I've got a Cambridge audio interconnect going from my technics CD player to my nad amp the interconnect is 20 years old would a newer QED interconnect be worth buying ? Do interconnects last years ? Thank you for your help
Interconnect from CD player to amp which best on budget ?
- Thread starter Nadfan
- Start date
Al ears
Well-known member
If the interconnect was soundly constructed and has been well treated then there is no reason it shouldn't last. As longer as outer coating hasn't perished or anything it should be fine. Corrosion on the actual plugs can be a problem. Having said that I am sure you'd feel a lot happier with a nice shiny new one (not necessarily QED) as you do not have to spend that much on a good interconnect on today's market.
rainsoothe
Well-known member
Atlas Element Integra. But if your cable is fine, and you're looking for an upgrade, you should just keep it. If you're itchy, though, I guess you could buy a pair online and send it back if you find it was pointless.
Al ears
Well-known member
If you are determined to get something new then either of the above suggestions are good. I might also throw the Chord Crimson or Van Damme Black Ultra into the suggestion box. It really depends on your budget.
£20/m should buy all you'll ever need. I'm not trying to kickstart an argument again, just trying to save you some money. Analogue cables such as interconnects and speaker cables obviously have an effect on the sound, I'm not denying that, that's silly, but there are basic laws of physics which can be applied to determine a cable's electrical properties and hence its suitability for the job, and transparency (or as good as) is not expensive to achieve over short 1m runs. Beyond £20/m or thereabouts, you're paying for hype and the fact that a fool and his money are easily parted.
Deep down even the most ardent 'cablists' know that it's all smoke and mirrors, surely they must do. They just choose to go along with it, which is fine if it floats your boat. Lift the lid on some well-respected HiFi amps and you'll find vital components in the chain (like the volume-pot board) linked to the master circuit board with little more than a computer grade ribbon cable. If anything's going to bottle-neck the sound quality then that will, irrespective of the £100-a-meter 1/4" thick interconnects linking the amp to the source, yet designers with far more technical competence than me have deemed it's audibly transparent enough for the job, and I believe them and trust them.
Deep down even the most ardent 'cablists' know that it's all smoke and mirrors, surely they must do. They just choose to go along with it, which is fine if it floats your boat. Lift the lid on some well-respected HiFi amps and you'll find vital components in the chain (like the volume-pot board) linked to the master circuit board with little more than a computer grade ribbon cable. If anything's going to bottle-neck the sound quality then that will, irrespective of the £100-a-meter 1/4" thick interconnects linking the amp to the source, yet designers with far more technical competence than me have deemed it's audibly transparent enough for the job, and I believe them and trust them.
If its the 'Pacific' - then you can do better. I have a pair of those.
QED performance 2 for a more refined presentation.
Chord Crimson if you prefer a more assertive sound.
£35 pounds will get you a noticeable improvement.
Don't need to break the bank.
Note differences are subtle But will be appreciated long term.
QED performance 2 for a more refined presentation.
Chord Crimson if you prefer a more assertive sound.
£35 pounds will get you a noticeable improvement.
Don't need to break the bank.
Note differences are subtle But will be appreciated long term.
Nadfan said:
Yes the old Pacific, WHF gave them a 5star review a while back - £30 from Richers.
I was surprised when I upgraded from the Pacific to QED cables it was an ear opener.
There are some good suggestions in this thread that'll cost more or less the same you paid for those. pick any that suit your budget and see if it makes a difference in your system.
Imo
The performance2 I would describe as detailed with good separation and 'depth' to its presentation. Good with vocals too.
Bass light but it's a tuneful bass.
Not unlike the Pacific but it's smoother at the top end without 'splash' and better in the mid range and bass.
The Crimsons presentation is more like a wall of sound a really assertive listen. A 'young persons' interconnect.
But I'd suggest you try for yourself and decide and enjoy....
