cable. Using shorter cables makes Beck sound choppy and longer length cables make him sound overly rich. The sad part is that Clapton needs 1 meter interconnects and 3 meter speaker cables to sound best, therefore I tend to listen mostly to jazz, which luckily all sounds good with 1 meter interconnects and 5 meter speaker cables. Nothing ruins a good listening session like having to change cables and wires with each recording. :-) -- garym garym's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17325 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86236 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
All cables having a unique name are over the top. I do not believe in cables that are assembled by elves, during full moon only :D -- Griffin Griffin's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=41449 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Is Transporter compatible with CAT6 cabling?
I used Cat6 and I set up a gigabit network, including the router and switches. Not because I need that for the SB players, including my Transporter, but when I rewired my new home (well its a very old home, but new to me), it was a rounding error difference in all the work to use CAT6 vs CAT5e. And the faster speed is really more about the future vs what I currently have. Not sure if the gigabit/CAT6 is helping me with video streaming (netflix, etc.), but it can't hurt. -- garym garym's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17325 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86292 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
The only cables I use are a shielded coax SPDIF cable from Touch to DAC1 HDR and from there to active speakers with balanced cables (dealer provided the them at no extra cost...they're silver...apparently). I doubt buying fancy cables would make any significant difference. If you have passive speakers then the speaker cables could make a difference. As has been said, they have to carry a lot of current. In general cables should be shielded IMO. Darren -- darrenyeats http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A3H57URKQB8AQO/ref=cm_pdp_content_listmania/203-7606506-5721503. SB3, SB Touch SqueezeControl for Android darrenyeats's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10799 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
vrette;617582 Wrote: Can I respectfully keep my hand down depending upon the circumstances? :) Are we comparing cruddy thin gauge wire with a high quality much thicker stranded gauge wire, or a $1000 set with unobtainium coated connects versus a $2000 set with solid unobtainium connectors? Low grade thin gauge versus good quality thick gauge, yeah, you should hear a difference if your system is up to it. Where it gets hazy is when you start spending hundreds or thousands of $$$. Like so much in Hi-Fi, it is all about diminishing returns,, I agree, let's keep cruddy thin gauge wires out of this discussion. Imagine if someone were to offer you to choose, for free, between a pair of Cardas or Nordost speaker cables. Would you consider it a toss-off, thinking that basically it's the same difference, or would you first spend some time auditioning these two cables, in order to get a better sounding one? -- magiccarpetride magiccarpetride's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=37863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I was such a skeptic about wire for quite some time. The cleaner my signal got, the more of a difference I noticed with various types and configurations of wire. I agree with most rational audiophiles that the returns diminish greatly as one travels into farther and farther into esoterica. I have not heard the ultra high end ($thousands to tens of thousands). What I can say is that all 12g copper is not the same. Stranded sounds different than solid core etc. Silver is another animal. I have a fair amount of it in internal amp and speaker wiring and interconnects. If it cost the same as copper I would certainly have speaker wire made from it. I have even heard differences with wire on my sub woofer! -- earwaxer9 System: modified Winsome Labs Mouse, modified Maggie MMG's, Transporter, HSU sub 12, MSB DAC to 500 watt sub slave amp, JPS labs power cords, Silver audio interconnect, Audioquest Granite speaker cable. earwaxer9's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=39527 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
magiccarpetride;617712 Wrote: I agree, let's keep cruddy thin gauge wires out of this discussion. Imagine if someone were to offer you to choose, for free, between a pair of Cardas or Nordost speaker cables. Would you consider it a toss-off, thinking that basically it's the same difference, or would you first spend some time auditioning these two cables, in order to get a better sounding one? That would depend entirely on which speaker, amp, and the type of presentation I preferred. ALL cables, be them speaker, IC, or power, have measurable characteristics being resistance, inductance, and capacitance. I tend to shy away from those cables that do not supply those specs. In addition there is the type of geometry used to construct the cable and the dielectric(insulation) used. All of these different specs, as well as gauge, will influence the presentation. If that isn't enough, components themselves have different input and output electrical characteristics. If one were to ignore all these different parameters to make sweeping generalizations about all cables then the conclusions that resulted would, more often than not, be wrong. -- konut konut's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1596 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
vrette;617659 Wrote: I hope I'm not considered the troll here... :) [/url] Ofcourse the troll is the OP :) The question as such may be relevant. But the way the post is set up is obviously to stir the waters, more than to actually start a productive discussion. The fact that the repliers have managed to make it a positive and productive thread is quite impressive, and actually the ultimate turnoff/disappointment for a troll. Good work folks. Go on, I wont disturb this thread anymore. -- Muele BR Mogens 2 Radios (1 battery), 2 Controllers, 2 Receivers, 1 Squeezeplay. Served by an old 800 mhz IBM T21 Thinkpad (Yes I know most phones have more cpu-power these days, but it gets the job done). Muele's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=21310 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
magiccarpetride;617712 Wrote: I agree, let's keep cruddy thin gauge wires out of this discussion. Imagine if someone were to offer you to choose, for free, between a pair of Cardas or Nordost speaker cables. Would you consider it a toss-off, thinking that basically it's the same difference, or would you first spend some time auditioning these two cables, in order to get a better sounding one? I'd take the one that was prettiest! There is no audible difference and I have better things to do with my time. -- ghostrider ghostrider's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=18959 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Why do things sound the way they do?
