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Dang it… cables do matter (at least in my system)

I really didn’t want to write this post.

Like many of you, I am not a cable guy. I would much rather believe that a well-made, sensibly priced cable gets you 99% of the way there and that anything beyond that is mostly jewelry for audiophiles. In fact, that belief is exactly why I started this experiment in the first place.

I recently picked up a higher-end phono cable (Nordost Heimdall 2) to compare against a Blue Jeans Cable I already owned and respected. My intention—honestly—was to scratch the curiosity itch, confirm that the cheaper cable sounded just as good in my system, and then send the expensive one back with my wallet intact and my worldview reinforced.

That… did not happen.

In my system, the pricier cable consistently sounded better. Not “night and day,” not “jaw on the floor,” but unmistakably better: wider and more coherent soundstage, stronger and more articulate bass, better placement of instruments, more air around them, and a more resolved top end that wasn’t brighter or etched. Just clearer. More sorted. More believable.

Still, I was fully prepared to chalk some of that up to expectation bias. After all, I knew which cable was which, and $1,200 has a way of whispering sweet nothings into your ears.

So tonight, during a dinner party, I did something unplanned. I had four people listen—my brother (a dyed-in-the-wool non-audiophile), my daughter (a budding audiophile), my sister-in-law (a musician), and my wife. I didn’t tell them which cable was which, only that they were two different phono cables at very different price points and that I was trying to decide between them.

All four, independently and without hesitation, preferred the same cable. Not subtly. Not with hedging. My brother—who could not care less about hi-fi and would happily listen through a Bluetooth speaker—said there was “no question” which one he liked and that he wouldn’t use the other if given the choice.

Cue my quiet sigh.

So yes, to my chagrin and to the detriment of my wallet, the more expensive cable outperformed the cheaper one in my system. I wish the Blue Jeans had won. I truly do. This would have been a much cheaper and more philosophically satisfying outcome.

I’m not claiming cables transform systems, nor that everyone needs to run out and spend real money on them. I’m also not suggesting this will translate universally. But in this case—same system, same music, multiple listeners—the difference was real enough that even the skeptics in the room heard it.

I remain annoyed.
But apparently… cables do matter. Somewhat.

Dang it

brighamdoc
ulcerdoc
68 posts
 

I’ve seen the claim that Blue Jeans Cable is “flat” or inferior to expensive cables, and I wanted to offer a different perspective.

I run a system with multiple tonearms and cartridges (Atlas, Hyperion, Koetsu, Miyajima, etc.), adjustable phono loading, tube rolling, room correction — and a full loom of Blue Jeans cables throughout.

How much influence cables have is a matter of intense debate.  Sometimes people hear differences, sometimes they don’t, and when they do, those differences aren’t always consistent or predictable across systems.  But I explicitly do NOT want cables to add or subtract anything from the sound.

What Blue Jeans cables do well is remove themselves from the equation. Their cables are very high quality, very well built, and there’s complete transparency about the internal components and electrical parameters being used. Low capacitance, proper impedance, good shielding — no mystery, no “secret sauce,” and no attempt to voice the sound.  If that’s flat, I’ll take it all day.

Some expensive cables do sound different to some listeners, but those differences are often system-dependent and small compared to changes in cartridges, setup, or room. I prefer cables that are neutral, predictable, and not acting as undocumented tone controls.  I have plenty of predictable ways to do that: tubes, cartridge loading etc. 

At this point I’m more interested in listening to music than chasing marginal, system-specific differences. Blue Jeans cables let me do exactly that - and the $ I don’t spend on expensive cables is available for more meaningful upgrades.

Experience has a sound.

 

bruce19
378 posts
 

@ulcerdoc  Good way of looking at it! I agree. Sometimes I play a bit with cables to flavor the sound (as per my comment to @mulveling above) like I also do with tubes but most of the time I just want a good basic cable that does not get in the way. Cable play usually is at the bottom of my list of tweaks. 

bolong
964 posts
 

It's hard to be objective. It's tiring. Most people's to do list places objectivity down near the bottom right above abjectivity.

squared80's avatar
squared80
327 posts
 

The only thing that would make a difference is the gauge, assuming they're both OFC. If one is too small for the length of the run, you might hear a difference. But that's really the only way.

mclinnguy's avatar
mclinnguy
1,113 posts
 

@ulcerdoc 

 If that’s flat, I’ll take it all day.

At this point I’m more interested in listening to music than chasing marginal, system-specific differences. Blue Jeans cables let me do exactly that - and the $ I don’t spend on expensive cables is available for more meaningful upgrades.

And that is just fine. Nobody here is trying to convince you otherwise. 

 

What Blue Jeans cables do well is remove themselves from the equation. Their cables are very high quality, very well built, and there’s complete transparency about the internal components and electrical parameters being used. Low capacitance, proper impedance, good shielding — no mystery, no “secret sauce,” and no attempt to voice the sound.

Others have concluded differently, in that they have cables that do a much better job of "getting out of the way". Most take the understanding that a cable can never add anything, it can only remove things. Preventing the soundstage to expand and masking low level detail is definitely a voicing. 

Some expensive cables do sound different to some listeners, but those differences are often system-dependent and small compared to changes in cartridges, setup, or room. I prefer cables that are neutral, predictable, and not acting as undocumented tone controls.  I have plenty of predictable ways to do that: tubes, cartridge loading etc. 

Do you know this from experience? Or are you just guessing? 

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