speaker cables - my upgrade review

[c00z]

I have read quite alot about speaker cables in the last 6 months and decided that I would give it a shot, upgrading from 12 guage speaker wire purchased at Home Depot to Audioquest. I purchased Audioquest CV-4 speaker cables and have, I repeat, have noticed a difference. However, here is what I have noticed, the difference is quite small and I have tried it on two different systems. There seems to be a decrease in the bass and some tonal improvement. Overall, was it worth the 100$ for better speaker cables? I feel that since I will not upgrade my speakers, Paradigm monitor 9s, or tuner, Yamaha 4600, that I was left with one option that was less costly. Thus, I feel that there is some benefit to be had but it is minor and unless you are running a really expensive system with a good setup your money may be better spent on more expensive speakers or a better tuner but some benefit can be had from cables. My brothers opinion once I put them on his DJ equipment was that minor benefit but not worth the extra amount even thought they "looked" better than his standard 10 guage speaker wires.

Sorry I didnt want to start a flame war, I just wanted to share my opinions about the upgrade.

[Smokey]

IThus, I feel that there is some benefit to be had but it is minor and unless you are running a really expensive system with a good setup your money may be better spent on more expensive speakers or a better tuner.

You are on the right course. But to make your statement even more true, it would be better stated to suggest that no matter what type of system one have (either expensive or not), money will be better spend on more expansive speakers or tuner.

The ratio of cost Vs benefit of passive components like cables are much lower that cost Vs benefit ratio of active components like speakers or tuners. That statement is true whether system cost $10,000 or $100 :)

[superpanavision70mm]

One other point that is worth considering is the fact that for some people, myself included, I enjoy my system despite the fact that it is mid-fi. However, some might call me crazy for using cables and such that nearly cost as much as the components themselves, but the point is that by upgrading things like cables...I can certainly get the maximum amount out of the components that I do have, instead of only getting the bare minimum out of them.

[likeitloud]

I decided I was not going to use any stock interconnects with the new set-up. But
I was'nt gonna break the bank either. I set aside x amount of money for cable/wire,
and use what fit that budget. It worked out great.

[Resident Loser]

There seems to be a decrease in the bass and some tonal improvement.

...either but, as a point of reference, and to the best of my knowledge, the only thing wire can do, would be to affect the high end...and that would be to attenuate it. It is a product of length and gauge or comination of both...Of course we're talking raw conductors; wiring with terminating networks are a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

If you now perceive a reduction in LF information, chances are your older wire (or the developed crud on the connections) did, in fact, roll-off the higher freqs to some degree and your newer stuff (all bright and shiny) allows the signal to pass unfettered...

Wire is passive, it doesn't have the ability to actively boost or cut anything...It's all relative...more highs will make LFs seem diminished, attenuating those highs tends to make the bass stand out...it's that simple.

jimHJJ(...hopefully this response will not be viewed as confrontational "Audio Lab"-grade material...seems to be simple, common sense to me...)

[daviethek]

I decided I was not going to use any stock interconnects with the new set-up. But
I was'nt gonna break the bank either. I set aside x amount of money for cable/wire,
and use what fit that budget. It worked out great.


Good for you. There are Plenty of interconnects and speaker wire that sounds better than stock and yet won't break the bank. I think the law of supply and demand ( via the internet) has caught up with wires to the point where you ain't missing anything by not buying big buck wires. Good for all IMO. The best way to quell wires arguments is to have outstanding products available at prices that don't rob budgets or egos.

[Mwalsdor_cscc_edu]

I agree that you should always focus on your core components before investing in minor tweaks. Fine tuning is beneficial but to truely realize the full potential of your system you need to start at ground floor, not bandaid downstream issues with cabling. Still given your situation I would continue to monitor the two cables and see how they compare as you become more familiar with the AQ.

[accastil]

cables will be cables no matter what icing on the cake you put on top of them. what's important is the wire gauge(it has to be at least gauge 0.7cm in dia), the material make(choose silver over copper) and lastly, the effectiveness of the insulation. yes they would introduce differences in sound but these differences for expensive cables are not necessarily better..food for thought

[E-Stat]

...either but, as a point of reference, and to the best of my knowledge, the only thing wire can do, would be to affect the high end...and that would be to attenuate it.
My experience suggests otherwise. I (and most other folks) live in an RF rich world. The better cables of all sorts IMNSHO remove the zingy HF garbage introduced by RF pollution. The result is a darker background revealing more information from the recording.

