Audio Cables: Scientific proof of impact on sound? 

Contra: Amir on AudioScienceReview apparently debunked the last paper (so I guess we are still on the search) but the topic is still controversial: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a0p3D_Gv6IY.html UPDATE: Prof. Kunchur reached out and claimed he is writing a new article and stands for his past articles. Who is right? Here is a summary of his reply to the ASR video: boson.physics.sc.edu/~kunchur/Response_to_ASR_comments.pdf

I'm going to throw a few things out there... just in the form of "things to consider"... First of all I agree that it is good that actual studies are being done on this subject. Just for background.... - I have an engineering background and I do tend to be skeptical of a lot of the claims made about cables. (I would go as far as to say that I personally believe that MOST claims for significant audible differences between cables are exaggerated or nonexistent.) - I work for Emotiva Audio (who is a manufacturer of amplifiers, source components, and amplifiers). These are just my suggestions about "things to keep in mind" - based on my personal experience. 1. The suggestion about the audibility of variations in the time domain makes perfect sense, and I am aware of recent studies suggesting that our ears are far more sensitive to small arrival-time variations that previously assumed. (Which suggests that we can in fact hear differences in timing smaller than those associated with the period of the highest frequencies we can hear directly.) However we must still maintain perspective in terms of the magnitude of the differences we're talking about. 2. The effect that cable inductance and capacitance has on "temporal factors" depends to a major degree on the output circuitry of the source component and the input circuitry of the destination component. Therefore we might reasonably expect very different results depending on what equipment we use to perform the test. 3. When talking about audible differences between DIGITAL audio cables we must take the equipment involved into account. Sources may have widely varying amounts of noise or jitter in their output; BUT DACs also vary equally widely in their sensitivity to these things. For example, a DAC which is very sensitive to jitter may sound very different with different sources, or even different cables, whereas a DAC with internal re-clocking should be totally unaffected by those differences. But, if the DAC has internal re-clocking, then we need to account for jitter in the internal circuitry. And, even if a DAC is relatively sensitive to jitter, if it also has a high level of internal jitter, then differences in source jitter will be masked by the internal jitter until they exceed it, at which point they will become audible. And, even beyond that, "jitter" is not a single thing; jitter has frequencies, and a frequency spectrum, and a distribution, and sometimes even a distribution waveform. It has also been claimed that different DAC topologies have very different sensitivities to some of these issues (for example that R2R DAcs are less sensitive to jitter than D-S DACs.) 4. It's also worth noting that, with coaxial cable, capacitance is related to conductor surface area and spacing. (So, for example, a relatively slim cable, but which has a very thin central conductor, can still have relatively low capacitance.) 5. The other thing I would stress... and which many engineers find offensive about many audiophile products... is cost. To put it quite bluntly, even high quality cable, of the sort you would use for an interconnect cable, with teflon dielectric, good shielding, and low capacitance, still only costs a few dollars a foot at most. Therefore the absurdly high prices charged for many "audiophile cables" simply are not justified by their use of "expensive high quality materials". 6. I really dislike the term "debunk"... especially when it is applied to what appears to be a sincere effort to run a proper scientific study. I also find that expectation bias can indeed work both ways... and, as long as the test itself is conducted properly, I see no problem whatsoever in "training people what to listen for". (There's a big difference between a test whose intent is to determine "what human beings are capable of hearing" and "what a typical customer is likely to notice or find significant".... and, in the former, I see no problem with pointing out to test subjects "what to listen for"... as long as the subsequent test is carefully controlled to eliminate possible bias.) 7. And, finally, I would point out that we absolutely DO know that interconnect cables CAN have an audible effect... at least sometimes. (I don't know anyone who would dispute that an interconnect with an extra few 100 pF of capacitance, between a phono cartridge and preamp, or between a high-output-impedance tube preamp and a tube power amp with a similarly high input impedance, would have a dramatic effect on easily measurable specs like frequency response.) Unfortunately, at least in my opinion, we have a situation where so many obviously absurd claims are being made that they "drown out" the possibility of determining whether actual differences really do exist - at least in some situations.

Some Good Tracks For Evaluation Of Midrange. For midrange evaluation tracks, we are not looking for reference quality recordings. Something like Steely Dan's Gaucho album is so clean it will sound great on just about anything. You'd have to have some pretty bad equipment to hear grain on that album. We are looking for records that will sound really special only if your system is really open resolving and pretty much distortion free. If you acquire new cables, speakers, a new phono cartridge etc. one record that will clearly let you hear the degree of midrange improvement is the album American Beauty by The Grateful Dead. Ripple on side 2 is one of my favorite tracks to go to in order to guage improved midrange. There are mandolins in the background of this song. How well you can hear them tells you a lot. Bigger sounds are easier to hear. A mandolin makes a small sound; it's smaller than a guitar. When the mandolins are played fast as on this track, if your new cables or whatever have superior transient response and are more open, you can hear the mandolins with impressive resolution. You can hear every note and you can hear they are still going, when before it sounded like they stopped. Toward the end of the track, they are playing continuously. American Beauty is one of the 20 best albums of all time. The opening track is the only track that isn't above average. Another track that I recall really opening up and revealing all it's inner details and beauty when I upgraded cables is the track Searchin' So Long from Chicago's greatest hits. About 2/3 into the track it becomes a mostly instrumental sequence. Hearing it with improved openness, resolution and purity is a real joy. Here are some other great tracks that show up midrange improvements and are midrange classics. Jezebel-Sade Suite Judy Blue Eyes-CSN Sweet Home Alabama-Lynard Skynard Light My Fire-The Doors Dreamer-Supertramp A Remark You Made-Weather Report Crazy Love-Poco

I find the discussion around cables to be absolutely baffling. Some people have better hearing than others, same with eyesight. Some people cant appreciate the difference between a dvd and a bluray, but I never hear calls for scientific testing being needed to prove the point. Some cables are very similar, others make a clear difference. If you're in the group of people who cant hear that difference, that sucks, and its nobodys fault, but if you cant hear it, then why is there such a need to demand scientific results if it makes no difference to your listening experience? I'm genuinely interested, because I can understand wanting to quantify how much you might be losing out on, like those with poorer eyes might want to know how much of the movie they are missing out on. What I underatand less is what could be seen as jumping on the 'cables make no difference cause science says so' bandwagon; I'm not clear on how that helps anyone. Maybe I've missed something trying to understand the nature of the debate, but would love to get some more insight into this

I read an article where they did a blind test using expensive speaker cables and coat hanger wire. No one could tell the difference apparently.

