Thanks for this content! Cables are always a difficult topic to tackle due to the heated nature the price and lack of god data or transparency. This was a nice breakdown of everything you experienced.
I so appreciate that you have the balls to cover the difficult topics. Difficult because of the haranguing claptrap. I'm one of those guys who have experienced the improvements of interconnects both analog and digital, speaker, and power cables in my three systems. My next cables purchase for interconnects and speakers will be from Iconoclast Cables by Beldon and power cables will be from CommonGround Cables.
Thanks Eric. I'm keen to try some Iconoclast cables at some point after watching a lengthy interview with the designer about all the science and testing that went into the design
Really appreciate cable comparisons. This is the component type I’m least likely to be able to A/B in my own system, and having some sense of the differences is extremely helpful. Keep up the great work. I’d love more such comparisons in different price tiers (above and below those posted here)!
Out of all the cable upgrades I've made, xlr interconnects offer the least difference in my system. I have the supra sword and I think they're great. I find they don't really change anything tonally but moreso elevate technicalities. Btw, I think it's worth mentioning in your videos that cable upgrades are best bought used. Just a tip for those intimidated by prices but want to try them out. Cheers!
Very timely! I'm right in the middle of researching Cables, and have been considering Yukons or Curious. The difficulty I have is that I need so many pairs (4) for the speakers setup 😵 I hope the bleeding stops soon...
Love this and really interested in the Supra Line video. I upgraded from Mogami Gold XLR to Gotham GAC4/1 UltraPro XLR's and noted an obvious improvement in openness, soundstage width and depth.
@@PassionforSound I use their std USB A->B cable, which solidly displaced my WireWorld Starlight 8 USB. Have considered their Excalibur XLR and the Sword. I really enjoy the way you conduct your reviews. Excited to learn what you conclude.
Lachlan, I don't remember if you are still interested in songs to test equipment, but here are a couple of my favorites that I like to use: Fire Back about Your New Baby's Sex by Don Caballero, Fish Beach by Michael Nyman (the 2004 remaster from the Drowning by Numbers soundtrack), and Derezzed by Daft Punk. Thanks for the steady flow of great reviews.
After wasting money on cables I discovered The Cable Company where you can borrow several sets for free and pick the one you like best for your system. The results were incredible.
Really informative video. Well done. I just ordered chord shaw line interconnect rca cables. Upgrading from audioquest golden gate. Not sure if it will be an upgrade.
I like your headphone reviews but I would have to disagree with cables. The only accurate way for you to a/b cables is if you have 2 exact amp and dacs connected with different sets of cables. I do believe that people will hear a difference on certain days even when blind testing. The reason is because our perception of what we hear changes, so the brain might perceive a change even though nothing theoretically has changed. I think people who wants to buy cables should just buy them because it is their money. However, I do always warn people what they are getting into, it could POTENTIALLY just be a big waste of money, and if they say they absolutely hear a difference, why not?
Hi Peter, this will always be a topic of some debate I think and everyone is entitled to their opinion. I wanted to mention though that my testing is done using an identical source chain with the cables being the only variable and there is no doubt that the analog cables are making a significant difference. I've also had channel patrons borrow these cables and with no discussion of my thoughts on them (i.e. no expectations created) they've heard the same characteristics that I hear, but in their own source chain and with no prior expectations.
Great video! I actually have been planning to upgrade my AudioQuest Mackenzie XLR interconnects recently. I feel like the treble is a bit forward with the Mackenzies, so I'm looking for a bit smoother and maybe more open sound. I've been leaning towards the AudioQuest Water XLRs, but based on your video, the Curious XLRs could be great. Has anyone here tried both the Water XLRs and the Curious XLRs and maybe could do a comparison of the two?
Running longer XLR cables for line level signals (DAC to amp) isn't a concern, but it's possible that going too long with the signal cable (to your headphones) could cause problems due to increased impedance, etc. That said, it's likely to be a VERY minor difference so the convenience is normally worth any slight trade-off
Definitely. Good cables shouldn't colour the sound and the Supras are good cables. You might want to hold off though as I have a new set of cable reviews coming next week...
