Exotic Interconnects

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
After my audition with Dynaudio Xeo-5, we had a friendly chat and the dealer is quite happy with the individual components of my system (M-DAC + CAP 2100 + Signature DC6T).

I hace told him that overall I am very pleased with my system at background listening levels to moderate levels, but when I increase the volume beyond the moderate listening for a dedicated listening then I find the system to be slightly harsher and feel like turning the volume a notch down.

He told me that the synergy is great and only interconnects to be blamed as Chord is not the right i/c in my system. He told me that I need warm cables and So then he loaned me some exotic cables (speakers cables, Jumper cables for bi-wiring posts as well as RCA cables). I was keen to know the brands too but I guess they are self brewed / specially procured with plugs from as I could read little from them. If I buy them they would cost me 750 pounds (one pair of RCA cables, one pair of speaker cables - 3m each).

I have just installed them and I am to run them for at least a day in my setup.

What do you think? Am I being taken for a ride? I will know the answers as I will be swapping the cable to and fro after couple of days but I am curious as well as to know your opinions.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
For that kind of money you should obtain a loan set of Tellerium Q Black RCA cables and Tellerium Q Black speaker cables and try them out. 3m pair of speaker cables and 1m pair of interconnects would be circa £560 new. These are very neutral/clear sounding and I think they're brilliant cables, for my system and taste at least.
 

shooter

New member
May 4, 2008
210
0
0
Visit site
^^

:rofl:

Tbh, you should here a difference as soon as you swap them if they are good enough, if you don't then no point in carrying on.

I agree with the fine tuning aspect of cables and it took me a few interconnects to get what i liked. Not sure on your Chord's but its worth trying others if the balance is not quite right but you are happy overall. If the harsher sound persists after trying different cable then i'd look at the balance of the system.
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
shooter69 said:
Tbh, you should here a difference as soon as you swap them if they are good enough, if you don't then no point in carrying on.

Unfortunately I do hear the difference / improvement :cry:

In few days, I am going to switch back to my original cables and see if the improvement has gone away and some more experimentation to be sure if this is making the actual difference.

BTW, what do you mean by the balance of the system? You mean a particular component in my system?
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
SteveD said:
For that kind of money you should obtain a loan set of Tellerium Q Black RCA cables and Tellerium Q Black speaker cables and try them out. 3m pair of speaker cables and 1m pair of interconnects would be circa £560 new. These are very neutral/clear sounding and I think they're brilliant cables, for my system and taste at least.

Thank You. Damn.. With Chord, I thought I can put an end to the i/c but I guess there is some more distance to go on i/c
 

CnoEvil

New member
Aug 21, 2009
556
13
0
Visit site
shooter69 said:
Tbh, you should here a difference as soon as you swap them if they are good enough, if you don't then no point in carrying on.

I agree with the fine tuning aspect of cables and it took me a few interconnects to get what i liked. Not sure on your Chord's but its worth trying others if the balance is not quite right but you are happy overall. If the harsher sound persists after trying different cable then i'd look at the balance of the system.

I'm pretty much agree with this. Good I/Cs should bring out the best of a system, not cover up deficiencies. That said, if the Chord is introducing brightness, then it should help.

As Shooter has said, if you don't notice an immediate improvement, your £750 could be better spent elsewhere.

My gut tells me the problem lies with the speakers, so before committing to expensive I/Cs, you should try different ones. The synergy of a system can be upset with the introduction of a new component.

I have always liked Cardas for their musicality, but they are expensive, especially outside the States.

I will be very intrigued with your findings, but advise caution. I prefer a system to be nicely balanced before the introduction of better cables.

I am also a fan of power cords, so they may be worth trying as well.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
WishTree said:
SteveD said:
For that kind of money you should obtain a loan set of Tellerium Q Black RCA cables and Tellerium Q Black speaker cables and try them out. 3m pair of speaker cables and 1m pair of interconnects would be circa £560 new. These are very neutral/clear sounding and I think they're brilliant cables, for my system and taste at least.

Thank You. Damn.. With Chord, I thought I can put an end to the i/c but I guess there is some more distance to go on i/c

I'm sure others here can give you a possibly more cost-effective solution than either of the ones you or I referred to.

I do sympathise though as having tried the Tellerium cables and hearing the difference in my system I'm definitely going to buy some when my loan (second week now) period ends.

I think we both need to remember to just enjoy the music though, and if we then choose to upgrade our cables then that's up to us and we'll enjoy it that bit more!
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
SteveD said:
I'm sure others here can give you a possibly more cost-effective solution than either of the ones you or I referred to.

I do sympathise though as having tried the Tellerium cables and hearing the difference in my system I'm definitely going to buy some when my loan (second week now) period ends.

I think we both need to remember to just enjoy the music though, and if we then choose to upgrade our cables then that's up to us and we'll enjoy it that bit more!

