How to improve your audio enjoyment with defective cables
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Monday September 29, 2025
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
@criper80: I can hear the difference between copper and silver . That would be 10 usd for silvered copper . Nothing else.
@EricB256: I once encountered a defective cable in my stereo that I had to replace. But it was on the weekend. So I decided to borrow a cable from a family member. He did not have a standard spare cable but one with gold-covered contacts. You know, the kind of product that is aimed at audiophiles.
I did not like the sound of it at all because the outcome provided more bass and less mids than I was used to. I did not like the sound of it, so I gladly gave it back once the week rolled around and I had bought a replacement standard cable. I was in my early teens at the time, which indicates I must have had really good hearing at the time, given I could hear the sonar of bats outside above the balcony still some 10 years after the cable test.
@robertoney5665: You need the best cables you can buy. Any cable under $2000.00 is trash in my opinion and make sure you buy it from a reputable physical store. 😊
@ecstasy5317: Can interconnection cables actually make an audible difference? Yes.....but not always better. Audioquest upper-end cables were too bright sounding for me but Analysis cables were neutral to a point where I didn't have to adjust my EQ or tone controls. Monster Cables had no deep bass roll off but couldn't match the others top-end clarity or imaging. Some brands or models can sound different also some preamps don't take too well with interconnection cables RCA or XLR with impedances, etc too high or too low.
@georgeanastasopoulos5865: This is one topic that I agree with you, for the most part. However, I do believe in modestly priced Cables. In my case I have at least 80% of interconnect cables in my main audio system are Blue Jeans Cable, mostly made in the USA; I'm in Canada. To most people, audiophiles, those cables are close to medium-priced, and Blue Jeans cables have excellent shielding. To me BJC are the correct connection.🔈🎵🎶
@kennethmj5759: Maybe its not the cables that are defect, but this channel also
@axeami1354: In reality the length of a cable is going to have a larger effect that anything else. Even the 1M ones you get for free will probably sound better than if you try and run a £1k one 50feet
@rrscottpp: All this talk about interconnects, cables or whatever is absolutely ridiculous UNLESS one considers the mains or those little holes in the wall which supply the power to your premium hifi equipment. You may think that the so called power line filters which their manufacturers claim to 'smooth out' the voltage ripples and dampen, or even eliminate line surges will provide clean, steady and surge-free power but I say NO! Nay! Nyet!
While they may produce a mild calming effect on the wild electrical currant stampeding through the power lines from the hydro, wind, solar, coal or nuclear generators one must consider that even under the best conditions such as steady even flowing rivers, light breezy days and well fired coal generators that the power emanating from them is riddled with voltage surges and drops, capacitance noise, impedance variations and transmission losses.
Now i ask you, "What kind of High Fidelity can one expect from even the finest sound system when fed inferior power?" Allow me to explain.
I have, in my back yard, a dedicated power generator which runs on natural gas, and is connected to the house via 4 gauge oxygen free, 48 carat, gold cables and is grounded to the center of the earth by a long spike. Because the cables employ an air spacing of one meter from generator to the house, inter line inductive currents, capacitance coupling and overheating are eliminated! My stereo recognizes this and produces sound which experts claim as "Not bad at all!"
@1jhnpennington: This comments section is possibly the most smug, back-slapping echo chamber I’ve ever experienced.
@duncan-rmi: white noise source into both sets of interconnects at the same time, then into a DAW on separate tracks. invert & add, inspect the difference. there isn't one. bosh. better yet, a decent analogue oscilloscope.
@practicaldiscernment8247: Just so you know my hi-fi is only about 1k total
@practicaldiscernment8247: FFS! You mean to tell me, you think it's going to turn your hifi from a screaming maniac to a soprano. My god, what are you expecting. I'm starting to ask myself what sort of hi-fi (if any) you people have. From all the things that are said by these YouTubers, all you SHOULD need is a generic Bluetooth speaker.
@keithandrewneal: I've regularly made up my own RCA type cables and connectors. Phono cable that's under 3 quid a mtr and gold plated phone plugs , less than 4 quid a pair. I cant believe a cable hundreds of times more expensive could sound any different, unless they have certain properties built in, like a difference in capacitance 5:31 , or resistance to give the impression they are better, when really they are just different.
@picobyte: I, use aluminium. The theeves know it's cheap. But electrically very good.
@picobyte replies to @picobyte: We just need bigger conductors and harden masts for wind load more. For the rest the electrons don't care.