Based on comments so far it appears that people are falling into the usual two camps. However, I get the impression that most are not understanding the conclusions of this paper. Namely that noise, timing and transients are affected by the quality of the cable and these are perceived by the human ear, regardless of the frequency. So the usual things that people measure and then say "There is no difference between the $5 and the $500 cable" are actually irrelevant measurements. And what people say "this cable makes my headphone sound better because it tames the highs (or whatever)" are perhaps misinterpreting what they are actually hearing. Personally I have always been torn about this debate, despite the fact that I have proven to myself on a couple of occasions that cables can change the sound of something like a headphone (and I'm talking about a a cheap $10 cable that made a B&O H6 headphone have more bass and "clearer" sound than the original factory cable). I think that science is still advancing in the area of psychoacoustics. Despite what some experts would have you believe, we don't have 100% understanding of how our ears and brains perceive sound. So, statements about how "cables are just cables and they show no differences in measurements" are in the end just opinions of experts and not-so-experts that don't have the whole picture. There is more to learn.

being a scientist myself I can say that 2 articles aren't enough to convince a scientific community, but they can certainly stir interest of other scientists - and lead to further research.

I used to run an audio accessories business here in the uk, where I built handmade cables from pure Silver & OCC copper, my cables were reviewed in all the major hi fi mags here in the UK. Now I run my channel as a tribute to it,, teaching people how to build them for themselves, I never measure my cables, I build lots of different designs & just listen, all of my testing is done in the dark, as your senses heighten in the dark, letting you hear the difference more easily, cables do make a difference, even if its subtle on some cables, I could go on, but we will be here for hours, great video👍 ps & some people have better hearing than others😁

I find the conclusion that the main effect is in the time domain very interesting. I also changed interconnects the last two years because had to admit that my 'bit is a bit' attitude was audibly wrong. I ordered cables with the guarantee that I could return it if I didn't notice any improvement. I returned one cable but kept two. The usb cable between the mini pc and ddc made a big difference which I had not expected. The same with the hdmi cable between the ddc and the dac. What made the biggest improvement was the tuning of the mini pc. I downloaded the Fidelizer software which tunes the pc so the sound critical processes get the highest priority. Again the time domain of the sent bits improved and the listening experience improved tremendously. These are just my observations. Coming from a rigid 'bits are bits' position to a 'use your ears' attitude. If you don't hear any difference, fine for you but don't criticise others who do hear a difference.

For me the debate was over way back in the late 80's when I swapped a reasonable pair of RCA's to a set of Monster Cables (M1000 series was their top of the line back in the 80's). The principle theories of Capacitance, inductance and resistance does some how make a very minute difference in the sound. I don't have the gift of the golden ears nor am I a rocket scientist BUT I can definitely tell some differences in RCA and speaker cables. Haven't tried connecting power cables yet but that I will take a very large salt shaker with me when I do decide to try it.

An interview with Prof Kunchur would be super great!

Many years ago, the audio accessory of the year, voted by the personnel of The Absolute Sound was a spray you wiped on the jackets of your speaker cables and interconnects. It was made by Nordost. It had anti-static properties and it collapsed the static field which is around everything. Wiping down shelves with it, that your equipment was on, wiping down your equipment itself by spraying a cloth with it, being careful not to get it on any connection terminals. At TAS they only vote something Product Of The Year if it makes an amazing improvement to the sound. After wiping things down with it, the sound had fuller high frequencies, better presence and palpability, more openness and even better bass. There are unknown invisible fields of all sorts around us, and it affects the performance of electronics. Magnetic field, static fields etc. Some would say snake oil fields, but as usual they've never tried or lived with the products they are accusing of that. This product worked. Making your higher performing cables perform that much better.

Two problems, 1.-No all the pople have the same skills to hear diferences in audio. I have two hands and I don’t have the skills to paint like Caravaggio or to play an instrument like Arthur Gramiaux. Not because some people have the love for music is more capable than others to hear differences. 2.-NO cientific instrument or any kind of instrument like an spectrum analizer or an oscilloscope have the same sesitivity to measure all the complexity of sound as our brain and ears does. Is different. Some people believe their oscilloscope masure the same as our brain hears. Very wrong. Regards

SOME HAVE SAD LOGIC... And sadly when discussing anything, including cables, it comes out and surfaces for all to witness. Some say, "Well the music was mastered with Belden or Mogami cables in the studio, so why use esoteric cables after the fact on playback? 4 words...Why make it worse? The recording is what it is. However, unless you are using great cables and equipment, the recording is far better than you think it is. Why not try to avoid further degradation? If there's a fly in your soup, isn't that better than if there were a dozen fly's in your soup? Using mediocre cables, will multiply how many flies are in your soup with further veiling, distortion and sound stage collapsing & will give you far worse sound. Whether the recording is a good or not so good one. If a glass of water has some obvious dirt particles in it, from someone taking a pinch of dirt and dropping it in the water and If someone else comes by and does the same thing into the same water glass, will the water not look even dirtier and cloudier? The dirt particles in the water glass can represent veiling and distortion. It was a little cloudy and dirty to begin with, not perfect, but now because of what the second person did it's even worse. Is that so difficult to understand? When the guy wrote that paper on his cable test results, his results were only about the cables he was using. If he was using the best cables in the world his results would have been about all cables, and what their ultimate capabilities and limitations are at this point in time. Of course if he was using state of the art cables, his experiments would not have been necessary. The big gulf in performance compared to run of the mill cables would have been so large that testing would not have been needed. You wouldn't need to measure something so glaringly obvious. These people who are cable doubters and who put down cables, have never lived with anything close to a state of the art cable. Chances are they have never even been in the same room with a state of the art cable. Some of them have compared cheap cables or maybe ones that cost a hundred dollars or so, and they assume that there isn't great differences in expensive cables either. They hope that you also form a belief based on their bad inference assumption. Their motivation to force their opinion on people is that they don't understand everything there is to know about cables and without direct experience may doubt them, and they don't like companies who charge a lot of money to the consumer for what they view as snake oil. So they hope people will believe them and not get taken because of what they say, which makes them a halfway good person in addition to being a halfway dumb person. Speaking about things you've never lived with and gotten to know because of cost and doubt, and making absolutistic statements about it is dumb. Measurement don't seem to jibe with how things actually sound. A test result measurement only tells how something sounds to a machine. We are humans, not a machine, and how it sounds to our human ears is the ONLY important thing. You can measure everything about a cake, except how it tastes.

