FYI, How to judge interconnects, power cords, speaker cable, etc. Let's share techniques together..

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Steve Hoffman, Jan 31, 2019.

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  1. Darkswan

    Darkswan Forum Resident

    Location:
    KC, Mo, USA
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019
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  2. George P

    George P Notable Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Thanks, can you provide a link to the transformer you bought?
     
  3. jacksonwalker

    jacksonwalker Forum Resident

    I use a couple of Power Wedges in my system (#122 and #114), and it seems to make a difference.
     
  4. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Bumped and stickied in AH by request.
     
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  5. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    What's an impedance tap? No answer from Google.

    But I do get your idea behind focusing on one sound but I've also noticed when I do this I can't stop my mind from expecting (mentally hearing) a change over what I think something should sound like. There are other sounds that compete for attention that trigger mental judgements according to what is being heard to what it should sound like without considering the adaptive effect of human stimuli which can change perception especially in the length of time it takes to change a cable.

    An example centers around a poster who plays guitar stated at the beginning of this thread where he heard the pick hit the strings of a guitar he used to focus on which he says he didn't hear before. I've given similar fresh listens to focused detail to one song I'ld hear over and over on headphones looking for sound elements in order to improve the sound with an EQ. Suddenly on a second listen I hear a Hammond B3 high pitched flourish that I was certain wasn't there. But it had to be there because I didn't put it there or has it become louder due to me now focusing on it when before it was pushed back that I didn't notice it due to other competing sounds. By the time it takes for me to change a cable I've already noticed this soft sounding B3 organ flourish that had always been shrouded by other competing sounds but since I'm now focusing on this my brain wants to make it sound louder. Did my brain make that happen or did my expectation from changing a cable do this?

    Your OP doesn't provide a lot of auditory detail where you notice changes to what wasn't clarified as an impedance tap in a Beatles song.
     
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  6. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    impedence tap - Google Search

    VinylSavor: Speaker impedance and amplifier output taps
     
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  7. Ted Torres Jr

    Ted Torres Jr Synergistic Maximus

    Location:
    SE LA
    Steve,

    I also use cuts that I'm very familiar with (sometimes just 10 seconds of music) to analyze the various bandwidth\soundstage differences between cables, interconnects and even speakers! Takes time, but results are usually very repeatable!

    My most recent has been testing a well known speaker cable against a similar, but new-to-me competitor! Great value, but it has to at least break-in to meet (or exceed) the sound quality of the 35 year old faithful cable...see HERE! :agree:

    Ted
     
  8. Adagio

    Adagio Forum Resident

    One thing for sure that I try not to do is compare short segments of really familiar songs. Hearing a difference or hearing some new detail initially gives a "wow, I haven't heard that before" but it doesn't always mean the overall result will be better. When I was comparing / selecting my cables I would try and listen for at least a couple of full songs or one side of an album before switching.

    Everyone has different priorities, but for me pace rhythm and timing (harmonic cohesion?) and dynamics make the recordings sound more like real music. I find it was only over extended listening that these qualities would stand out. Things like detail, top end extension or bottom end umph show up within a few minutes of listening, but for me these are lower priorities
     
  9. Encore

    Encore Forum Resident

    The same as I do with any change in my system--change only that one thing and listen for at least a couple of days to hone in on any differences.

    I don't have golden ears, so for many of the changes I have made to my system, I haven't been able to hear a difference immediately. It's as if my ears need to tune in on the changed sound. A bit like with these stereoscopic images with dots where your vision has to lock into the right focus.

    That said, I have had two instances of cable changes that were so profound that it didn't take me long to notice that there was a difference, they felt more like getting a bigger amp. It still takes me days to form a final opinion, though.

    So if the changes are so small that they are not immediately noticeable, why then bother? Well, though small, these changes may mean the differences between being able to relax and enjoy the system for hours vs listening fatigue building up over those same hours. Moreover, once my ears have picked up on them, the changes sometimes don't seem so small anymore, like it recently happened with some acoustic treatment that I finally found the right position for.
     
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  10. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    Steve.....I agree with you %. I also think cable/wire break in if not moved or switched out, can go on for a long time....seems they continue to" meek" as even beyond a year....more fluid. But what stood out was your suggestion.... "but over the course of say 5 years, it truly adds up, believe me!". Kindly flesh that Idea out a bit more, please.:)
     
  11. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.

