What interconnects to go for?

[mbe60]

Hello all.

I have taken the plunge today and ordered my new system. New components consist of,

Pro-ject X Pack Turntable

Pro-ject Phono box 2

Roksan Kandy K2 amp

Roksan Kandy K2 cd player

Monitor Audio RX6 speakers.

Question is what interconnects and speaker cable to go for, suggestions anyone......

 

[the record spot]

Your call really as it depends on whether or not you think they make a difference. I've tried a bunch frmo £8 up to £200+ and found the cheapest was as good as the most expensive. If you want a cable that's a good all-rounder, then QED's Qunex 2 or 3 will be fine. Computergear's £8 cheapo job is the same. Atlas Navigator on offer around the place for around £90 is another (reduced from about £225) is likewise. I've got all three. You pays your money...oh, for speaker cable, I use 322 strand / 14AWG cable, about £5.50 for 10 metres, bare wire connection. System sounds great.

EDIT: really nice set up you've bought - I hope you're enjoying it!

 

[CnoEvil]

What is your budget?

 

[idc]

I agree top setup you have. Now you need to decide, do cables make a difference? The answer is that they do, if you decide to believe the hype generated by cable makers and many audiophiles. And they don't if you don't. The difference between sighted testing of cables and ABX blind testing proves that. When people have sight of the cable and know about the hype, thye often report big differences. As soon as listeners cannot see what they are listening to the differences get smaller. Then, when they have no idea what they are listening to, no one can reliably tell any cables apart.

Furthermore, if you read through cable makers claims regarding their cables they concentrate on build quality to build up the hype and then show how measureably there are differences between cables. What they fail to do is prove a link between cables and sound quality. They just insinuate it. Some even admit it is unknown or unlikely that some differences are audible, such as skin effect.

The only time the physical make up of the cable can make a difference is over length, usually lengths far greater than used in a domestic hifi.

My advice would be to save your money and get decent cables off eBay, search neutrik van damme, both highly respected products used mainly in the pro audio world where cable hype doesn't work. I am delighted with mine.

 

[mbe60]

Thanks for the replies. Food for thought there..

The shop I have bought the gear from have offered a demo on interconnects when I pick up my kit. Think I will demo the cables without knowing which are which and see if I can tell a difference.

Thanks for the complements, the system sounded sublime in the shop, hope I can get it to sound that good when I take delivery of it..

 

[mbe60]

What is your budget?

Not sure, don't want to pay loads out if i cannot hear a difference.

Is it recommended around 10% of the system price?

 

[aliEnRIK]

id recommend Van Damme UP LC-OFC for both ICs and speaker cables. Less grain than standard OFC

Cheap to boot

But if you want to follow the blind, connect up some old wire coathangers - wires just wire isnt it?

 

[CnoEvil]

What is your budget?

Not sure, don't want to pay loads out if i cannot hear a difference.

Is it recommended around 10% of the system price?

I recommend that you do the demo, trust your ears and judgement, and buy what make sense to you.

10% is a guideline and not set in stone - spend less if you can't hear a difference and more if you can hear a big difference.

Cno

 

[Anonymous]

id recommend Van Damme UP LC-OFC for both ICs and speaker cables. Less grain than standard OFC

Cheap to boot

But if you want to follow the blind, connect up some old wire coathangers - wires just wire isnt it?

you mean those that think their bdp's dvd upscaling burns in?

 

[Craig M.]

don't read reviews before demoing.

don't let the dealer adjust the volume between changing cables, things usually sound better when the volume is nudged up a bit.

if possible avoid knowing which cable you are listening to.

if, after that, you think you can hear a difference, you knew which cable was being used or the volume was adjusted buy the one that sounds best.

my own position is that after thinking i heard differences, i eventually got my woman (took a lot of effort) to blind test me and i couldn't tell them apart. i thought, being a miserable sod, that i'd be immune to any sort of expectation bias.

 

[Sizzers]

id recommend Van Damme UP LC-OFC for both ICs and speaker cables. Less grain than standard OFC

Cheap to boot

But if you want to follow the blind, connect up some old wire coathangers - wires just wire isnt it?

you mean those that think their bdp's dvd upscaling burns in?

Not another locked thread Max! lol

 

[bretty]

I was recently talking about cables to an electrical engineer friend of mine, who specialises in hifi. Seriously, this guy knows everything about the subject. He said that cables USED to make a difference in the past, when amps were unstable in regards to current. those older amps were susceptable to the different resistances and other qualities of cables. Modern amps, even budget models, are so stable that they make no difference.

