Lets get it out, Wire and what's worth it and not.

mantis

What's up people??

I just read the Denon Link 499 cable thread and figured we could make a thread about what cables are worth buying and what's not.

Here is what my experience tells me about cables in general.

1) Speaker cable does make a difference in guage and build. Purity in copper is here nor there. Never found it made a difference or not. They sound very different so something is going on there. brands sound different even in the same length and thickness. Now I also have found that Once you get the Proper gauge, Slight increases can be found, or better put differences. How long will the cable last and what not.

2) Interconnects in Analog. Pretty much the same with speaker cable. If they are properly terminated they usually work good. Shielding and what not seems to help or hinder. Most brands sound different.

3) Digital cable including Hdmi , Toshlink and Coax. What I have found is built quality and termination. If they are properly built correctly and meet standards then you can't make it any better. I have tested HDMI cables of all kinds of quaity and found no difference even on a 150 inch screen running 1080p. Now Length has alot to do with things that some are designed to go longer and some crap out early. Short lengths all work the same as long as the cable is built properly and has the proper bandwidth to carry the signal.

4) Internet/ ethernet cables. It's cat 5 brothers. Or it's cat 5e . Once it's properly terminated in T568a or T568b, there is nothing you can do to the cable to make it any better. Shielded ends help. better built quality helps over long runs but I have never seen anything that can make it better. I have used all kinds of cat 5 from different companies and none work better then others even at all kinds of prices.

So the bottom line is this, for every cable in any system you need to make sure your using the proper cable first of all and that cabe meets all the requirements of what your sending/receiving. Once you accomplish this , your done. Analog cables seem to be the only cables that change things a lot. Then really it comes down to personal preference which ones to use for your system.

Dan

xandra

Great Post Dan.
Curious what your experience is with Component Vid cables (or are you including these with analog interconnects).

heiney9

How many cable discussions does an audio forum need? By my last count this around the 100th post on this subject. Pretty boring if you ask me. It's simple, I can hear differences in cable/wire. That's all that matters to me.

YMMV

H9

olilugo

1+ for the Cat 6 cable, Cat 5(e) is for the old guys... :-)

zingo

Can Cat 6 be used in place of Cat 5?

mantis

xandra wrote: »

Great Post Dan.
Curious what your experience is with Component Vid cables (or are you including these with analog interconnects).

My experience with Component cables is like Analog Interconnects. But there is a point that the cable doesn't get any better. I have used so many different kinds of component cables. Currently I'm using Audioquest 3's. I had before them Kimber kable and Transparent. I didn't see anything better or worse. I even had Monstercables and there was a slight difference.

The trick with component cables is having a properly terminated cable with enough bandwidth to carry the video signal unaffected. I can get that done with rg6 and rg59sd. properly terminated these cables made by Beldon or Liberty can give you a excellent picture.

Dan

mantis

heiney9 wrote: »

How many cable discussions does an audio forum need? By my last count this around the 100th post on this subject. Pretty boring if you ask me. It's simple, I can hear differences in cable/wire. That's all that matters to me.

YMMV

H9

Dude how many times can you talk about polk speakers? How many times can you talk about powering the Lsi's? Really man there is a limit to everything. So if wire isn't your game then move on Bro. we can manage with or without you. I'd prefer with you but your choice is not to and thats cool man.

Dan

mantis

Lasareath wrote: »

Dan,

Cat6 is where it's at, Cat6 cables have a plastic cross in the middle of the cable the seperates the 4 pairs, this allows you to get speeds above Gigabit.



Sal

Yes cat 6. I'm looking forward to when it's a standard. It has incredible abilities.

heiney9

mantis wrote: »

Dude how many times can you talk about polk speakers? How many times can you talk about powering the Lsi's? Really man there is a limit to everything. So if wire isn't your game then move on Bro. we can manage with or without you. I'd prefer with you but your choice is not to and thats cool man.

