Reijer said:
Reijer,
This is good stuff.
If you search the web, you should be able to find a WAV file for a frequency sweep. This will allow you to 'exercise' the system in a consistent manner. As Vlad points out, real world measurements are always a challenge as transducers are never 100% repeatable, and a good approach is to average a number of sweeps. Most spectrum analyser software will allow this - I usually aim to average at least 10 sweeps.
Another feature most analysers will have is a 'difference' function - so do 10 sweeps with cable A, average and store it, do 10 sweeps with cable B, average them then do a 'difference' with the stored average for A. The resuting display will be the display of the changes (if any).
Unless you are doing this in a controlled space, be aware that where you stand, moving stuff on the bench, equipment placement may all impact the results. You could consider ditching the mic and just measure the voltage at the speaker terminals, while this isn't quite 'end to end', even the most ardent cable believer will find it hard to argue that if two cables have the same voltage profile, that the sound will be different.
Depending on the cables, you should expect some difference. Cables that have different resistance will measure differently, so if one cable is thick and one thin, then don't be surprised to find a difference.
Finally, have a look at 'audiodiffmaker', it is a free to download software package that allows you to compare two audio components (leads, amps etc). It is probably easier to use than fiddling around with spectrum analysers and sweeps. It uses a real world audio track, and compares before and after a change is made. It won't tell what is different, but it will indicate if a difference exists.
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