Hey guys, I didn't mean expensive cables are worthless, they do improve the listening experience, my bad, I should have been more articulative. What I intended to convey was that the difference in overall audio quality the expensive cables make probably doesn't justify their high price for most of the listeners. You hook your speakers to Rs.1000 Amazon basics cable and $10000 Crown cable, will you get 700 times better sound? Probably not, there will be a notable improvement, no denying but the VFM it provides is debatable.
Suggestions for speak cable ..
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dextrostar
Active Member
Very true but am not talking about Crown cable here. Though there is no ratio of cost as far as components go but isn't it worth spending say 5-10% of your speakers worth on the cables?
I believe the cheapest way to get the best out of your speaker is to invest in cables first.
Secondly you can add either stereo Power Amp or Monoblock depending upon your budget.
Cheers
Not the bass, it makes the treble more pronounced, sharp and sparkly. If people consider KEF sharp, their ear drums will get shredded on this combo.
Probably because of silver coating. Silver tends to do this, even in ICs.
KEF is sharp/bright/in-your-face for most folks
Takes a bit of taming.Cheers,
Raghu
True. Thats the very reason i got it. I was wondering what, i any, and how much of a difference silver coating made. To my ears. it makes a difference. Initially, i was running the left channel with the silver streak and right with the mogami to check out whether there were indeed any audible differences. I could hear that the treble was clearly more distinct in the left i.e. it drew a little attention to itself over that coming out of the right channel. Upon switching to both speakers driven through the silver streak, i knew it wasn't solely a placebo effect.Probably because of silver coating. Silver tends to do this, even in ICs.
KEF is sharp/bright/in-your-face for most folks
Cheers,
Raghu
And It's still beyond me how people find KEF sharp/bright/in-your-face, at least the Q350. The Marantz must be really blunting that so called edge. But then, the crown is just as refined and there's no sibilance to be heard.
Honestly, I have to constantly remind myself that similar to ones sense of taste, the way we perceive sound and the intensity of certain frequencies can also be different.
A certain anecdote i recall in this context - during my college days, the poor souls at TGIFs had a hot wing challenge (bhut jolokia)and anybody who could eat more than 4 wings (6 wings in a plate) got 4 beers for free. We were three of us and though the others didn't dare try, we walked out utterly smashed.
Apparently i was the first one to ever complete the challenge. And how.
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The first cables i had were the Amazonbasics 12AWG and the C&E 14AWG. Frankly, i coudn't tell any difference. Then i got myself the Mogami and
QED QX16/2. Again, couldn't tell any difference. Its only with the silver streak that i could hear one. Then again, I don't have the most resolving system so i'll reserve judgment till then.
My interconnects are the Mogami Gold. Had DAC ARX01A before this. Again, didn't notice any difference with this switch either but my caveat stands.
Haven't deployed the DAC 10AWG yet.
When i use my DAC, i use the Audioquest Tower.
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I wish things were so objective , diminishing point of returns always kicks in almost all electronics but more early in the audio world. Also things are not as easy to measure objectively unlike the Frame Rate test done in case of graphic cards else we would not have had so many sections in hifivision with umpteen number of threads with people asking for feedbacks on effect on imaging for DVD cases on floor .
Also once you hear something better , it becomes difficult to unhear the same. When you find a particular speaker do treble better than yours , you start with the speaker upgrade then you find an amp which pairs better with that speaker than yours so there you go with the next upgrade , i guess you get the gist. Some label it as pure madness (read parents, non-audiophile friends & wife , when they see me towing in the speakers/moving it to different positions and listening to same song again and again) but in this madness is the joy
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dextrostar
Active Member
Anecdote to a real life exp...holy moly...didn't i enjoy that tidbit to core...hell yeah.
I can relate to the silvery side of sound now...i started enjoying it,kinda feel it. That's the balanced cable I got for the IEM...but another story with KEFs...man...i can imagine...wish i cud audition that setup. I don't think there are hardly any Kolkata FMs here.