@PilipDilip: I am concerned! Some really sensible audiophiles with exceptional gear, the kind of audiophile that tweeks their crossover networks constantly, really beleive the cables make a difference. I have been swapping about my $6 Bunnings speaker cables with my 27€ Audio shop ones and I can't tell the difference. That is a factor of 8 times the price, what multiple is actually required?
@AudioMasterclass replies to @PilipDilip: I suspect a wise comment reader will supply us with an equation for the law of diminishing returns that would apply in this context.
@TonyCottrell-iv2qv: I always thought a cable was the wire to your speakers, whereas an interconnect linked the electronics.... I am with the' no audible difference between properly designed and built cables' camp.
@TheQuintus85: My recommendation for a "high end" RCA cable is to use PTFE Tubing with 1mm inner diameter and gold plated bare silver wire (4 nines) from scientific wire.
The signal wire should be as thin as possible (I used 0.2mm IIRC) and there should be six "ground" wires of ~ 0.7mm.
Make a pattern of six tubes around the 7th, with the signal wire in the center and six ground wires around, add a twist and a sleeve (clear shrink tube?), a shield is optional and if used should be connected separately.
RCA Plugs - WBT Nextgen.
This is about as it gets no matter how much you pay. The wire and all is pretty expensive, I think a pair of interconnects easily ruins a few 100 Bux.
Not me High end engineer with sold other products
@duncan-rmi replies to @TheQuintus85: there are cheap knockoffs of the PTFE tube design- I've got some here, & they sound good enough for me, but some of them were a bit fragile- I guess where the connectors are glued onto the inner- & I was puzzled by their construction, being used to traditional thick copper wiring.
@simonbeasley989: I use "interconnects" made with cable that has a capacitance so low it can carry tiny signals hundreds of MHz over tens of metres and is completely foil screened to not pick up any interference. Yes, aerial/satellite cable with F plug to RCA plug adaptors!
@JohnB-g7j: I hooked those up to my 1995 Sony amplifier. It really made my 128 kbps MP3's jump to life.
@victorbloom8286: Lamp Flex is good Enough for My Non Bat Ears .
@Huncerto: One advice given by a sound engineer was to use well working digital coax (this is easy to test). If it works well for a digital signal it will work perfectly for an analog one.
@michaelmitchell8218: Easy answer put it on a scope and your see no difference only making someone £8000 for something that cost them a few pounds to make. You’re right as long it’s got shielding cable on it you will hear no difference.
@andy3974: I spent modest amounts on both speaker cables and RCAs. My £20 speaker cables were definitely better ( to my ears) than the Amazon basic cable but full disclosure attaching the basic cable to the basic Banana plugs felt like I was doing something terribly wrong. RCA's wasn't cut and dried. My amp has MM stage and it's pretty good my RP3rs has neutrik cables which are very good. I have a Pyle phono stage for the system I'm building for him. I got him £5 RCA's and they look ok. The Pyle is an absolute pile of crap so I'm not telling him his dad bought a pup. Got the Rega A2D which is their entry level phono stage and using the £5 RCAs I didn't think it was any better than my inbuilt one. Spent £20 on better ones and I think they have allowed the Rega stage to shine. This could all be confirmation bias. My original Planar 2 had the most basic RCAs and yet plugging that in was the most transformative moment in my Hi-fi journey. If I had 8 grand to spend I wouldn't be looking at interconnects. I'd get a P10.
@أبوخضر-د6ج: نوعية المواد المستخدمه لصنع الكابلات أو الفيوزات أو حتى الووفرات و التوتيرات كلها تحدث تغييرات في الصوت و حينئذ يدخل الشخص في دوامه التجريب اللامنتهية، و لكن إن أخترت شيئا واحد و لم تغير فسوف تنتهي من المشكله 😂
@LaurenceFord-n2l: In our house we sit on cardboard boxes - a friend suggested some fancy wooden crates but we’re not falling for all that fancy malarkey I mean it’s just somewhere to park your backside and a waste of money in all honesty.Just been listening to my Amstrad system - precision piece of hi fi and only cost £4.99 !
@1stswim: interconnects, power cables, speaker cables, usb cables, re-clockers etc load of old codswallop.