I used to be a believer in not just cables but pretty much every audiophile product. But, slowly my common sense started to prevail and I realised it was all hokum. As an ex-believer I can say it's all psychosomatic. When I bought a new cable it sounded better because I wanted it to sound better.

The important things are your components. Get those right and it doesn't really matter what cabling you use.

 

[the record spot]

But if you want to follow the blind, connect up some old wire coathangers - wires just wire isnt it?

What a surprise Rik - everyone else can state their case without slagging off the other's opinions, but, as ever, you can't resist. I suppose it would go against the "grain"...I ponied up, so I think I can speak with a clear conscience here. £200-odd worth of Atlas Navigator's bound to make a difference after all, right?

 

[Anonymous]

But if you want to follow the blind, connect up some old wire coathangers - wires just wire isnt it?

What a surprise Rik - everyone else can state their case without slagging off the other's opinions, but, as ever, you can't resist. I suppose it would go against the "grain"...I ponied up, so I think I can speak with a clear conscience here. £200-odd worth of Atlas Navigator's bound to make a difference after all, right?

yes rik likes to get in his little digs, and when he's asked to explain some of his assumptions (which he regularly states as facts) he seems to go missing, or the thread gets locked??

i think the forum would like to hear what rik has to say, i mean, what's wrong with asking someone to explain their views? surely we are entitled to do that?

i'd very much like to hear riks explanation as to how he perceived his oppo blu-ray players upscaling ability went from very poor to very good when that simply could not happen??

come on rik, fill us in??

 

[matthewpiano]

This doesn't really help the OP does it?

To the OP, what cables did the dealer use when you auditioned the system?

 

[Anonymous]

What is your budget?

Not sure, don't want to pay loads out if i cannot hear a difference.

Is it recommended around 10% of the system price?

the 10% of the system spend on cables is a rule of thumb that people who make money from cables have created, i personally don't believe there is any difference between cables, as blind testing proves.

the above info is my attempt at helping the op.

 

[Sizzers]

I've swapped Chord Carnival SilverScreen for this as I needed a longer cable run. I've swapped Chord Crimson for these as, again, I needed a longer cable run. I've swapped QED Performance for this as, again, I needed a longer cable run (I would have bought there "Value" cable but it was out of stock in store). Now I'm not deaf, blind, or have no taste, but you know what? There is no difference whatsoever (IMO, of course) between these and the original cables (and I'm buying some coat hangers tomorrow lol).

 

[Dave_]

yes rik likes to get in his little digs, and when he's asked to explain some of his assumptions (which he regularly states as facts) he seems to go missing, or the thread gets locked??

Now i don't agree with a lot of what rik has to say, but coming from you max, thats a bit rich...

 

[Alec]

This will end terribly well.

 

[Anonymous]

Here you go. As good as it gets. (I have no affiliation with the shops - that was a quick Google search.)

Interconnects:

http://www.proaudioshop.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=72&products_id=319

Speaker cable:

http://www.clearly-av.co.uk/manufacturer_vandamme.html?gclid=COOK37CkmKkCFQRP4Qodvxb-uA

 

[Anonymous]

I think all said that needs to be said.

 

[The_Lhc]

yes rik likes to get in his little digs, and when he's asked to explain some of his assumptions (which he regularly states as facts) he seems to go missing, or the thread gets locked??

Now i don't agree with a lot of what rik has to say, but coming from you max, thats a bit rich...

It's rich, filthy and catflap...

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

sorry for hijacking the thread but I'd like to ask daveh75 a question. seeing that you've got active Focuses how would you rate them? how do they compare to your previous speakers?

on topic. I hear differences in cables. silver plated copper speaker cable - no good; too much high frequency glare. pure copper speaker cable - ok, very natural; just as detailed but this annoying brightness vanished.

as for interconnects I had only copper ones so can't comment if there are IMO any differences in "sound" between conductors.

but the bottom line is that manufacturers would most likely be using basic multistranded copper wires for internal wiring. I can't see any reason why not to use the same type of conductor to connect one box with another.

 

[Alantiggger]

The cables do not make any difference..... grrrr

The people who say they DO either work for a shop/company who sell most expensive cables.... or folk who have spent a LOT of money in doing so..... bottom line is that ''What Hi-Fi'' ? Their hands are kind of 'tied' as their magazine is all ABOUT Hi-Fi.

The actual 'items' (cd players, amps,speakers,dvd players,blu ray players etc DO make a difference though as a lot use different bits inside)

HERE endith THAT lesson 🙂

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

The people who say they DO either work for a shop/company who sell most expensive cables....

... or maybe they just have better speakers than yours...