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dextrostar
Active Member
This exp does extract a wtf stance from myself.
You have a way better FS and jumping from Amazon basics to Mogami and you didn't feel the difference...wtf..again...i clearly understand your proficiency in judging is way better than mine...even though that aspect is subjective...ignoring ..but I have a question again.
I always believed as per my reading...that cables do make a difference in SQ...etc.
So when i wanted to truly experience that difference..i got myself a silver line of upgraded balanced cable for my IEMs ..and that proved that it does the job what silver line Should.
It seems that our line of music taste seems to be in similar lines and based on that judgement i will consider the silver streak now even though i was convinced to get the Mogami 2972 which is meant for Bi-wring as these speakers deserve.
Would love your inputs if you can please.
Thanks
Dextrostar with IEMs even I noticed minor differences with a better cable ( bass tightness , better soundstage) with same termination. However when moving from SE to Balanced cable , you end up using a different implementation of the amp/dap vs the SE , which usually has much more power resulting in huge improvement of the SQ but need not be neccesarily entirely attributed to the cable.
I believe with speakers the improvement might be more subtle , personally even I would love to try good IC and cables and observe differences if any before getting one.
dextrostar
Active Member
I frankly can't say anything on that coz i just started my journey. If i have to argue...they wudnt be selling such pricey cables just because balanced audio is for the pro audio studio/concert artists.
As per tech sheets the balanced cable has its value and higher the quality of the cable should quantify its purpose i believe but again i don't have any connection to studio artists to confirm that claim.
The studio related claims are very correct since they usually have them running long and need minimal distortion.
While I am not denying the positive effect cable can have , what I am pointing to is the fact that for IEM/Headphones in most of the cases the amp/dap you are using has better power delivery or the balanced connection ( 2.5mm/4.4 mm plugs/xlr ) resulting in improved SQ over the single ended 3.5mm output. I prefer to use the balanced output in my amplifier/dap precisely because of the above reason and it certainly does give considerable improvement. I have not forayed into super expensive cable yet I do own few cables of about 4-7k range for the IEM/Heapdhones , so just stating my observation.
If that's your jam, you might want to check out a pair of KEFs sometime. They’ve got a fun sound with a wicked sense of rhythm and yet, they are very refined. A pairing with something as simple as a crown xls or a Marantz PM6006 can sound phenomenal without spending mucho bucks.
on another note, hows that trump tower coming along?
As i mentioned , i don’t have a very resolving system so perhaps the true strengths/colourations/transparency of the Mogamis haven’t shone through. Waiting for my power amp to check this out.
But if you were thinking about the 2972, i say go for it. Its a very neat solution insofar as biamping is concerned. A thick well built cable that houses all 4 wires, yet is extremely flexible! Whats not to like? The fact that it doesn’t colour any of the frequencies unlike the silver streak means that poorer recordings won’t murder your ears unlike the latter. The silver streak is definitely not for all occasions and genres of music. Truth be told, though i enjoy them, i kinda frown upon cables and other such parts of the chain colouring the sound. Rather have only my speakers do that and worry only about selecting the right pair for the particular type of music. otherwise, concerns regarding pairing become a massive pain in the posterior.
May i ask for any pics of both 2.5 sqmm and 6 sqmm ?We threw in my 2.5 sqmm finolex wire and things balanced out.
This particular FM went and made himself a set of wires using 6 sqmm
Welding wire, I call it
They work. No issues.
Cheers,
Raghu
Thank you. I am interested to see a braided version because I tried quite a few times but I am not able to braid properly.
The 2.5 sqmm was hand braided (by me). Just simple twisting.
The 6.0 sqmm was braided using a power drill (by another FM).
Both are loosely twisted not really a "braid"
Cheers,
Raghu
It helps. Thank you for the pictures.
I was assuming braiding (3 or more wires) and twisting (2 wires) are 2 different techniques.
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