Dan

Dan,

I meant no disrespect. And yes, I do get tired of talking about wpc for Lsi's and why RTi's are bright, etc. I was just sort of speaking out loud. So far this has been a very civil discussion and I see no anti-hifi insurgents lurking to turn this into a nasty back and forth.

I encourage all to try as many different types and configurations of wire possible for both the audio and video rig. I have recently debated the issue, and frankly, I'm just tired so if I have something valuable to add I will, if not I'll be lurking and reading.

H9

mmadden28

Lasareath wrote: »

Dan,

Cat6 is where it's at, Cat6 cables have a plastic cross in the middle of the cable the seperates the 4 pairs, this allows you to get speeds above Gigabit.



Sal

Its also terminated a little different, as such in some implementations the wires go all the way through the modular plug-This allows the twists to stay twisted a close tot he contacts as possible.

Well its obvious that you can make better digital cables Cat3 to Cat5 was an improvement after all, same to Cat6 and beyond. HDMI cables can be improved as well, hdmi 1.1 spec vs the hdmi 1.3 spec. Of course its related to twists, build quality, shielding, etc, but, as you mentioned, that's all mainly to go for longer distances or withstand interference better. Obviously they are designed for an intended purpose, not for sending analog signals-But compare this brand Cat6 cable to that one, and it not likley you'll see much difference (IMHO) since they both would meet spec. I suppose you would have to run two competing brand cables out to max lengths and beyond and see which cause data loss more-but there you are talking about extremes and not improvements that would be seen in everyday practice,

xandra

I've been using Cat 6 for a while for IN-Wall installations, partly due to it's theoretical advantage due to construction (I say theoretical just cuz I'm no scientist), but also for potential speed benefits in the future.

Of course as far as speed goes: The only time you'll "see" a difference is if your devices are capable of communicating at that speed. So for now, most people will not derive a speed boost - particularly when receiving data via the relatively slow internet (which currently runs considerably slower than cat 5's capabilities)

Also bear in mind, that like most connections you'll only run as fast as the slowest link in the chain.

The upshot: it's pretty pointless to throw out your cat 5 stuff for now, but it makes sense to purchase it whenever you need a new cable.

bigaudiofanatic

Wires, cables, they don't make a difference end of subject it someone wants to let there mind think that is sounds better let them think it does.

mantis

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Wires, cables, they don't make a difference end of subject it someone wants to let there mind think that is sounds better let them think it does.

It isn't about better. It's about meeting a requirement. A lot of people don't see this.
They don't make a difference if they pass spec. If a cable doesn't make spec, it will not have the ability to pass whatever signal your trying to send. this is where the difference is.

I agree with allowing everyone to think what they want, you have a point.

Face

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Wires, cables, they don't make a difference end of subject it someone wants to let there mind think that is sounds better let them think it does.

I'm glad we have such great audio critics like you here, what would we do without you. Thank you for your insight.

bigaudiofanatic

Laughing My **** Off no problem I like shining the lights on stuff like this. Okay I use monster speaker wire and blue jean cables but I will not spend over 100 dollars for a cables or wire sorry just cant do it. I love audio and love playing with new stuff and experimenting with stuff that will make a difference.

steveinaz

I think cables are more of a "flavor" thing. Any properly built, good quality cable will do the job, but different topologies/materials can enhance or degrade depending on your systems synergy and your personal tastes.

gidrah

mantis wrote: »

Yes cat 6. I'm looking forward to when it's a standard. It has incredible abilities.

Been unloading the dock for too long? 6 has been the standard, well, since cat5e became cheap.

NotaSuv

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Laughing My **** Off no problem I like shining the lights on stuff like this. Okay I use monster speaker wire and blue jean cables but I will not spend over 100 dollars for a cables or wire sorry just cant do it. I love audio and love playing with new stuff and experimenting with stuff that will make a difference.

LOL yup that WAS the way I use to be until I really took the time to listen to certain recordings over and over until I knew em by heart and certain wire/cable upgrades did make a difference when comparing a to b most notable was the addition of Blue Circle speaker cables.....