    Hahahaha....you want to ruffle their feathers?.. just tell them they can't hear and watch them freak out. They have no clue what you mean.
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
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  12. Are you saying if you disconnect a cable, it will change the way it sounds when re-connected or 'resets' itself and the break-in period starts over?
     
  13. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Ok, Thanks for the links. Now I understand what this thread is about and it's way out of my wheelhouse since I don't have a tube system and changing the power cables on my vintage solid state amp would require I open it up and get a soldering iron which I'm not going to do.

    If you're hearing these kind of differences in sound just by changing power cables maybe all this analog tube stuff isn't built to a high standard for consistency sake so everyone hears the same reference input. If it's this sensitive to cable changes could it be considered a stable and reliable device for listening to music or meeting some kind of standard of quality?
     
  14. brubacca

    brubacca Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    I take the slow approach to cables. Put new cable in. Wait for awhile (weeks or month). Am I enjoying the music? Put old put old cable back in.... Different?

    I'm not listening for the miniscule. I'm evaluating on a broader scale. Am I enjoying all my music. Does anything sound off or deficient.

    I do the same with any change like dac.
     
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  15. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    What? Wow...!Do you see how you read something into what I said......that I never said?
     
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  16. Mccrip

    Mccrip Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis,MO
    I can say when I changed out my IC and Speaker Cables I heard a difference immediately. I have a very low budget system that I was using all Audio Quest basic cables on. I was gifted my speaker cables by my dad, who upgraded his, and the IC I bought myself. Now before I hooked everything up I had a friend blind test me and two others so we didn't know what was hooked up and what wasn't. It took about 30 secs into Riviera Paradise SRV for us to figure out that what ever was hooked up sounded great.
     
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  17. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    For me, I've pretty much done with interconnects in terms of experimenting. Been there, done that - a lot - and these days usually settle for the Fisual brand, specifically, their Havana or Havana XL ranges.

    Hand made, great locking connectors, been using them exclusively for the last two or three years and comfortably as good as the £200+ cables they replaced. £35/m.

    I use, as per any great change, a handful of tracks I know well and use those as my main barometer to come to a decision about whether to keep or get rid / return :-

    Joni Mitchell - Night Ride Home
    Yes - Starship Trooper
    Genesis - Mad Man Moon / Entangled
    Julie Feeney - Impossibly Beatiful / Grace / Love is a Tricky Thing
    Bruckner's 7th (okay, that's a bit more than a track!)

    All of those give me enough to come to a conclusion and that can either be fairly quickly, but usually over a few days.
     
  18. Brother_Rael

    Brother_Rael Senior Member

    I think if we're talking a year to still experience difference in a cable or any gear, you're either doing something extremely wrong, or you've been in the jail!
     
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  19. I'm not reading into anything. I asked a question based on what you wrote. Do you care to answer it or explain what I'm not understanding?
     
  20. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    lol! I think it depends on how much you listen to your rig...but some stuff takes longer than others.:)
     
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  21. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    Lol.....this is the part you highlighted......." also think cable/wire break in if not moved or switched out, can go on for a long time."

    Let me ask you, if you don't mind. :) What gave you the idea to reply with a question where you said "Are you saying if you disconnect a cable, it will change the way it sounds when re-connected or 'resets' itself and the break-in period starts over?
    You asked me am I "saying". So you read into my statement an Idea I never implied:). How do you come up with that idea is all I'm wondering? My statement implies that if you moved them (as in from your system) or switched (them) out, the process of break in stops on the cable. Nothing of the sort of what you are suggesting or asking.
     
  22. Slippers-on

    Slippers-on Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis Mo.
    What was trhe cable upgrade, please, if you dont mind?
     
  23. Mccrip

    Mccrip Forum Resident

    Location:
    St.Louis,MO


    I went From AQ Evergreen IC and AQ type 5 speaker cables to Transparent Link RCA, Transparent Phono Interconnect, and Transparent Music Wave Ultra Bi-Wire
     
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  24. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
    My thoughts.
    Interconnects for TT- match the wire capacitance to the cartridge requirements. This will makes the largest difference vs brands of interconnects. CD players are not sensitive to capacitance.
    Power cords for 100 watt amps should be #16. Over 100 watts, use #14 and over 250 watts use #12.
    Speaker cable- use #12 gauge as it has only .1 volt drop at 10 feet and 100 watts. Who listens to speakers at 100 watts anyways.
     
  25. Oh, brother. Never mind. I can't take the drama.
     
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