Hi Simon,
As struts001 comments: you are missing out. Why not check it out? Cables auditioning is the simplest thing to do in audio. But give yourself a chance. Audtion the cables at a dealer who has decently set up a system.
I just audtioned an Odin power cord (Schuko) and an Odin Gold power cord (IEC-19) from my system at a friend’s house. The Odin into his Lampizator DAC, the Odin Gold into his MBL amplifier. We jumped at the performance boost of the DAC, the amplifier boost was underwhelming. I had expected the contrary. Reason? The Odin Gold was too short to pug into the wall socket. We had to go through his distribtion block which probably choked the Odin Gold advantage.
Hope this is helpful.
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[quote=“JackPot, post:43, topic:6362”]
Odin Gold was too short to pug into the wall socket
[/quote
One amongst many reasons why cable auditioning is NOT the simplest thing to do in audio.Another is the number of good cables marketed yet most users are likley only to be able to audition the one or two brands that their dealer stocks.
Hi Pete,
I agree that a modicum of attention and common sense is necessary when auditioning cables. A good dealer will know how to deal with the few pitfalls. But compare that with auditioning loudspeakers or amplifiers. So many variables. A nightmare.
I also agree that it is hard to compare brands of cables. Hint: dealers mostly stock 2 or 3 brands. They often offer quite different “sound signatures”. Decide which you like best, and stick to that brand (sourcing the whole loom from one brand yields synergies, especially higher up the price ladder). One Dutch cable manufacturer even offers 2 very different families of cables: Siltech and Crystal Cables (I am definitely in the Crystal Cable camp).
Don’t go down the cables rabbit hole. Life is too short. You like the sound of a particular cable, starting with the power cord and ls cables? Stick to that brand and slowly upgrade.
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JackPot, I think you both miss my point. The two quotes I put in my post are in my opinion false as blanket statements applying to all cable makers, which is how they read. I do not mean to criticise any individual maker. The cables I use myself were not cheap (although they are also far from top end Nordost prices), so I am not an advocate of basic-but-certainly-good Canare/Belden/Van Damme cables in high end audio. I do agree that cables make a difference. My point is simply that hi-end audio is rife with snake oil salesmen with bizarre claims, and even more bizarre prices. Consequently a certain scepticism, although combined with open mindedness and a willingness to listen, is the appropriate attitude. I’ll stick my neck out and say that I think that is probably the majority view on this forum.
Some dealers agree that one can bring along borrowed cables from other dealers to audition their equipment. I organized 2m XLR interconnects of a brand that I like in order to audition the Lina DAC directly connected to the ZERO iTRON active speakers in two weeks. It would be difficult for me to judge how good this setup sounds at low volume (which is the purpose of the audition) without my favorite cable brand.
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