@@PassionforSound Alright sounds good I just heard you say in both reviews they come off with a bit more attack so didn't know if using both would be too much together. Will look forward to the next review thanks!
I see what you're getting at and that does make sense, but it's very subtle with cables and they each do it a bit differently. That said, the Tellurium Q Black II RCA/XLR cables might be the better choice for the analog side. See what you think next week...
@@PassionforSound Awesome, looking forward to the new video. One last thing... Do you know if the supra swords you have are the gold plated connectors or the newer rhodium plated connector version?
The RCA are gold plated. Not sure what's inside the XLRs. (I'm not near my office right now to check). It was a long time ago that I did this review so pretty sure it won't be the newer versions.
Does anyone know what material the wires of the Curious interconnects are made of (copper, silver-plated copper, pure silver)? Their official page does not mention any information about it
The more comments I read from "audiophiles", the more I think I should quit my job, stuff some left-over bits of Belden HD-SDI cable into a pretty sleeve, whack on a couple of RCA plugs and sell it for $300/ft as "audiophile interconnects" 😂 As for "darker sounding" RCA connectors...dear god...I've heard it all now 🤣 You guys almost deserve to he ripped off. Its kinda funny, but also a bit sad. Constantly chasing that forever unobtainable "perfection" that you all seek.
It's the Drop Ctrl (if I'm recalling the model name correctly - it's the tenkeyless option in their range). I don't remember which switches I chose, but I'm very happy with it.
Lachlan with his cables again ! I have never heard a cable that can change / improve sound. I would rather use cheap cables and spend saved money on music (bandcamp) !
so which interconnects should I buy to connect my radio to the radio station? electrical energy doesn't even need the cable. the only thing that matters with cables is to have low impedance and maybe shielding, any thing more than this is almost always snake oil.
No, neither will be producing more or less noise, particularly in the XLR cables where noise is cancelled out by the paired +/- wires. It's just some combination of materials, geometry, etc.
@@PassionforSound human brain is much more sensitive than measurements can show. obviously by noise i did not mean only common mode noise. crystal geometry and microphonics are other sources too. i use custom xlr interconnects made from furutech alpha occ bulk cable. these are one of the cleanest sounding interconnect at any price. you can check some of my videos with chord tt2,m scaler, benchmark ahb2 and wharfedale evo 4.2.
These cables are just overpriced, there may be cables that cost that much that might be worth their money. I would never recommend buying cables from a brand that doesn't offer a detailed explanation and/or a schematic of how their cables are exactly made. We are at a point in time where you can find cables for $200 that are constructed in a much better way than any of these brands and therefore sound better.
As someone that doesn't really know much about the cable brands, would you care to list some of them so I can do further research on them? I would greatly appreciate it.
@@randomdude8897 Depends on your budget. To name a few brands regarldess of price: Acoustic Revive, Zonotone, Furutech, Oyaide, Cardas, AcroLink, Neotech.
I agree that they come across as pretty overpriced. Only the fact that the recent price increases seem to affect cables a lot more than other gear should at least make one think why that is (profit margins perhaps?). I had Audioquest Red River XLRs, that costed 139 euros in 2020 and these same cables now cost 185 euros. I got rid of these Audioquest XLRs and replaced them with Sommercable Epilogue cables (a German pro audio brand, the price stayed the same, at 88 euros, btw). In my opinion the Epilogues look better, are built better and are more convenient to use than the Red Rivers. And sound wise - I really could not tell a difference doing a blind (!) A/B.
Sadly, everything has gone up in price due to reduced supply of parts with no reduction in demand and increased transport costs all due to COVID. I don't know that cables are more affected than anything else. Our grocery bill is way higher now than 6-12 months ago
They are reliable and make good connections. I've personally not found an XLR connector that provides obviously better features from a sound quality perspective.