I haven't got much experience on audiophile cables BUT I have in the distant past done many A/B tests etc, with different people, on guitar instrument cables and guitar amp to guitar cab cables. On instrument cables there was always an audible difference between the ultra-cheap cables and the better quality cables. However, from quality cables to ultra - expensive cables sometimes most people couldn't tell the difference, other times they just sounded different but not "better", other times you could only hear a difference on specific instruments and studio set-ups etc. On the other hand, there was always a discernible difference when doing speaker cable tests. Cheap cables always sounded bad, as if you had pulled a heavy rag over the speaker cabinet. From good quality cables to very expensive cables they all sounded TOTALLY different, even a non-trained ear could hear the difference (which was not the case with instrument cables}. It then came down to what you were trying to achieve with your sound, to what you'd likely choose...

Cables have for certain a meassurable influnce, the problem is how relevant is it? One can use the best speaker cable, but the bottleneck will be allways inside the amp and the speaker, the cables there are mostly vary basic. The crossover is even worse, printed board circuits, 1mm coils and even electrolitic caps in the way of the signal.

The beauty of the balanced audio system is that any noise is cancelled out by the time it gets to the amplifier. It's taken me a few years to work out what the Hot and Cold elements meant. One is out of phase with the other. In short the noise is cancelled out leaving a noise free louder signal. 😄The cable should then have no effect on the signal. Other factors only come into play if there are very long runs of cable - as you said 11 km or longer. I have come across copper pairs as used for broadcast audio lines but the lengths are much shorter then the 11 km. The main function was for speech content as opposed to music. My electrical background means I half understand the concept. Instead of looking at a connection as a wire imagine it as a black box containing a series of passive components with capacitance resistance and inductance. All of these elements have ways to calculate the effect on the signal passing though! so as you mention When you bring your hand against a cable you are effecting the capacitance of that cable hence the change in sound. In very short runs of cable I have notices a marked improvement with upgrading connecting cables but then there is a whole rabbit hole limited by only your imagination and budget. Great Video making a complex issues understandable.

I think the most important quality a scientist can manifest is an open mind. The lack of it is the greatest weakness of science.

Excellent presentation! I am a believer and an engineer. I'd love to have relevant data (subjective as it would be) as to a coronation between wire/cable type and sound quality. Thank you for explaining cable direction. Grounding only one side would surely make the cable's direction critical for performance. One of the largest changes (improvements) I made to my system was my Phono Cable. I swear by my Hovland MG2, now discontinued.... Spin On!

I'm on board with looking for differences in the time domain. I'm not an engineer, but I've been interested in audio for a long time. It's been my opinion for many years now, that one can get very good frequency response and resolution out of very affordable modern equipment. That said, our ears, while not very reliable for scientific testing, are incredibly sensitive to any change in pitch or phase. This is how we can place sounds in 3D space in real life. (And often with incredible accuracy!) For me personally, the battle between higher end components is fought almost entirely in the realm of "sound stage" and over-all "presentation." Objectively tiny differences make a large subjective difference in the realism and enjoyability of the music. I'm more of a headphone guy, but getting into speakers. Explaining headphone amps to one of my friends the other day, I pointed out that the frequency response, resolution and tonality were all very similar between my THX-789, Topping A90, Audio-gd Master 19 (all solid state) and Audiovalve Solaris (tube amp.) These range from $300 to $6k... However, with each step up, there is a significant (to my ear) difference in the presentation. The THX-789 sound stage is a flat mural on a wall. The A90 is much better, the Master 19 better still and has more separation and more heft. The Solaris gives up a little sheer depth, separation and possibly resolution to the Master 19, but achieves the most natural presentation. Looping back to cables. I've heard one pair of interconnects that really stank. They were $13 XLR cables off amazon. However, my $30 World's Best interconnects sound identical to my $200 Violectric interconnects. I also can't seem to tell any difference between RCA and XLR. As for headphone cables, my silver plated stock LCD-4 cable appears to have a *hair* more resolution than a basic copper cable. I have a Cardas Clear cable and it clearly (sorry) has a more spacious presentation and wraps the sound stage backward around my head more. I can tell small but obvious differences in the way sounds decay, as was mentioned in one of the papers. (I would have never bought such an expensive cable, but I first heard it at a show. ABing my own cable on my own headphones, which are open, I heard a difference even over all the background noise of the crowd.) What's really going on and what tricks are being played on my ears? I don't know. But for my part, I'll attest that cables can make a difference. Just, not a very big one and you probably should sort everything else out first.

I know cables make a difference but comparing RCA to balanced interconnects is invalid. The simple reason is that they have partially different signal paths, so you're not testing the cables. RCA to RCA or balanced to balanced, using the same inputs is the only way to do it. Even using different inputs of the same type is wrong because they often have different components in the signal path.

Hi I am an audiophile person but didn't know about the impact of connecting cables on sound till around 10 years ago I bought an bat vk500 amp the seller kept changing the connecting cables and each time he did the sound changed too since then I became a believer in high end cables. We don't need a chef to tell us the food taste good we have a toung to tell us so it's the same with cables we don't need a chart or lab test to tell us so we have ears.most people who don't believe in high end cables they either have low end equipments or have problem with their hearing no matter how expensive is the cable it's not going to make adcom to sound like pass labs! It's like putting Ferrari tire on your Ford and expecting it to ride like Ferrari it will never happen. Been watching your show for a year now like it very much keep up the good work by the way where in Europe are you?