@writenamehere0000: I would love to kill all cable makers that charge more than 50 pounds for a meter. That should be max price. I would love to kill also the buyers of those overexpensive cables. Also speakers. Also all overpriced amps. Death is the solution. Because they will keep making them and these mongrels will keep buying them. Search and Destroy is my opinion.
@cdl0: From my perspective as a scientist, I recommend using the shortest possible cables, which have the added advantage of being cheaper. On the subject of defects, I had the great pleasure and honour of knowing the late, great Prof. Sir Charles Frank, a notable physicist, and expert on crystals. He is famous for saying that crystals are like people; it is the defects that make them interesting.
@srenkrabbe2991: "Hey Shaun and Shauns friends" - is that Søren and Sørens friends ;-) Good to se you in RAH that evening :-)
@EdJayKay: You are breeding more division, I can't respect that. Be happy with what you have, and spend five minutes marvelling at how fast squirrels can climb.
@AbidAli-bo8sv: I'm using $10 cable in my car and it's working fine, no hiss or whine. Whine/hiss mostly come from poor/loose ground. I kept power and remote turn on wire on one side and RCAs and speaker out on another side of the car. It made the difference.
@drdyna: You can always tell the audio folks that have obviously never been a participant in a blind ABX test and those who have. Just look behind their component shelf, if you see more than 100 dollars worth of cabling, they haven't.
@Roof_Pizza replies to @drdyna: Humour me, what % should 'detect the better one' to make the blind test valid?
@Roof_Pizza replies to @drdyna: Bueller? Bueller?
@richgrao: If can’t hear the difference, then your system is just no discerning enough.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
@bluematrix5001: RUBBISH
@steevf: I once bought some $7 RCA interconnects from Amazon once and it turned out they were defective so I threw them out and bought some $17 RCA interconnects. The difference in sound quality was astounding. Nearly a +120dB gain in the $17 cables..er, I mean interconnects, compared to the $7 ones.
@steevf: I wonder how many audiophiles have ever worked in a recording studio.
@utube4andydent: This is much the same as a wire is something on a spool and a string is when it is attached to the instrument. Difference between wire cable and interconnect is a complex issue but most of this wont matter on a short run of stuff. The crackle is more likely from a dry joint than the cable or inter connect.
@gratmatassa5432: i use QED usb cable from laptop to amp, QED speaker cables & Chord coax for cd transport. didn't expect them to improve sound & guess what they didn't, the real reason i got them was for their really good connection quality nice & tight fitting. cost all in just under £60 ( Amazon Black Friday deals ) bargain for piece of mind & hopefully they'll outlast me.
@karlmarderian2980: Defective interconnects for the Audiophile that wants that warm musical sound that introduces a full sound stage and the realism of a black dark embrace. Thank You.😮
@russ-p1: There are so many people in this comment section who are just spouting utter nonsense 😆 isn’t hifi great, such a brilliant way to do tit for tat and make fun of each other. Pathetic.
@stephendavies6947: If the perfect amplifier is a wire with gain, then a perfect interconnect is a wire with gain of 1. To make a near perfect interconnect just make it really short. Any interconnect that sounds different to the very short interconnect is therefore imperfect.
@stephendavies6947: My reference interconnect is the Tandy 4 way cable for tape machines. It is built decently with tight gold plated plugs. It is a single core coaxial cable with capacitance around 100 pF/m. To me it sounds very clear with crisp top end. Back when my hearing was good I thought that the Tandy cable allowed my bitstream CD player to sound slightly edgy. That could be largely ameliorated by using a ferrite ring or a screened twisted pair cable (i.e. more expensive). That more expensive cable has signal to screen capacitance 250 pF/m and I am guessing it filtered out some supersonic frequencies in combination with the CD player output. I never really liked that cable for other sources.
@fonkenful: Am I mandated to through out my 20 something year old T-shirt from Doc Bottlehead’s VSAC show because I remember when we used to call them “patch cords”? (late ‘60s for me) 😂
@Cloud13.: The expensive cable is an active cable, it modifies the signal, it's normal for it to sound different, but this doesn't make sense for a cable that should only transmit the purest possible signal...
@Roosville1: One area, moving magnet / coil cartridge, the capacitance loading of the cable has a measureable and determanistic effect within the audio range (shock). Something you can model in SPICE simulation. The capictance per meter length is part of the cable electrical specification and is quite variable. As for a 2-200R source into a 18K load, for audio, well nope, does nothing. Years ago we seriously looked at gold coloured epoxy dipping the wonderful WIMA MKS (costs between pence to a pound each) capacitors and stamping them "Special Precision Audio Capacitor" or SPAK Caps, measuring ESR / TAN-Delta etc and selling as matched pairs with a data printout. Its that sort of world.
