Does cables really affect sound?

[Sligolad]

From someone who spent as much on cables as on the rest of the hardware i am in the Yes camp....now if only i could afford ODIN !!!

[tony]

Definitely to my tone deaf ears interconnects make a difference. And when I put in a mains conditioner the sound moved up a gear. I have since bought some middle of the road power cables and couldnt tell you if they make any difference at all and doubt if they do. Speaker cable is now the next move and I suppose I believe that I am trying to get the best from the products I have within going too crazy.
From some of the threads I think it is possible to let the gear wreck your head. To my mind some recordings sound great no matter what system they are played on e.g Dave Brubeck Time Out, Miles Davis Kind of Blue, Nirvana MTV Unplugged etc. Neil Young Unplugged harmonic parts can sound shrill and I think it would be difficult to remove that no matter what the system. Does a system reach a point where a good set of interconnects move it up a significant amount but after that the law of diminishing returns apply.

Is the cable buying thing a bit like a motorcyclist or car driver getting extra bits for their beloved steed somehow thinking it is elevating it way above the ordinary ford mondeo's? If the person feels good thats all that matters in the end.

[jkeny]

For a good while I thought my USB devices were immune to the quality of the USB cable (within reason, of course) both for technical reasons & because I tried a recommended "audiophile" USB cable & heard no difference - Wireworld Ultraviolet.

But I kept hearing reports from people that there were differences with different USB cables & so I had to answer this question for myself, once & for all. I decided not buy lots of different USB cables but to eliminate the cable altogether by using a USB adapter connector as a direct connection between USB port of the PC & USB input of the device (a DAC). Wow! A difference was easily perceived & it was an improvement.

Now, like all things to do with cables, this might be controversial but I have asked others to try it & tell me what they heard & if there was any difference what it was. Without any coaching they described what I heard :)

My task now is to analyse what it is that has provided the improvement & try to incorporate it in a more flexible cable!!

[tony]

John you asked about the connectors. I tried the connectors and initially listening didnt discern a noticeable difference. I moved back to the cable as it was more flexible and havent used the connectors because they are awkward especially for the interconnects coming out going back to the amp. Also there is a bit of a balancing act required. I will put a bit of effort in after the weekend to try it again.

[Fran]

John - the connectors I ordered arrived today - here's the thing.... the a to b adaptors won't work on their own because the connectors are upside down relative to one another.... but with the make to female adaptor which upends the connection it works AOK.

Listening now underway to see does it sound different to:

the cable,
the homemade adapter


Fran

[jkeny]

John - the connectors I ordered arrived today - here's the thing.... the a to b adaptors won't work on their own because the connectors are upside down relative to one another.... but with the make to female adaptor which upends the connection it works AOK.

Listening now underway to see does it sound different to:

the cable,
the homemade adapter


Fran

It will work but the DAC has to be turned upside down, no?

Yes, interested in what you hear.

Thanks Tony that's interesting.

[Fran]

Yes john, exactly, but turning it upside down is a pain with the cables.

Anyway, not an exhaustive test, but both connectors (eBay and homemade) come out about the same - don't think I could tell them apart. The cable is definitely worse, I'm not going to say exactly what I hear so that others can report theirs without influence.

Pic attached to show the adapter...

[jkeny]

Another interesting test is to try a USB cable with a moulded ferrite core on it.