Review Speaker Cables

[Deleted member 188516]

Hi,
I have not tested the cables you have mentioned. Do you have the electrical specifications for the cables ?.

My PC sound for Firefox is not working, so i may examine the video using Chrome later.

For a cable, you want the lowest resistance, capacitance, and inductance per metre you can find.

The Nordost ribbon cable - i looked at the 4 flat speaker cable, and the capacitance is 21pF per metre, and the inductance is 2.1uH per metre (i used 3 feet per metre), so the inductance is higher than QED79, and the capacitance is lower.

View attachment 1588

I have assumed that the Nordost resistance per metre is the same as the QED79, and above shows the frequency response. The Nordost is 0.017dB lower at 20kHz from the QED79. You will not be able to hear this difference.

The other aspect, the vendor videos do need to be taken with a pinch of salt. I have seen videos where the other cable is coiled up, yet the "better cable" is uncoiled. I have seen a video where the testing equipment is very old, and the oscilloscope trace is blurry. Another video, the vendor stated that they had discovered a new type of distortion, but alas, the demonstration could not proceed due to a power outage, despite the lights being on etc.

There are amplifiers poorly engineered - one make has a devout following, and their amplifiers do not include the output inductor - so any cable with a high capacitance causes instability in the amplifier, unless that cable has significant inductance per metre.

Regards,
Shadders.

once again another detailed and brilliant reply - much appreciated. i'm afraid i don't have the electrical specifications for the audioquest, kimber or nordost cables mentioned sadly. i was just wondering whether the change of design from solid core to woven varistrand to solid core ribbon had any strange effects that are measured in the analyzer used in post #17.
i have noted your advice with vendor videos (i agree !) and poorly designed amplifiers - maybe that's why cables have a bigger effect on some systems and not others ? once again thanks for answering my questions - genuinely appreciated. its a shame all cable discussions can not be conducted like this !

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Funnily enough, when I've heard differences it's been primarily in the bass. Freebies in comparison with current interconnects and the bass just disappeared. And the issue I had with previous speaker cables was a 'swampiness' that was very obviously absent with their replacements.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Funnily enough, when I've heard differences it's been primarily in the bass. Freebies in comparison with current interconnects and the bass just disappeared. And the issue I had with previous speaker cables was a 'swampiness' that was very obviously absent with their replacements.

your brave to admit that !
the trolls will be along soon...

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Water off a duck's back!

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Water off a duck's back!

same here but...some people get banned if the majority disagree with their views and the inevitable argument results !

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I'd argue that that particular issue was more to do with not letting matters lie, but let's not stray from topic again, eh?

 

[Deleted member 188516]

I'd argue that that particular issue was more to do with not letting matters lie, but let's not stray from topic again, eh?

maybe, but we all like to give as good as we get, i know i do !
i do wish the op would return with some more info...

 

[Friesiansam]

i do wish the op would return with some more info...

Maybe he's shot his bolt, nothing else left...

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

your brave to admit that !

Thinking about it, it shouldn't be deemed brave by anyone, though. That cable thread I started showed that whether we're right or wrong, most people here do believe that cabling can make a difference. We should therefore be able to discuss such matters without a minority making it unpleasant (by which I don't just mean disagreeing). I should stress that there's nothing unpleasant in this thread. So far.

 

[Deleted member 188516]

Thinking about it, it shouldn't be deemed brave by anyone, though. That cable thread I started showed that whether we're right or wrong, most people here do believe that cabling can make a difference. We should therefore be able to discuss such matters without a minority making it unpleasant (by which I don't just mean disagreeing). I should stress that there's nothing unpleasant in this thread. So far.

agreed. on a hifi forum all subjects hifi based should be able to be discussed without sarcasm and "suspicion"...

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Hey, I'm ok with suspicion!