@Dingleberry1856: I prefer wire clothes hangers.
@Stickywulf1: I just bought new RCA cables only because the old ones have thin wires and no shielding. The new cables haven't been delivered yet but I'll let you know if the sound quality improves.
@MoosePower740: Even if a more expensive cable would sound different, does it sound better? Is different "better"?
@ianrosewell1832: I got one of those Douk A/B switches and have reassessed my entire audio collection, amplifiers, pre amplifiers, power amplifiers and interconnects. Damn it all sounds the same, perhaps there are very subtle differences if I want to split hairs, at most between vintage original and recapped amplifiers, but nothing really shows up a difference to an extent that I can get excited about it or wouldn't get enjoyment from listening to any combination. I need a new hobby, audio equipment isn't it, it'll have to be music. A career that really must suck is doing reviews and having to bend over bacexplain why one thing is different to another
@likwidflame: The best expensive lead I have used is a instrument lead made by Mogami. Because of a $7.99 Neutrik connector.
@RArecordingsRickValcon: I know why it's made to order. It's so you cant order it, do a null test with a 5 euro cable and then send it back.
@disklamer: Joke's on them if you hardwire everything - like the pros.
For RCA connectors, I use cables that are rated for S/Pdif, they produce less jitter and don't have the high frequency lag issues that plague basic analog cables. Needless to say these have to be matched or you run into phase issues in your crossovers, and that is not a happy place.
Speakers get hooked up with 16VA 3mm2 high tensile solid copper triple strand double shielded installation cables AKA the stuff they use in bunkers and submarines because the hifi stuff simply doesn't offer that kind of headroom.
In the listening spot I stream all my mp3s straight from the laptop over bluetooth using a decade old dollar-store receiver plugged into the vintage tube amplifier. That'll teach 'em!
*For clarity, if instead I use interconnects that do not have such blatant flaws, the sound does improve.
@leeandrewclarke: What both sides of the argument on cables ( and CD Transports / expensive DACs / Tubes, etc ) miss is that, in Hi-Fi, everything is basically a sound filter, which adds or subtracts various sonic attributes. An individual piece of 'gear,' be it a cable, component, the rack or support feet all subtly alter the sound from the 'reference of what is precisely on that file, CD or slab of vinyl. There is no way of hearing the original source material without passing it through 'gear' which adds it's own 'stamp' to the sound. Because of that, buying anything in Hi-Fi should be a subjective question; does this new thing make music sound better to me and me alone? If the answer is 'yes' and you feel the price is acceptable, then it is a good buy, whether said 'gear' is cheap or costly. It's about recognizing your taste in music, being willing to listen to a lot of gear, being willing to experiment and willing to keep your mind as open as your ears. Anything less than that? Then YOU become the filter.
@tobymorgan4385: The confirmation bias hoops an audiophile can go through to justify their spending means an $8k cable would clearly deliver more buttery mids at the very least.
'It can't be measured,' but its not in their heads. Don't ever ask them to blind test it, though. Thats sacrilege
@Roof_Pizza replies to @tobymorgan4385: They think that a 50/50 result means that 1/2 the population should buy expensive cables.
@jimmiedean8035: Science ? None of that is used in any of this. People don't understand anything about wire and cable products. At all. The lenz effect in all of this. Is a complete mystery to everyone. 😊
@jhuc2869: I think it was pretty much a done deal in domestic sound reproduction by the advent of compact disc. The early American and European manufacturers had been ousted by the Japanese who pretty much held sway at all price levels. Until the boutique fight back came, spearheaded by a few select cottage industry manufacturers wielding a new secret weapon - bullshit.
@theheathster2: Audiophiles use cables as very expensive & specific tone controls. I know, because I’ve done it. But I’m over that now! Buy a cable which allows the signal through unmolested, and you have your perfect cable. I suspect that over a 1m length, most well made £4.99 cables will do this.
@Douglas_Blake replies to @theheathster2: It's too bad cables are not "expensive and specific tone controls" ... otherwise it might actually make sense. The far cheaper and more versatile alternative is to simply buy amplifiers with tone controls in them.
