| vidard |
Hi,
what do you think about AZ WOW and Matrix Reference II cables? How do they compare with other cables in their price range? |
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| Sch3mat1c |
| They sound like cables. |
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| vidard |
Thanks!
Have you actually had the oportunity to hear them in a system?
Your post was very helpfull!
:D :D :D
Cheers!;) |
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| vidard |
@Sch3mat1c,
P.S.
how do cables sound? |
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| till |
| quote: | | how do cables sound? |
depends on how you treat them.
most sound you will get from a cable by disrupting it. |
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| SY |
| quote: | Originally posted by vidard
@Sch3mat1c,
P.S.
how do cables sound? |
If you put some tension on them and fix the ends very well, much like a harp. |
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| vidard |
It's been fun reading your comments!:D
But... aren't you getting off topic?;)
BTW the question was adressed to Sch3mat1c if you did not noticed...
Cheers! |
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| analog_sa |
| quote: | | But... aren't you getting off topic |
He, he. Any mention of cables here becomes immediately a discussion of hearing deficiencies. For a more useful and friendlier environment i would rather suggest the cable asylum. |
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| SY |
| quote: | Originally posted by analog_sa
He, he. Any mention of cables here becomes immediately a discussion of hearing deficiencies. For a more useful and friendlier environment i would rather suggest the cable asylum. |
Or you can give him your opinion. As opposed to the Cable Asylum, we actually permit all points of view. |
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| Sch3mat1c |
| quote: | Originally posted by SY
If you put some tension on them and fix the ends very well, much like a harp. |
Ah, I am among friends ;) No I don't see how a cable can produce sound, particularly as any effects besides HF shunting due to capacitance are many, many decibels down. -100dB, even in volts, is a factor of almost a million, remember. (Yeah, so it's .1 million... so what :rolleyes: ) :D
Tim |
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| Sch3mat1c |
Actually, I DO have a practical response.
Buy the most expensive cable you can find. It will be good for the economy and no one will argue with it. As it had better be good for what you paid, you will hear it as such and everyone will be happy. |
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| m0tion |
| Excellent to know the majority of this forum's posters believe in science fact and not "magic cables". I'd suggest you take the money you were going to spend of these "acoustic zen" cables and invest in a nice Canare crimper and stripper, then follow the cable making guide on my website (sig). =) |
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| vidard |
Thank You guys!
But... now you have made me curious. Did any of you had the oportunity to HEAR these cables or to be more specific: to listen to a system with them in it??? |
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| vidard |
| quote: | Originally posted by m0tion
Excellent to know the majority of this forum's posters believe in science fact and not "magic cables". I'd suggest you take the money you were going to spend of these "acoustic zen" cables and invest in a nice Canare crimper and stripper, then follow the cable making guide on my website (sig). =) |
Thanks for the sugestion.
Believe it, i have made so many DIY cables (are they "science and fact"?) that for the spended money i could buy a very expensive cable. Actually such cables never bettered my trusty, old Monster M1000i.
Have you compared your cable with other?
Cheers! |
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| Kittle |
Ive found cables do make a difference... but not enough difference to warrent paying more than $1 foot.
origionally I got suckered into buying into the 'monster cable' thing, and they worked. my speakers played mushc when they were supposed to.
but after seeing the nasty corrosion on my subwoofer cables, I decided to do a wholesale upgrade.
$70 in parts later (100' roll of 12gauge wire + connectors), I had new cables.
And I DID hear a difference. but not a whole lot. |
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| analog_sa |
| quote: | | And I DID hear a difference. but not a whole lot. |
A meaningless experience as far as good cables are concerned. Comparing 'monster cable' thing' to some supermarket wire will indeed allow you to hear a difference but that's all. Was the 'monster cable thing' indeed Monster Cable? If yes, which one? I am no expert on the Monster line (thank goodness) but very few of them offer any value for money. Or any quality to speak of. |
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| Mr Evil |
In my experience, as long as the cable is of an appropriate diameter for its length and the current it's supposed to carry (i.e. no bell wire please!) then any difference is negligible. Extremely expensive cables tend to be gimmicks only, with no tangible benefits over cheaper stuff.
In my experience, the best cable to use for speakers from in terms of cost/performance ratio is 3-core mains cable. Connect two of the wires in parallel and it gives low resistance and lower than normal inductance.
Personally I use some chunky OFC cable with clear insulation because it looks so very cool:D |
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| Netlist |
At the Pass Labs site you can find Nelson’s write up about cables:
http://www.passlabs.com/articles.htm
Just facts :D
Here’s a small anecdote:
Years ago I was repairing a TV at a customers house and when fixed, the lady asked me if it was possible to replace those fat and ugly speaker cables her husband had installed years ago. Fortunately, I had small 1.5mm² speaker cable lying in the car so I willingly replaced them, she was very happy. I could keep the old ugly wires, like she called them. I was so polite to ask what the price was because her cable was a zillion times more expensive than what I was going to sell her. “I’m very happy they are gone” she said “what do I pay you?” I only charged her for the TV repair, took the cables with me, climbed in my car and went away as soon as I could, before here husband came home.
The man died a few days later, so no one ever called me, wanting his cables back ;)
/Hugo |
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| Kittle |
| quote: | Originally posted by analog_sa
I am no expert on the Monster line (thank goodness) but very few of them offer any value for money. Or any quality to speak of. |
exactly my point :D
the $1/foot monster cable ripoff didnt sound much better than my OLD corroded 18GA radio shack stuff.
but the $0.37/foot DIY cable I made DID sound better. And yes the clear insulation makes them look quite nice. |
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| roddyama |
| The way one cable will "sound different" from another is in the effect they have on the amp/speaker interface. Amplifier stability and speaker Q can be affect adversly by the wrong cables. |
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| squadra |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kittle
exactly my point :D
the $1/foot monster cable ripoff didnt sound much better than my OLD corroded 18GA radio shack stuff.
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But you didn't have a sub-atomic particle stabilizer installed :) |
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| Kittle |
hmm. so is that what makes the monster cables sound good?
the optional salesman-only partical stabilizer?
It would make sense...
but the stuff does work for experimental cabinet wirings. |
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| analog_sa |
| quote: | | The way one cable will "sound different" from another is in the effect they have on the amp/speaker interface. Amplifier stability and speaker Q can be affect adversly by the wrong cables. |
That's a nice, conservative, down-to-earth explanation Rodd. But may be only partially true. Low level and power cables make at least as much difference and yet are not part of the amp/speaker interface. |
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| roddyama |
| quote: | Originally posted by analog_sa
That's a nice, conservative, down-to-earth explanation Rodd. |
Actually the conservative approach is just to recommend using 12ga zip cord. The effects that different cables have on this interface are broad ranging and frequency dependent. The effects can be anything from a very minute change in the speakers Q, to causing the amp to go into self-destructive oscillations, and everything in between (though the curve is greatly skewed toward the minute effects).| quote: | Originally posted by analog_sa
But may be only partially true. |
It will always be true to one extent or another.| quote: | Originally posted by analog_sa
Low level and power cables make at least as much difference and yet are not part of the amp/speaker interface. |
This may be true in the majority of the cases, however, operating at a low level or power cables will never have as great a range of effects on the sound as speaker cable have assuming each is implemented as designed.
IMHO, the amp/speaker interface, next to the speaker/room interface, is the most critical in the system, and deserves more attention than it typically gets. This is particularly true with diy amps and speakers. |
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