Cheap vs Expensive Interconnect Cable with SOUND DEMO 

Wow! Just Wow! Thank you so much for doing that my friend! I have already watched like 3 or 4 videos of yours (basically your cheap dacs reviews) but for this video alone,i just hit the subscribe button.For me,that was super informative! I knew speaker cables can make a huge difference,but interconnects? Wow! Being able to hear that via youtube...that much of a difference just from interconnects i did not expect! That was eye opening for me! Thank you so much!

We need more people like you covering these topics - simply a great job. Keep on with the videos. Your methods of explaining some of the finer points of enjoying audio should help many of your viewers in making good choices. It makes the topics you cover so much more entertaining.

Killer video ...short and sweet and to the point...the difference was beyond what I anticipated...cheers

Thankyou for taking the time to do a good balanced demo.

Great video - objective without any obvious biases.... more video's like this are needed!

It just remind me my first cable change when started my journey with hi-fi system and that was Yamaha Piano Craft 20 years ago. And now thanks to your video I could hear exactly the same difference. And I have to tell you what. I am so glad you done it this way as I think nobody done it before. You can hear black and white the difference. Ofcourse set B sounded waaaaay better. Set A sounded completely flat like vintage radio. Set B sounded 3 dimensional even via YT. But couldn't really pick up any specific sharpness of the cheap cables on my headphones due to compressed signal on YT perhaps. BRAVO and thank you for this video. Amazing job. 👍🙃

Thanks! I listen to a lot of ‘reviews’ and this is straight forward and really useful!

Thanks for taking the time to demo this and give us some real differences to think about. I'm neutral on cables being new to hifi but I did go for mid range price audioquest just because my shop had it and I didn't feel like connecting 5k worth of gear with cheap connectors and zip wire from home depot

Listening on phone speaker at arms length and difference is very obvious. Great video.

People had been complaining about a hissing type feedback noise from the Eris E7 studio monitors. I went ahead and bought a pair anyway. When I ordered, I ordered a pair of 2 meter decent quality XLR connectors, silver/copper, shielded. I also ordered a high quality shielded USB connector to go from my PC to my SMSL SU-9n DAC. The first thing I did upon setting up on my PC Desk was listen for any type of noise emissions from my Monitors. They are Dead Quiet at idle. I also have a dedicated AC power box with backup that also filters the current from the wall. I was careful upon laying out my cabling to have as little crossover interference as possible. So yeah Your Fiend was quick to blame the DAC and I am guessing that many of those not happy with the Eris E7s were suffering from some kind of interference. I am so very satisfied with the results. I look to your channel because of the honesty that you project and the concise explanations of what ever is the topic. Thanks for That.

Another very helpful video for all of us to consider!

Thank you youtube, that I found this channel. So many things I was interested in, explained really good here.

Very well done. Very simple experiment and pretty darn obvious. I will be upgrading my cheap generic cables to mid grade ones for all my setups. Totally agree with your comment about investment into good quality gear. 12:52 . Also agree with measurements comment at 13:36. It’s OK to believe our ears even if we can’t confirm with the current measurements. Laughed at “ for gods sake! “. Nice job overall.

Brilliant demo!

Right now I'm a big fan of Blue Jean Cables because they seem to be well built for the price and share a lot of specs (their interconnects the LC-1 has super low capacitance). Maybe one day I'll try even more expensive and see if I can tell a difference but I feel better using something above the cheap amazon/monoprice cables.

Great video. Thanks for sharing!!

Excellent review

In this case I knew there will be a difference before listening and there definitely was. What most people don't understand about cables is they don't add anything, they just take. The cheap cable has poor shielding if any thus the high noise (well, they can add in the case of noise), also has a higher resistance thus the weak lows, a poor cable can act a bit like a low pass filter or high pass filter so it will either make the sound warmer or bright *but that's by removing frequencies from the signal not adding to it, that what people need to understand!* You don't need to spend $200 to get good shielding and low resistance, as iiWi said the difference between that $10 and the expensive cables will be very hard to hear. Like anything in life avoid the cheap crap and don't go insane with diminishing returns and you'll be just fine.

I could easily here a difference just on my phone. Cable B did sound better to me. Nice video, keep them coming.