Thank You! BTW.. there was a check list to test the Speakers + Amp and I remembered then that I have ripped lot of CDs but never got them on to the main system where my music is. I did the transfers the other day and I have found some nice forgotten numbers.. especially 'The Race', 'Piece by Piece', 'Change the World' etc.. It is pretty exciting to rediscover the music that was not heard in the recent times :)
 

shooter

New member
May 4, 2008
210
0
0
Visit site
WishTree said:
BTW, what do you mean by the balance of the system? You mean a particular component in my system?

CnoEvil said:
I prefer a system to be nicely balanced before the introduction of better cables.

Yes as Cno say's, componant compatability has a greater effect on sound than cable swapping. By having a sytem that sounds right then tweak witha cable to how you like your particular sound is easier than the other way round.

I'm intrigued on these home brew cables, can you tell us more, what are they and what do they bring to the table.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
WishTree said:
SteveD said:
I'm sure others here can give you a possibly more cost-effective solution than either of the ones you or I referred to.

I do sympathise though as having tried the Tellerium cables and hearing the difference in my system I'm definitely going to buy some when my loan (second week now) period ends.

I think we both need to remember to just enjoy the music though, and if we then choose to upgrade our cables then that's up to us and we'll enjoy it that bit more!

Thank You! BTW.. there was a check list to test the Speakers + Amp and I remembered then that I have ripped lot of CDs but never got them on to the main system where my music is. I did the transfers the other day and I have found some nice forgotten numbers.. especially 'The Race', 'Piece by Piece', 'Change the World' etc.. It is pretty exciting to rediscover the music that was not heard in the recent times :)

Hard to beat that feeling sometimes isn't it!

Just another thought, is it possible that the distortion you hear at high(er) volumes could be down to the quality of the audio file - what resolution do you rip them in? - if all lossless/FLAC etc shouldn't be that which is causing the issue but might be a cause when listening to lower res (128 and 192kbps).

Enjoy the tunes whatever you do.
 

CnoEvil

New member
Aug 21, 2009
556
13
0
Visit site
WishTree said:
BTW, what do you mean by the balance of the system? You mean a particular component in my system?

Shooter will be well able to answer for himself, but as I also used the term, I will do my best.

Basically it is not mixing bright forward components (or warm smooth ones) together, as it will exacerbate the trait. So balancing a system, is offsetting a bright lean component with a smoother warmer one (and vica versa).

This is highly subjective, as in reality, you are matching components to to produce the sound that you like....which is not always easy, as you need to know the sound characteristics of what you intend using.
 

Overdose

Well-known member
Feb 8, 2008
279
1
18,890
Visit site
WishTree said:
After my audition with Dynaudio Xeo-5, we had a friendly chat and the dealer is quite happy with the individual components of my system (M-DAC + CAP 2100 + Signature DC6T).

If I buy them they would cost me 750 pounds (one pair of RCA cables, one pair of speaker cables - 3m each).

What do you think? Am I being taken for a ride? I will know the answers as I will be swapping the cable to and fro after couple of days but I am curious as well as to know your opinions.

Firstly, get someone else to do the swapping without your knowledge of which cable is fitted. If you can then reliably determine a difference/improvement after several swaps (or pretend swaps), you could consider that an improvement is possible.

At this point, only you can decide if you can justify £750 on cabling. Why not if you can afford it and you are happy?

It's not something I would do personally, but each to their own, it's not my system or money.
 

lindsayt

New member
Apr 8, 2011
16
2
0
Visit site
So, let me get this straight: your thinking of connecting your £600 Audiolab DAC to your £3950 Classe amp and your £800 Tannoy speakers with £750 worth of cables?
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
lindsayt said:
So, let me get this straight: your thinking of connecting your £600 Audiolab DAC to your £3950 Classe amp and your £800 Tannoy speakers with £750 worth of cables?

That is exactly what I told the dealer. I told him that my speakers might be the weak link (though in my opinion these Tannoy Speakers are much much better that the Proac Response D Two that I used to own which retail at £1750)

Cno has suggested me that the speakers might be the weak link before as well and that is exactly what I asked back the dealer who has DC8T, DC10T from Tannoy and many other speakers. He says my system is already very good (though he did not use the word balanced) individually and cables need to be changed :cry:

Just for the record the Signature DC6T are the best that I have owned ( which includes B&W CM7, CM9, Dynaudio Excite X36, Dynaudio Contour S1.4, Proac Response D Two and various other stand mount speakers) with respect to dynamics, layering, instrument seperation even bass. It is just that the top end is a little bit much for me at higher volumes.

Back to cables - I will try to do the ABX with my older cables.
 

steve_1979

Well-known member
Jul 14, 2010
231
10
18,795
Visit site
WishTree said:
Unfortunately I do hear the difference / improvement :cry:

In few days, I am going to switch back to my original cables and see if the improvement has gone away and some more experimentation to be sure if this is making the actual difference.

