Stuck about cables

Hi there,
I have had my stereo system for a couple of years, and have just been told by a mate that getting new cables, rather than the ones that come with the kit will make it sound hugely sweeter. BUT - v confused. There are hundreds of types out there, with for example Ixos costing about half of chord. Does that mean they are 1/2 as good, or is it more complex than that.
Any reccomendations? I'm looking to spend around £150 (max) on interconnect and speaker cables.
Thanks

 

Respectfully, ignore your friend and spend that £150 on new music or beer and women.

 

Sadly it is a bit more complicated than £'s = quality, and you'll get a range of opinion from 'it won't make any difference' to 'it will make loads of difference'. Specific advice is likely to depend on the rest of your kit and how you think it could sound better. DIY cables can be pretty straightforward if you can wield a soldering iron and are generally way better value. There are a variety of recipes floating around various threads on this site and elsewhere. FWIW I prefer 'solid-core' wires, and if you're not going to DIY I've always liked DNM Reson I/C's and speaker cable which would fit your budget.

Actually, ignore me too and listen to Tenson!

 

van damme speaker cables - it's what I use and ignore anyone who says you need better, sorry more expensive ones....

this one here - http://www.clearly-av.co.uk/V545060.html?id=PLdJZDUI
tho, they're out of stock just now...

 

Welcome to the forum. If you want to talk cables then the man you want is right here on this forum. Zanash is your man. Do a search on here and see how many happy members there is. Jim.

 

More to the point if you want to talk to someone who thinks they make a big difference talk to Zanash.

 

Hi Rainyday,
Welcome to ZG. As mentioned cables are one of the most contentious ares of hifi (IMO) - I've found differences in sound from changing cables but not often of the order of magnatude suggested by some. The whole thing is pretty system dependant as far as I can see (sorrry, hear!). To add to the confusion it's often a good idea to try different mains cables as well .......... - in fact hifi salesperson extrordinaire Russ Andrews suggests mains - interconnects - speaker cable as order of upgrade, but what does he know! (Apart from how to make lots of money - I use quite a lot of his kit to be honest if that comment sounds a bit harsh. It's a good idea to borrow some cables for a listen in your system before parting with the likes of £150 however - unless you'd like to buy some second hand cables from me, in which case it's a first class idea ;-)

 

rainyday, cables can make a difference, a synergistic choice can help lift the system, price is not indicative of finding a good match.

you need to borrow some,chord dealers usually have a loaner box. start there, find out what differences you prefer, and go from there.

 

Cables will not make a poor system into a world beater. If the system you are proposing to use the cables in is just not up to the job, then good cables may actually make it sound worse due to being more revealing.

Treat cables as the final minor tweaking to a system you like and you won`t go far wrong.

 

Thanks chaps .....

As said cable will help ....but they can't rescue information lost at other stages ...

they can minimise further losses though...and to some extent tune the sound of a system.

You'd be surprised at the rather poor performance of some very expensive cables .....and sometimes all is not quite as advertised ..having mended a cable from a USA company claiming a full silver cable [which to me says it should all be made of silver] one of the conductors was silver plated copper ....I'm assuming in this case they did not expect anyone to do surgery on there creation.

As always you need to try the cable within your system for a few days ....unfortunately there not many providers who will allow that....

pm if you need any more info...

 

seconded.

 

Thanks for that, the landlord of my local will be glad of your advice re the beer

 

cables are system dependant, always try before you buy, never go by reviews, nando.

 

There's no doubt in my mind that cables do make a significant difference, but firmly in the 'icing on the cake' category. I.e. get the system sounding the way you want first then you can finesse that with cables.

You don't have to buy new cables to get a worthwhile improvement though. Just cleaning all the contacts and ensuring that all the connectors are making a good tight fit can produce a surprising gain. Expensive specialised cleaners are not required, simple Isopropyl alcohol from the chemists or Maplins and a few cotton buds from Tesco do the job a treat.

 

I think Tenson has it just about right and perhaps cables are the icing on the cake. The best upgrade for any system is £150 worth of vinyl or CDs of your choice! If you are interested in playing with wires and soldering iron cook up a recipe or two for cables and share your results with everyone. Dont believe adverts or other peoples ears!

 

SOME cables make a difference.
Others do not.
Throwing money at your wires will not necessarily change, let alone improve anything.
Audition, preferably in your own system in your own home, first.
DF

 

Does this mean that one cable that doesn't make a difference doesn't make a difference to one that does?

 

Actually this is my finding as well, and it is strongly my belief that the ones which make no difference, are the ones to be using.

 

Apologies. Let me clarify...
But first, I want to say that my point was too polarised.
However, what I was saying was effectively:
That there are 2 types of cables:
1. Freebie cables and cables that sound like cables and;
2. Cables that sound different (probably better) to group 1.
(I suppose that theoretically there could be a third category:
3. Cables that sound different (possibly worse) to group 1 (and group 2).)
The reality is more of a continuum, but I'm sure I'm not the first to seek make their point by exaggerating.

So yes, as 'difference' is a relative term, one could say that either group sounds different to the other.
However, given that I was assuming the thread was about upgrading cables, I lazily used the word 'difference' without clarification. By 'difference' I meant 'likely subjective improvement' and not 'difference' per-se or 'difference to the signal passing through the cable'.

My ultimate point is of course that some fairly expensive cables (up to £200) do not, in my (possibly flawed) experience, sound better, or at least significantly better, than freebie cables.

This point is true for a variety of goods of course, hifi and otherwise.
But not baked beans. To my taste buds, Asda Smart Price beans taste significantly better than Heinz.

DF

 

The only way to find out is try them at home for at least a week or two then put your old ones back. Its up to you then what to do. This is the best and only way as far as i can see. No good listening to what other people say as their systems and cables are all different.

I am coming to the conclusion that peoples ears and brains are different too.