bits;617576 Wrote: I'll chime in about the difference of the images on a Mac(or any machine). The other distinct possibility is that Safari and Firefox may differ in their default colour profile and the image that appears differently doesn't have an embedded colour profile, so is displaying in two completely different colour profiles, with possibly neither of them giving a true rendition unless the image intent actually matched the default of one of the browsers. -- paulster Problem with Controller buttons occasionally ceasing to work? Vote for bug http://bugs.slimdevices.com/show_bug.cgi?id=17006 paulster's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=23073 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86236 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Why do things sound the way they do?
Don´t feed the Troll! -- Wombat Transporter (modded) - RG142 - Avantgarde Acoustic based 500VA monoblocks - Sommer SPK240 - self-made speakers Wombat's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4113 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86236 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
konut;617745 Wrote: That would depend entirely on which speaker, amp, and the type of presentation I preferred. ALL cables, be them speaker, IC, or power, have measurable characteristics being resistance, inductance, and capacitance. I tend to shy away from those cables that do not supply those specs. In addition there is the type of geometry used to construct the cable and the dielectric(insulation) used. All of these different specs, as well as gauge, will influence the presentation. If that isn't enough, components themselves have different input and output electrical characteristics. If one were to ignore all these different parameters to make sweeping generalizations about all cables then the conclusions that resulted would, more often than not, be wrong. Yes, but Cardas and Nordost are specific cable makers. Which of the two, if any, would you take, given that they're both offered as a free gift? -- magiccarpetride magiccarpetride's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=37863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Do any of the esoteric cable makers (or any other adherents present) have any quantitative measurements (scientific tests that can be reproduced) that indicate an improvement in sound quality? I didn't think so. -- pski real stereo doesn't just wake the neighbors, it -enrages- them.. It is truly the Golden Age of Wireless pski's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15574 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
magiccarpetride;617781 Wrote: Yes, but Cardas and Nordost are specific cable makers. Which of the two, if any, would you take, given that they're both offered as a free gift? I would take both, and then return the one I did not prefer. If they were identical in presentation, I would keep the one with the higher retail price as to get the most return after upgrading to a cable I perceived as better. My perceived preference is probably not scientifically measurable. Can someone invent a pleasure meter? I know they have invented a suckometer. I saw it in a commercial for Nicorette gum. :D -- konut konut's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1596 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
Henry66;617270 Wrote: Yeah, it's painful. I found a copy of the DVD-Audio release on Amazon marketplace for $16. I will rip that instead. Plus I get the option to listen to it in surround when I feel like it. Can't get that from HDTracks yet. What software do you use to rip from DVD-Audio? I have a modest DVD-Audio collection that I would like to rip, but have never found ripping softward that works with DVD-Audio. -- WilCox WilCox's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
WilCox;617803 Wrote: What software do you use to rip from DVD-Audio? I have a modest DVD-Audio collection that I would like to rip, but have never found ripping softward that works with DVD-Audio.See this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=19260 -- Henry66 Henry66's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=38863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
konut;617798 Wrote: I would take both, and then return the one I did not prefer. If they were identical in presentation, I would keep the one with the higher retail price as to get the most return after upgrading to a cable I perceived as better. My perceived preference is probably not scientifically measurable. Can someone invent a pleasure meter? I know they have invented a suckometer. I saw it in a commercial for Nicorette gum. :D Great answer:) I'd do the same. -- magiccarpetride magiccarpetride's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=37863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
WilCox;617803 Wrote: What software do you use to rip from DVD-Audio? I have a modest DVD-Audio collection that I would like to rip, but have never found ripping softward that works with DVD-Audio. DVD Audio Extractor works great and is very reasonably priced. I've used it to rip all of my DVD-Audio discs to flac files and many of these files are high resolution (24bit/96kHz). http://www.castudio.org/dvdaudioextractor/ -- ralphpnj Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - Snatch - The Transporter - Transporter 2 (oops) - Touch 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