Have you considered blind testing them? Try wearing a blindfold and getting someone to swap between the old and new cables without you knowing which one you're listening to.

You may find that you really do prefer the new one which is great. But on the other hand you may find that there's less difference than you expected which would save you a lot of money. Either way you can't lose but you won't know for sure unless you do a blind test.
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
CnoEvil said:
WishTree said:
BTW, what do you mean by the balance of the system? You mean a particular component in my system?

Shooter will be well able to answer for himself, but as I also used the term, I will do my best.

Basically it is not mixing bright forward components (or warm smooth ones) together, as it will exacerbate the trait. So balancing a system, is offsetting a bright lean component with a smoother warmer one (and vica versa).

This is highly subjective, as in reality, you are matching components to to produce the sound that you like....which is not always easy, as you need to know the sound characteristics of what you intend using.

Cno... I thought you would say that but I love the speakers very much. May be I can partner them with some smaller amp like Denon PMA-1510 or Marantz Pearl Lite and use it as a bed room system or something and get some new speakers to go with the Classe.
 

steve_1979

Well-known member
Jul 14, 2010
231
10
18,795
Visit site
WishTree said:
What do you think? Am I being taken for a ride?

I've done several ABX tests with analogue cables before now and this is what I've found.

The good ones that don't add any distortion don't make any difference to the sound because they can't make the original signal better than it already is. The bad ones that do add distortion can make it worse though. I suspect this is what often gets mistaken as an 'improvement' with overpriced audiophile cables.
 

shooter

New member
May 4, 2008
210
0
0
Visit site
What have these new cables you have borrowed done for your system? Have they curred the problem you had with the Chords or does it still persist? Maybe the Chords are faulty, it can happen and maybe something cheaper will do the trick.

Even though your amp is in a different league to the rest of your gear, tonal balance is more inportant than a financial one but it will expose a week link if you have one.

Where are you Wishtree, how about a second opinion? I dont mind travelling a bit and i have some cable here which im not using and would be happy to come along with it to try out? If your to far away may be someone else can lend an ear.
 

CnoEvil

New member
Aug 21, 2009
556
13
0
Visit site
WishTree said:
Cno... I thought you would say that but I love the speakers very much. May be I can partner them with some smaller amp like Denon PMA-1510 or Marantz Pearl Lite and use it as a bed room system or something and get some new speakers to go with the Classe.

My advice would still be to get a listen to the Kef R series, which imo have the same qualities you like with the Tannoys, but do it better (ie without the tendency for brightness when pushed)...I bet you knew I was going to say that as well! :)
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
CnoEvil said:
Basically it is not mixing bright forward components (or warm smooth ones) together, as it will exacerbate the trait. So balancing a system, is offsetting a bright lean component with a smoother warmer one (and vica versa).

I understand that and I generally try to do the same. But since I have the cables on loan, I am pondering..

How come it is ok to change the amplifier to match speakers or vice versa but it is not so ok to change the cables to achieve the desired sound?

Though, I agree that the Loudspeakers as well as Amplifiers have the most pronounced tonal characters in the entire system so it is important to have them matched first to the desired output!
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
shooter69 said:
What have these new cables you have borrowed done for your system? Have they curred the problem you had with the Chords or does it still persist? Maybe the Chords are faulty, it can happen and maybe something cheaper will do the trick.

Even though your amp is in a different league to the rest of your gear, tonal balance is more inportant than a financial one but it will expose a week link if you have one.

Where are you Wishtree, how about a second opinion? I dont mind travelling a bit and i have some cable here which im not using and would be happy to come along with it to try out? If your to far away may be someone else can lend an ear.

The new cables have definetly taken care of the harshness from the system. It is like an improvement from 91% to 92.5%. I feel like I want to agree with the dealer that cable matching is important as well though I think spending so much money just on few lengths of cables is a little too much.

Thank you for the offer and I would be more than happy to invite you! I live in Germany (NRW) and I am not too sure it is still doable or not.
 

WishTree

Well-known member
May 18, 2010
107
1
18,595
Visit site
CnoEvil said:
My advice would still be to get a listen to the Kef R series, which imo have the same qualities you like with the Tannoys, but do it better (ie without the tendency for brightness when pushed)...I bet you knew I was going to say that as well! :)

:rofl: I knew it! When you put it that way "have the same qualities you like with the Tannoys, but do it better (ie without the tendency for brightness when pushed)" I am more intrigued !!

Do you think KEF Q series have the same nature? Q700 got a very bad review on WHF but Q900 seems to be quite alright. I generaly prefer the front ports (like Tannoy or Kef Q Series / Reference series as well B&W 803 / 804 series) or sideports of Proac D18/D28.

IMO, rear ports need too much tuning with positioning for which I am too lazy ;)
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts