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Post by bigred572005 on Apr 16, 2014 7:16:59 GMT -5
Good Morning Everyone,
I am looking into quality RCA cables. It will be Just to go from my UMC 1 to my UPA 5 (about 1.5ft apart). Does anyone have any input on what brand/specs to get? My cables now are the standard RCAs in which you can get....well anywhere.
Thanks, Red
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Post by Canuck_fr on Apr 16, 2014 7:20:25 GMT -5
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Post by mshump on Apr 16, 2014 7:26:30 GMT -5
There are quite a few decent priced quality cables available. Emotiva x series, Blue jeans cable, Monoprice, audioquest. Spending a ton of money won't necessarily yield better sound. Some people do hear differences and some not. I do hear a harshness using Kimber PBJ cable. But anything else I have tried 200.00 and below, I have not heard anything that changed the world.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 16, 2014 8:05:08 GMT -5
^^ What mshump said!
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Post by pedrocols on Apr 16, 2014 8:37:22 GMT -5
I built all my RCA cables from extension cord.
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Post by monkumonku on Apr 16, 2014 8:56:31 GMT -5
Regarding cable quality, here's something I cut and pasted from Schiit.com's site penned by Jason Stoddard who makes some highly respected equipment. This is for the cables he sells:
PYST cables are made from only the finest 6-nines Unobtanium™ alloy, molecularly assembled in our Alternate Universe™ reality-distortion tesseract field , using a secret geometry reverse-engineered from crashed UFOs, painstakingly smuggled out of Area 51 by deep-cover operatives. Performance is further enhanced by the use of a QuantConnect™ quantum-entangled pair of transmission interfaces, held at absolute zero by our exclusive Stasis Field™ technology. The cables are then wrapped in NanoAeroCap™, a nanotechnology-enabled aerogel anti-capacitance insulation system, featuring Fractal Interleaved Geometry™ to create negative inductance for maximum audio transmission quality. Or, er, well . . . again, no. These are nice, high-quality cables, with solid, reliable connectors. That’s it. Hope you like them!
And, here is what he writes in the instruction manual for their passive volume control which is similar in function to Emo's Control Freak:
Connect one source to SYS "In 1" RCA jacks, using high-quality RCA cables. You can use crap RCA cables too, as long as they work."
I have used Monoprice, Emotiva and Blue Jeans cables and haven't heard a difference between any of them. But personally I like BJC because they look the best to me. Also, Emo and BJC are more sturdy than Monoprice but they all work the same.
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novisnick
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Post by novisnick on Apr 16, 2014 9:12:17 GMT -5
Regarding cable quality, here's something I cut and pasted from Schiit.com's site penned by Jason Stoddard who makes some highly respected equipment. This is for the cables he sells: PYST cables are made from only the finest 6-nines Unobtanium™ alloy, molecularly assembled in our Alternate Universe™ reality-distortion tesseract field , using a secret geometry reverse-engineered from crashed UFOs, painstakingly smuggled out of Area 51 by deep-cover operatives. Performance is further enhanced by the use of a QuantConnect™ quantum-entangled pair of transmission interfaces, held at absolute zero by our exclusive Stasis Field™ technology. The cables are then wrapped in NanoAeroCap™, a nanotechnology-enabled aerogel anti-capacitance insulation system, featuring Fractal Interleaved Geometry™ to create negative inductance for maximum audio transmission quality. Or, er, well . . . again, no. These are nice, high-quality cables, with solid, reliable connectors. That’s it. Hope you like them!And, here is what he writes in the instruction manual for their passive volume control which is similar in function to Emo's Control Freak: Connect one source to SYS "In 1" RCA jacks, using high-quality RCA cables. You can use crap RCA cables too, as long as they work."I have used Monoprice, Emotiva and Blue Jeans cables and haven't heard a difference between any of them. But personally I like BJC because they look the best to me. Also, Emo and BJC are more sturdy than Monoprice but they all work the same. I think this may be the BEST post that I've ever read! Thanks so much!
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Apr 16, 2014 9:33:56 GMT -5
The interconnect's job is to carry an electrical signal from point A to point B. As long as it does that job while introducing as few alterations to that signal as possible, then it does not matter what it costs.
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Post by bigred572005 on Apr 16, 2014 9:34:12 GMT -5
Monk. EXCELLENT POST!!!! This has helped me to make a final decision.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Apr 16, 2014 9:45:21 GMT -5
I think the important qualities are compatibility, reliability, ergonomics, and appearance.
You need the right (compatible) cable for the purpose, typically shielding and matching impedance (hopefully Pedrocols didn't really mean he made RCAs from unshielded wire).
Poorly made cables can be intermittent or fail (unreliable), possibly damaging other equipment in the process, or wasting troubleshooting time.
Some cables may have boots that are hard to grip making them difficult to insert or pull out, others may have long boots sticking out too far behind the component for the cabinet or rack, the cable itself may also be stiff and difficult to bend or route easily (ergonomics).
Finally some people take great care in cable management and want it all to look good, some cables look better than others or at least match each other, this (appearance) may or may not be important to you. You don't have to spend a lot of money, you can to get all of these things with the cables recommended above - BJC, Emo, or Monoprice (or home made) - just find your favorite considering these qualities.
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Post by monkumonku on Apr 16, 2014 9:50:11 GMT -5
Regarding cable quality, here's something I cut and pasted from Schiit.com's site penned by Jason Stoddard who makes some highly respected equipment. This is for the cables he sells: PYST cables are made from only the finest 6-nines Unobtanium™ alloy, molecularly assembled in our Alternate Universe™ reality-distortion tesseract field , using a secret geometry reverse-engineered from crashed UFOs, painstakingly smuggled out of Area 51 by deep-cover operatives. Performance is further enhanced by the use of a QuantConnect™ quantum-entangled pair of transmission interfaces, held at absolute zero by our exclusive Stasis Field™ technology. The cables are then wrapped in NanoAeroCap™, a nanotechnology-enabled aerogel anti-capacitance insulation system, featuring Fractal Interleaved Geometry™ to create negative inductance for maximum audio transmission quality. Or, er, well . . . again, no. These are nice, high-quality cables, with solid, reliable connectors. That’s it. Hope you like them!And, here is what he writes in the instruction manual for their passive volume control which is similar in function to Emo's Control Freak: Connect one source to SYS "In 1" RCA jacks, using high-quality RCA cables. You can use crap RCA cables too, as long as they work."I have used Monoprice, Emotiva and Blue Jeans cables and haven't heard a difference between any of them. But personally I like BJC because they look the best to me. Also, Emo and BJC are more sturdy than Monoprice but they all work the same. I think this may be the BEST post that I've ever read! Thanks so much! Don't thank me, thank Jason Stoddard. I have a lot of respect for him and his products - he's the Emotiva of headphone amps (makes good DAC's, too)
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Post by lionear on Apr 16, 2014 12:23:50 GMT -5
I'm one of those people who hear differences in cables. I can pick out a Cardas from an Analysis Plus, and others. I also believe that some components may need a lot of break in.
You'll have to try different cables out, and see if you hear a difference, and if so, which cable you prefer. I would suggest checking out cables from Analysis Plus first. These have a distinct sound, and don't cost an arm and a leg. If you don't like the sound, you could always sell it on craigslist or ebay. You'd lose some money, but it's the cost of the hobby. Or you could go back to the dealer and discuss it with him - he may be willing to accept a trade-in if you were to buy a different cable from him. All things in moderation, of course - and it would be silly to spend $100,000 on speaker cables.
Ultimately, you're the only person who needs to be satisfied on whether a cable makes a difference. If you don't hear a difference, then good. If you do, then that's good too.