@RoverWaters: expensive interconnects should be made of gold plated pure copper(with the best plating technique) and the wire connection to the jack should be always mechanical copper on copper and maybe soldered afterwards to protect it from oxidation
remember! tin has only 15% the conductivity of copper. so always minimize the use of soldering as a bridge between 2 electrical connections.
@MichaelW.1980: I’m getting a headache from thinking about the concept of paying for a defective cable on purpose.
@chrisantoniou4366: I don't use "leads" or "interconnects" or "cables"... I use silver wire. 22 gauge silver wire is reasonable prices ($12 per foot approx.) sounds best in my opinion, but if you can't hear the difference, don't pay extra.
@Douglas_Blake replies to @chrisantoniou4366: 22 ga ofc copper will cost you about $0.20 per foot and it will work just as well.
@imaasshole-i6c: The only concern is the wire itself being of OFC and gold plated brass RCA plugs , just keep it plain and simple without any parts made from magnetic , steel , parts . Put some braid loom on them if you do not like the looks . Cheers from across the pond .
@cobar5342: To spend $12k on a 1 meter cable you would have to be very stupid AND very rich
I suppose such people do exist....
@TheGuy264: Why are old timers still trying to be audiophiles? Their ears are not what they used to be. Most won't notice the difference in low to higher bitrate music nowadays. If they say they do, it is a small significant difference. To the point of almost non-distinguishable
@Douglas_Blake replies to @TheGuy264: Those "old timers" are the ones who invented the technology you take for granted. You wouldn't have your system without them.
@rcatv7750: There are even people who are convinced that a better line cord, even extension cord, can make amplifiers sound better. Those people are easy pickings for snake oil salesmen.
@Douglas_Blake replies to @rcatv7750: Yep ... it's fun watching them line up, wallets in hand.
@bartjones6180: Most people use their Stereo to listen to music. Audiophiles use music to listen to their Stereo. ...paraphrased from Alan Parsons.. -- If you wish to see the weakest part of your audiophile Hi-Fi interconnects, look into the mirror. -ME.
@TTVEaGMXde: Cheap cables are a no-go for me. The left and right cables must run unaltered between the connectors (no merging into a round cable!). I haven't tested the Primewire cable (€13/1m) yet, but it meets my minimum requirements. OFC copper + Al foil, unchanged continuous cables, full metal plug with gold-plated contact surfaces, cannot be torn off by normal people.
@Roof_Pizza: I replaced a 2 meter cable with a 2 metre cable and the difference is astounding.
@larsstecken replies to @Roof_Pizza: but did you "meter" it? 😶
@jacobmulder3960 replies to @Roof_Pizza: Fancy new colour, eh?! 😉
@Roof_Pizza replies to @Roof_Pizza: @@jacobmulder3960 Can't wait until my reverse wound Aussie cable arrives. Coriolis effect and all.
@DddNnn-r2y: I ve used high priced rca and now use "microphone" silver plated occ copper rca at $ 50 for a six foot length pair. Excellent shielding. the sound is magnificent.
@stevedixon7802: I use 10lb monofilament
@unruler: Audiophiles are so focused on equipment, disregarding other aspects like room or air. It's the air that delivers the sound to your ear so I'm very surprised there are no audiophile air humidifiers yet.
@Smog104: I have some regular audiophile cables I also use Cables from “Sounds Heavenly “ his channel is on YouTube he also owns a small business making cables for various types of equipment. He does a lot of work regarding Bang and Olufsen as Naim, Quad and other’s.
His prices are very reasonable he’s a very genuine man .
The cables are excellent quality for the price some audiophiles have said they are better than some cables costing several times more in the fancy packing and bright colours SH connects are gold plated and you get a lot of cable for your money if your looking to spend a sober amount of money on cables look below ⬇️
Ps Bang and Olufsen recently made a limited amount of copies of the legendary Beogram 4000 (the tangential deck of the 1970s) they bought scores up on the market took them all apart and revamped them with new capacitors etc and gave the Aluminium a champagne finish .
This came with a pair of Beolab speakers 18s I think , a Halo remote and a very fancy cabinet .
It cost a LOT of money sure it was a limited edition and it was for people with money to burn .
Who’d they ask to make the cables ??
Sounds Heavenly of course !!!
https://soundsheavenly.com/
@vendelius: Cables can sound different!.. since I have used several from different manufactures. never truly expensive though... just my 2cents
@Justin-fy7xk replies to @vendelius: Yes you are right. They are tone controls. Remember the basic one is the best as the others have their resistance capacitance altered to block high frequencies etc. If you want an unmolested audio signal stick to the cheap cable.