Really good review for me. I listened with my eyes mostly closed, just opening from time to time to check/confirm the cable in use. Definitely to my ears cable B is what I prefer. Having just bought a pair of Q Acoustic 3030i speakers which are at the top of my (wife’s) reasonable investment limit (for my hobby), I’m going to test my $6 cables against some $2 cables. I’m fairly sure that I can see some new $10+ cables heading my way. Thanks, really helpful.

Hi, I wanted to thank you for this video as well as the one about power and digital cables. To me that's one of the best proofs on internet and YT particularly. I'm wondering why no other youtubers do that because this is a pretty easy way to prove all these guys are wrong. And this believe keeps continue and you kill it very easy. Greetings

Just me, but I heard a considerable difference. The beauty is you can create what sounds good to you... Who's to say what sounds good in your scull ?..... Have fun experimenting with sound. What a great gift of life !!!!

Great video mate 👍

Thanks for making this video. Its a touchy subject which means its interesting. Agree, pay attention to signal path.

You're a musician as am I .. Easy for us to hear difference .. but in this extreme example the proof is an undeniable FACT .. well done Bravo amico ..

Initially I thought A sounded better and more open, and the first switch to B made it sound "squashed". But after more listening I realized that B was much more "full bodied", and the "openness" I thought I was hearing with A was just a result of the brightness and the lack of bass. Personally I think you only need to spend around £30 to get properly good cables. You just need something well made and properly shielded.

Super video, cable A was easy to spot as the cheaper one. I always wondered exactly how much cables actually can do. What I learned, which is the really big challenge, is how each component in a system can affect the sound quality/character. This was just another evident display of just that. You really should have far more subscribers, your reviews are ace.

Thank you so much for your honesty.It made me decide to go for a more expensive cable.

Awesome demo. I was blown away by the stark difference. I'd love to more videos like this, I'm super curious about digital cables like USB or HDMI. There's so many debates online (like anything) over using $200+ USB cables to connect DACs. I personally feel like it can't be any better than a $20 cable, but oddly - I'd love to be wrong.

So I hope your friend treated you to a nice dinner :-D I enjoy your channel and reviews. Keep up the great work!

A sounds better to my ears without knowing which is which. With cable B, the guitar is a mess and vocals less clear. Also there is more hiss noise with cable B.

Thanks for this fascinating demo! Going cheap vs expensive on speaker cables and interconnects has been bothering me for awhile. I just ordered some Blue Jeans speaker cables (with banana plugs), which are not at all super expensive. But, they are definitely way more expensive than what I am now using. If nothing else, I will know that what I spent a little bit of cash on is not detracting from the sound as much as what I was using before, even if it will be difficult to hear the difference plainly. Thanks!

Good demo, i use atlas interconnect equator RCA, and they sound very good with my amp + Bluesound node 2 i + smsl su9. The soundstage is fantastic. I also used atlas hyper cable interconnnect...but they were too warm for me. You're right .... interconnects makes différences !

This was the first example of a cable making a difference. People saying cable "A" sounds better. I think they are only listening to the bass volume. Cable "B" opens up, like it is a completely different stereo all together. It became more spacious. I even heard something with the acoustic guitar in the right (Possibly Left, Think I had my headphones on backwards) in the first track change. It jumped out at me. Also it gave a very holographic soundstage in which cable "A" was very box-ie sounding. Cable "B" is where its at.

Awesome. Great way to deliver this controversial topic. Just in time. Ordered a hand made cable and ordered my own bits to make my own cables and see which ones I like better.

I forgot to add, cables are “tuning” tools to tweak the sound of your gear!. Totally agree with your observations!

Fantastic video.

Wow, you are killing with your reviews. Your analysis lends a gravitas to your insights that is trustworthy.

I think you did a great job with that video. Coming through my video system(Sp/dif from TV to Marantz AV) I really could not discern a difference but you edited it extremely well and the intervals were very good. It was an excellent demo. My audio system is not used for video. I do have a question. Did you deploy your $10 cables from your Dac to the back of your preamp / integrated? I’m using a digital coax interconnect from my BlueSound streamer to my Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC. That cable has to enter the equation as well I would think. Is there a type of Sp/dif you prefer?

Great comparison 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

The cheap ones sounded better, but I guess the point you tried to make is that there is a noticeable difference in audio between the two cables. Will have to sit in your sweet spot to really hear which is better. Cool experiment.

