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DO CABLES REALLY MATTER?

Yes they do.  I’m not here to advocate for any particular brand but I’ve heard a lot and they do matter. High Fidelity reveal cables, Kubala Sosna Elation and Clarity Cable Natural. I’m having a listening session where all of them is doing a great job. I’ve had cables that were cheaper in my system but a nicely priced cable that matches your system is a must.  I’m not here to argue what I’m not hearing because I have a pretty good ear.  I’m enjoying these three brands today and each is presenting the music differently but very nicely. Those who say cables don’t matter. Get your ears checked.  I have a system that’s worth about 30 to 35k retail.  Now all of these brands are above 1k and up but they really are performing! What are your thoughts. 
calvinj
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
4,382 posts
 
Thanks Al and sorry Elizabeth,

When I inserted the link, I must have cut off part of it. I miss the old way I used to do it before this site and apple did their updates/revisions. 

Also, you can go the right side of the page and see Roger's other articles and just click on them. 😄

All the best,
Nonoise
cd318
404 posts
 
@dave_b I’m glad you enjoyed it, certainly lifts my spirits. Just love deadpan ironic humour.

@acman3 yes I’ve seen it before but its brilliance will never get old. Thanks.

For me anyway, it's reassuring to know that only solid silver is a better conductor than Oxygen Free Copper, and only marginally so. On the other hand OFC is more resistant to tarnish because of its lower oxygen content.

For most of us 10 AWG OFC is overkill so I’m sure 12AWG or even 14AWG would suffice for anything other than extreme lengths (20 metres+) where resistance may lead to heat issues.

Here’s an old article on cables which looks at the issue of contact oxidation.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/cables-case-solder


dave_b's avatar
dave_b
2,267 posts
 
@cd318 Great article!  I have found that understanding something or believing in a products principles does not always make for the best results.  Only through experience and experimentation can one find sonic alchemy.
cd318
404 posts
 
@dave_b you’re right about experience, unless you are lucky enough to find a system that provides long term satisfaction straight off the bat.

Some of us have spent decades in sorting out the truths from the fictions with very little help from the audio press.,

Hopefully some of our experiences shared here may be of use to those who are new to this game.


elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
An example. using power cords, but still useful...             
I was recently buying Pangea AC14XL powercords for the whole system, a few at a time. Now 2/3 of the way (to all XL PC) the sound was spectacular.. I looked forward to finishing.. Well when I had all XL it was no where near as good. Kind of etched.. I let them break in more... No.. Just not as good.   (this is with 10 of them in the system)          
So I went back to the previous Furutech/DH Labs cord on the amplifier. Better. warmer. nice, and not any loss of clarity... This morning I just put back the Furtech/DH Lab on the Conrad Johnson ACT2 to see if it completes the magic of that warm lush sound, yet total clarity.... Too early to say, plus the cord has not been in use for several weeks. So a few hours to say..
The point is you have to LISTEN, and judge. And sometimes going back is well worth investigating.        
PLUS later on I will certainly try the XL (In those places) again.. if I make any other changes... Never know.
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