@oldschoolaudioenthusiast: Cables cannot improve your system's performance, they can only detract from it. I'm reminded of the saying, "Do No Harm" as it relates to preserving the integrity of the signal passing through them.
As an old audio "enthusiast," I've used reasonably priced (based on current audiophile standards,) Kimber Kable interconnects and speaker cables for years and have never looked back - PBJ Classic for interconnects, ($148 for a 1M pair) and the original Kimber 4PR Speaker Cables - ($186 for a 2M pair terminated with banana plugs.) Both are excellent and of the highest quality.
Purchased once, they have served me well for many years now when used with a wide range of equipment. My 2 cents USD.
@Douglas_Blake replies to @oldschoolaudioenthusiast: I can say the same for my $15.00 no-name RCA cables bought from WalMart.
@clivepacker: Cables matter; I’m a satellite communications engineer and there are absolutely measurable performance differences between cables at RF. But that’s when we’re talking 25 GHz frequencies. The effect is way less at kHz frequencies and I doubt it’s audible unless the rest of the system is very very good. I am about to test this for myself at home with a speaker cable upgrade… with an agreement I can return them if I hear no improvement. Currently running cables I bought for $35 in a Rotel and Monitor Audio setup that cost me close to $20,000 (Canadian) but which I am extremely happy with.
@Theldmfy replies to @clivepacker: You are “ happy” with Rotel?
@Douglas_Blake replies to @clivepacker: Do yourself a favour here. Do an AB test with single speaker mono. Blind is better...
I'm betting that unless your present speaker wire is telephone wire, you won't hear the first bit of difference.
@clivepacker replies to @clivepacker: @TheldmfyI’ve always enjoyed Rotel stuff, for 30+ years. I started out as a kid with Yamaha, I’ve used a lot of Arcam and Cambridge gear as well. But I love the RA6000 and DT6000 combination I have now. I listen to mostly classical and it’s fantastic for soundstage and instrumental separation.
@Lif-999: A fool and his money...
@playdg: You forgot the third group. DIY. We figure both of the others are idiots.
@Nearest_Neighbor: I just bought a pair of used speakers which were 1500 € new. The seller said he just throws in his speaker cables. I was like "what ever, I'll never going to use them anyway". Then I read Oehlbach on them and googled. These cables were 400 € a pair for 3 meters each. Of course I sold them and made my speakers even cheaper.
@danielanderson8502: I use NOS Car Audio cables from the 1990’s. Thick, shielded, great RCA plugs, and NOT sprinkled with fairy dust.
@greatcaesarsghostwriter3018 replies to @danielanderson8502: The fairy dust was optional.
@paulfriedman4767: Oh dear. Now you've done it.
@elektrolad: Many of my cables are so old I'm sure they're full of defects.
But I won't put up with a crackly lead.
@o0shad0oo: I've used various qualities of cables and I can tell you a few things:
* Gold electroplating arguably reduces the quality of the audio - very slightly - compared to unplated connectors, but I've dealt with decades old cables and ones that weren't gold plated sometimes wound up corroded. Worth the extra $10 or so to get the cheap gold plated IMO.
* I've seen RCA cables used to connect up actual speakers, rather than hooking audio components together. In this case cables that use heavier gauge wire are definitely better than the cheapest ones, and simple 2-wire beats coaxial.
* If your speakers cost less than several thousand dollars I don't think you'll be able to hear any difference in quality between cables at all.
@Douglas_Blake replies to @o0shad0oo: Wrong on all counts.
1) Gold is more conductive than copper or brass, and it doesn't corrode.
2) For speakers, yes lamp cord is better than microphone cord, but not for line level signals. At line level the impedance jumps from 4 or 8 ohms to several thousand ohms (10,000 is common). At these higher impedance levels electrical interference from nearby transformers, transmitters, power cords and such can easily get loaded onto an unshielded cable. The "coaxial" design is not a fashion choice... it is to block the incursion of noise.
3) I've heard small defects in cables on speakers costing as little as $20.00 In fact I keep a "cheap enough to discard" speaker in my toolkit for just that reason. The assumed relationship between price and quality is actually one of the silliest of all audiophile beliefs.