Hello. I couldn't hear a difference but my ears have seen better day's. To many concerts and nightclubs. However I do use the minimal upgraded cables and they definitely make a difference. I also wanted to tell you that I really enjoy your channel and you're a super nice person. Having said that, your demeanor comes off as you being very honest and trustworthy. I wish I had one third of your knoledge but I'm working on it. Thank you very much for the unbiased reviews and all the intel you share. Thank you.👌

I agree with you iiWi Reviews. I listened to the samples using a pair of headphones (Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro). I did not know which cable was A or B, before listening. Clearly , the more expensive cable pair (B) sounded better. Wider dynamics in the base and in general more details.

Great video 👍

Cheaper cables causes hisses, getting a better cables will make make the sound less pitchy and harsh. A better cable will makes the sound smoother n easier to listen. Less hearing fatigue. Good job! Nice video. Cheers.

Big difference! I didn't even know cable differences could be heard via youtube compression but you just showed that the differences are even bigger than comparing two phono cartridges of the same lineup from one brand. wow with that said, I prefer the cheap cable A! More natural

Amazing video!

Another very interesting video

I'm really new to sound systems and honestly, can't really have a proper objective opinion about the topic, but I honestly think the "middle ways" is often the best. Without having any comparison, I choose to go with the cheapest "Tower" line cable of Audioquest that is at least "Brand-name" and seems to be trusted. Yes, they cost more than average, a random cable for Amazon is like 10 euros, a Tower one is like 20-40 euros depending on length and type but isn't that big of a deal (IMO). Seeing this video really made me happy because I know maybe I didn't wasted those extra bucks spent and probably, I wouldn't need anything more if on yours expensive system you sad you can be quite happy with a 10 dollar one from china! So all of this to say: Thank you!

Listening on Sony A9H , Android YT app, eARC to Denon 4300h, to KEF Reference M2. During the video cable A was brighter, but also more airy, and to some degree, more transparent. Cable B mead more full sounding, definitely more low freq information, still airy but without brightness. Good video overall, thanks for the healthy attitude to the issue.

Nice video, keep the good job! (Strange but cable A sounds better for my taste!)

You swung me, first cable video that got me thinking about upgrading. Years ago I swapped out my reasonably expensive speaker cables for solid-core copper lighting cable and I heard absolutely no difference, so I’ve been a bit of a cable doubter until now (especially power and USB). Interestingly the harsh & bright Cable A sounded “wider” to me, I guess that’s a result of more high frequencies?

it's hard to believe that the differences we hear even in compressed youtube audio is only from changing cable. This is like different equalizers in use. So clearly diifferent. If these are only cables "talking" then i am not talking, because don't know what more to say for non believers of different sounding cables. Thanks for showing.

To me, cable A sounded more forward and full in its presentation with a narrower soundstage while cable B sounded recessed with a wider soundstage. I tended to like cable A in the first track and cable B on the second track. Even after hearing which one was which, it didn’t really change my opinion or my preference. I’m sure the harshness you mentioned on cable A was more apparent in person but it wasn’t audible in this demo once it reached my end.

Great content, great explanation, great personality, want more vids from you! Subscribed!!!

Great video! I am still using cheap cables, but thanks to you going to change for the $10 you are already using! Thanks

Even through my crappy PC speakers I thought B sounded better. Well done mate, but no doubt it wont stop the naysayers

I recently improved my usb cable with a nice handmade product that connects my Mojo to my PC and a nice 3.5mm-3.5mm cable from the Mojo to my Audio engine 2+'s, so I definitely heard a difference(surprise!) as most times I don't hear much differences in tests on RU-vid. That said, I preferred B; bigger, perceptually louder, and tonally better. Cable A was clear but had that typical nasal sound of the cheap and cheerful stuff you used to get at RadioShack. Good stuff. The atlas looks like Monster Reference from the late eighties which I happened to like and still have a couple around in 2 meter lengths(handy)

I feel validated. This video confirms that you should not cheap out on stuff. That cheap thin RCA cable you used looks like the ones I have ten of in my cable drawer. Cables that were included free next to random stuff I bought my entire life. The RCA cable I'm using was sold as car audio equipmet. A nice thick blue plastic rca cable for around 10 euros. It is more quality, more durable and robust than the scraps I already had, but it is worth it. A 200 dollar cable probably sounds even better, but it would give diminishing returns. And considering my setup costs 200 dollars alltogether, I am not the target audience for it. (Besides, if I had that much money to spend on a cable, I'd want it to look cool too. Like those weaved and twisted cables ZReviews uses all the time)

Great video. Thanks

This is a fascinating subject, I definitely heard a difference on track 1 and less of a difference on track 2, I am using decent headphones just through the computer. Over the different media and with all the mucking about I liked A on track 1 and B on track 2 though it was hard to define.

