Speaker cable differences

[Barry]

Some food for thought: https://www.lifewire.com/speaker-cab...rences-3134603

I'm still sceptical, especially as I don't believe one can hear a low-Q 'resonance' of 0.3dB in amplitude. And I don't think anyone would advocate using 24AWG size cables.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge

[Ninanina]

Some food for thought: https://www.lifewire.com/speaker-cab...rences-3134603

I'm still sceptical, especially as I don't believe one can hear a low-Q 'resonance' of 0.3dB in amplitude. And I don't think anyone would advocate using 24AWG size cables.

I can only say that the TQ Ultra Black is the very best I have ever heard of any speaker cable..

I did use TQ Black cable but when I got the UB's in the system it was like an amplifier/cd/transport upgrade .. it is that good

So the TQ UB's have my vote every time

Expensive yes but very good indeed...

[nthall]

You'll find 10 other articles that make that one look wrong. Nobody can hear .3db. 24 AWG wire is too small for anything that is not encased.

Cabling is the most screwed up part of this hobby. Most of the problems are invented.



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[Macca]

And yet there are DAC manufacturers who claim we can hear timing errors of 1 microsecond...

Speaker cables can make a difference, not always, depends on the amp and speakers they are betwixt. In my current lash up I have recently swapped between Chord Odyssey 2 and NVA speaker cables. The difference would be obvious to any random person I pulled in off the street.

I've also swapped speaker cables in other systems and heard no difference, despite huge differences in the price of the cables. I think it would be perfectly possible to live an entire audio life and not come across differences in speaker cables, it is the exception rather than the rule.

As for TQ Black being something special, for every person who says it is the best thing ever there is someone who says it didn't work in their set up. Cables are always horses for courses.

[RichB]

You'll find 10 other articles that make that one look wrong. Nobody can hear .3db. 24 AWG wire is too small for anything that is not encased.

Cabling is the most screwed up part of this hobby. Most of the problems are invented.



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I'm now of the opinion that when it comes to cable, good quality construction and materials is worth paying for, marketing bullshit and pseudoscience isn't.

Quite happy with my current cost effective choices.

[struth]

My homemade ones made with a cable i doubled up and twisted is as good as ive heard. It wasnt silly cheap to make and took a while to get it the way i wanted but at about £60 and maybe 5 /6 hrs is a steal.

[JohnJo]

For me there are two audible factors which determine differences between cables, which I believe is true of interconnect and speaker cables:

1. Tonal balance. Cables can alter the overall tonal balance of a system, possibly due to a combination of their electrical characteristics, insulation material etc. Happen upon the right cable to "fix" tonal balance issue, usually calming down an overtly bright top end, can be an absolute God-send, changing a hifi into a music system

2. Signal preservation. I suspect this down to metallurgy and connection to and quality of connectors. The ability to convey ambience, detail, spacial cues, tonal colour, instrument resonance and texture and even more obvious things such as dynamics and transient response.

For me this is where higher end cables will or at least *should* pull away from the competition.

[nthall]

Tonearm wire is the only cabling I don't get from the hardware store. It's ultra low amperage and makes a huge difference in my opinion. Interconnects and speaker wire really don't affect the sound, unless you're using some that are pretty awful.

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[RichB]

For me there are two audible factors which determine differences between cables, which I believe is true of interconnect and speaker cables:

1. Tonal balance. Cables can alter the overall tonal balance of a system, possibly due to a combination of their electrical characteristics, insulation material etc. Happen upon the right cable to "fix" tonal balance issue, usually calming down an overtly bright top end, can be an absolute God-send, changing a hifi into a music system

2. Signal preservation. I suspect this down to metallurgy and connection to and quality of connectors. The ability to convey ambience, detail, spacial cues, tonal colour, instrument resonance and texture and even more obvious things such as dynamics and transient response.

For me this is where higher end cables will or at least *should* pull away from the competition.

I can get with the signal preservation bit but not with the tonal balance idea. Unless you're using the wrong design of cable for your amplifier and putting it under stress the very idea or tonal control with cables makes me shudder. I'd suggest that if you're looking for a cable to resolve a tonal balance issue you're looking in the wrong place and your problems are more fundamental and unlikely to be solved with bits of wire.

[nthall]

I can get with the signal preservation bit but not with the tonal balance idea. Unless you're using the wrong design of cable for your amplifier and putting it under stress the very idea or tonal control with cables makes me shudder. I'd suggest that if you're looking for a cable to resolve a tonal balance issue you're looking in the wrong place and your problems are more fundamental and unlikely to be solved with bits of wire.

If the cables are changing the tone they're bad.

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