:-D
TrevC
Well-known member
All interconnects sound the same. Of course there's the homeopathy effect that works so well on the gullible.
abacus
Well-known member
Forget Hifi interconnects and cable manufactures, (They just charge you over the odds for a fancy looking cable) just pop down to your local professional music store, tell them what you want the cables for and they will supply you with suitable ones for your needs. (As there good enough for professional film and music production studios, there good enough for any of the equipment you see in Hi Fi magazines, which usually falls well short of studio quality equipment)
Hope this helps
Bill
Hope this helps
Bill
Covenanter
Well-known member
steve_1979
Well-known member
Covenanter said:
I like cables that know their own mind and don't allow themselves to be pushed around by the more aggressive bullying cables.
What do l mean by assertive?
Well, the way my speakers are positioned from my ideal listening position music has a genuine depth to it - were the vocals in free space is forward of the band and backing vocals.
Take a track like Zara McFarlane's 'police and theives' (check it out on YouTube) - the image of her performing in front of her band with everything else occupying their own space in the soundstage is tangible.
It's as if the soundstage has not just been mixed from left to right.
By assertive I mean everything sounds on a flat plain - like they have been pushed forward - a wall of sound. No depth, 3d-ness to the sound.
This is fine for uptempo music but is fatiguing for more 'delicate' or ambient tracks.
The cdplayer/amp/Speaker combo delivers 'space' around the performance really well.
While this is very noticeable with the QED interconnects I own, with the Chord it's not.
Placebo?
You'd have to hear it for yourself and decide - me, I'm just sharing my experience..... :-D
Well, the way my speakers are positioned from my ideal listening position music has a genuine depth to it - were the vocals in free space is forward of the band and backing vocals.
Take a track like Zara McFarlane's 'police and theives' (check it out on YouTube) - the image of her performing in front of her band with everything else occupying their own space in the soundstage is tangible.
It's as if the soundstage has not just been mixed from left to right.
By assertive I mean everything sounds on a flat plain - like they have been pushed forward - a wall of sound. No depth, 3d-ness to the sound.
This is fine for uptempo music but is fatiguing for more 'delicate' or ambient tracks.
The cdplayer/amp/Speaker combo delivers 'space' around the performance really well.
While this is very noticeable with the QED interconnects I own, with the Chord it's not.
Placebo?
You'd have to hear it for yourself and decide - me, I'm just sharing my experience..... :-D
TrevC
Well-known member
Thompsonuxb said:
The thing about placebo is you can't really tell whether there's a difference or not. I know there can't be, because I know how hifi works.
Petherick
Well-known member
[/quote]
The thing about placebo is you can't really tell whether there's a difference or not. I know there can't be, because I know how hifi works.
[/quote]
But do you know how the human auditory system works?
If a 'placebo' works, then it works; that's the point. If it seems to a person that something is better then it really is better.You may not see it this way but we are after all allowed to make our own decisions.
For myself, I think that cables can make a difference to the (perceived) nature of the sound produced by audio equipment. A rule-of-thumb used to be approximately 10% of the value of the equipment to be spent on interconnects. I think this seems reasonable.
The thing about placebo is you can't really tell whether there's a difference or not. I know there can't be, because I know how hifi works.
[/quote]
But do you know how the human auditory system works?
If a 'placebo' works, then it works; that's the point. If it seems to a person that something is better then it really is better.You may not see it this way but we are after all allowed to make our own decisions.
For myself, I think that cables can make a difference to the (perceived) nature of the sound produced by audio equipment. A rule-of-thumb used to be approximately 10% of the value of the equipment to be spent on interconnects. I think this seems reasonable.
Petherick said:
I see what you mean with the placebo being real to the person experiencing it, that's fine. But it then has no value to anybody else, because if it's placebo, any other person will probably experience something else, maybe a different placebo, maybe none at all. So there is absolutely no value to anyone in sharing placebo experiences.
Laurens_B said:
I was halfway through a reply and thought ... na, I'll wait for Trev's reply. Might chime in later
TrevC said:
No you don't.....
Look at what you've said, and I quote - 'The thing about placebo is you can't tell whether there's a difference or not'.
You then start your next sentence, and I quote again 'I know there can't be......'
Has I said you have to hear it for yourself and decide.
But it's not a point worth arguing with you.
Thompsonuxb said:
It is actually 100% correct what he said. Placebo prevents you from being sure whether there is a difference or not. If you know EE (like Trev) you actually can tell whether there are differences between components. Just not by listening
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