i agree completely with dave mitchell. although i have not done the radio shack wire test, i have done similar in concept.
using TA ultra SC and ICs as the basic SC+IC wire with esoteric ux-3se+vtl pre 6.5 + wilson w/p8 , i compared the following 2 setups for hours:
combo A-- excellent quality ICs in various combos -nordost valhalla, TA MM, TA XL with the TA ultra cables
combo B. replaced the TA ultra cables with all TA ref cables (the next level up) + all stock PCs!
the upshot :
combo A created an overall complete presentation, nicely polished, well balanced from top to bottom. very low floor noise and black background so stage placement was excellent
combo B has a very slightly less overall polished/finished wholeness to the presentaion and a less black background, a bit raw in direct compariso to combo A BUT combo B had greater timbral distinction, better micro dynamics even with the lesser black floor, deeper bass and extended highs, more openness, somewhat clearer transients and a greater sense of performance hall presence.
combo B allowed much greater presentaion of the pianist's nuanced performance; overall a more dynamic and engaging experience even though combo A presented a more self contained / "finished" presentation.
i liken A and B , oddly enough, to live performance experience .
combo A is like hearing an excellently performed piano recital with very few people in the audience ... but with the piano lid propped on the short stick.
combo B is hearing the same excellent piano recital with full audience and all the ambient noise that comes with the situation, however, for this recital, the piano lid is fully open (the long prop).
which situation has the greatest potential to communicate the full range of the performance?
PCs are surely critical to a complete any system presentation, but a banana split is still a recognizable "banana split" without the cherry (PCs) on top. however, without the whipped cream (SC) and fudge (ICs) its just and odd shaped bowl with 3 scoops and some fruit. now, isnt that a much better analogy than those car comparisons many like to do with speaker a/b's ? LOL.
using TA ultra SC and ICs as the basic SC+IC wire with esoteric ux-3se+vtl pre 6.5 + wilson w/p8 , i compared the following 2 setups for hours:
combo A-- excellent quality ICs in various combos -nordost valhalla, TA MM, TA XL with the TA ultra cables
combo B. replaced the TA ultra cables with all TA ref cables (the next level up) + all stock PCs!
the upshot :
combo A created an overall complete presentation, nicely polished, well balanced from top to bottom. very low floor noise and black background so stage placement was excellent
combo B has a very slightly less overall polished/finished wholeness to the presentaion and a less black background, a bit raw in direct compariso to combo A BUT combo B had greater timbral distinction, better micro dynamics even with the lesser black floor, deeper bass and extended highs, more openness, somewhat clearer transients and a greater sense of performance hall presence.
combo B allowed much greater presentaion of the pianist's nuanced performance; overall a more dynamic and engaging experience even though combo A presented a more self contained / "finished" presentation.
i liken A and B , oddly enough, to live performance experience .
combo A is like hearing an excellently performed piano recital with very few people in the audience ... but with the piano lid propped on the short stick.
combo B is hearing the same excellent piano recital with full audience and all the ambient noise that comes with the situation, however, for this recital, the piano lid is fully open (the long prop).
which situation has the greatest potential to communicate the full range of the performance?
PCs are surely critical to a complete any system presentation, but a banana split is still a recognizable "banana split" without the cherry (PCs) on top. however, without the whipped cream (SC) and fudge (ICs) its just and odd shaped bowl with 3 scoops and some fruit. now, isnt that a much better analogy than those car comparisons many like to do with speaker a/b's ? LOL.