Oh no, another pesky CABLE question.

[ESP2009]

Yes, here we go round the merry-go-round once more!

One of the reasons I stepped back from the forum was the same old debates taking place. My enthusiasm waned. I had purchased and swapped my way to a comfortable listening plateau and grew disinterested. Also, I found that all those cable upgrades and tweaks aren't just subjective; they seem, in my experience, to depend very much on the kit you link up.

So, I have boxed up a small cross-section of premium cables and stored them away. Good ole Van Damme seems fine for my system - it costs a fraction of the Chord Co and other speaker cables I purchased (mainly off Fleabay) and gives pretty much the same level of performance. True, it might sound a little different, maybe emphasising one characteristic over another when compared with the Silverscreen or whatever, but none of my cables currently give a marked 'improvement' over each other.

But in the past, with other components I have tried, these cables have made a real difference. Therefore, I can fully appreciate that opinions can be so polarised: for some the cables have made little or no difference because their system may be as unresponsive to tweaking as mine currently is. If I do change my system in future, I will certainly get all those cables out again to see what occurs. I can't help myself!

 

[plastic penguin]

Yes, here we go round the merry-go-round once more!

One of the reasons I stepped back from the forum was the same old debates taking place. My enthusiasm waned. I had purchased and swapped my way to a comfortable listening plateau and grew disinterested. Also, I found that all those cable upgrades and tweaks aren't just subjective; they seem, in my experience, to depend very much on the kit you link up.

So, I have boxed up a small cross-section of premium cables and stored them away. Good ole Van Damme seems fine for my system - it costs a fraction of the Chord Co and other speaker cables I purchased (mainly off Fleabay) and gives pretty much the same level of performance. True, it might sound a little different, maybe emphasising one characteristic over another when compared with the Silverscreen or whatever, but none of my cables currently give a marked 'improvement' over each other.

But in the past, with other components I have tried, these cables have made a real difference. Therefore, I can fully appreciate that opinions can be so polarised: for some the cables have made little or no difference because their system may be as unresponsive to tweaking as mine currently is. If I do change my system in future, I will certainly get all those cables out again to see what occurs. I can't help myself!

Hence why I rarely get involved with cable thread/debates. When you consider I've had the Chopins since 2007, SilverScreen since 2010 and the Chrysalis since 'gawd knows when', I'm no cable junkie.

I've mainly favoured Chord products purely because they match well with existing/past kits.

 

[SteveR750]

Hmm, I didn't think of trying different cables with the M2 and D18s, since I bought some silver screen to try to brighten up the spendors. I have got some basic sopper QED cables that I could try, but to be honest the change first time round didn't make that much difference, marginal at best.

Anyway, I have an open mind, so am after something that is neutral, less bright, or harsh than silver screen..?

 

[plastic penguin]

Hmm, I didn't think of trying different cables with the M2 and D18s, since I bought some silver screen to try to brighten up the spendors. I have got some basic sopper QED cables that I could try, but to be honest the change first time round didn't make that much difference, marginal at best.

Anyway, I have an open mind, so am after something that is neutral, less bright, or harsh than silver screen..?

Personally don't like QED cables. I've always found them to be a bit "wishy-washy" sounding. The SilverScreens are very good, no question, however, they are copper so will tame rather than brighten the presentation. As I've always said, though it is subtle changes...

 

[ESP2009]

Although my experience in comparison with a good many forum members is limited, for what it is worth my opinion is that as long as you are careful when disconnecting and reconnecting, what harm can it do to give it a try? If you can borrow, or at least purchase cheaply, an open mind is as healthy as it gets.

I followed the advice of one or two site members and purchased some of the Van Damme cable and haven't looked back. But that's not to say it will be just right for my next set-up...whenever that puts in an appearance.

 

[albireo]

By far and away the best upgrades I made to my sound was the change of speakers, the amp, some sources and speakers positioning. Then the music itself, the best masterings you can get (have a look at the Steve Hoffman forum; a great resource).

I could not agree more with this. My system consists of HRT Music Streamer II+ DAC, Creek Evolution Amp, Dynaudio Focus 110 speakers. The difference made by the following two changes in my system was astounding:

-seeking out audiophile masterings of CDs I already owned

-playing with speakers and listening position

The difference made by replacing some trustworthy £2/m Van Damme Blue with some £6/m Chord was none (with my system, my ears, my room). I sold the Chord on ebay for almost as much as I had paid for it, and used the money to buy more properly mastered CDs (XRCD24, APO etc).