pski;617787 Wrote: Do any of the esoteric cable makers (or any other adherents present) have any quantitative measurements (scientific tests that can be reproduced) that indicate an improvement in sound quality? I didn't think so. Although I don't know the first thing about speaker cables, I would tend to agree with you. I don't think these things can be easily and unambiguously measured and quantified. Still, some people report hearing not so subtle differences between various speaker cables. Others are skeptical and claim that all such differences are immaterial. The purpose of me starting this thread was to do a quick survey of how many audiophiles here think that speaker cables cannot make substantial difference in terms of sound quality. -- magiccarpetride magiccarpetride's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=37863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
Thanks Henry and Ralph. I've just downloaded DVD Audio Extractor and will give it a try. -- WilCox WilCox's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10508 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
ralphpnj;617809 Wrote: DVD Audio Extractor works great and is very reasonably priced. I've used it to rip all of my DVD-Audio discs to flac files and many of these files are high resolution (24bit/96kHz). http://www.castudio.org/dvdaudioextractor/ I agree. It is a great program. DVD Audio Explorer (referenced above on the linked thread) is a different application that requires considerably more fiddling, and I don't find it at all easy to use. The $32 for DVD Audio Extractor is easily worth it to me. A very nice app. Unfortunate the two names are so similar. R. -- RonM RonM's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=17029 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I am convinced that spending more than US$2 per foot (30cm) of speaker cable is a complete waste of money. (And I am giving plenty of pricing leeway -- my 12 AWG oxygen-free wire cost me less than $1/ft.) -- Henry66 Henry66's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=38863 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
WilCox;617813 Wrote: Thanks Henry and Ralph. I've just downloaded DVD Audio Extractor and will give it a try. Once you have ripped a DVD-Audio disc into flac files, or some other type lossless file, you can use mp3tag to find and tag the files - freedb, which is used by mp3tag to find tag information, has info for most DVD-Audio discs, especially ones from well known artists. Give it a try: Load the ripped files into mp3tag, select all the files and click on Tag Sources on the top menu bar. Select freedb.. from the drop down menu and hopefully it will find the info for your disc. Saves a lot of unnecessary data input. -- ralphpnj Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels - Snatch - The Transporter - Transporter 2 (oops) - Touch 'Last.fm' (http://www.last.fm/user/jazzfann/) ralphpnj's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10827 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Switching from standard 12 AWG cable to Chord Co. Rumour cable was one of the better upgrades I've made to my sytem, after upgrading the RCA interconnects. -- Howard Turkster Howard Turkster's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=39563 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I always believed that the more money you could throw at cables...the better. Some time ago, a friend and I conducted an experiment. Using very exotic OTL tube monoblock amps, electrostatic hybrid speakers, and our standard mega-buck speaker cables in a 6ft length.This familiar benchmark set up was then compared to a 1ft length of generic, industrial copper stranded wire. 16ga or so. You can do this sort of thing with monoblocks. There was clearly a difference. Mostly in the bass, which instantly stood out as being clearer, and more defined.with the short section of generic wire. This isn't exactly what I/we expected, but it was obvious that cables DO have a role, and most of it is negative. Resistance, capacitance, inductance...I suppose they affect different amp/speaker combinations in different ways, and some more than others, but it would seem to be a fair assumption that less is more where these things are concerned. I think that like interconnects, speaker cables are being used to shape the sound of the audio system much like a very expensive tone control. In the end, this seems like a genuine waste of money.Very good cables (with engineering test data to detail their electrical characteristics) are produced in vast quantities at extremely affordable prices by OEMs. Why pay more?? My main speakers are actives...so I don't worry about speaker cables. My secondary system uses Canare at about $1/ft + terminations. No regrets. Caveat emptor. -- Curt962 Transporter...TouchBoom.. Curt962's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=31949 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I did spend about $150 on the cheapest Audioquest speaker wire, and it did seem to be an improvement on my homemade wires (two 6' runs per speaker of 14AWG zipcord with crimped and soldered spades.) I never did put the old ones back to test whether there was really a difference. If there really was one, I suspect it might have had something to do with the terminations; 2 runs of 14AWG is way more than enough for a 6' run. Perhaps I should have tried bare wire before spending more money. I also recently replaced two 25' runs of Monoprice XLR cable