Should I upgrade my subwoofer cables?

Early B.

I'm a firm believer in cable upgrades. Right now I have a two pair of el cheapo RCA cables running from my Reckhorn B-1 bass management system to connect a set of stereo subwoofers. The question is -- do IC upgrades for bass make a difference?

I've upgraded cables for HT subwoofers in the past, and the effect was negligible. Just wondering if it's worth doing in this particular case, espcecially for two channel listening.

Thanks.

dbaldus

Well, before I upgraded my sub cable, I was using an Acoustics Research cable for it and was having problems with the auto-on functionality working. I bought a new, BetterCables cable and now the auto-on works for the sub, but I have to admit that I personally couldn't tell much of a difference between the two cables in terms of sound quality.

How long of a run do you need for your subs? I have 2 ~20 foot cables (different brands) that I'd be willing to part with for a good price - if you decide to try this out, let me know.

Face

dbaldus wrote: »

Well, before I upgraded my sub cable, I was using an Acoustics Research cable for it and was having problems with the auto-on functionality working.

I had the same exact problem with AR cables.

E.B.,
What kind of cables are you running from your pre to your amp? Why don't you get another pair of the same cables to keep everything timbre matched?

AndyGwis

I have both Monster (high end of their lines) and Signal Cables running to my subs. I also have used a couple cheapos in the past. I can't say I tell a difference between any of them, but the Monster and SC definitely have better build quality and look much better, IMO. You can get either kind for cheap, like $15 - $20 a piece online. Worth it for piece of mind and looks, IMO.

Early B.

Face wrote: »

E.B.,
What kind of cables are you running from your pre to your amp? Why don't you get another pair of the same cables to keep everything timbre matched?

I use DH Labs Air Matrix cables. Used price is about $100 for a 1M pair. I need two pair for the subs. From the feedback here, it sounds like the cost outlay may not be justified.

Early B.

What about upgrades for the subwoofer speaker cables? Got some el cheapos on there, too. Is that the same as the ICs -- hardly any difference in sound quality?

dbaldus

Early B. wrote: »

What about upgrades for the subwoofer speaker cables? Got some el cheapos on there, too. Is that the same as the ICs -- hardly any difference in sound quality?

Oh... I'm sorry, mis-read your original question. My response above was talking about the subwoofer speaker cables themselves, not the interconnects!

treitz3

Early, I've heard considerable improvement with the PC's on a sub but I don't recall ever hearing or detecting a change when it came to an IC to the sub [any sub I have had]. SC's? Well, I have yet to find out. The VMPS is the first sub I have had that needed them.

I currently have AQ X2 SC's that made jack for a change on my mains compared to HD/Rat Shack type wire and will be placing the AQ CV-8's in it's place when I am done rewiring my rig. If I notice anything, I'll report back.

cfrizz

If you are not getting booms from your sub, change your IC's & wire. If you are getting booms, don't.

Keep it simple!:D

dbaldus

treitz3 wrote: »

Early, I've heard considerable improvement with the PC's on a sub but I don't recall ever hearing or detecting a change when it came to an IC to the sub [any sub I have had]. SC's? Well, I have yet to find out. The VMPS is the first sub I have had that needed them.

I currently have AQ X2 SC's that made jack for a change on my mains compared to HD/Rat Shack type wire and will be placing the AQ CV-8's in it's place when I am done rewiring my rig. If I notice anything, I'll report back.

Two things:

1. Pardon my ignorance, but PC's?

2. So you didn't notice any difference at all with upgrading speaker cables for your mains? I was considering doing this because I am currently using Radio Shack 12 gauge wire but thought maybe I should try something different...

SolidSqual

Back when I had a SVS PB10 I upgraded from crap monster cable to Blue Jeans Cable and received a tremendous improvement.

treitz3

dbaldus wrote:

1. Pardon my ignorance, but PC's?

Power cords.

dbaldus wrote:

2. So you didn't notice any difference at all with upgrading speaker cables for your mains? I was considering doing this because I am currently using Radio Shack 12 gauge wire but thought maybe I should try something different...