Some Good Music To Judge Cables...Or Anything. You don't have to spend obscene amounts of money on cables. I shopped used except for a few, and my sound quality improved more than anything I could have gotten for the same price by changing components. For those highly wealthy audiophiles out there, by all means try MIT Oracle, Crystal Cable, Stealth, TOTL Nordost, even Hemingway Cables if you're really way up there. But a good chunk of the performance from stellar performers like those can be gotten for less. If you really are sold on cables, don't worry if you are buying cables costing more than your system itself. You can always upgrade your system around the cables afterward. Some cables are so good that doing that is perfectly reasonable. I've heard mid-fi systems using great cables, outperform much higher end systems using run of the mill cables. These are some good tracks for evaluating bass performance. The selections below are not the best sound quality ever, like some minimal miked reference lps put out by some audiophile labels. But the selections below are very well recorded and well suited for using for sonic evaluation. They are all tracks from albums, not the title of the albums they come from. In this essay I will concentrate on evaluating the lower frequencies with different cables. These tracks can also be used for evaluating speakers, amps etc. Later this week I'll recommend some tracks for evaluating the midrange. Bruiser-Tim Weisberg. This track has a very fancy bass line. The bass guitarist (who is a miracle), plays very fast and goes up and down the scales. Low bass to midbass to upper bass. He's not playing boom, he's playing tunes with this bass guitar. Very impressive. If your cables are capable of great bass transient response, what he is doing will sound effortless and there is perfect delineation; there is no blurring together of notes. Each note, though played fast is perfectly defined. The bass line literally propels the music along. Lesser cables will make this sound muddy and that effortlessness isn't there to nearly the same degree.. New Frontier-Donal Fagen from The Nightfly. There is a bass line that goes through this whole track and just won't quit. The bass here should sound really transparent, with an amazing degree of fleetness and texture that the amazing transparency lets through. Lesser cables will cause the bass to disappear at times and take effort to follow it. No Ordinary Love-Sade. Mine is from The Best Of Sade cd. Here the bass line is a little redundant, but its a good test of how deep your low frequency reach is. At the end of each bass phrase, the bass goes up into the upper bass for a moment. The low bass should sound deep and heavy, the upper bass should not, and there should be an effortless transition. The bass will sound so much more tactile and deep with the right cables. Time Loves A Hero-Little Feat (live) from.the LP Waiting For Columbus. The fanciful bass guitar playing throughput this track goes fairly deep and then goes back up and has a lot of midbass detail. Very rhythmic showcase between the drummer and bass guitar player. With improved cables the definition and tactile underpinning is very improved. It sounds loose and springy with lesser cables.

Excellent Guido! 👍 BTW, I see that you have misbehaved and have once again been banished to the small room. Oh yes my friend... A couple of excellent examples in my case involve your own highly recommended OCC Zavfino Arcadia interconnects 😊 A couple of very simple cases: 1) I had AQ Big Sur's going from my phono amp to my amp. I replaced them with the Zavfino's. *NO* bloody contest! The Big Sur's were thin and 'bright'. The Zavfino's were MUCH smoother, more extended, and WAY deeper in soundstage. Hands down! 2) And this one was quite surprising... I had switched my Big Sur's to my DAC, from the DAC to the amp. I switched them out and replaced them with the AQ Victoria's (the ones with the funky batteries along the wire [DBS] which some say are bogus, some love them) *WOW!* The DAC suddenly went WAY deeper in the bass, the soundstage became WAY deeper. So, there you go... 😁

IMPROVING THE CABLES YOU ALREADY HAVE. When you plug a cable into a terminal, input or output, it seems like a great connection. In reality, metal observed under a powerful enough microscope, reveals its surface to be full of pot hole like craters. Because of this, when the metal from the cable plug is hooked up to a terminal on the back of a piece of audio gear, there is in actuality very little surface to surface contact area, because both surfaces are full of inward cratering. There are electrical contact enhancing liquids/gels on the market that enhance electrical contact and fill in the gaps of these surface potholes in the metal to increase contact area. The first one I remember was a product from Sumiko around the late 1980s called TWEEK. A lot of people didn't follow directions and put too much on and gunked up their connections. There are more modern and effective contact enhancers. One is from Mapleshade audio, which is a gel. I tried it and it made a very noticeable improvement. More open, clearer, cleaner and the real surprise was better bass. They give you enough in a little container, which might last a lifetime. You only reapply it once in a long time. It's called Silclear and it has some silver in the gel. Silver is the best conductor. There are other audio electrical enhancers on the market which unlike the Mapleshade are very expensive, but worth it to some..

And the battle rages on. Reality is believers can spend as much as they want on whatever cables and interconnects and non-believers can spend as little as they want. Whatever makes you happy. Thank you very much for this video!

If there were time-domain errors it would be incredibly easy to test. Does the cable transmit a nice-looking square wave. If so there's no audible difference. Now put a square wave through some speakers and see what the waveform looks like from a microphone. You'll be able to see that speakers mess up the waveform much more than cables.

Not only are cables system dependent but there are cables that work best in certain parts of the chain of a audio system. The obvious is phono cables. Being a low level signal there are definitely cables that work better than others in that section of the chain. Another thing i wanted to acknowledge and that is cables prices. First you cannot assume that if a cable is more expensive it is good. Cable design is both art and science. Some higher end cables are custom made and are using custom designs and can be rather expensive to manufacture. Also understand most audio cable manufactures have to recoup costs of making prototypes to come up with final designs. Those costs are also embedded into the final price of their products. So it comes down to trial and error. Do not assume more expensive means it must be better. But at the same time be leery of cheap cables as they are likely not using high quality conductors, dielectrics, connectors etc.

Interesting. finally. I asked a brilliant physicist (he builds valve amplifiers as a job) about cables. And he told me, with his limited equipment, he was never able to figure out WHY it makes a difference. But after 40 years and many many visitors, he knows that it DOES make a difference. He just didn't quite know why... For optical Toslink cables they seemingly did figure it out. As the light reflects in the glass tube, it moves from one side to the next. But some light loses out of the sides (if the angle is too steep), or, it still reflects, but at a longer amplitude. This supposedly introduces tiny timing differences.. Time smearing. Which is supposedly why coax sp/dif is better (and AES/ABU with connected clocks the best). But to see someone capable trying to figure it out in the end... Really cool!

