RCA Interconnects- worthwhile upgrading?

[Gadusmorhua]

I've read what I can here and elsewhere (with the usual diverse opinions), about the benefits of upgrading interconnects.
I am currently using UGreen interconnects which look reasonable quality, and the plugs fit well.I have a WiiM Pro Plus, a Denon 600ne amp, Marantz 41 CDP and Triangle Br03 speakers. I am happy with the sound but curious- how much would I have to spend on RCA interconnects to notice any difference with my gear, if at all ?
I'm guessing you will say my present interconnects are fine at my level.

 

[Al ears]

I've read what I can here and elsewhere (with the usual diverse opinions), about the benefits of upgrading interconnects.
I am currently using UGreen interconnects which look reasonable quality, and the plugs fit well.I have a WiiM Pro Plus, a Denon 600ne amp, Marantz 41 CDP and Triangle Br03 speakers. I am happy with the sound but curious- how much would I have to spend on RCA interconnects to notice any difference with my gear, if at all ?
I'm guessing you will say my present interconnects are fine at my level.

Correct
Unfortunately only you can determine whether or not you hear a significant improvement worth paying the extra for.

 

[Integralista]

Hi,

I have never in 30 years experienced such fail on cable. I use e.g. Nordost Tyr XLR interconnect and this is excellent. And some Cardas cables, very very good ones.

BR.
Juraj

 

[Dom]

UGreen make great interconnects.

 

[nopiano]

I've read what I can here and elsewhere (with the usual diverse opinions), about the benefits of upgrading interconnects.
I am currently using UGreen interconnects which look reasonable quality, and the plugs fit well.I have a WiiM Pro Plus, a Denon 600ne amp, Marantz 41 CDP and Triangle Br03 speakers. I am happy with the sound but curious- how much would I have to spend on RCA interconnects to notice any difference with my gear, if at all ?
I'm guessing you will say my present interconnects are fine at my level.

I get where you are coming from. It’s very easy for us to conjure a mental picture of one cable or another ‘strangling’ our poor kit. If only we upgraded that cable, all the beautiful sound would just pour forth!

You’re only seeking a difference, and in my experience that’s easier than a clear improvement. The basic cable electrical properties can fractionally alter the sound, and matter like screening, dielectric and so on can can affect noise.

Best way, is to buy a couple of used and popular brands from eBay that you can easily re-sell. Or ask your friendly dealer if they have any loan sets.

 

[abacus]

So long as they are of good quality then there is no point in changing, whether you have paid £500 0r £10,000 for your system. (Avoid any cables made by (So called) high-end Hi-Fi cable manufactures, as they are nothing but a con that relies purely on the placebo effect)

Bill

 

[Integralista]

I get where you are coming from. It’s very easy for us to conjure a mental picture of one cable or another ‘strangling’ our poor kit. If only we upgraded that cable, all the beautiful sound would just pour forth!

You’re only seeking a difference, and in my experience that’s easier than a clear improvement. The basic cable electrical properties can fractionally alter the sound, and matter like screening, dielectric and so on can can affect noise.

Best way, is to buy a couple of used and popular brands from eBay that you can easily re-sell. Or ask your friendly dealer if they have any loan sets.

Hi,

for a hifi of class that you describe, I will recommend interconnect like QED Reference 40, or Cardas Crosslink. Cardas keeps wery vell its value while reselling it later. I use it with Rega Brio level of system, in my "small" system.

BR
Juraj

 

[Gray]

Hi,

I have never in 30 years experienced such fail on cable. I use e.g. Nordost Tyr XLR interconnect and this is excellent. And some Cardas cables, very very good ones.

BR.
Juraj

Have you ever carried out a genuinely blind comparative test between cables Juraj?

Or are you one of those people that think that blind testing is pointless?

You've never had a 'fail' in 30 years 👍

What do you think is the problem for the others....the vast majority of people that cannot hear a difference?
Their ears not up to it?
Probably their equipment is not good enough to resolve the sort of differences you've been noticing for 30 years?......a bit of both maybe?

Tell us what we're doing wrong Juraz.
Is it our blind tests do you think??? 🤔

THE ORIGINAL POSTER NEEDS AN EXPLANATION - BEFORE HE SPENDS THE SORT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE.