Using large gauge cables myself, I don't hear much in the way of LF differences either. It is all about resolution and soundstage.

rw

[Resident Loser]

My experience suggests otherwise. I (and most other folks) live in an RF rich world. The better cables of all sorts IMNSHO remove the zingy HF garbage introduced by RF pollution. The result is a darker background revealing more information from the recording.

Using large gauge cables myself, I don't hear much in the way of LF differences either. It is all about resolution and soundstage.

rw

...I thought the topic centered on the potential for frequency response shifts...not RFI, EFI, e-aye, e-aye, oooo...

The OP did not comment on said impingements, to wit:

"There seems to be a decrease in the bass and some tonal improvement"...

We've been through the sonic hash review (ad infinitum) and that such artifacts can come from within and without...Are you trying to infer that said interference components can skew the FR of a signal? That they would be accountable for the OPs observations?

jimHJJ(...me, I don't think so...)

[E-Stat]

...I thought the topic centered on the potential for frequency response shifts...not RFI, EFI, e-aye, e-aye, oooo...
RFI grunge adds a false brightness to the sound in my experience.


Are you trying to infer that said interference components can skew the FR of a signal?
That IS what I am saying. It is not only the result of the cable(s) at work either. It is also the reaction of the amplification stages to the (lack of) noise.


That they would be accountable for the OPs observations?
I have no way of determining the underlying cause(s) of what he is observing.


...me, I don't think so...
Our experience clearly differs.

rw

[Resident Loser]

RFI grunge adds a false brightness to the sound in my experience.

...if you wanted to say that the lower harmonics of the RFI/EMI might combine with the upper harmonics of the various instruments and cause some sonic mayhem, I'd say that is plausible...perhaps causing beats within those upper signal-based harmonics...IMO the result may be audible to some degree...some components of both might be in phase (although a perfect match would be hard to come by), some might be out-of-phase (ditto on the match), still others: close but no cigar...I would guess the preponderance would be of the latter type, simply due to the law of averages; enough to cause those beats I mentioned...perhaps a certain muddiness might be the result, although it would be way up there...Adding brightness? That would seem to be a stretch...Wire+interference=gain stage? This does not compute...big time!


That IS what I am saying. It is not only the result of the cable(s) at work either. It is also the reaction of the amplification stages to the (lack of) noise.

Lack of noise ? Where? Are we talking PCs? ICs? Speaker wiring? The OP mentioned speaker wire...that's the topic I'm responding to...the inclusion of any other type of wire would seem to blur the salient issue.


I have no way of determining the underlying cause(s) of what he is observing.

Nor do I...but speaker wiring would seem to be the least affected of our classic triumvirate-of-contention with respect to hash...it doesn't pass a low-level signal, hence unless you live close to a source of EMI/RFI, shielding isn't normally required...and before we go down that road, yet again, the ubiquitous, omni-present sources: dimmers, various appliance processors, certain pieces of hi-fi gear (which themselves are sources of the hash), computers, yada, yada, yada, they all enter the picture at other points in the signal chain...not the speaker wiring.

jimHJJ(...TTFN...)

[E-Stat]

I'd say that is plausible...perhaps causing beats within those upper signal-based harmonics..
The difference is that you are speculating theory and I am conveying experience.


Adding brightness? That would seem to be a stretch...Wire+interference=gain stage? This does not compute...big time!...
Untrapped HF grunge is happily amplified downstream. In extreme cases, it can lead amps to oscillate.

rw

[Hyfi]

Hmmmm where is Mytrcraft?

Aside from the fact that I do own cables between $50 and $120 per pair, they in no way made as significant a difference in clarity, bass control, and soundstage that the 2-$10 slabs of Flagstone that I put between the floor and the speaker spikes made.

On the flip side of this conversation, the video signal between my TV and VCR is much better when I use a Digital Coaxial Audio cable than the skinny little ones with the molded yellow plastic ends that are supposed to be video cables.

Anyway, nice informative set of posts!

Hyfi