@o0shad0oo replies to @o0shad0oo: @@Douglas_Blake 1. You are correct about gold being a good conductor, but adding it leads to another interface between metals in the connection which can increase resistance - as I said, very slightly. Unless the ENTIRE cable is gold, which, lol.
2. That's what I said, it was just for when speakers are directly connected. Just something to note.
3. If you have a defect in a $20 cable that you can actually notice a quality issue, you can buy a new cable and still have saved money over the $100 cable.
@chrisantoniou4366 replies to @o0shad0oo: Actually, gold plating makes the surface of the connector softer which makes for a better connection.
@tadawsonX: Audiophoolery appears to be unbounded, and it's truly amazing how much some of these twits can be bs'ed into paying for a commodity . . . three words "double blind test" . . .
@Douglas_Blake replies to @tadawsonX: Indeed there is an amazing amount of "science" in the audiophile community that does not exist anywhere else. (Note: "science" in quotes)
@charleshuguley9323: I am astonished (and disappointed) that reviewers I otherwise respect, such as The Audiophiliac and A British Audiophile, perpetuate the myth of the greater quality of more expensive cables.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @charleshuguley9323: Don’t worry. If reviewers can’t hear the differences , their wives normally can.
@g-mail4743: If a person cannot hear the difference between a $5 & a $50 RCA or USB cable then they really do not need to worry about cables or Hi-res audio. Additionally, they can buy speakers that just deliver a robust, hefty sound, a transiently slower speaker. Its all just pluses and minuses, unless its faulty/old gear than its just mostly minuses.
@stighenningjohansen: A good and correctly designed and manufactured cable isn't low end. If a cable has a sound signature, it is flawed.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @stighenningjohansen: This is my point though. I want a cable manufactured to an excellent standard that has a clearly audible issue, or issues. It would be a learning experience for anyone who wants to understand the importance, or irrelevance, of cables.
@stighenningjohansen replies to @stighenningjohansen: @@AudioMasterclass That wasnt my point. I want a cable that has NO audible issues, or sound signature by its own.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @stighenningjohansen: That wasn’t the point of my video. You should watch it again, particularly what I said was my point which I stated twice. Worry not though, hardly any commenters understood it.
@A.Dude.: I encourage anyone who desires such, to buy them! You can't go wrong, but not in improving sound quality 2000 times, but burning your well deserved money at a speed only you can decide. Please buy them! Oh; buy yourself a set of ears first, or later, because human ears can't pick-up any benefit. If you do pick-up a difference. it's one of two; either you're not human, or it's all in your head and you will be best served with a visit to a reputable shrink!
@TheSurfingAlien: Bro! You are wrong at a level I cannot even comprehend. For cables my go-to is a Dutch company (not naming any names), and my first buy from them was a set of interconnects. With a price of $ 29,700 they were not cheap, but man, I tell you! It was like heaven opened up and allowed me to really listen to music. Next, I invested in loudspeaker cables. They were even more expensive with a pricetag of $57.200 for the pair, but when I played Metallica's Enter Sandman, I swear I heard angeles singing in the background. Inspired by that experience, I bought 3 powercables at $ 18,150 a piece for mij DAC, Preamp and Power amp. That probably was the best investment of all the cables so far. I played Enter Sandman again and again, and believe it or not, James's voice was replaced by archangel Michael.
Cables DO matter, and the more you spend on them, the better result you get. Disregards futile things as room accoustics and better speakers do not even think about better amplifiers or (digital) sources . Put your money in cables, and angels will take a leak on your tonque.
@AudioMasterclass replies to @TheSurfingAlien: It’s a shame you put so much effort into your comment but didn’t bother to try and understand my video.
@TheSurfingAlien replies to @TheSurfingAlien: @@AudioMasterclass If you did not get that my post was pure sarcasm, there simply is no salvation for you.
@DigbyOdel-et3xx: I know having a conversation with my home's walls would be more productive than conversing with audiophiles who believe high end, high price cables, speaker wire and digital cables sound better.
@kevinatkab5219: I really doubt you will find a pair of cables for 5 pounds that has 100% shielding. Not talking aluminum foil, which is microphonic with phono, especially MM type cartridge. I mean braided or wrapped shields. I think you will need to spend more to get that engineering bullet point.
@EmmanuelIstace: I use cheap cable, but not "that cheap" neither (or can be, for 5€ can find short ones), but the photo you showed kinda reminded the few deceptions I had when trying amazon in the recent years, not a matter of sound, but longevity, compared to any random music shop websites.