The reason I look at measurements of cables, (speaker, interconnect, or power cables), is because it gives us a basis with which to start the comparisons … it is completely void of the subjective views people bring to their listening, tastes, and preferences. From all the measurements I’ve seen with ASR, Audiohalics, et al., is that there is little to no difference in the cables that have been measured. In fact, many of the multiple thousand dollar cables with electrical boxes built in make the cable worse! What differences that are measured are well below the threshold of hearing and even if present, are not audible. At the end of the day, if you have the money to spend on expensive cables, interconnects, etc., then by all means, knock your self out and enjoy your system, but don’t fool yourself into thinking those cables are any better than standard, low cost cables. We could solve this debate if Nordost, Audio Quest, et al are that much better if those companies would simply publish there measurements that show them to be as good and how they do what the claim they do. They don’t, because they can’t … so go enjoy your gear, whatever you have, and stop the BS on this cable or that cable is better, because even the OEMs can’t show how there cables are better outside of subjective testimonials and anecdotal stories.

BALANCED interconnects people should definitely try. Some have 3 pins, some have 5 pins, some have 8 pins, of the ones I've seen. I heard that they have 3 db higher output than RCA interconnects. If that's so there's a measurable improvement right there. For those who like to try and reduce the world to numbers and graphs. I don't know if anyone has ever tried to measure the resolution capability of the human ear. The resolution of the human eye (our main sense) is the equivalent of 576 megapixels. Believe it or not in photography circles, there is something analogous to the analog vs. digital debate in audio. Diehards of sophisticated film cameras claiming the picture quality is better than digital cameras. Once again, digital is more convenient, and in this case, "Worlds" more convenient. I have been using a 5 pin balanced interconnect in my headphone system. I am extremely pleased with the sound. They cable new, costs well under a thousand. It is made in Texas. I am using a European brand integrated amp for my headphone listening. I wish I could easily use this cable for my speaker listening, but the amps I use for that system are not European and do not have inputs for balanced cables. They are a better connection than RCA cables.

Thank you. Great research. - I have been telling skeptics for years that, as long as we do not know WHY we experience differences, reaching conclusions from comparing measurements is not conclusive. This research is very promising. 👍

It’s more about not losing too much then gaining in quality 😎

I have proof....tried to share it and I was crucified. I know that different cables definitely and absolutely affect sound differently and that's enough for me. I have spectragrams that prove it without a doubt for me. I will not share them or explain them. This post is just for those that truly feel that they do affect sound.

While there “could” be differences in cables & interconnects. It’s the company’s selling them at $20k plus prices that are ripping consumers . 2 x 2mtr speaker cables at those prices is ludicrous. Just because a cables cost more, doesn’t mean it’s a better cable

I don't need scientific proof of cables, I just need my ears.

Great video! Observations are right and kept tight.

I got into Cable’s years ago I’m surrounded by non-audiophile vinyl collectors We would swap cables and the sound would change But many people said that it’s impossible It actually got me interested in physics Something weird is going on.

Many years ago I bought a Micromega stage 2 CD player and the dealer gave me a used van den hul d102 (yellow jacket) when I only used freebie interconnects (I think he took pity on me when I told him). I also used it on my GX95 tape deck at the time, never gave it much thought, anyway at some point I forgot I had reconnected the van den hul to the CD player when listening again to cassette and I thought that the sound was "a bit fuzzy now" and I couldn't explain it, I was in the process removing the deck to check it when I suddenly remembered about the audiophile cable I was using, I put it back in and clarity was restored. Because of that experience, I still use van den hul 102 to this day because I 100% I can tell you that freebies interconnects have a haziness/diffuseness to their sound. I can't say about mega bucks interconnects, but I can say 100% don't use freebie interconnects.

I have a nephew that has been involved in the pro audio industry since the 80s. He's also done some mastering work. He has told me on more than one occasion that a lot of people in the pro audio world get a bit of a chuckle out of those who spend large amounts of money on cables because they think they're getting better sound. Also, I've spoken with someone who installs pro audio equipment in broadcast studios and recording studios. He basically carries the same sentiment and pointed out to me that something like (if not literally) a Belden or Canare cable is probably what the studio used when they recorded, mixed, and mastered the audio you're listening to.

I think you have made an excellent video, and are doing a great job reporting (in the true sense of that word) on the research papers - thank you.

Perhaps people who have not had their hearing tested, do not have a quality revealing audio system and have not had the experience of comparing many audio cables should moderate their criticism. If you dont see the value in cables and dont want to spend the money, don't. I personally couldn't care less if hard headed biased audiophiles do not enjoy their systems to their fullest because of their prejudice against cables. It's an irrelevancy to the rest of us.

Interesting topic! For people who are accustomed to mass production equipment, hi end audio sounds as a fake thing. I am not going to talk about hi end. I would say though the following: yes, different equipment sound differently, cables including. And one principle applies: diminishing returns. And measurements, of any kind, do not tell the "truth". Why? Because any pair of ears is unique! What is good for me maybe is not listenable by you, there is "objective" review.

Dear Guido, reading the old but still manteined website of our beloved Renato Giussani a article called "Mito e realtà dei cavi di collegamento nei sistemi Hi-Fi", were you can download a simple model of calculation were if you have the specifics of your amplifier, your cables and your loudspeakers it calculates the effects of changing cables on your Hi-Fi system, (only about connections to loudspeakers that was his first interest) this is a easy and powerful meter to understand if it's good to you to spend your money on cables and verify the real effects between your choice in your system, naturally you have to know all the key data to fill the right cells properly, what makes me upset is the fact that in this "esotheric and simil religious" area of the Hi-Fi world everybody wants to speak and tell his "true" without take the time to try to use it and see with his eyes the reality, so have good fortune to try this you're doing Guido!