To me, differences in cables and break-in are real and the lack of an explanation does not invalidate a phenomenon. For example, when Isaac Newton "discovered" gravity, he didn't know how the Sun could be pulling on the Earth and wisely, he offered no explanation. The solution to the "action at a distance" issue only came with the Theory of Relativity. I think some people (cable manufacturers, too) make the mistake of offering possible explanations - and these can sound quite dumb. One can also take issue with what advertising materials may put out. This, no doubt, opens them up to the kind of wit that Jason Stoddard engages in. He doesn't hear it - but that doesn't mean you won't.
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Post by Boomzilla on Apr 16, 2014 12:28:13 GMT -5
Differences in cables can be audible in unusual situations. I can hear differences in speaker cables (using long runs & low-impedance speakers), but the differences aren't significant or even repeatable, most of the time. I've tried a dozen or more brands. I eventually settled on BlueJeans cables because their welded connectors have the least resistance that I've measured.
Feel free to experiment - just don't spend a lot of money. The differences (if any) are typically so small (and so random) that you could experiment for years before finding a "best." Money is better spent elsewhere, IMHO.
Your money - your choice.
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Post by redog on Apr 16, 2014 12:28:18 GMT -5
One thing that has always prevented me from purchasing expensive cables:
Unless you are going to open up your speakers/electronics and replace all of the cheap wire inside, all your doing is feeding cheap wire with expensive wire.
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Post by monkumonku on Apr 16, 2014 12:46:02 GMT -5
Differences in cables can be audible in unusual situations. I can hear differences in speaker cables (using long runs & low-impedance speakers), but the differences aren't significant or even repeatable, most of the time. I've tried a dozen or more brands. I eventually settled on BlueJeans cables because their welded connectors have the least resistance that I've measured. Feel free to experiment - just don't spend a lot of money. The differences (if any) are typically so small (and so random) that you could experiment for years before finding a "best." Money is better spent elsewhere, IMHO. Your money - your choice. Granted, like you said maybe there are differences in "unusual" situations. However, you also stated that the differences are not even "repeatable." If a difference isn't repeatable then I would think that this cannot be considered a valid difference because something else in the system could be causing it, not the cables.
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Post by pedrocols on Apr 16, 2014 13:04:37 GMT -5
Hey if you have the money and the justification to get expensive cables go for it. Personally I find it silly to spend soo much money on three feet of wire.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Apr 16, 2014 13:04:59 GMT -5
One last comment on cables - I am really not interested in having yet another cable arguement as that horse has been dead so long I'm surprised anyone still thinks it is a horse. My comment is: If you hear differences in the sound of your system based solely on using a different cable, then one of the following things has happened. 1) One of the cables being tested is defective in some way. This will be measurable. 2) One of the cables being tested is introducing an alteration to the signal. This will be measurable. 3) The difference is due to some other factor that has changed and is effecting the sound wave you perceive, which might be as subtle as the temperature or humidity of the room. This will be measurable. 4) The difference is being caused in the listener's brain due to expectation bias or placebo effect and is likely attributable to the knowledge that the cable was changed rather than to any measurable signal change.
Any other explanation, including the myth that there are factors we don't yet understand, is probably rationalization for number 4.
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Post by thepcguy on Apr 16, 2014 13:48:58 GMT -5
I'm one of those people who hear differences in cables. I can pick out a Cardas from an Analysis Plus, and others. Can you please tell us how you compare cables?
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Post by cheglie on Apr 16, 2014 14:36:51 GMT -5
And they do have a TIGHT connection! Be careful. I broke an RCA connection with one of these cables. And I still use them, just lesson learned the hard way.
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hemster
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Post by hemster on Apr 16, 2014 15:41:00 GMT -5
Hey if you have the money and the justification to get expensive cables go for it. Personally I find it silly to spend soo much money on three feet of wire. Heh.. I use the same argument with hemsterwife when she buys jewelry... No amount of 'break-in' can make little expensive rocks more appealing to me.
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