Mains cables

JoelSim

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Aug 24, 2007
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EDITED BY MODS - please do not discuss moderation

I feel bound to say that since I spent a good sum on mains cables, they do make a difference. It's not a complete change in character, it's a refinement of a sound you like. Far more air in the soundstage and a deeper involvement occurs.

Anyway, until you've tried it, please refrain from comments. If you do try it you will hear it for yourselves.
 

idc

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2008
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Hi Joel, good luck with this one and I will get my comment in early..................

JoelSim:

.......I feel bound to say that since I spent a good sum on mains cables, they do make a difference. It's not a complete change in character, it's a refinement of a sound you like. Far more air in the soundstage and a deeper involvement occurs.......

True, with some kit, some of the time, in some houses and to some people who listen out for the sometimes tiny differences.

JoelSim:

Anyway, until you've tried it, please refrain from comments. If you do try it you will hear it for yourselves.

I think that other posters are perfectly entitled to ask questions, even cast aspersions on the claims made about mains cables. Not having tried it weakens their argument, but it should not really open them to ridicule. The last thread was an embarrassment for the forum. It is too easy for people to come on and wind up others for the fun of it, or even unintentionally. I really hope that this is kept to a more moderate, humerous and thought provoking level.

emotion-29.gif
enjoy the music and dont post in anger
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JoelSim

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Aug 24, 2007
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idc:
Hi Joel, good luck with this one and I will get my comment in early..................

JoelSim:

.......I feel bound to say that since I spent a good sum on mains cables, they do make a difference. It's not a complete change in character, it's a refinement of a sound you like. Far more air in the soundstage and a deeper involvement occurs.......

True, with some kit, some of the time, in some houses and to some people who listen out for the sometimes tiny differences.

JoelSim:

Anyway, until you've tried it, please refrain from comments. If you do try it you will hear it for yourselves.

I think that other posters are perfectly entitled to ask questions, even cast aspersions on the claims made about mains cables. Not having tried it weakens their argument, but it should not really open them to ridicule. The last thread was an embarrassment for the forum. It is too easy for people to come on and wind up others for the fun of it, or even unintentionally. I really hope that this is kept to a more moderate, humerous and thought provoking level.

emotion-29.gif
ÿ enjoy the music and dont post in anger
emotion-21.gif


Agreed. But they can make a significant difference.ÿ
 

JoelSim

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Aug 24, 2007
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Kevin Stephens:given the choice between spending £100 on mains cables or 6-7 new CDs I know which I would choose

I suspect on CDs, you are perfectly within your rights. But you could try at no risk with many companies. If you don't like it you get a full refund.

ÿ
 

JoelSim

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Aug 24, 2007
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More to the point where could I upgrade my CDP for £72, which is what my Nordost Shiva cost 2nd hand. And I have that now so if and when I do decide to upgrade my CDP, I have a lead that will benefit it. Mind you it will cost me serious cash to upgrade properly across all the components.

ÿ
 

idc

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2008
1,142
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JoelSim:

More to the point where could I upgrade my CDP for £72............

You could see about getting it modified. I did that with one of my amps to great success (£110) and will do it with the other. All products are made to a price point. Modifying allows the real potential to come out. A while back I made up a list of upgrades and my estimate of how effective certain upgrades are to improving sound. Now, I have tried mods they go to number one most effective upgrade by miles, and for not much more than the cost of many a mains cable.
 

idc

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2008
1,142
117
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Kevin Stephens:given the choice between spending £100 on mains cables or 6-7 new CDs I know which I would choose

Hi Kevin, just saw your signature, nice kit list and ripe for modification. Musical Fidelity offer an after market mods service for virtually all of their products; http://www.musicalfidelity.com/tune/pricelist.html; though now I have seen the full price list it is quite expensive!
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Joel, people have a right to their opinions, just as you have a right to yours. If their opinions happen to disagree with yours, so be it, but they do have the right to express them.

As to your other point, I've not tried putting nitrogen in my car tyres, simply because I know the science and it makes no difference to the rate at which a tyre will go flat. That doesn't mean I have to refrain from making comments. Similarly with cables. The Bryston article puts it simply and well, which is why I quoted it in another thread.