Compairing Kimber Kable PBJ. Vs. Audioquest Evergreen. Which is not a fair comparison. The Kimber Kable cost 3 times as much. I replaced all my interconnects with PBJ. I was missing half of the bells on Fleetwood Mac. As the music becomes more resolving the highs become clearer. Interconnects matter. The material and design.

Speed of electricity signals is around 200.000.000 m/s. Speed of sound is 330 m/s. There are no audible time issues relating to copper cables. Neither in interconnect cables, nor in speaker cables. Period.

If anyone claimed "cables have no effect" it would be very easy to refute. So maybe it is convenient to pretend they said so.. But they did not. In fact what they say is something like "two cables of equal impedance are audio-wise equal regardless of being made of copper or silver or gold" A good cable is a good cable no doubt.. But is high price a necessity? What about solid mains cable of very high gauge (which is quite cheap) .. What is wrong with it? If anyone found an audible fault in cheap thick copper, (slightest fault) it is so easy and rewarding to demonstrate that with either a measurement or a blind test, that I think they would have done it already. (if not for selling cables, jewellery industry would welcome "experts" that can "hear" the difference between silver, gold and platinum. Is our money more claimable than theirs?? :) Maybe yes..) Is there any technological innovation (or magic alloy) that can beat "adding a few more strands of copper" ??? That is a very straightforward question.

I am a recent "convert" to acknowledging audible differences in the AC power cable used. And I am guessing that we know even less about why this might be, than we are about interconnect cable, or speaker cables. Are there any resources that we know of, about AC power cables and how/why they can affect the sound quality of a stereo system?

As I see it, the impact of interconnect cables and speaker cables etc. on sound can also be stated as causing changes in the output of the transducers that couple to the air that transfers to our ears which are also transducers. Ears and brains are extraordinarily sensitive and amazing and as measurement devices are also subject to psychology and neurology as was mentioned. Best double blind listening tests are still only one set of data that should be considered. What about tests that measure the motion of the output transducers? Speakers. Using ears connected to brains is one way but another way would be to use calibrated microphones to record the output and use computation to show differences in the recordings. Or how about laser interferometry where lasers capture the extraordinarily small motion differences of the output transducers, speakers? Measurement of the transducer motion directly or the air motion directly is far less subjective. I’m not suggesting we eliminate the double blind listening tests just that we add data that can measure the same things that are ears are sensitive to hearIng. Manufactures of transducers and speaker systems have long used laser interferometry to determine the effect of designs and materials. I first became aware of laser interferometry in the early 80s when Celestion introduced a series of speakers designed with the aid of data captured by that laser measurement system. I am very excited for the scientific process and rigorous peer reviewed research whether it would challenge my cherished beliefs or confirm my cherished beliefs. I want to believe in things that are reliably and demonstrably true and I want to stop believing in things that are demonstrably false. I want the data that can help to correct my beliefs until they align most closely with reality. Lastly, the saying “you get what you pay for“ is often true but it’s also often used to justify the idea that if you manufacture something to overly extreme standards and out of exotic materials that it will be better. Fine jewelry that is simply ornamental may be well worth it’s very high price tag. Aesthetics and manufacturing quality and precision have value. The question in the audiophile world is whether better sound as claimed is achieved.

Galen Gareis from Belden has demonstrated through measurements that loudspeaker reactance impacts phase shift/time domain in the audible frequency spectrum.

Some people like whoever this JOHNSON is, who just wrote me and said that "Some people don't want to seem like suckers for spending big money on cables, so they defend themselves." Some people have many problems and they are great. But lets analyze that statement scientifically below. 1. People who buy expensive cables wouldn't keep buying them over the course of time if they didn't hear nice improvements and desire even more improvement. 2. Only they and maybe their banker knows what they're spending. What's to defend? 3. They don't care what other people think. Defend? 4. They often have money to burn. It's not like they have to sacrifice and deprive themselves and their quality of life goes down if they drop a grand or two, so what? 5. Everyone has different ears and their perception may be worlds better, so who's to say. 6. Some people can afford the better things in life. When someone steps into the grand surrounding of their house, they are impressed & believe me the last thing those people are thinking is that they're a sucker. 6. Maybe a real sucker is someone who thinks they know it all and who hasn't even the means to experiment or explore anything that good and they pretend to be experienced with the finer things in life that they can't afford, and maybe never will be able to.

Let's agree to disagree... If you have ears that can hear the difference, then by all means spend spend spend. Me, I am one of the lucky ones with only normal hearing abilities. 🤔

I have loved 2 channel audio since I was a teenager. Never have I seen rational people get so wound up about something as simple as a cable. Loved the scientific video, but at the end of the day. We can all do something much more simple. Go to a shop. Ask them to swap out some cables. If you can hear a difference that you like, buy it. If not, walk away. 😀

I believe that if anyone takes the time and effort to compare different cables within their own system, they will come to the conclusion that cables do sound different from one another. That being said, it's not always the more expensive cable that will sound better.

Thank you for the video. Always interesting to discuss cables :) Of course they sound different but the sound you experience might not be the same as other with the same cable. How's that? It is very simple and it doesn't take higher degree to understand, just simple knowledge on electronics. The way it work: Every cable has a capacitance and a resistance, every output and input stage has impedance and capacitances. these are the basic components in low-pass and high-pass filters. Meaning: an output impedance with a series resistance in a cable will act as a low pass filter. and capacitance in cable with impedance in input stage can make a high pass filter. output and input impedance and capacitance are not standardised and you can have high and low pass filter going on at the same time. in your equipment with you're impedances, resistances an capacitances a specific cable will sound different from mine equipment. there is nothing like a "neutral" cable. You can minimise the effect by measuring output and input impedance and capacitance and try to add resistors and capacitors to correct sound. that is in fact recommended when you buy a cartridge, in the specs it says a recommended capacitive load, a few hundred pF and a resistive load, usually 47K (kind of a standard) but don't be surprised to find other loads on older stuff. Some cable become such a mismatch that they sound harsh, to much treble. It's not the cable fault but the combination. balanced cables are different. not depending on the cable but the output stage were we usually drive the sound from a katode follower and/or a transformer to obtain a huge impedance which makes it less sensitive to the resistance in the cable itself and is mostly used were long cables are necessary or electrically noisy environment. Thanks again!

it always amazes me how many cable doubters there are and that the only thing that convince them there are differences is measurements. They cant trust their ears. Well the other issue is no matter if you could measure differences there are no measurements that will identify sound quality. There are no measurements in audio gear, cables, speakers that will determine sound quality. You simply have to use your ears. Cables are system dependent.