 

[bigfish786]

This is my recommendation.
I have the xlr version between my Luxman amp and cd player. Very happy with them. Not overly expensive and made really well. 👍

Black Rhodium Intro RCA Interconnects 1.0m Pair - Red | eBay

Black Rhodium Intro RCA Interconnectsa 1.0m Pair Introducing INTRO by Black Rhodium. Inexpensive yet high quality stereo RCA interconnects for your hi-fi system and other audio systems.Features include:- Copper core in construction- Screened internally- Attractive colour braids of your choosing-...

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

van Damme and MonsterCable interconnects (as well as so no name brands) have worked like a charm for me for twenty-odd years!

 

[Gray]

I'm guessing you will say my present interconnects are fine at my level.

Perfectly fine - for your 'level' and above.

Some of my cable came out of a skip.
Unused VHF TV aerial downlead.
Well screened, flexible, durable and even genuinely 75 ohm - so ideal for digital interconnection too.

My point? Any cable with similar characteristics will work - as with anything else, it is not the case that spending more will always buy better.

But as people always advise on here, if you've got money to spend....go for it, if you want to.

 

[Gadusmorhua]

UGreen make great interconnects.

Then I'll stay with them for now.

I get where you are coming from. It’s very easy for us to conjure a mental picture of one cable or another ‘strangling’ our poor kit. If only we upgraded that cable, all the beautiful sound would just pour forth!

You’re only seeking a difference, and in my experience that’s easier than a clear improvement. The basic cable electrical properties can fractionally alter the sound, and matter like screening, dielectric and so on can can affect noise.

Best way, is to buy a couple of used and popular brands from eBay that you can easily re-sell. Or ask your friendly dealer if they have any loan sets.

I may try one upgraded cable as I've just noticed one of mine is a no-brand interconnect. Then I'll know. I can't tell the difference between a £35 digital coax and the supplied cable, it's just more flexible and nicer plugs. I have to bear in mind that a handful of (modest) interconnects equates to my next amp upgrade, or certainly a proper external dac.

 

[spl84]

I marvel at Nordost interconnects. They are really beautiful cables and they surely function well, but the cost of them are literally offensive to me. Theres is no excuse for charging that kind of price for a set of interconnects. Their high end stuff is just nuts...

 

[Gadusmorhua]

Have you ever carried out a genuinely blind comparative test between cables Juraj?

Or are you one of those people that think that blind testing is pointless?

You've never had a 'fail' in 30 years 👍

What do you think is the problem for the others....the vast majority of people that cannot hear a difference?
Their ears not up to it?
Probably their equipment is not good enough to resolve the sort of differences you've been noticing for 30 years?......a bit of both maybe?

Tell us what we're doing wrong Juraz.
Is it our blind tests do you think??? 🤔

THE ORIGINAL POSTER NEEDS AN EXPLANATION - BEFORE HE SPENDS THE SORT OF MONEY THAT YOU HAVE.

I get the impression that 50% of audio products wouldn't exist if blind testing were used to evaluate them.

What I find disturbing is the very pinnacle of audiophilia, the world where a few people spend truly obscene amounts of money on cables and pretend to enjoy them. I would ask them if their thousands would be better spent on helping others out.
The sort of person who buys this stuff ought to be ignored, let them 'enjoy' the sound on their own, which they can't- we all know their only pleasure is in owning, and boasting about, their £10K cable. I would be glad to shove it down their throat, to be honest.

 

[Al ears]

I get the impression that 50% of audio products wouldn't exist if blind testing were used to evaluate them.

What I find disturbing is the very pinnacle of audiophilia, the world where a few people spend truly obscene amounts of money on cables and pretend to enjoy them. I would ask them if their thousands would be better spent on helping others out.
The sort of person who buys this stuff ought to be ignored, let them 'enjoy' the sound on their own, which they can't- we all know their only pleasure is in owning, and boasting about, their £10K cable. I would be glad to shove it down their throat, to be honest.

Nature of the beast unfortunately. Do you really need a Roll Royce to get from A to B when you could do the same in a Skoda??

 

[Gray]

...they surely function well, but the cost of them are literally offensive to me.

