The purpose of a cable.

[Brad - Virtual Dynamics]

I'm curious about what you think the purpose of an audio cable is.

I mean, the obvious answer is that its purpose is to transfer a signal, but the same could be said of your components as well, they also have a processing job to do.

When I see cables being described as bright, heavy, musical I can't help but stop and think of the time that I spend mixing music and the differences that can be cajoled out of the same set of information by fiddling with the EQ settings, distortion, reverb ect....

What do you use cables for? What differences have you noticed? What do you think of cable pricing, or the sub-industry of cabling on the whole?

Cheers,

-Brad

[Steve Toy]

I don't use them as tone controls. If my system sounds bright or lacking in bass drive I prefer to fix the problem at source rather than mask it (along with lots of musical info) with a coloured sounding cable.

At the moment I use Siltech SQ28 i/cs and Chord Epic Twin cable.

[jandl100]

I don't use them as tone controls.

I don't think you can help but use cables as tone controls - cables (if you are a True Cable Believer, that is ) simply do change the perceived tonality of a system - you need to get that overall equipment synergy (including cables) that works well for you.

I seem to change cables about as often as I change underwear (i.e. about once a month ) - I find they are the easiest and cheapest way to tweak my system's sound.

Just recently, Virtual Dynamics Master something or other digital cable has been battling with a Chord Signature Digital cable, and losing! But that's just in my system and my tastes - I am sure someone else, hearing the same sound, may come to the opposite conclusion.

[jcbrum]

I make my own cables up, then I know they are ok, and don't distort the sound. It also has a cost advantage. Most work out at £5, some are £20, depending on connectors.

[Ashley James]

www.actionhardware.co.uk supplies most of the trade and has done for many years, so you can buy at very high quality cables at extremely competitive prices by going direct.

Speak to Ian Hartnell.

[hiredfox]

Stick Bybee quantum purifier filters on each line and all cables sound the same. That should tell you something. It tells you it's the RFI you're listening too not the cable. It makes you think that maybe wire is wire is wire

[Mike]

Stick Bybee quantum purifier filters on each line and all cables sound the same. That should tell you something. It tells you it's the RFI you're listening too not the cable. It makes you think that maybe wire is wire is wire

Yawn!......

[alb]

All cables are surely coloured.
We don't know what the "true sound" before the cable is meant to be like. We can only pick cables that suit us best.

[Yomanze]

www.actionhardware.co.uk supplies most of the trade and has done for many years, so you can buy at very high quality cables at extremely competitive prices by going direct.

Speak to Ian Hartnell.

Know you're banned, but thank you nonetheless!

[combwork]

I got a pair of phono leads; unbranded but according to the seller "high quality at low (clearance) price" off Ebay. I tried them on record deck to pre-amp. Prior to this there was a faint but irritating hum that went up with volume. I'd tried different cables; the hum altered but was always there. Now with these new cables there's no hum. They're an odd design; normal signal plus ground for each channel plus a single thin insulated wire, unterminated and running between the paired signal/ground wires. The connectors aren't anything special; in fact they're a bit loose fitting.

What has changed? Just the cable. Therefore audible difference has got to be the result of the new cables. Or am I missing something..................?