Having a serious and scientific discussion about this matter is always a good thing. Maybe I miss something but what kind of "audio cables" are we talking about? Standard line level signal to a preamp'? Turntable cables to a preamp? Mike cable to a preamp'? Cables between amps and speakers? AC cables, in 110v 60Hz or 220v 50Hz? All of these in the same study? The laws of physic give us an easy way to measure the crude difference between 2 almost identical signals withouth bothering 90 persons for doing a blind test. It has something to do with phases. 😉 Personnaly in my studio, and regarding the audio pathes (from instruments, mikes and effects to mixing system and from mixing system to monitors, not the AC path as I've no control about what's behind the wall plug) I try to use good quality cables, balanced if necessary and possible, with good plugs. No less, not much. But I'm not an audiophile, I just make music (the thing audiophile are listening).

Epistemologically, assuming that a phenomena ISN'T observable (without any empirical proof that it isn't) is just as biased as assuming that a phenomena IS observable. Possibly more biased. I'm going to enjoy the emerging science conducted in this area.

Thanks 👍 interesting video. I‘m part of the group that is convinced, cables do not sound. But I‘m convinced too, that air in cables can reduce the losses while transportation of the signal. And that‘s the reason, why I’m trusting in cables of the German producer InAkustik for lots of years. By the way this company involves institutions for disabled people for some jobs. That‘s apart from the fine quality of their cables one more reason to buy this brand. 👋

How to test speaker cables with single driver ( full range) or 2way speaker or 3way speaker 🤔 which speakers gives good results.?

This is a hobby, a passion to many people, I understand that. But, don't forget to enjoy the music! If you keep fiddling with this kind of stuff listening becomes such an academic experience. Enjoy the music! That was the purpose of the artist. Of course; some criticism is good but don't get hung up on things that need so much explanation and debate: it spoils the fun the music can bring you. And besides: when you heard the live performance nothinwill beat that. So next time when you want to invest in your music listening buy a concert ticket instead of equipment ; )

So, if a cables effect of the signal is actually time delay, could we not simply perform a phase delay measurement on a single speaker with several different cables?

Hello 🙂 you should collaborate with ,,Passion for sound,, on this topic. I definitely am a believer cause I hear the difference, also within usb cables.

_Audio Cables: Scientific proof of impact on sound_ A-ha! I knew it! Let's see now how foolish my ex-wife will feel for serving me divorce papers after finding out about those -few- several multiple figures purchases! ( o.o)

Intanto grazie per questo fantastico canale e per gli interessantissimi contenuti. Per la mia ventennale esperienza nel campo hifi consumer e pro, ho raggiunto la consapevolezza che l'unico cavo che fa una differenza chiara e udibile è il cavo phono del giradischi per via delle capacita ed altri fattori, per le altre interconnessioni ci facciamo influenzare dall estetica e dal prezzo ma secondo me le differenze sonore sono trascurabili.

what about DIN cables? Are they better than RCAs, having one common ground?

Cables does not make any difference in sound quality ?

I think its super interesting. I can understand how people who don't have very resolving system "can't hear the difference". I believe in the science but at the same time I am also open minded . I can definitely hear difference between some cables (not all though) For those that say the science says there is no difference. I say its very possible that we don't know everything about how to measure everything in audio - the same way we don't know how to measure dark energy in astronomy.

Silver definitely sounds different. Im not sure it is better but it definitely is different.

The review of the Ludic Magica speaker cable il be waiting for.

I think that university should kick him out with his PhD , because he didn't understand that balanced connector vs single end is 3dB different. He compares Appel with Orange!!

These papers from Dr. Kunchur have been been discussed in electronic engineering circles and shown to contain many audio engineering inaccuracies as well lacking rigor in the methology and design of the experiments. Dr. Kunchur is an astrophysicist and not an EE. For a more informed point of view from a real experieced EE, watch this video: "Scientific Proof of Measurable Difference in Audio Cables? Paper Review" ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-a0p3D_Gv6IY.html.

Not just the type of cable but, the route it takes, there length, how far they are from power cables, if they have any loops or if they are coiled in any way. Remember, both left and right speaker cables need to be the same length and if your amp is not central between the speakers and you have coiled the slack incorrectly, you will be introducing a low pass filter to one channel.

Thank you for theses articles !

what about the connectors RCAs, you didn't mention this? there could be two types 50 ohms or 75 ohms you can't tell them apart did he know what type of interconnect plug he was using, were all tests using the same RCA plugs?

I had gone though few era of my beliefs . First I had very appealing to anyone mono tube set which apparently was using interesting old fashioned electrical mains cable for speakers. When later I switched to the same or simmilar stereo I couldn't repeat that effect so with years I started doubt about that cable which was apparently unique and gone already. With best my speaker combination I decided to arrange speaker connection with two separate conductors consisting of insulated single wires. And at that time using pure noise to compare wires I observed evident wider sounding so I decided it as a must. Sopranos were always welcomed through years Eollowing years I changed concept to pure widerange speakers instead of 2,5 band transmission lines That concept is in my opinin reflecting the true sound in best way and is reach in "fullrange sopranos" At that point I started to reverse from hunting for sopranos because it is enough now and any more affects me the general impression I found at that point that that special wires which even I placed few years earlier exactly 4 cm each from other are not inputting in any observed way to impression and due to their complication and enough level of sopranos masking effect to all above 12 kHz I just replaced them with general polivinyl cables even much thinner than previous. By way I listen to average audio power 0,25 - 0,5 Watt I made installation of electrostatic tweeters to check if I need more high sopranos and I do not now . . For me special speaker cables are now ended history. I know they make difference but with achieved reality which is just the same as from begining of my story it is far too low level to be noticed and I think that band range around 15kHz- 20 kHz may be even wrong to miss. I proven that spakers deliver them but better I do not force it in any way.May be general cables work as kind of high filtering but it suites me.

