Best speaker cables 2020: budget and premium audio cables

[abacus]

1. A scientific double blind test is the only way to tell if you can hear a difference as it removes all the variables. (Scientific fact)

2. Professional film and music production studios (The ones that master the films and music you listen to) have equipment that is so revealing it makes even high end Hi-Fi sound basic, and they do not use any special cables as they DO NOT make a difference. (The professionals just ROTFL when people claim otherwise)

3. A flat earther is a very small minority that refuse to believe the facts that have been proved to be correct over centuries; those that believe that exotic cables make a difference are a very small minority of a very small minority interest/hobby (Hi-Fi) and therefore are the true flat earthers of the Hi-Fi community. (They do not believe in facts that have proved correct over decades)

4. If you wish to be taken seriously then backup your claims with independently verified scientific evidence, otherwise don’t say everyone else is wrong because they do not share your opinion.

5. In one post it was mentioned that users who do not believe were unqualified, however there was no mention of the qualifications that the poster (Who made these claims) had to make such a claim.

6. Opinion is not fact

Bill

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Keep it civil please. Debate points all you want but keep personal attacks out of it.

i blame the op for starting this !

 

[woodbino]

Sorry. I don't mean to upset anyone. But I really am not sure if Rupert is being serious or tongue in cheek.

It's just kind of not possible for one decent speaker cable to sound any different from another. Let alone "night and day" 😂

Should I start on mains conditioners? Maybe not.

 

[richiestudman]

I personally don't care for the extreme attitudes on display here - the person who keeps using "snake oil" is as annoying as the person who keeps stating there are "night and day" differences between speaker cables.

I choose to spend a bit more on the speaker cable I use because I value quality materials in the bit that connects my speakers to my amp - I spent quite a bit on the separates so I want to make sure the cables are well made. Similarly I use AudioQuest power cables - not because I think they make any difference to sound quality, but because the materials and workmanship are higher and better than in a £1.99 cheap and nasty kettle lead.

At the end of the day Hi-Fi is a hobby - tinkering and swapping parts and separates and leads and cables is part of the fun. Time for everyone to get off their high horses, show some respect and stop with the childish insults.

 

[chpmpg]

I agree. This is supposed to be fun.

FWIW, I started out skeptic. it sounded nonsense. I was questioning the value of the wires (interconnects and speaker cables). How could they make any difference at all?! Seems loopy.

But listening to them.... they clearly do. At least to my ears.

I came to the conclusion that all wires must have some effect on the signal passing through. None are a perfect transmitter of the signal. Some therefore degrade the signal more or less than others... and some effect different parts of the analogue signal more than others. (I struggle with digital connects... personally. I have tried a few and don't hear much. But I'll still try again.)

I have many different interconnects and speaker cables built up over 25 years of enjoying messing about with hifi. And, for me personally d it never ceases to amaze me how different they can sound. (not all. some are very similar. And who knows, maybe the effect could be down to bad connections at the plugs etc. )

All I can say is, if you can't hear a difference, don't buy! Great for you. You save money. Can't see what the anger is about. But this advice applies to kit as well as wires. Just cos an amp costs more doesn't make it sound better for example. But I would never put anyone off trying a different interconnect/cable.

Just don't buy on hype. Buy if you like what they can do.

 

[manchester-man]

I was expecting so see cables for hundreds or thousands of pounds and they are completely pointless. There is a value to spending money on cables, but not much. I found that my B&W 702's benefitted from cable costing a fiver a meter over some cheap Amazon basics stuff, but that's only because they are thicker and can handle more power. I suspect that all of the cables sound exactly the same in reality.