LAT cable statement

[pwood]

Just read this and the bit about the mesh coverings etc causing issue with cable was not something I would have though about. As you guys will know my knowledge on the technical side is pretty low so wonder what you folks think.

A lot of cables including my Ecosse stuff, Sterling Black Mamba, NVA... all have such covering.

[hifi_dave]

I didn't read all of it as my eyes were crossing with boredom and fatigue.. but it appears to be a cable manufacturer's marketing material.

The first part I read was about hand made cables and poor screening. Well, some of the best cables I've heard have been hand made and are not screened at all. I started to lose interest after that.

I would suggest that if you are looking for cables, you forget the techno-babble and try any likely looking cables in your system before handing over the readies. Also remember that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good cable.

[Barry]

I didn't read all of it as my eyes were crossing with boredom and fatigue.. but it appears to be a cable manufacturer's marketing material.

The first part I read was about hand made cables and poor screening. Well, some of the best cables I've heard have been hand made and are not screened at all. I started to lose interest after that.

I would suggest that if you are looking for cables, you forget the techno-babble and try any likely looking cables in your system before handing over the readies. Also remember that you don't have to spend a fortune to get a good cable.

Agree with you there Dave.

Not only is the LAT article factually wrong, it is full of techno-babble! This is a bete noir of mine. That is not to say that cables cannot make a difference, it is just that the most expensive cables (usually absurdly so) have the cost justified by quoting a lot of technical claptrap, much of which has virtually no relevence to audio whatsoever.

Regards

[Marco]

Hear, hear!

One of the reasons why the Mark Grants work so well is because they major on simplicity and a complete lack of bullshit, concentrating instead on solid engineering principles, the use of high quality plugs and cable, and sensible construction techniques

Avoid 'over-complication' in cables wherever possible!

Marco.

[pwood]

I was on the Audio Salon website as they are Glasgow based. I wondered what cables they sold hence the LAT link as they are sole stockists. On reading it (skim more like as it was techno baffle as per usually) that bit about homemade caught my eye. I failed to get how using the webbing to further cover already covered cables would have the effect as described. lets face it once plugged in who moves the cable about anyway.

[Kris]

Sadly, people with more money than brain cells believe the crap people such as LAT spout.

Paris Hilton probably owns the best sounding Hi-Fi in the world. A midi system wired up with Nordost Odin.

Have you read the 'A Note of Special Interest' at the bottom of the LAT page?

Apart from being stuck up their own backside (they believe that they are the sole reason manufacturers have introduced low priced cables, hows that for a God complex!), they say that "these lower priced cables be intentional down-grades in performance. This is because they now have so many models that it is necessary to design their performance to cascade down as does the pricing scale." And leave the reader to draw conclusions.

The irony they appear to have overlooked is that they themselves offer a range of IC cables from $499/m to $189/m

My conclusion (after all, they did ask me to draw my own conclusions) is that their 'cheep' cable has been purposely designed to not be as good as their most expensive cable.

Kris. (Still looking for the perfect Roy Gregory quote)