from my pre-amp to my amps with some Bluejeans cable ($107 for two 25' cables), and this seemed to be a big improvement (again, I didn't put the old cable back to listen for a difference). I had some issues with some of my other Monoprice XLRs that shook my confidence in the quality of their connections. The Bluejeans use Neutrik connectors, which have an obviously higher build quality than the ones that Monoprice uses. I hope I'm not on the slippery slope to cable madness. -- Daverz Daverz's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=32335 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I always believed that the more money you could throw at cables...the better. Some time ago, a friend and I conducted an experiment. Using very exotic OTL tube monoblock amps, electrostatic hybrid speakers, and our standard mega-buck speaker cables in a 6ft length.This familiar benchmark set up was then compared to a 1ft length of generic, industrial copper stranded wire. 16ga or so. You can do this sort of thing with monoblocks. There was clearly a difference. Mostly in the bass, which instantly stood out as being clearer, and more defined.with the short section of generic wire. This isn't exactly what I/we expected, but it was obvious that cables DO have a role, and most of it is negative. Resistance, capacitance, inductance...I suppose they affect different amp/speaker combinations in different ways, and some more than others, but it would seem to be a fair assumption that less is more where these things are concerned. I think that like interconnects, speaker cables are being used to shape the sound of the audio system much like a very expensive tone control. In the end, this seems like a genuine waste of money.Very good cables (with engineering test data to detail their electrical characteristics) are produced in vast quantities at extremely affordable prices by OEMs. Why pay more?? My main speakers are actives...so I don't worry about speaker cables. My secondary system uses Canare at about $1/ft + terminations. No regrets. Caveat emptor. -- Curt962 Transporter...TouchBoom.. Curt962's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=31949 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
I always believed that the more money you could throw at cables...the better. Some time ago, a friend and I conducted an experiment. Using very exotic OTL tube monoblock amps, electrostatic hybrid speakers, and our standard mega-buck speaker cables in a 6ft length.This familiar benchmark set up was then compared to a 1ft length of generic, industrial copper stranded wire. 16ga or so. You can do this sort of thing with monoblocks. There was clearly a difference. Mostly in the bass, which instantly stood out as being clearer, and more defined.with the short section of generic wire. This isn't exactly what I/we expected, but it was obvious that cables DO have a role, and most of it is negative. Resistance, capacitance, inductance...I suppose they affect different amp/speaker combinations in different ways, and some more than others, but it would seem to be a fair assumption that less is more where these things are concerned. I think that like interconnects, speaker cables are being used to shape the sound of the audio system much like a very expensive tone control. In the end, this seems like a genuine waste of money.Very good cables (with engineering test data to detail their electrical characteristics) are produced in vast quantities at extremely affordable prices by OEMs. Why pay more?? My main speakers are actives...so I don't worry about speaker cables. My secondary system uses Canare at about $1/ft + terminations. No regrets. Caveat emptor. -- Curt962 Transporter...TouchBoom.. Curt962's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=31949 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] HDTracks is at it again
DVD audio extractor is great! Very useful tool. -- Curt962 Transporter...TouchBoom.. Curt962's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=31949 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86244 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Henry66;617819 Wrote: I am convinced that spending more than US$2 per foot (30cm) of speaker cable is a complete waste of money. (And I am giving plenty of pricing leeway -- my 12 AWG oxygen-free wire cost me less than $1/ft.) Agree. The local high-end audio store uses $1/ft speaker wire for their custom installations. Anyone tempted to buy high-cost speaker wire should read this article: http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm See http://www.roger-russell.com/ for info on the author's credentials. -- Ron Olsen Ron Olsen's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9233 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Raise your hand if you're convinced that speaker cables make no difference to sound q
Way back in the early '80s, Julian Hirsch of iStereo Review/i magazine did extensive testing (electrical measurements, acoustic measurements, and old-fashioned double blind testing) of speaker cables and concluded that decent 12- to 14-gauge copper wire was more than sufficient. Unfortunately that didn't save us from the cable monsters (pun intended) and their ilk, but we all have the opportunity to exercise sanity on this subject. -- kmr kmr's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10664 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=86298 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
