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Mixing rca interconnect cables

Hi everybody,

I will be upgrading my interconnects in the near future. I want to buy three Audioquest Water interconnects for the front left, centre and front right speakers. I want to know if I buy say Audioquest Yukon interconnects for the surrounds would I be compromising the sound at all by using different lines of interconnects? Water has DBS and Yukon does not. My dealer says that it wont make a difference cause they are the surround speakers. Does anyone have this type of setup where you use higher quality interconnects for the fronts and a lesser quality for the surrounds but being the same brand of cable? Thanks in advance all. Appreciate the feedback.

2007audioman
2007audioman

Showing 3 responses by williewonka

williewonka
3,063 posts
 
@2007audioman - it really depends on how discerning you ears and brain are

First - can your ears tell the difference

Second, can your brain differentiate quality levels between
- the sounds coming from the surround from the sound vs.
- the sound coming from the mains + center

We all have different hearing
- mine makes it impossible for my brain to isolate a conversation in a crowded room - so being it the middle of surround sound makes discerning audio quality impossible
- others I know can isolate a conversation on the far side of a crowded restaurant, so they might be able to discern the difference between IC’s

Personally, I found that all those channels disrupted my hearing ability - so I skimped on the surround side of the system and on the IC’s - I have now downgraded the surround to 2 channel sound and find I enjoy it even more - but that's just me

But alone with my 2-channel system is a whole other story - I am able to discern the slightest difference in performance.

Hope that helps - Steve
williewonka
3,063 posts
 
@2007audioman - all of the IC's were good quality - Van den Hul DL102 mkIII with Furutech RCA's and wired in a floating shield configuration.

http://www.vandenhul.com/products/cables/the-d-102-iii-hybrid-halogen-free

I replaced the Surround IC's with DH Labs Silver Sonic with the same Furutech RCA's and found there was no discernible difference

Perhaps the IC's were not of the same caliber as the Audioquest models you listed, but I could not hear any downside by using the DH Labs

Hope that helps
williewonka
3,063 posts
 
@2007audioman - I have listened to several DVD's and the well produced ones, like "Hotel Califonia" sound really good. But from a details perspective, they pale in comparison to my 2-channel system.

I feel more "real life" from 2 channel - whereas I find many DVD's  appear to be "engineered".

My a/v experience was prior to SACD and DVD-A, so my opinion could change hearing those on a good multi-channel system

Also, I think it's just a matter of an individual's hearing - e.g. I cannot focus on a conversation in a crowded room. so for me, surround systems tend to sound muddled - 2 channel allows me to focus on the details.

Regards - Steve

 
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