How many Specialist mains cables do i need?

[admin_exported]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this but can i say what a fantastic website you have here and what a superb read the july's ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TELEVISION was.

So after my research i have decided to spoil myself next week and buy the following (all with what hifi awards)

Panasonic TH-42PZ85B

Sky HD

Playstation 3 (blue ray + gaming)

LG HT902TB (even though the tower speakers might look a bit big at the front, but it has an optical conection, even though i think i need 2)

3 x Chord Company 1.3 silver plus HDMI cables (a bit expensive but has to be done)

2 x optical cables (any advice on any would be good)

Tacima CS929 Mains Cleaner

Now here i get a bit confused, do i buy 3 Russ Andrews Powermax Plus Mains Cables and plug them all to my Tacima Mains Cleaner or do i just buy 1 for the Surround sound?

And any other advice and i would be very greatful, maybe another surround sound system would be better, with 2 smaller speakers at the front and with 2 optical conections.

Thanks and keep up the good work.

 

[matengawhat]

i've not used that block but i bought the merlin tarantula mains block and then upgraded all the mains cables to the matching tarantula leads - if i'm honest the biggest difference i noticed was when i bought the block big step up - when changed each cable not a massive difference - you might be ok with just the block! You could also try the QED Qunix HDMI - very good cable and cheaper than the Chord.Chord Company Optichord for the optical or QED PERFOMANCE OPTICAL

 

[matengawhat]

Should have also said buy the Qunix HDMI cable save the extra £s and buy a better surround system - use the PS3 as your source for both blu-ray and DVD upscaling and get an amp and speakers - will offer far better sound and functionality

 

[Anonymous]

Having all those fancy cabling (especially the digital ones) will not improve the picture / sound quality at all but will probably cost you a small fortune. Just as matengawhat, I would spend that money towards a better sound receiver / speakers and enjoy the real improvements.

I was still unable to find any proof that a ridiculously priced HDMI cable cold produce a better picture or sound than a regular, cheap one. (build quiality and durability apart)

 

[professorhat]

Well, I haven't seen any "proof" that a more expensive HDMI cable could produce a better picture other than the "proof" that I saw with my own eyes and also the "proof" that every single Audio Visual magazine on the market (including WHF) has noticed these improvements as well. I haven't yet tested mains conditioners / cables for myself, but the same argument applies for the specialists whose job is to test these things and provide us with their results.
Of course, my advice remains always the same, buy from somewhere with a money-back guarantee so that, if you can't see any difference, you can take it back and get your money back. This ensures you don't waste any money.

 

[matengawhat]

i wasn't saying don't buy - firm believer in cables making a difference but the HDMI cables he was suggesting in my opinion the rest of his kit doesn't warrant it and he would be better spending that money on his surround amp and speakers

 

[professorhat]

Yes, just to be clear, I do agree with your suggestions on the QED cables. My answer was really designed to show that not all forum members believe in Max Inc's opinion so the OP could make his own mind up. One man's proof is another man's hob-*** after all...

 

[John Duncan]

I'm going to start charging royalties..........

 

[professorhat]

McVities would owe you millions...!

 

[Anonymous]

If this would have been a religious discussion based on belief, I would have agreed with you. But, this is in fact a discussion about technology which is based on science and ultimately on logic.

There are logical explanations for analogical interconnects which seem to justify investing on. Those have to do with the effects of RFI and EMI over signal transmissions and I couldn't agree more. The higher the cable quality, the better the picture and sound quality due to lower levels of signal contamination.

But, in the digital realm, those problems no longer exist. Is the binary system (digital) that makes data (not signal) transmission immune to EMI or RFI. As long as every bit of information reaches the destination, the mathematical conversion than follows is identical no matter the cable quality that delivered the data. There is no room for interpretation here.

There are RFI and EMI effects on data interconnects as well but they translate into video / audio artefacts, blank screens or scrambled audio and NOT into faded colors, shallow blacks or blurred edges. If the reviewers of this magazine have notices that, than they should have at least question it and come up with a logical explanations before blaming it on the cable.

There are many reasons for buying high quality digital interconnects like the availability of higher bandwidth, the quality guarantee of a reputable manufacturer, the durability of better material and why not, for the simple fact that a £5 digital cable will simply do no justice to a very expensive AV setup.

But, if a £5 HDMI proves no data loss (again, not signal) then claims like "more expensive digital interconnects produce better picture and sound quality" could use a better, stronger explanation.

"Try it and see if there is any difference" or "I've seen the difference, this is better" is the easy way out when there is no solid logical argument.

 

[professorhat]

MaxInc:If the reviewers of this magazine have notices that, than they should have at least question it and come up with a logical explanations before blaming it on the cable.
Erm, WHF reviews HDMI cables and notes the qualities of each. Have a look in the Reviews section and see for yourself. There's plenty of room for interpretation as, you seem to think that a £5 HDMI cable will not suffer from data loss which it obviously will. This perception that digital cables do not suffer from data loss is quite incorrect I'm afraid, hence the need for all the inbuilt error correction facilities in every digital device. Computers have huge amounts of error correction built in when transmitting digital data. Hence better cable, less data loss, less error correction required, better picture.
Anyway, I'm not turning this thread into yet another cable discussion so, let's leave it at two differing pieces of advice for original poster of this thread and he can make his own mind up which to follow. If you want to further discuss the merits of more expensive HDMI cables with other forum members, feel free to start a new thread.

 

[Anonymous]

Error correction assures data integrity, it doesn't change the message. When error correction fails, the whole message fails but I agree with you that this is subject for another topic and I will stop here.

http://www.theps3faq.com/?q=node/10I would follow professor's advice and try several cable before deciding on which to choose. In the end there is only one thing that matters and that is what you see and how you feel.

If buying a more expensive cable makes you see a better picture even if it's not there, than you probably should buy that cable as it is your how you feel that matters in the end.

 

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason for which the moderators have deleted the most important part of my previous message without adding an explanatory note?

 

[Andrew Everard]

MaxInc:Is there a reason for which the moderators have deleted the most important part of my previous message without adding an explanatory note?

If you check the edit notes on your last post, it clearly says 'edited for house rules'. I didn't see your original so don't know what it was that Clare edited, but please don't question moderation in the open forum, as that is contrary to house rules.

 

[Anonymous]

Deleting part of the message changes the essesnce of the post and without a public explanatory note as to why the message was deleted, it transforms the post into a misleading message as it transmits a different idea.

I'm not questioning the moderation decision as that will be addressed usign the contact form, but if the moderation decides a post is not in complience with the house rules then they should either delete the whole post or if editing was made, put a public explanatory note to avoid misleading the public.

 

[Andrew Everard]

And that looks like questioning the moderation again. Please don't do this, as it is in contravention of house rules.

 

[Anonymous]

Suggest you start by fitting the Tacima CS929 block into your system, and (with it being brand new equipment) let everything run in and bed down. Then why not add Russ Andrews power cables one at a time and judge for yourself the improvement. I would start from your signal source and work down the chain.
Personally I have my whole system connected up with the above components and enjoy a worthwhile improvement to my music and TV picture. However it is best for you to judge for yourself because only your own thoughts (and ears!) matter.

All the best

 

[Anonymous]

clearer audio power cables made a noticable difference to my tv blu ray and sky hd box

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice Trevor