What type of cables make the most difference


What type of cables, in your subjective experience, makes the most difference? I’m not focusing on brands, but rather, on type, ie, speaker cables, power cables, analog interconnect, digital interconnect, and anything else I may have omitted. If you don’t think cables beyond a base level of competency makes a difference that’s fine too. 
 

zavato

Always had the biggest changes with interconnects. 

All the others makes difference aswell. 

All cables are critically important and any particular type of cable can be as transformative and critical as any other. I have demonstrated that continually in hundreds of systems. 

Zovato, your question is motived by sincere desire to discover, I believe. But as with the bulk of the audiophile community, these kind of questions are not productive because audiophiles fail to assess and use cables correctly. 

I discuss in my book, The Audiophile Laws, that the only way to properly use and assess cables is in complete sets. There is no way to knowingly advance a system by ad hoc combinations of cables, much less gain any insight as to which type of cable might be the most influential. When the audiophile works with complete sets of cables and adds them incrementally, it becomes obvious that there is no one type of cable which is most important or has the most influence on a system. 

One of the errors of system building is the belief that certain cables influence the system more than others. Consequently, some audiophiles will spend on speaker cables and not much, if anything, on power cords. As such,  attempts to peg a particular type of cable result in dumbing down the system if it leads to emphasizing  one type over another. 

The different geometries and conductor material of cables when compared assures that results across the community will be disparate. There is no consensus and no forward movement in system building by surveying which type of cables the community thinks are most important. 

There is only one proper way to work with cables, in complete sets. After the gross comparisons are done and the "winner" is selected, then, perhaps swap out a single cable to tune the rig. 

 

@zavato 

I’m quite content with what I have and am not looking to make any sonic differences to my system but rather I’m curious what others have perceived. 

Others may have perceived numerous changes with cables in their systems that don’t occur unless a certain set of qualifiers are unmet. 

For speaker cables, power cables, and interconnects, you should understand that they can all behave as antennas if you let them to. 

Keep them nicely segregated and away from each other. That’s the first step.

Such cables were never invented to improve the sound you hear and experience through your electronics and speakers. 

Only to act as a bridge from point A to point B. 

A cheap receiver does not improve its sonic performance with high end cables.

And truly resolving systems only show differences with cables that are "doing damage" not improving the fidelity of your system.

The electronics and speakers, are always doing the most heavy lifting vs. the cables.
Can you tell me more about your system? Just a few details and I’ll let you know which cables are best for the connections you are making between components etc. You needn’t spend too much money. Or perhaps you don’t even need to upgrade.

@frank009  Take a look at my system profile; in a nutshell, I have Revel speakers, Pass Labs amp and preamp, Pass phono stage, Simaudio phono stage, Linn turntable, Thorens turntable, McIntosh tuner, McIntosh subwoofer, Auralic streaming transport, Simaudio CD transport and a Bricasti DAC. Also have a Headamp headphone amp, plus Sennheiser & Hifiman headphones. Some of my gear isn’t exactly stock. My tuner was updated and overhauled by its original designer. My streaming transport has its chassis slightly modded to further dampen vibrations. Both sets of headphones also have been lightly modded. I think my system is resolving enough. I am definitely not looking to upgrade a thing.