Blue Jeans LC1 RCA interconnects..Opinion?

I prefer Kirlin.

 

I like mine.

I use them to connect my DAC to preamp.

super low capacitance , gooood
Low price goooood

what’s not to like?


Legit question. Some said they aren’t revealing enough. How can that be with such low capacitance? No roll off of freq.

I got some wireworlds to compare them with and didn’t like them as much. The wireworlds were a touch faster , but lacked the openness of the LC1.

 

I have a pair of the LC-1 RCA interconnects. And also the 1505F RCA interconnects. I prefer the 1505F cables over the LC-1 cables for connecting DACs to headphone amps. I haven't tried the LC-1 yet with a turntable. Maybe the LC-1 would be better connecting a turntable rather than a DAC.

 

Why do you prefer them?

legit question.

 

The 1505F cables by Blue Jeans just sound a little bit better than the LC-1. The LC-1 are a little dull in comparison.

 

Well, what constitutes "revealing"? To me that would all be able low level detail, and the ability to better convey the microdynamics of say a violin player's or a tenor player's line. I don't think frequency response effects relating to any high frequency rolloff from RC low pass filter effect probably have anything to do with that. I think likely it has more to do with noise performance.

FWIW, I think the LC-1 have fabulous noise performance -- they have great coverage with a double braided shield/return that has such slow resistance that any noise voltage from stray AC in a single ended system is very low. They can be very revealing in a situation where using the gives you better noise performance. But maybe they can also take out some "zing" that I think noise can sometimes give the impression of -- sometimes I wonder if people get use to more noise modulating a signal and hear it as "exciting" such that when they hear something where that kind of noise is removed is seems "dull."

In any event, almost all these audio cables have low enough capacitance not to be impacting frequency response in any use other than a MM phono signal chain, unless you're getting into very long lengths and using high output impedance tube gear. Any difference in total capacitance between say 3 feet of 33 pF/ft cable and 3 ft of 12 pF/ft cable between a 200 ohm source CD player or DAC and a 10k ohm preamp input is not effecting the high frequency response anywhere close to the audible range.

I don't really find that changing electrically appropriate 3 or 6 feet of interconnect between a low impedance source and high impedance load in a home audio signal chain makes much of an audible difference, and I don't think cables ever have a "sound" that they carry with them from one application to another. They're just cables, and characteristics "sound" isn't in the cable, it's a result of the interaction between the cable that the source and the load and the environment. I've reached the point in my audio journey where I buy cables based on specs. But the resistance of the return/shield can have an impact on noise in the presence of stray AC voltage and that's one thing that can possible make an audible difference.

There is one unusual aspect of the LC-1 vs. similar audio coax -- it as a pretty darn small (25 AWG), single solid conductor wire. It's the big differences between say a Blue Jeans terminated Belden 1505F and the LC - 1. The cables are very similar: The LC-1 has marginally better shield coverage -- 98% vs 94%; slightly lower shield resistance -- 1.7 ohms/1k ft vs. 2.4 ohms/1k ft; slightly lower capacitance -- 12 pF/ft vs. 17 pF/ft. The degree of difference in those values is marginal but should produce better noise rejection in a home audio setting. But Blue Jeans achieves this by shrinking the center conductor. By contrast, the 1505F has a 21 AWG stranded conductor (and of course the larger conductor has lower resistance). Now, I don't know if there are any meaningful differences that I'd be able to hear between the two cables in the same applications over 3 or 6 feet carrying audio frequency signal. Like I said, I don't think swapping similar cables around in these kinds of applications matters that much. But it IS one difference, the center conductor -- solid vs. stranded core, 34 ohms/1k ft vs. 12.2 ohms/1k ft resistance.

I will say, I like and use LC-1 cables. Love the shielding, love the low capacitance, love the price. But I don't love the connectors which are bulky metal and appear heavily plated, aren't always the tightest gripping connectors, and are long enough to be tough to fit into some applications. I would love to hear some of these cables with a low mass connector with a single ground point of contact, and more conductive/less heavily plated material.

 

Don't ask me why, but similar findings, I've shared them before on the same two cables. And yes, I use the LC-1 on TT's!

1505F was the Blue Jeans flagship cable before farming out the LC-1 to Belden for construction, then it was the LC-1. The cables are very different as cables go, to get the low 12pf / ft capacitance, the LC-1 has a 25awg solid core conductor, the 1505F has 22awg twisted core.

They're both good cables, not saying LC-1 is bad... it's subtleties for me on difference.

I'm getting more 1505F (bulk) to build for certain parts of my system (and Mogami 2497).... I really like that cable.

 

Why not dabble in building a few on your own?

 

I've built a lot of interconnects on my own. I've thought about slicing the connectors off some LC-1s that I have (Blue Jeans doesn't sell it in bulk cable I think). I do suspect that the thin, solid core wire may require a more structurally sturdy connector -- which the Blue Jeans connectors are -- than some cable.

 

I almost did the same thing (slice off an end) - but for a different reason - I want to replace the captive cable on my Yamaha GT-2000L.

I agree with on connector size though, there are a couple of spots where the protrusion is an issue for me. I love the traversoe connector for quality, hate it for tight spaces.

 

When I upgraded my gear, I continued to use my BJC cables. Eventually, I upgraded to some Blue Dragon Cables from Moon Audio and AudioQuest Evergreen (I think) for the run to my sub. The difference wasn’t earth-shattering - it was subtle, yet noticeable. Warmth, detail, and clarity were enhanced. It was a worthwhile upgrade. The huge difference came with the AudioQuest cable for my sub. I had to recalibrate the sub because the clarity and definition improved so much that I needed to dial back the volume and crossover freq.

