Worth upgrading my cables?


I’ve made a ton of updates to my system over the last six months and now I’m wondering if my cables need some attention. Here are my questions:

  1. Based on my system, and current caballing (description bellow), do you think I would recognize a noticeable improvement by updating my cables?
  2. If yes, which cables would you prioritize (speaker, interconnects, power)?
  3. Lastly do you have any specific recommendations.

 

Current system:

  • Technics SL-1200G (Hana SL) --> Manley Chinook --> Manley Jumbo Shrimp --> Finale Audio Classic 300B monoblocks --> Klipsch Heresy IV
  • All interconnects are Morrow Audio MA1
  • Speaker cable Canare 4S11 Star Quad Bi Wire
  • Power cables Tripp Lite Heavy Duty , 15A, 14AWG

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

128x128designtaylor

Showing 9 responses by mastering92

I read some good things about the audioquest robin hood speaker cables.

What do you think the system is missing in terms of sound quality?

@designtaylor

I don’t use cables to fine-tune a system, but I will say that upgrading my DAC’s power cord to a monoprice hospital-grade cord ($11 on amazon) (up to 1625w, up to 105 degrees, and 13A with all required/over-the-top certifications improved the performance. But only very marginally. The original power cord was very cheap...not sure why an Italian company would include such a lousy power cord. (obviously the cord was made elsewhere)

I had problems with a trip-lite USB cable: music software froze with large files, jriver), after upgrading to silver - the best conductor of electricity, that problem is totally gone. Plays without a hiccup now. And it’s not because of the laptop...I have a gigabyte Aero 17 that is overpowered like hell...

@designtaylor

When we want to understand cables, we measure them. The inductance, capacitance and resistance of a cable can define what it can do, vs what it can’t. Cables are just a bridge between 2 points...and low resistance is the most important factor.

Human hearing is quoted to be 20 HZ to 20 KHz, or 12 HZ to 28 KHz for people in ideal laboratory conditions. Hearing differences in otherwise good-quality cables at the same lengths is usually small amounts of gain differences (volume not matched, or an inferior conductor, such as CCAW or lamp cord which can be either be too thin-sounding, or with a slight edge of warmth. We don’t want the metallurgy of the cable to influence sound quality. We want the cable to "get out of the way" and allow the electronics to perform.

High purity copper, PCOCC copper, cables from pro audio brands - Belden, Mogami, Canare, or silver/silver-plated cables are just fine.

Some high-end audio cable companies want you to believe there is a hierarchy of "improved performance" when you move up their product line.

If their lower-end/cheaper cables are inferior...why are they producing them in the first place? It’s not like buying a car with different trim options...

I do not trust audio cable companies that make claims of performance-specific improvements: better bass, midrange, treble, imaging, etc. substantial changes like that cannot be determined by cable companies who have never heard your system before.

@thyname

maybe ask an electrician what he thinks of that power cord...

before willing to part with your money and maybe give it to a stranger on the internet.

 

@mceljo 

Well new tubes - different sound. Just like in a solid-state amplifier, the main filter capacitors, power transformer(s), and small changes the circuit design can vastly improve or detract from sound quality, or objectively accurate audio playback.

Sounds like you've spent a lot of time comparing the inerconnects/cables. Maybe the difference is related to better shielding from RF noise, superior conductors, and better (less grain) crystal structure of the wire in the cables...which can make for a technically superior conductor. I won't say all cables are the same. Actually, far from it. For this reason, I have custom interconnects and the brand of choice is REAN. 

Over the years I've used throwaway cables...strangely always noticed a slight warmth in the midrange that shouldn't be there on certain tracks. For instance, when Diana Krall sings Black Crow - there is a unique peakiness in her voice that seems to defy the laws of dynamic range. It's so wonderful. 

Happy listening!

@mceljo

Thank you for the write-up.

I have also experimented with power cords, interconnects etc.

I have found that the shortest interconnects seem to provide a tiny amount of gain vs longer ones. Or rather, the long interconnects seem to be reducing the level of  the output signal slightly. (but only by a hare)

I’ve also experimented with power cables in the past. The anomaly found with the new power cable plugged in to the DAC you wrote about might be replicated with a laptop. I once bought an audiophile-grade power cord, close to $1000 just to see what the fuss was about. I heard no difference vs hospital-grade power cords.

I was curious if maybe my laptop charging brick/laptop battery would benefit (maybe faster charging).

With the power settings and brightness/display on/unchanged machine state, I let the laptop charge from 50% to what was now 100% (or fully charged). After unplugging, I noticed the laptop had only been charged to 87% !! The initial reading was wrong!

I then drained the battery to 50% again after having it charge up to 100% with the stock power cord (included by Gigabyte) and the anomly did not occur again. For this reason and others (for example, in-built power cords) I’m not a believer in power cords improving audio fidelity; unless the power cord in question is inferior/low quality and is struggling to supply power to the mainboard in an electronic device.

My auditioning process is simple. I always start by documenting what I’m testing/lisening to/auditioning.

1) Track, volume level, and what it sounds like. ( the same passage/snippet)

I write down my impressions on a notepad.

Then I deliberately forget and don’t look at the notepad.

I take fresh notes and compare/contrast once I’m done.

 

May I ask what in particular changed for the better? Was it the textural resolve of bass frequencies (different styles as you may know and how they decay etc.) improved midrange clarity, or even elevated treble that seems to pinpoint fine details or improve the "air" in a recording? etc.