Well, I have tried "lamp wire", if you will, and I did start out with a pretty thick one at that. Tried solid, tried stranded. When I went from lamp wire to Audio Quest X2 speaker cable [a hefty price at the time], no discernible difference was noticed. I still haven't hooked up the Audio Quest CV-8's with the 72v battery pack to the sub yet. Key word yet. I am rewiring the rig as we speak and will take out the X2 and put in it's place, the CV-8's. We'll see.

My rig is completely unplugged at the moment and it takes a good three days for it to get sounding good again, so the results will not be instantaneous. After a few days of listening, I plan to re-install the X2 without unplugging the main rig and see if the sub output changes. That's when I will report back.

As far as the IC's go, I thought more about it and up until two years ago I had been using speaker level inputs utilizing the sub's X-over. When I went to line level, I started off with Monster Cable's M1000i series and a couple of flavors of Monster's lesser IC's. The only other IC's I've tried is Outlaw Audio's PCA pure copper. I'm not saying there's no change, I'm just saying that I have not noticed any, concerning IC's and subs.

mantis

Sub cables have a smaller job to do then other cables or analog cables in the system but they have to travel longer distances and are more able to pick up interference. I suggest using a rg59sd built cable for this task. Due to it's limited bandwidth , this cable suits the job well. It has proper shielding . You don't require a 75ohm connection but in my experience I have found no problems or sound quality benefits from using a better cable.

On my personal sub which is a ran cable of 15 feet, I use Audioquest Ita 1.1 custom cable. It's a audio cable designed for analog. it comes on a 50 foot spool and you can make it any length. Rg59sd does not perform better or worse in this situation.

rg59sd is cheap and is the best suited cable for the job.

Early B.

Well, I just purchased a pair of DH Labs T-14 speaker cables for the subs. These will replace the low budget DIYer cables I have on there now. Gonna see if the T-14's make an audible difference. My hypothesis is that they won't, but I needed longer cables anyway. Stay tuned.

Early B.

Early B. wrote: »

Well, I just purchased a pair of DH Labs T-14 speaker cables for the subs. These will replace the low budget DIYer cables I have on there now. Gonna see if the T-14's make an audible difference. My hypothesis is that they won't, but I needed longer cables anyway. Stay tuned.

My hypothesis has been disproven. I added the new DH Labs speaker cables today and there was an improvement in bass definition. It was well worth it, IMO.

polkatese

EB, where have you been? We were talking about DH Labs cable about 3 years ago when Paul D'amico was still around.

Early B.

polkatese wrote: »

EB, where have you been? We were talking about DH Labs cable about 3 years ago when Paul D'amico was still around.

What are you talking about? I've been using DH Labs cables for several years.
They are my first choice. The DH Labs Air Matrix ICs beat out the Kimber Heroes a long time ago and I haven't looked back.

McLoki

I have noticed an increase in bass "tightness" and "slam" both from going to a better interconnect from my pre/pro to my amp and from upgrading my speaker wire (16ga. to 10ga. - 6' run) from my amp to my sub.

So yes, even with bass, cables matter. (well they do in my living room anyway)

Michael

polkatese

Early B. wrote: »

What are you talking about? I've been using DH Labs cables for several years.
They are my first choice. The DH Labs Air Matrix ICs beat out the Kimber Heroes a long time ago and I haven't looked back.

My bad, didn't read the whole thread. carry on, bud.

MADGSF

I recently upgraded my subwoofer cable from a Monster to an Audioquest Sub-X cable. In my system I found the bass became much less boomy, I actually turned the volume up some on my sub. It also became quicker or faster or more defined not sure what the proper term is there. With the Monster the bass was very strong but seemed to have a longer decay time. With the Audioquest it hits and gets right out, the difference is noticable to me. I found it worth the 55.00 they wanted for that cable.