I'm not even finished watching and I want to say THANK YOU!! I have been in a new cable battle for months. I think my interlinks are settled for a while. The speaker cables are better than they've been for years but the ones I really want will be the most expensive of all my cables. I'm working on the power cables now. I came to a plateau for now. I wish I heard no difference but I have ever since I was exposed to Cardas cables 30 years ago and had no idea what they were. Aggravatingly profound moment! Now let me watch the rest of the video!

We can measure almost anything these days. So, if you want to know if cables affect the sound, why wouldn't you measure the sound source for changes instead of the cable itself? What I mean is, who cares what the cable measurement is; measure the movement of the drivers of the speaker at the same and/or different volume levels, and see if the drivers/cones/tweeters whatever track movement differently with different cables? If so, then go backwards and measure cables themselves for differences, and you'll be able to figure out something. This also eliminates human hearing out of the equation, could be brought in later if needed, although it's too variable to have any meaning. If a cable changes the sound, it changes how the speaker drivers move, and you can't argue with that!

I really notice difference in speaker cable topologies more than interconnects. The professor didn't mention difference from cable metallurgy. I run really rare British made OHNO continuous cast Silver cable in PTFE. Its a pig to run as its so stiff but it suits the characteristics of my Tube based system and Proac floor standers synergistically. I fond a reasonable Quality single ended balanced interconnect affects the sound less once you reach a decent quality, beyond that I find it difficult to detect differences.

What is the difference between an s cable and a g cable? This is beyond the scope of these studies but do you think speaker cables make more of a difference than interconnects?

🤗👍THANKS GUIDO…FOR SHARING THIS…IMHHO..IT WILL HELP SOME NEW ONES AND MIGHT HELP OTHERS BUT…there are some people that might think 🤔 “DON’T CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS…MY MIND IS ALREADY MADE UP 🤷‍♂️😍😍😍

Gerard Stroh*** Anadialog About Cables!!! 1. Balance Cables OCC Copper is Better than OFC Copper!!!! 2. Speaker Wire Must Be at Least 12 Gauge or Heavier!!! 3. I think All Audio Gear Should Have Balance inputs and Outputs!!! 4. Hardly Ever Use unbalance Cables of any kind!! 5. I only Use Pro-Audio Poweramps only!!!! 6. I Do use A Denon AVR-X3600H Home Theater Reciever and Maybe I Will Get A AVR Home theater With Balance Inputs and Outputs!!!! 7. Some Cables Are Snake Oil But Not All**** 8. Some Cables Do Matter on Very High Gain Like on A Turntable and A Microphone if You Use Long Cable Runs**** That's My Take On Audio Cables By Gerard Stroh****

So what performance gains are we talking about? 1% better sound? 15% better sound? I'm guessing closer to 1% if that..... I would convince myself they sound better too if i just dropped $2000 on cables, otherwise that makes me a sucker.

Thank you so much for sharing with us!

nobody is telling that there's no impact on cables and connections on what is the final quality of what you can hear. Sound is a wave going thru a body, so the body can concur to lose or not some info from this wave. It's well known, But there's also other factors that can have an impact: for example humidity, temperature and not least yuor health in terms of what you can perceive in your ears.

PEOPLE WHO CAN EASILY AFFORD ex pensive cables feel sorry for the people who can't hear the huge difference; and it is hard to believe. But do these people who've convinced themselves there's no difference, feel sorry for the people who are wealthy? Wealthy enough to engage their passions. Considering Doctors, Lawyers, Scientists, Professors, & Chairman's Of The Board delusionary is their answer. Must be something psychological alright. They just got the wrong person.

I am the last person who would throw money in cables if couldn't appreciate an improvement (not just a difference). But buy using your ears and common sense. If you are happy with telephone cable, use it!

I don’t understand the first comparison: high quality balanced, so XLR, which usually requires a higher voltage and a fully balanced path: source and amplifier Vs low cost RCA? This does not yet make sense to me - perhaps you can explain. I know from experience that different cables sound different.

Do you in the future an review of the Ludic Magica speaker cable

Off topic…. Who made your custom lid for you TT?? I am just about to start diving into cables now that my system has been settled…. Meaning I’m happy with all components and speakers. Time to dive into another rabbit hole.

Bravo....for the info on the cables....the truth well set you free....👏🎵🎶🎵🎶😎

Well, my ears tell me that there are differences, measurements in hi-fi aren't everything. Something can measure well but sound worse than something that measures less well. Forget trying to explain it just go with your ears. If you can't tell the difference then fantastic save your money and buy more music; if you can hear a difference then spend what it needs to make you happy.

Just watch Audio Science Review. Amir explains how these papers are bogus. This professor is not an electrical engineer like Amir who totally debunks this bogus paper.

Option 1. It’s a good idea they make a difference and can be tailored to adjust performance and tone of a system. Then why don’t manufacturers supply best case fitting power cables removing the need for aftermarket pc’s. Speaker and interconnect cables are another matter. Option 2. It’s not a great idea they make a difference because that suggests there’s some issues in the product. Moving on to the paper…read / listen on.

When I look at the vintage quality hi-fi equipment, none of them came with high-end cables at the back. But with a standard cheap RCA cables, where one ends in plastic red and other in plastic white. In my opinion, problem is at the end, how contacts are made. I had some cheap chinese cables, which were horrible and I also have some german made cables for 30 eur, where soldering is quality made and sound is excellent.

Guess someone should send the article to ASR.

I believe cables can sound different. Weather one is best is subjective. Everyone hears different. I don't buy the "el cheapo" cables but better build quality ones in the $50 a pair range. Can't go wrong w/ Audioquest cables!

Does this mean that I can use 16 or 18 gauge lamp cord for my speakers (that I’ve already been using)? Does this mean that I can use the $8 rca style analog interconnects (that I’ve already been using)?

Woot Woot Woot New Video!

No science necessary, if I can hear difference between cheap cables and expensive cables, that’s all the science I need. I use twisted pair 16awg ofc and have zero complaints. There was a time when I was curious but I quickly saw beyond the bullshit.