Using 5 wire component cable as interconnects?

ROHfan

neokeelo wrote: »

So, if I spend $200 on interconnects from my amp to receiver's pre outs, and then I hook up a cheap but shielded $15 cable, I would be able to tell a difference on the high frequency notes as I increase the volume?

I noticed no increased hum or interference when using a component video cable or audio cable.

You're on the right track. Don't buy the hype.

ROHfan

Keiko wrote: »

Do yourselves a favor and just place that one on your iList.

Oh please, save us all, Keiko!

ROHfan

tonyb wrote: »

Best re-think that statement my friend. Kinda like saying a car tire is a car tire,all made out of rubber.

Well, not really. Tires can consist of a multitude of ingredients, in different quantities depending upon price, performance, etc. and can contain steel belts to improve its durability. Copper, on the other hand, is an element. Its only job, in the audio realm, is to transfer signal. Anything added to it can only degrade that signal. Things can be added to the cable itself to make it more durable like strong interconnects and beefier insulation but in the end the signal cannot be improved. Pure copper will let through 100% of the signal and degrade with thickness and length. No amount of magic can let through over 100% of the signal. However, very thin awg wires can contain higher impedances which can choke out some higher frequencies which is why I usually use 14 awg or bigger.

heiney9

If it were only that simple. You seem to have a very small mind

H9

Big Dawg

I must confess to not understanding the controversy over cables. No one would argue that different tubes sound different, or that some capacitors sound better than others, or that differences in transformer designs are audible. So, how hard is it to believe that different cables sound different? And, if different cables sound different, then it would seem obvious that some cables would sound better than others. Hell, a 60 watt Sylvania gives off a light with a hue that's different from a 60 watt GE, even though they're made from the same materials. I doubt that can be double-blind tested.

mdaudioguy

neokeelo wrote: »

Can I use a component video cable to carry audio? Will it sound different? I have a 5 cable set ( 3 component, and 2 for audio)
Are they basically the same thing?
I want to use them to hook up from my receiver to my amp but I want the signal strength and sound to be the same on all channels.

The connections and cables look exactly the same to me.

Be sure to use the 3 component video cables (RGB) for left, center, and right... in that order only! The 2 audio cables are suitable only for surrounds - red on right, white on left.

ROHfan

heiney9 wrote: »

If it were only that simple. You seem to have a very small mind

H9

Please teach me. Teach me how your ears can tell a difference when the meter reads "identical" on all tests. Go ahead. I'm all ears.

BlueFox

Amateurs, or know-it-alls:

"MATERIAL: CDA 101-COPPER

In the game of cable marketing, everything can become exaggerated. For example, for years some cable companies played the 9's game, referring to their copper with a series of 9's to represent elevated purity. It started out as a legitimate idea, but within a year this had escalated to claims of nine-nines (99.9999999) pure and greater! How is this possible? To put it simply, it's not. The purity of copper can be measured, but the limit of the purity tests is 99.99 (four nines) pure. Copper quality is never referred to with a series of 9's in the metals industry, it is referred to with CDA numbers. The CDA number verifies that the copper is measured and certified to a specific purity standard. There are many grades: CDA 104, CDA 103, 102 and 101. CDA 101 copper is the highest purity copper on the metals market. It comes with papers that prove its authenticity. This is the copper that Shunyata Research purchases and uses in every product from signal cables to power cords and conditioners.

The majority of cable manufacturers buy their wire pre-made from major US or overseas suppliers. In many cases, it will be the least expensive wire available given that it is hidden from view. There are a few exceptions such as Siltech and Cardas, among others. Shunyata Research is one of the few companies that purchases its own CDA 101 copper in raw ingot form. The copper is then drawn into all the wire forms that are used throughout the Shunyata line. The power cords, power distributors and signal cables all benefit from this top quality material. More than that, using completely matched metallurgy lends a symmetry and coherence to the performance of any system. Given the sheer volume of wire that connects and powers all the components, a power and signal wiring system is an integral component unto itself. Purchasing CDA 101 copper and having it made from scratch into the many wire compliments is an expensive process but is a critical component of Shunyata's success -- attention to_every_detail"

Great technical read, assuming you can understand the ideas.

http://www.shunyata.com/Content/technical-SignalTech.html

FTGV

ROHfan wrote: »

Teach me how your ears can tell a difference when the meter reads "identical" on all tests.

Off topic but IYO is this theory applicable to amplifiction as well?

F1nut

ROHfan wrote: »

Please teach me. Teach me how your ears can tell a difference when the meter reads "identical" on all tests. Go ahead. I'm all ears.

Soooooo, what cables have you actually tried?

cstmar01

Jesse he doesnt have to try them he already knows everything. Always interesting how those that claim they know never try any of it but just read somewhere that it doesn't so never bother to try anything.

TouchOfEvil

Wire threads are fun.

Joe08867

ROHfan wrote: »

Please teach me. Teach me how your ears can tell a difference when the meter reads "identical" on all tests. Go ahead. I'm all ears.

Are you JCandy in disguise?

I mean really, have you ever tried different cables? Of course not.
But lab tests show all the copper is the same. It's a shame there are other factors. Like, How they are wound, not wound, solid core, braided, twisted, shielded, not shielded. I can go on and on and on.

Just because things are made of the same material doesn't mean they will have the same sound. Heck we are all made of carbon and water but we look, sound and act different. Or are we all the same too?