The 30 day trial doesn't interest me. My system sounds good, I'd rather spend the money on records or CDs.
 

gregory

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Sep 9, 2007
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So Joel, you would prefer other members not to comment on the differences between mains cables and if they make a difference or not, well it's an open forum and if the moderators feel it's offensive then fair enough but people have a right to express their opinions to either agree or disagree, like i agree that unless you have tried it for yourself how can you give an informed opinion but people will comment nonetheless. I only post replies or offer to help if i know something about the product mentioned and some topics i steer clear of. As i dont listen to cd's often in fact hardly ever i then usually stay away from that area but i am still entitled to give an opinion. Here's a scenario for you. The other day i swapped my kettle lead for my amp lead the difference was clear the amp seemed to steam along at a rate of knots i've never heard before, so hot, so bubbley and as for my kettle the boiling seemed to go lower it's as if it gained a deepness i've never heard before and the whistle to inform me the kettle had boiled was not shrill or hard but smooth and controlled, i'm a convert the amp lead stays on the kettle and the kettle lead on the amp. Now is that flippant or do you believe me.
 

aliEnRIK

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Aug 27, 2008
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Hi Joel. Yes cables do make a difference as ive found myself many MANY times over

I think the problem stems from people commenting who have never actually tried them themselves. Go figure........
 

aliEnRIK

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Aug 27, 2008
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Tarquinh:
Joel, people have a right to their opinions, just as you have a right to yours. If their opinions happen to disagree with yours, so be it, but they do have the right to express them.

As to your other point, I've not tried putting nitrogen in my car tyres, simply because I know the science and it makes no difference to the rate at which a tyre will go flat. That doesn't mean I have to refrain from making comments.

.

Yes people have a right to comment. But keep it 'nice' and dont go expecting people to believe anything they say when they have names like 'sceptic' and 'voodoo' and clearly havnt even tried half of what they say

As for the tyres ~ surely ANYTHING with more or less density than air will escape slightly faster or slower with a puncture?
emotion-4.gif
 
T

the record spot

Guest
Some people think they make a difference, others don't. Nothing to see here, move on...
 
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Anonymous

Guest
aliEnRIK:Tarquinh:
Joel, people have a right to their opinions, just as you have a right to yours. If their opinions happen to disagree with yours, so be it, but they do have the right to express them.

As to your other point, I've not tried putting nitrogen in my car tyres, simply because I know the science and it makes no difference to the rate at which a tyre will go flat. That doesn't mean I have to refrain from making comments.

.

ÿ

Yes people have a right to comment. But keep it 'nice' and dont go expecting people to believe anything they say when they have names like 'sceptic' and 'voodoo' and clearly havnt even tried half of what they say

As for the tyres ~ surely ANYTHING with more or less density than air will escape slightly faster or slower with a puncture?ÿ
emotion-4.gif


Exactly, and the problem is that air is 71 percent nitrogen anyway, and that the other major component (I'm simplifying) is oxygen, which, being further up the scale and only being able to exist as O2 means that a tyre filled with air will deflate more slowly than one filled with nitrogen!ÿ

As you'd know well enough, Nitrogen is used in aircraft tyres and in racing car tyres, but that's more to do with the temperatures at which they must operate and the impact of a sudden injection of oxygen to a spark in the event of a crash. Nitrogen is still available at some service stations in Germany and Australia, I believe.ÿ
 
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Anonymous

Guest
If in doubt go to a nordost dem room at the sound and vision show you will be shocked im telling you . Me , clearer audio power cables , van der hul flats hdmi big difference sound and vision. oh and that no brainer tacima block is exellent vfm
 
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Anonymous

Guest
hi joelsim i have tried moving my hifi about and i found my systems
sounds could change for the better, where i could use a socket for each component
of my system, but the biggest improvement came when i used the cooker point
for my headphone amp and cd player i.then i tried my amp and cd player


this also had a better sound on my hifi
i am now thinking of getting a spur for hifi use only
so i do think the mains cables have a part to play in the overall sound of your hifi..
 
