Marvey's Cable Rolling Adventures

It's not like cables sound like anything, the point is how the associated gear sounds with them.

In some cases it doesn't sound different, I would even say "in most cases". In other cases it does sound differently, but not necessarily for the better. Personal preference also applies, as what sounds better for one, might sound actually worse for another, depending on what you focus on.

 

Mapleshade makes some ICs similar to the ones @Marvey made. I've never heard them. That and the example above made me remember how back in the pre-cableTV days there was TV antenna wire that a person would run down from the rooftop antenna to the TV. This stuff was a two conductor flat wire with the 2 wires separated by about a 1/2 inch. Maybe the insulation or impedance of the cable might not make it good for audio, but maybe it's worth a try anyway.

 

Why are you such a dick? How dare he discuss things on a discussion board, amirite.

 

Thanks Ravi, don't forget this one my man, lul

Edit: Oh, and thanks for banning that ip btw, but it won't be necessary...

I'm out (...of accounts as well) - PEACE

 

very interesting reading!!! thanks @Marvey for your work. i never believed in cables, now i'm more open minded.
how about power cables? did anybody felt changes in sound? those ones, i just can NOT understand how people spend 1000$ in power cables... maybe im wrong ... im here to learn

 

Power cables discussed here: http://superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/power-cables.1641/. Plenty of us use non-stock power cables.

 

After a decade of making and buy up to $500 power cables, in the end it is all about the connectors mostly. 14 gauge is my sweet spot for digital and power amps. Good performance from the budget Chinese Sonar brand in whatever flavor floats your boat (copper for me) and Furutech Copper FI-11 series is my favorite. I use Supra Shielded wire to good result. If someone wants to get started experimenting I have some Wattgate connectors I could let go for a good price.

 

So...I've got some new cables coming soon. I was able to snag another pair Audioquest Colorado 1M RCA interconnects as a demo/Black Friday special deal for $330; this cable new sold for $900. i've been running a full loom of AQ Columbia for my system for the last few years, and the AQ Columbia is a very good interconnect, and is on a 50% discount right now at Music Direct for $200 for a 1M pair. At this price, this cable is a terrific value, IMHO, notably outperforming a $400 pair of Zu Wylde and Wireworld Equinox 6 ICs. The Colorado is another step up in transparency and lower noise floor over Columbia, resulting in a cleaner and quieter but very natural presentation. I'm running the one pair I have between my preamp and power amp so that all source components will benefit from it. I'm going to use the new Colorado between Gungnir Multibit and my C-J CT-5 preamp since i listen to Gungnir Multibit more than my vinyl rig these days. The other cable I have coming is a pair of Shunyata Venom speaker cables which I've read good things about. I'll be comparing these ot the DNM speaker cables I've been running since 2010. Also got the Venoms for 50% off as a demo pair from a dealer in SoCal.

Once I gete them in and let them "settle" for a few days, I will post my impressions here.

 

No matter how hard I try, I just can't bring myself to try Audioquest cables. Something about them just seems "off" to me. Maybe it's the Diamond series. Same thing with Analysis Plus and their $20,000 silver cables. And this coming from a cable "believer."

I do like Shunyata's power cables though, as we've discussed before.

 

Hi Zonto, have you tried their interconnects, or only the Diamond USB cable? I wasn't really into Audioquest until I bought a pair of Columbia, and they blew everything I had used in my system into the weeds. And, I do tend to like the sound of a copper cable. I was very pleasantly surprised. The Colorado is another step up in performance, most notably transparency and it's quieter. Quiet is good....

 

For "neutral", cheap (<$100) RCA interconnects, is there a solid alternative to Blue Jeans?

 

Should have been more clear. I haven't tried any AQ, mostly because of their marketing of the Diamond series in particular.

 

The Pangea's mentioned in the first post would be an option.

 

riddleywalker I like these because if I'm going to buy something, I'm going to buy something I can't DIY.. and I dunno how to use a solder pot to remove the insulator from litz wire.. hence these
KAB / CARDAS "SpiralAir" All Litz Coax
https://www.kabusa.com/frameset.htm?/spiralair.htm

 

I got some of these based on the @atomicbob recommendation and have been happy with them. https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Directional-RCA-Cable-Pair/dp/B01I3CLAV4. Good sound quality, very well made, not that flexible.

Also Zu Audio's ebay store often has Wylde interconnect cables mentioned by @Puma Cat for auction. Can get a really good price with patience.

 

I’ve seen Audioquest cables offer more and more as you scale up, but you can get to the point where the separation gets unnatural, depending on your setup. I run AQ Columbias on some runs and can clearly discern differences and do prefer it to others, at times. Note that this will not always be the case IF your setup isnt revealing enough. When the case is you hear no difference then there are other things you should address first, like room or power.

 

I agree, which is why I've stopped at the top of their copper line-up. I've always tended to prefer the sound of copper conductors, on the whole. I also agree one's system has to be resolving enough for this to matter. And agree on power; I've found power cords and distribution make the biggest difference when it comes to "cables", by far. This is why I'm a big fan of Shunyata Research's products.

 

So, I hooked up both the AQ Columbia and Colorado to the two RCA outputs of Gungnir Multibit today and ran each pair into a separate input on my Conrad-Johnson CT-5 preamp. As the preamp has a remote that allows for almost instantaneous switching of inputs, and I can a do direct A/B comparison between the two on the same musical content.

After very close listening, the two are very, very, close. It's difficult to distinguish any discernable difference between these two cables. If there was any difference I can discern, the Colorado might, possibly, be the tiniest bit quieter and cleaner, but it's so close so as to not be any practical difference. You're going to hear differences in mastering quality much more than you're going to hear a difference between these two. The only difference between these two cables is that Colorado uses FEP air tubes instead of polyethylene air tubes. If you're interested in these cables, as the AQ Columbia is available at Music Direct for 50% off the original retail price for $200 for a 1M pair, and Colorados is $450 for a 1M pair, I would say pass on the Colorado, and get the Columbia. Or, if you have the budget, pick up two pair of Columbia for less than the price of one pair of Colorado, and put more of these into your system. Overall verdict: its'a tossup. Go for the less expensive cable if interested. Personally, I think the AQ Columbia IC at $200 for 1M RCA is killer value, and betters any other non-AQ cable I've had in my system. These are so much better than my previous reference, Zu Mission, that its not even funny. Cheers, mateys!

 

Update: I just listened to a 24/192 recording of Ella Fitzgerald's "You're My Thrill" on Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie, and the difference on the Colorado is clearer here: it's essentially exactly the same in timbre, vocal quality, tonal shadings as Columbia, its just slightly quieter; the background is blacker, to use a way over-used adjective. That's it.