 

[plastic penguin]

Although my experience in comparison with a good many forum members is limited, for what it is worth my opinion is that as long as you are careful when disconnecting and reconnecting, what harm can it do to give it a try? If you can borrow, or at least purchase cheaply, an open mind is as healthy as it gets.

I followed the advice of one or two site members and purchased some of the Van Damme cable and haven't looked back. But that's not to say it will be just right for my next set-up...whenever that puts in an appearance.

That it be...

FWIW, I'm going to order a set of Chord Odyssey speaker cables for around £15 per mtr. I'll only need 3-4 mtrs of the sinewy stuff, so it won't set me back fortunes.

 

[ESP2009]

...and if you aren't happy with the result you either store it away for future experiments or sell it on (probably with little depreciation). Hey, it's a hobby and we can spend money on it if we like!

We look forward to your report...

 

[Anonymous]

Have fun PP, and I agree ESP2009!

I think I have only auditioned cables once, and never compared cables before the purchase. I've been pleased with the end result btw, and come to my conclusion through lots of reading (as there is always a common thread revealing how a cable will "sound") and price range.

Initially I bought:

2 sets of Cable Talk Broadcast 2's interconnects £200 (CD to pre, pre to power), combined with 7m runs Nodorst Flatline Gold Biwire speaker £240 years ago

Then replaced above with DNM interconnects and Atlas Hyper Biwire, used the Broadcast 2s on "lesser" sources, and now can use the Nordost to run my ES30s on hifi 2#

On the main hifi, I home auditioned the Wadia and Muse amps with Transparent Super (both RCA and balanced) so bought the 10 foot Ultra XLR for £750. I then replaced this with the 1m Ultra version off Ebay for about £1k and sold the super for £500. I got to compare my Ultra with the MM2 technology version of the same interconnect, and could hear an improvement (so much for "cables don't make a difference").

The speaker cable - biwire runs of Townshend Isolda which cost £800, was bought from reading the review and forum posts. I've since had the chance to compare this with the Transparent MM2 Ultra speaker cable and its not far different. A little less refined, more "raw", suits my tastes.

So that's at least 2 sins I've committed:

1. Buying cables without auditioning

2. Spending far too much money on cables.

But hey, its my money and I'm happy

 

[Anonymous]

I've worked out I only need 3 mtrs of the stuff, and someone on Fleebay is selling Odyssey for £15.95 per mtr.

And don't forget a pair of these DNM High Frequency Termination Network (HFTN) thingys :shifty:

 

[plastic penguin]

Have fun PP, and I agree ESP2009!

I think I have only auditioned cables once, and never compared cables before the purchase. I've been pleased with the end result btw, and come to my conclusion through lots of reading (as there is always a common thread revealing how a cable will "sound") and price range.

Initially I bought:

2 sets of Cable Talk Broadcast 2's interconnects £200 (CD to pre, pre to power), combined with 7m runs Nodorst Flatline Gold Biwire speaker £240 years ago

Then replaced above with DNM interconnects and Atlas Hyper Biwire, used the Broadcast 2s on "lesser" sources, and now can use the Nordost to run my ES30s on hifi 2#

On the main hifi, I home auditioned the Wadia and Muse amps with Transparent Super (both RCA and balanced) so bought the 10 foot Ultra XLR for £750. I then replaced this with the 1m Ultra version off Ebay for about £1k and sold the super for £500. I got to compare my Ultra with the MM2 technology version of the same interconnect, and could hear an improvement (so much for "cables don't make a difference").

The speaker cable - biwire runs of Townshend Isolda which cost £800, was bought from reading the review and forum posts. I've since had the chance to compare this with the Transparent MM2 Ultra speaker cable and its not far different. A little less refined, more "raw", suits my tastes.

So that's at least 2 sins I've committed:

1. Buying cables without auditioning

2. Spending far too much money on cables.

But hey, its my money and I'm happy

Too true about buying stuff without auditioning. Never normally undertake such ghastly acts. Should have a common tonal balance to the SilverScreen, though. But £60 for a plate of spaghetti isn't going to bankrupt me...

 

[CnoEvil]

Yes, here we go round the merry-go-round once more!

One of the reasons I stepped back from the forum was the same old debates taking place. My enthusiasm waned. I had purchased and swapped my way to a comfortable listening plateau and grew disinterested. Also, I found that all those cable upgrades and tweaks aren't just subjective; they seem, in my experience, to depend very much on the kit you link up.

I for one miss your quirky input, which always makes me smile. There is also the fact that I like to keep up to date with the latest antics of the (now) infamous furry ferrets.....behaving themselves I hope.

:cheers:

Cno