Says who?! An "audiophile"? Are they not expensive enough for you? Funny how they are basically industry-standard in professional audio applications...yet an "audiophile on the Internet" claims that they're no good. They have a VERY simple job to do, and do it perfectly.
@@njm1971nyc As an audio engineer, I can attest to studio quality and cables and connectors are just crappy brass. If you knew anything about metallurgy you would know that the metals used in pro audio are not of audiophile quality, ie pure copper or even silver. Im NOT an audiophile on the internet thanks, 15 years engineer and coming up to 33 years in retail of audio . So, how about yourself, or are you just another youtube troll with no experience...
@@Campbell1. Engineer in pro/broadcast field since 1989. If you truly believe that swapping a Neutrik XLR for a "fancy brand" will make an audible improvement...there's not much hope for you. I couldn't really care less what metals are used so long as they're getting the job done properly 🤷♂️
Lachlan you state that analog cables are proven to affect the sound of a system. As far as I’m aware this is simply not true, I cannot find any detailed reputable scientific documentation that provides any evidence to support this claim. Outside this small niche industry there are many other fields such as space, medical and military who have not adopted any of this pseudoscience. Dare I say even the music you listen to has been recorded and mixed with industry grade pro cables. I have enjoyed your reviews but find your subjective views on cables elaborated to say the least.
My comments on this are based on a much wider acceptance of the influence of analogue cables rather than digital cables. In addition to that, there are many known, measurable scientific principles that are predictable and understood when it comes to audio reproduction. Some of the factors in referring to are the skin effect which influences the optimal thickness of the wires, inductance, capacitance and resistance. There's a great video on RU-vid where the designer of Iconoclast speaker cables discusses all of the science that influenced the design of his cables. I don't have a link handy, but try a quick search and check it out of you're interested
Thanks for the information Lachlan, I had look at some of RU-vid videos of the Iconoclast designer. I certainly agree there's science involved, however my standpoint is the human ear cannot hear cable differences as there is no evidence, only subjective opinions exists. Just because we can prove a measurable difference it doesn’t mean it exists audibly, if there’s going to be an area of subjective weakest hearing has got to the king, along with the fallibly of the human belief in an ideology. I’ve been full circle and was one devoted cable advocate, I really believed cables made big differences. I think you‘d be a hard nut to crack. haha. I look forward to more reviews to keep my skepticism on active. J
It's a really interesting topic because there are things we can measure, but not hear (e.g. very low levels of distortion) and there are things we can hear and not measure (e.g. soundstage size/depth) so there's a lot that we still need to understand when it comes to audio reproduction and perception.
Thanks John McLean, you caught him in a lie and he tried to "snake oil" his way out of it. He said "proven" and then in his response to your comment it is his view of a "wider acceptance". Then he cites some cable science terms, WOW! Of course there's science to cables. He seemingly doesn't comprehend that science. He can't cite one valid test but, states, they're out there.
Nope because the moment I record the sound and send it via RU-vid compression, through your DAC, into your amp via whatever interconnects you're using and then whatever cables and transducers are attached, it's really not telling you anything at all.
you say you hear a difference , well take a good mic and show me and xlr allways is better, why do you think they use it in a studio and why don't they use 500euro/meter cables in a studio even if they have more money and more to gain.......you forget one thing which come to play by your way of 'testing' and that's your brain. Just buy the gear you can measure the sound in a objective way, instead of putting your money in stupidly expensive cables which feel nicer and look better then the cheap once and not every electrotechnical engineer knows stuf about cables
You're overlooking the fact that current measurement gear is unable to measure things like phase differences across frequencies that are created by cables. Our ears are infinitely sensitive to timing shifts in the sound (this is backed by peer reviewed studies - it's not my opinion) so the makeup of the cable and its influence over the speed of propagation of each frequency WILL alter the sound to some degree.