Well they function.
I agree about the offensiveness of the pricing.
I don't like to see such opportunists benefitting from exploitation - even if it could (easily) be argued that the exploited deserve to be cynically exploited to the max.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Whilst I agree about obscene pricing, how do we know that those people are not also significant givers to charities etc? Bottom line is it's a (largely) free world, so there's no point in stamping your feet or wishing genuine ill on those whose priorities differ from your own - at least not without knowing enough about them as individuals.

EDIT - not aimed at you Gray - you posted whilst I was still typing.

 

[Gray]

Whilst I agree about obscene pricing, how do we know that those people are not also significant givers to charities etc? Bottom line is it's a (largely) free world, so there's no point in stamping your feet or wishing genuine ill on those whose priorities differ from your own - at least not without knowing enough about them as individuals.

EDIT - not aimed at you Gray - you posted whilst I was still typing.

No, I know👍
My contempt is for the exploiters, not for those that clearly have too much money (they're just lucky).

 

[daveh75]

I get the impression that 50% of audio products wouldn't exist if blind testing were used to evaluate them.

As low as that!

Its an industry full of charlatans that exists to mainly exploit the gullible, frankly.

 

[Gadusmorhua]

Nature of the beast unfortunately. Do you really need a Roll Royce to get from A to B when you could do the same in a Skoda??

I think obscenely priced cables are worse. A Rolls Royce can be seen as fine engineering and craftmanship, something tangible. I don't want to stop people enjoying nice objects, it's that in the case of a £10,000 cable it is clearly unicorn ****.

Whilst I agree about obscene pricing, how do we know that those people are not also significant givers to charities etc? Bottom line is it's a (largely) free world, so there's no point in stamping your feet or wishing genuine ill on those whose priorities differ from your own - at least not without knowing enough about them as individuals.

EDIT - not aimed at you Gray - you posted whilst I was still typing.

I think the fact that somebody has spent £10k on a cable tellls you everything you need to know about them.

 

[Fandango Andy]

I've read what I can here and elsewhere (with the usual diverse opinions), about the benefits of upgrading interconnects.
I am currently using UGreen interconnects which look reasonable quality, and the plugs fit well.I have a WiiM Pro Plus, a Denon 600ne amp, Marantz 41 CDP and Triangle Br03 speakers. I am happy with the sound but curious- how much would I have to spend on RCA interconnects to notice any difference with my gear, if at all ?
I'm guessing you will say my present interconnects are fine at my level.

Some people will tell you expensive interconnects are a cross between snake oil and the emperors new clothes. Others will tell you they are as important as the components they are connecting and you should spend 10% of your budget on them. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle of that. Ultimately all you can do is listen to them and see if the make a difference.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I think the fact that somebody has spent £10k on a cable tellls you everything you need to know about them.

I'm tempted to agree that it says masses about them, but everything, and in all cases?

Not for me.

 

[Gray]

On another forum a poster said that a secondhand cable he bought benefitted from a period of 'burn-in'.

Another was praising his cables.
I asked if he could blindly tell cables apart....he quickly dismissed the idea of blind testing (as they often do), telling me that I need to be patient (to appreciate the benefits of a cable change).

Make what you will of the above.
(I'll keep what I make of it to myself 🙂).

 

[nopiano]

On another forum a poster said that a secondhand cable he bought benefitted from a period of 'burn-in'.

Another was praising his cables.
I asked if he could blindly tell cables apart....he quickly dismissed the idea of blind testing (as they often do), telling me that I need to be patient (to appreciate the benefits of a cable change).

Make what you will of the above.
(I'll keep what I make of it to myself 🙂).

We know what you’re thinking though! 😂🤣😇

 

[My2Cents]

For what it's worth... my A/B comparison:
I purchased 2 Audioquest .75M USB C to USB B cables, a Forest and a Cinnamon ($70 and $90 respectively).

I noticed no sound quality difference or improvement over the $10 Ugreen 6ft cable that I was using and so I returned the AQ cables.

(MacBook USB to Yamaha R-N800 USB, various hi res streaming services and some hi res FLAC's on my drive).
I guess my gear and ears are not worthy and too 'budget'?