But for the same price you can find more sturdy ones on website that don't take advantage of being the new de facto default to shove aliexpress dropshipped products down your throat that just looks nice in a photo, unless you order it and touch them, and realize their certainly less copper in them than there's hair on my mum bold head, and they're so flimsy they'll rip open quickly if you're a bit too adventurous in your physics experiments.
For the same price tho, you can have, depending on the length, ones that will survive you, but that photo really gave me ptsd of cables that would barely make it as a free cable included in a budget 2003 mp3 player, they looks nice on an amazon photo, until you have them in hands.
Still worth pointing it out too, you don't need expensive cables, but you still need sturdy ones, and sometimes maybe 8€ instead of 5€ was the correct decision.
It's like cordial t(r)s or xlr, they're a little bit more expensive than the random cheap ones, not that much tho, but gosh, they'll be there at your funerals. Anyone who had to use random stuffs like "yellow cables" (don't know if that brand still exists) in the 2000, and replace their jacks almost as often as their strings, realize that yeah, maybe the price of two bigmac instead of one was a good decision.
I know the videast here certainly knows, and probably agree, but you the reader might need it.
@dean6816: 9 grand to link two tiny traces on 2 pcb boards
@paullongtailpair3812: As long as I can measure distortion and noise more than 130dB down the signal with the most simple standard wires, cables, interlinks ( what ever somebody want to call it ) I'm not interested in interlinks ect. woven bij Mongolian virgins at a moonless night. It is a waste of money you better spend on serious good loudspeakers.
@basbass429: good 1 meter rca cables should not cost more than 10 euro/8 pounds including delivery.
@alfagerup: Hello. Most of what you say sounds right. But the electrical "basic lessons" you mention - capacitance..reactance..and ohmic resistance... also result in the fact that there IS a difference in the electrical conductivity between the cables. And thus also in a certain sound difference..Which in turn results in a certain kind of price difference...But of course does not justify the INSANE prices that some cables come up with. The crazy high priced cables can..as you yourself might also agree with me...explained by the fact that there are some developers, and sellers, who are so good at talking for themselves, that this pangs what is going on in my compatriot H C Andersen's fairy tale about "The Emperor's New clothes".. Kind regards, Alf from Denmark
@nicodenhaak3961: If you are handy, you can easy make a very good cable for 10 Euro's. For a decent revealing system, that's good enough to 95% of the people. I just buy instrument/studio cable in bulk, and mount some decent non magnetic RCA Connectors from AMP brand. Very cheap Connectors are often magnetic, and yes on a decent setup you hear this.
For a highend setup i go a step further, and use cables with ptfe insulation for lower da.
This is also something you can hear, and i use the same type of cable in the signal path when i'm restoring a vintage amp for such a audio setup. Off course shielded where it needs to be.
The internal wiring of my speakers got the same treatment.
The bottom line is: a really good cable doen't need to be expensive if you are prepared to do some work.
"Standard" cables which come with equiptment belong in the trash. It sounds horrible on a revealing system😂
@TriAmpMyFi: Anyone seen HDMI via Fiber Optic cable yet? LQQKs like a real nice connection👍
. Acid Jazz, Funk & Brass🔈🔉🔊
@marcbegine: Cables are important! But they can only in the best case not intervene with the signal, in all other cases there will be a worse signal interference!🧐
@allthisuselessbeauty-kr7: Imperfection might not always be a negative in a cable. I know that might sound crazy but listen me out. I went through a period of audiophile madness in the 80s and 90s, which included cable fetishism (Van Den Hul, Chord, etc, I tried a lot). Basically they all sounded the same, ridiculously expensive and crucially didn't make me anymore satisfied with my system, which the hifi mags had led me to believe would be the case. I then started using DMN solid core which was relatively inexpensive, and subjectively, to me sounded better. Now I emphasise it sounded better to me, in the context of my system and I'm sure the sound it imparted was largely because of a what might be considered undesirable resistance characteristic - but it worked for me. When I finally built my own valve amp, which is riddled with all manner of so called terrifying distortions, but sounded much better again to me than so called 'perfect' transistor amps I'd found so disappointing, it proved that emperical perfection often comes up short. Sound reproduction is always subjective and a compromise. it just depends on what you can live with and still enjoy.
@hansfijlstra5932: My favorite AI-girls are back 😍!