Speaker cable

[ToppingSMSL]

I'd argue it's largely only speakers and the room they're in that really matter.

Everything else, mostly audiophile toss

I agree. Amps these days are very good. As long as you have one powerful enough for your needs should be fine.

 

[davidf]

I agree. Amps these days are very good. As long as you have one powerful enough for your needs should be fine.

They are. But there's still marked differences. Like anything else, you can buy something you think is good enough, or you can spend a little extra time and find something exceptional. Up to you.

 

[Fandango Andy]

To whom it may concern.
Speaker cables. Any cables.
Blind test.....YES or NO?
It REALLY is as simple as that.

Blind tests are flawed.

You don't get to inspect the quality of the weave of the unicorn hair used for the insulation. You don't know how much snake oil was used to lubricant the connectors. And most importantly, you don't know the price, surely the most expensive cables are best!

 

[Fandango Andy]

I'd argue it's largely only speakers and the room they're in that really matter.

Everything else, mostly audiophile toss

Agreed. It's a sliding scale, starting with the room and the speakers, by the time you get to cables any difference is so small the average listener with the average system isn't going to hear it.

I recently swapped the RCA from my CD player to amp as I needed a longer cable in order to rearrange things. I went from an Ecosse (now used for my DAC) to an Amazon Basics. I can hear no difference in the CD or Streamer.

 

[davidf]

Well, if you get your speaker choice wrong (for the room), you're off to a bad start. Pick an amp that doesn't breathe life into the speakers, you can forget about anything else making any difference.

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

Well, if you get your speaker choice wrong (for the room), you're off to a bad start. Pick an amp that doesn't breathe life into the speakers, you can forget about anything else making any difference.

Yes, very true.

 

[ToppingSMSL]

They are. But here's still marked differences. Like anything else, you can something you think is good enough, or you can spend a little xtra time and find something exceptional. Up to you.

Differences because of power or what else?

 

[idc]

Well, if you get your speaker choice wrong (for the room), you're off to a bad start. Pick an amp that doesn't breathe life into the speakers, you can forget about anything else making any difference.

That was why I switched to headphones, as I could never get speakers to fit a room around its other uses and family.

I was then given some advice by the owner of Musical Fidelity that the best sound comes when the amp can easily drive the speakers, which I have found to be true in practice. Some high impedance headphones that sounded flat with one headphone amp, came alive with a more powerful one. Headphones that are terrible when plugged into a computer, sound great run off an amp.

It is easier to switch headphones around like that, than it is speakers, so the effect amp power and speaker impedance has, is more noticeable. But the principle applies to speakers, so as a rule of thumb, buy a powerful amp and low impedance speakers to stand the best chance of improved SQ.