Eventually, I replaced my BJC phono cable with a Cardas Iridium cable and noticed an improvement in detail and clarity. I also upgraded my sub and started using speaker-level connections.

For giggles and grins, I swapped out the Blue Dragon cables for my original BJC cables a while back. The difference in sound was very noticeable - and not in a way that I enjoyed.

BJC are solid and good enough to use while you save money to buy “better” cables. They are also perfect for entry-level systems. They may even be useful in taming a bright system, but I’ve never tried them in that role. I still use them in my “budget” system (Kenwood KD2070, Shure V15 Type III with JICO SAS/R stylus, Parks Audio Puffin, Marantz CD5003, Khozmo Passive Pre, Parasound 2125v2, Polk Audio RT25i), but some day I may try going with a lower-end “premium” cable. It just isn’t a priority, because things sound really good and I don’t feel a need for change or experimentation.

 

Other factors are:
-Component layout, keep runs short
-Cable management, avoid crossing, power ckt. distance, etc.
-Avoid // runs, try for perpendicular
-Seperate cables with some foam or wood.
-Clean, tight connections.

These may have a larger influence on overall performance than the cable itself.

 

You're referring to power cables from audio cables?

I have a short run of two phono pre out pairs tied together (4 indiv cables) and running to the preamp... I don't have to separate those both being RCA / analog cables?

 

Mostly, but those I can usually physically separate with planning.

Any non related signal pair, eg, USB and phono

I'm nutty
I would separate the 2 pairs (not each pair L and R). I use packing foam, an inch is plenty.

Is it a big deal, no, but easy enough.

 

I have to say, I commonly find myself switching back and forth between some homebrew twinax, shield floating at one end, twisted pair, teflon dielectric cable with Belden wire and KLE connectors and BJC LC-1, as well as occasionally other things I have lying around -- cheap Monsters, some Kimber PBJ, some Gepco stuff with an electrostatic shield, old Esoterics, etc, as I move components around or swap components in and out and I rarely hear dramatic differences that make me feel like it's critical I use one cable and not the other. The big difference is noise. In certain applications an unshielded or shield floating on one end twinax is just not adequate from a noise POV. I've played around with some different connectors to. I find one of the best things to do is make sure connectors and jacks are clean and tensioned and that the connections are firm. That, and things like making sure pots and switches are clean make a considerably bigger difference in my experience than changing typical interconnect cables.

 

Not a good picture, but you can see foam keeping the phone cable off the wall.
There is a power circuit to a receptacle in the wall. There are others but too dark to pick out.

Nothing elaborate, just some foam, scissors, and a few minutes.

I can't say it makes a difference, but when a guy like @JP says I have low noise (phono, 100% volume) at speakers, old Mac (9-10 mV, and new set-up, 7-8 mV) it must be pretty good. Especially since 6 mV is from the cartridge and is inherent. I'm guessing the Mac was higher due to the phono preamp loop, extra cable, since the cartridge R was lower (the main noise source). Both are ~ the same from a line input 0.1 to 0.2 mV.

 

So here is a real world test….

I actually have both the LC1 and the Benchmark XLR Cables which use Belden 1505f

when I had the benchmark DAC3. I connected it to my Pre using the XLR and LC1 RCA. Switched back and forth using the remote from my seating position.
Couldn’t tell an ounce of difference. And I tried.

 

Belden 1505F is a 75 ohm coax with a shield. That wouldn't be a cable one would use to make a balanced/XLR cable. Are you sure that's what's being used in the Benchmark XLR you have? According to the Benchmark site w/ whatever XLR they're selling now (Benchmark Studio&Stage™ XLR Cable for Digital Audio ), they're using Canare DA206, which is twisted pairs with shield which is the cable geometry you'd use for an XLR, not coax.

Single ended vs. balanced input and output wouldn't be a direct comparison of cables either since they'd typically involve different output and input circuits, different source and load impedances, different signal levels.

 

I had the the LC-1 which sounded the same as the AQ cables I tried but in my system the Mogami 2549 sounds more open, it makes the LC-1 sound a tad rolled off.

 

Belden 1505F is 75 ohm cable, with a 22awg twisted conductor, at around 18pf / ft capacitance. BJC still sells this, addition to the newer (and different) LC1.

The LC1 was built for BJC by Belden, it has a 25awg solid conductor, at around 12pf / ft. (smaller core and thicker dielectric is how they were able to get these very capacitance numbers).

I'm not sure what you meant by "which use Belden 1505F" because they are entirely different cables?

 

Apologies to everyone.
My bad

the cable they use for their analog XLRs is the Canare Star Quad L-4E6S cable

apologies. Writing while working

Benchmark Studio&Stage™ StarQuad XLR Cable for Analog Audio

 

Yeah I messed up.

 

Does upgrading interconnects ever involve replacing more expensive wire with less expensive wire? I ask because every time I read a post about “upgrading,” invariably the word seems to be a synonym for “more expensive.”

As a cynical cheapskate motivated by both penny-pinching and cable skepticism, I’d love to believe there’s no axiomatic correlation between higher cable price and better sound quality.

 

I guess that depends who you talk to or read -- for me it's about the sweet spot on build, quality, price, capacitance - and where do I perceive the diminishing returns kick in where I don't need to keep spending up...

And as far as expensive - the 1505F being kicked around- $1 a foot bulk. Connector: $3. 6ft cable - under $20. Expensive? DIY and I think it's smart.

 

Blue jeans advise to use the LC-1 for subwoofer, which is what I have currently, 10ft length. It is surprising given the 25awg strand is a rather small size and that typically you need to run longer length to connect a sub.
Maybe I should have gone with a heavier center conductor like the 1505f or canare lv-77s?