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Tech Square Technical and speculative discussion of amps, cables and other topics. |
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Tech Square Technical and speculative discussion of amps, cables and other topics. |
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In Reply to: If you can really really hear a difference between cable/wire posted by Frank Sol on April 14, 2009 at 22:04:14:
PHOTO: Volvo 122S re-integrated 100% feedback OTL amplifier with ash tray, pencil sharpener, key start, and Audioquest NRG-2 power cord
Frank Sol,
I have heard substantial improvements in cable/wire changes often and on all levels of equipment.
Interconnects: When I added the Revox B160 tuner to a $150 Sony receiver in my office, I initially used the interconnects that came with some other piece of gear- the $3 kind. The tuner- $1000 in 1988- made a vast improvement in sound by itself over the $5 FM car radio chip the receiver probably used. Then, I changed the $3 ICs for Audioquest King Cobras ($100 used 20 hrs) and the improvement was almost as noticeable as the change to the Revox. As well, I could easily hear the King Cobras burning in and improving up to about 50 hrs.
Speaker cables: When I set up the system in my last office, I realized that I didn't have any speaker cables long enough and just to have the sound going until I sorted it, I used lamp cord. That system: Cambridge Audio 640C/Revox B160 > Audio Research LS3 > ARC D130 > Infinity Primus 360. The sound was acceptable and with laziness, the lamp cord stayed for a month. I didn't want to re-terminate my beloved Kimber 4TC or 8TC I used with the main system Vandersteens and so I used the infamous "Home Depot HD-14" cable made from the orange and black 14 gauge extension cord- and the sound made a big improvement. As the Home Depot cord was only $25 for 100' and the Radio Shack gold-coloured spades were about $4 a set, the office speaker cable cost about $15. I made two pairs of cables for friends with the leftover cord as gifts and still have a pile of it. Then, for $80 on Ebay I changed to Audioquest Type 4 and again- a substantial improvement in every way.
Power cord: Eventually I wanted to see if power cords had an effect and I bought an Audioquest NRG-2 (2M) for $50 on Ebay. The change of cord rescued the 640C from being sold ( I thought to buy a Rega Jupiter) as I had found it a bit lean and dry until he power cord seems to open it up, it was quieter, more dynamic, and turn the leanness to transparency and the dryness to detail and resolution.
Power Conditioners: This is not within the limits of this discussion, but the four Powervar and Oneac isolation transformer hospital power conditioners- bought for between $30 and $75 from eBay also made improvements and cured a ground loop hum in one system.
From this: With systems and sources both cheap and expensive, changes of cables and wires- both cheap and expensive- made noticeable improvements. This means that your rhetorical question, "If you can really really hear a difference between cable/wire,..Then you have paid too much $$$$ for your setup"- has very definitely not been my experience.
Nor can I support in any way the premise that specialised audiophile wires, cables, and power conditioners are useless or "scams" for the "gullible". I would change your rhetorical statement to "If you can not really really hear a difference between cable/wire,..Then you have not paid attention to your setup."
Cheers,
Bambi B
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Follow Ups
- In systems and sources and with cables and wires both cheap and expensive, changes made noticeable improvements - Bambi B 08:30:19 04/15/09 (0)
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