T

the record spot

Guest
Nordost will make a difference, but it's not a zero sum game. They will work well in some systems, but not all, so saying "go hear Nordost" might mislead other readers into thinking they're the answer to their prayers. I only mention this given I'd tried some of their Blue Heaven interconnects and it wasn't match made in heaven with my system. Moved to Audioquest Copperhead and the natural order of things was restored.

The biggest change that you can make to your system, IMO, is to change the main component parts - source, amp, speaker, DAC. Everything else is tweaking (again, IMO).
 

Tonya

Well-known member
Sep 9, 2008
57
3
18,545
GREGORY WROTE : "The other day I swapped my kettle lead for my amp lead the difference was clear the amp seemed to steam along at a rate of knots I've never heard before, so hot, so bubbley and as for my kettle the boiling seemed to go lower it's as if it gained a deepness I've never heard before and the whistle to inform me the kettle had boiled was not shrill or hard but smooth and controlled, I'm a convert the amp lead stays on the kettle and the kettle lead on the amp."

Pure brilliance Gregory!
That 's the funniest thing I've read in ages.
I imagine that the power button on the CD player pops up right after the music has finished playing.
Gonna be smiling all day now
emotion-2.gif
 

Kevin Stephens

New member
Apr 16, 2009
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idc:

Hi Kevin, just saw your signature, nice kit list and ripe for modification. Musical Fidelity offer an after market mods service for virtually all of their products; http://www.musicalfidelity.com/tune/pricelist.html; though now I have seen the full price list it is quite expensive!

LOL, I've only had it a couple of weeks, still runing it in. The 3.5 is a recent model so MF don't offerr an upgrade

Next upgrade will be the 2009 Gramaphone CD guide, £20 ex demo
 

Big Chris

New member
Apr 3, 2008
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JoelSim:I know the other thread has just been locked, and this one isn't intended to carry on an argument. But having seen a few of the posts I feel bound to say that since I spent a good sum on mains cables, they do make a difference. It's not a complete change in character, it's a refinement of a sound you like. Far more air in the soundstage and a deeper involvement occurs.

My findings exactly.

As you posted later on, it's also an upgrade that can stay with you through component upgrades. I used my R.A Powerkord with my CD72T. Then I got the CD192 and didn't even take the supplied cable out of the box, just stuck the Powerkord straight into the 192...... Great stuff.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Don't you lot get bored discussing cables?

Jeez, if I ever read again that they make my tea taste better, I think my head will implode.
 

jase fox

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2008
212
0
18,790
Cables do make a difference, it's a case of just trying for yourself & if you cant tell a difference then it of course saves you money !

Mind you ive just recently taken my RA classic powercord from my plasma & put the QED Qonduit back in & i cant tell any differences really which is good as i dont have to buy a more expensive one for the tv, iv'e found that changing powercords to plasma's etc dont make much noticeable differences i think its more beneficial using them on CDP, bluray players & amps IM

Has anybodyelse noticed that they dont make much differences to tv's or am i alone?
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Cables make a difference because otherwise we'd all have expensive bricks. Do they make a difference to the sound? Some believe they do, some have enough knowledge in the field to believe they cannot, others just plug in their equipment and enjoy.

There are some things - gravity, the solar system, the theory of relativity, plus many other laws of physics and chemistry we all take for granted and few think of ÿ"trying before you buy". Other area s, such as religion, horoscopes, the ability of England to win the world cup require faith, and anything that requires faith by its very nature cannot be proven, because proof denies faith.

To me the whole cable issue falls into the first category: it's science, therefore can be proved or refuted, but I want to understand the underlying science. There's no faith involved.ÿHowever, if you insist others must try before expressing a contrary opinion on a subject which falls firmly within the realm sciences, then in fairness you have to give the scientific basis for your assertions.

Enough is enough. The bottom line is, as has been expressed elsewhere, it doesn't really matter. If you hear a difference, you hear a difference and there's no gainsaying that. If you can't be bothered with the whole cable thing, that's fine, too. In the end it's your life, and your HiFi.

Anyway, I'm out of here, it's stopped raining at last.ÿ
 

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