If you don't believe cables and wires make a difference it is your loss. We know the truth.

neokeelo

I switched out my cables yesterday with the component video "5 wire" cable and I actually noticed less interference.

When I turn on my HTPC, I usually hear some hiss and static noise ( probably caused by the interference the PC makes on start-up) since I switched out the cables I no longer hear this. My only conclusion is that these cables have better shielding than the previous ones. Just a guess though.

tonyb

Neo, you have a very nice system, I would think you spent some good coin on it, no ? If you want to get the most out of it, as you should, buy some decent cables and be done with it.
Also think about your source, getting good sound from a 'puter can require some trial and error, along with a dac.

heiney9

ROHfan wrote: »

Go ahead. I'm all ears.

Actually I don't think you are "all ears", if you were you would have the opportunity to hear some differences. You are "all eyes" as in what you can read on a spec sheet or see on a meter reading.

The eyes are more deceiving than the ears.

Go luck to you.

H9

WilliamM2

heiney9 wrote: »

The eyes are more deceiving than the ears.

So you are all for blind testing then?

heiney9

I have always used my ears to determine what sounded good.

H9

WilliamM2

Nice dodge. You use your eyes as well.

heiney9

My eyes can't hear anything.

Not dodging, just avoiding another cable thread that has been beaten to a pulp over and over and over and over and over and over...... If you don't already know where I stand on blind testing then you haven't been paying attention. Read Darqueknights published paper and you'll see what I mean.

H9

Big Dawg

neokeelo wrote: »

I switched out my cables yesterday with the component video "5 wire" cable and I actually noticed less interference.

When I turn on my HTPC, I usually hear some hiss and static noise ( probably caused by the interference the PC makes on start-up) since I switched out the cables I no longer hear this. My only conclusion is that these cables have better shielding than the previous ones. Just a guess though.

I'm sure you are right - the component cables likely have better shielding, and perhaps other improvements, over the cables you are replacing. Can you quantify the improvement? I doubt it, and yet the improvement is undeniable. So, logic dictates that even better cables may improve the sound even more. The balance between improvements in sound quality and the cost to achieve those improvements can only be determined through listening and comparing your options in your system in your environment using your ears, just as you presumably did in selecting Paradigm speakers over plastic computer speakers.

WilliamM2

Always predictable, and repetitive.

stuwee

:biggrin: Mistress Kitty says

DON73

I bought a pair of the MIT cables that were regularly $249 on sale for about $50. I noticed the highs were more laid back and I had to turn the volume up a bit.......that's all and they've been played at least 500+ hours. They're a reasonably well made cable but I think the termination is a weak point. I'm ok with them but I would be disappointed if I'd paid full price for them. I'd like to try them with my ADS 810s and 710s but the banana plugs won't fit in the recesses where the speaker connections are. About 30yrs ago I splurged and spent about $6 on a pair of I think Radio Shack interconnects and I still have them. About 10yrs, back I paid $50 for a fancy looking pastel colored pair of Tara interconnects and they're somewhere in my garage. They no longer pass a signal and the ends are well soldered on. Must be something broken under that pretty shielding. I never did notice a difference with them till things got very quiet on one side of the system. I'm not against trying different cables but for me they're not the highest priority in my audio chain. When I get my AR9s hooked up (hopefully next week) maybe I can try my MIT cables on them. They'll probably blow the back door off it's hinges.

Insults do piss me off.

tonyb

Don, you could always sell the cables you don't like and try something else. Nobody around here will tell you every cable upgrade is a hit. Experimenting is key in this hobby of ours. That is of coarse unless your completely happy with the sound you have, then just enjoy the music.

leftwinger57

speaking of cables ,guys I can fully understand the burn in or warm uptime for tube gear ,but how is burn in measured in cables.This I do not get at all. One other point about going a little higher end,I tried this w/Monster THX I-Cs and of course there it was the dreaded grip of death that temperarially took out my Onkyo pre P301. I was warned by most of you guys and did not take the advice and was I ever so sorry for that.

tonyb

Thats the whole point LW, measurements don't equate completely to what is heard. Some will stand by the theory that if it's audible, it can be measured. I say bah-humbug.

ROHfan

tonyb wrote: »

Thats the whole point LW, measurements don't equate completely to what is heard. Some will stand by the theory that if it's audible, it can be measured. I say bah-humbug.

There's measurements for everything, but sometimes our brains trick us into thinking there's a difference.

BlueFox

ROHfan wrote: »

There's measurements for everything, but sometimes our brains trick us into thinking there's a difference.

I suspect there are measurements for areas not even thought of yet.

In situations when the difference between A and B is very, very minor then yes, our brains might influence our decision. On the other hand, at least for me, the differences between A and B have been so obvious the brain is not needed. Just the ears.

For example, Thursday night I removed the Auralex acoustic foam I had on the wall behind my speakers, and I immediately remembered why I put it up in the first place. The sound was overly bright, and not as detailed with the foam off. However, instead of replacing the two 2x4 panels behind each speaker I used a single 2x2 behind each speaker at the level of the tweeter and mid-range. This works great, eliminates the brightness, dials in the sound stage, and looks a lot better. Of course, the appearance is subjective, and that is the brain part. On the other hand, the sound is objective, and the ears handle that quite well.

F1nut

Dear ROHfan,

Your silence is deafening.

F1nut aka "The Hair"
Family member since 2002