I've been listening to this debate for 40 years. People used to tell me that I do not hear differences! Excuse me? My literal response was, you are going to tell me what I hear and don't hear with my ears and brain? Are you sniffing glue? I agree with you and choose not to debate it with others, even with my brother lol.

Interesting video, I'm hearing moderate hiss throughout the voice over sections, quite similar to the difference between the cables ironically :p

Very brave subject matter. Great video. You should try a usb interconnect from streamer to denafrips. At least then you could play native dsd. Maybe a topic for another video.

Love your common sense approach in this video by comparing two cables at two extremes. Could very much hear a big difference and I preferred cable A, but I usually go for more shrillness😂

Clear difference absolutely. Cable B sounded more "full bodied" I'd say and cable A sounds sort of bright. Amazing video mate, well done !

I changed my cables (the ones provided with the DAC/speakers), which was a considerable improvement. Another thing that helps: keep the audio cables far from the power cables. No difference was observed when I used a cheaper DAC.

Well done thanks

Well done,a brilliant comparison. What I’lld like to know though ,do speaker cables matter ?

I listened through my rig and also with headphones and I would say the sound difference is almost imperceptible, but there is a slight difference and I felt that the 'B' cable sounded a little better, there seemed to be a slightly increased depth of sound with that cable. The 'A' cable seemed slightly more muffled. It would have been better if you played the exact same music in both cables rather than continuation of the same piece of music. I also paused your video after the music and returning to the time stamp where you started the test 4 times. I wrote my previous comment before continuing on in your video to the point where you identified them. So my assessment was honest based on listening the best I could. The more expensive cable is in fact better given what you presented.

Excellent. They were very different. Excellent to point out that if you measure two things looking for a difference and there is none, you are measuring what is the same about them. The difference is beyond the scope of the measurement being applied. Cables do matter! Could you do another test where the plugs on the cables are the same. Plug quality is important. The plugs differ in too many ways to be ignored.

I can hear the difference. B is clearer and more substantial, the vocal is pinpoint and there is depth to it. A is somehow diffuse and has less clarity. Oh no! 🤣 I am still using the $2 rca cable connecting my Dac to the power speaker. I think I will have to get a better cable after watching this review. Thanks!👍

I think this is a great video. People tend to justify their own status and judgement. If people try to open their mind and accept what others’ are claiming usually results in mutual respect. Audio theory, science, whatever you call it, whether it was real science pr just a placebo effects, still real. Cables do make differences. Tonality, body, weight of sound. I have experienced the changes with speaker cables, power cables, power conditioners, interconnects. But I have to be honest that I cannot hear the differences with LAN cables and USB cables. But don’t I believe in people claiming there are differences? Yes, I do believe them. If you have a small wooden peck in the middle of your sound system, that little thing changes the image of the sound and sound stage. Audio is science. But also psychological, our own body conditions affect how music sound time. So try things… don’t disrespect others just because you think it may not be the case. Respect others. Audio is a wonderful hobby.

Very nice, as always :) What cables do you have to the speakers? Tx!

Ok, Would really like to see/hear a video of your whole setup with good and bad cables. (I know I am late but could not find any updates on this in your more recent videos. I was already convinced enough to at least go for the with cables in this video, cause if I was to go for the other we would have a BIG economic problem as I have many things connected to my amps. My tape recorder requires 2 cables alone, and I have 2 decks connected at all times. then I also have the more nice looking system in my main living room with a more or less similar setup.

There is a really tiny difference but does not justify the 200$ investment. One of the sound is tiny tiny tiny tiny bit "thicker" or "richer". May be is the shielding of radio frequency in the air wave, or close proximity to other EMF emitting equipment. A 20-30$ cable does all of the necessary shielding within the hearing range of human. Good job in presenting this topic, keep it up.

Do the rca cables you bought on ali express have a speaker wire equivalent?

Clear difference heard between cable A & B in my setup.

I tried many cables under £40. Audioquest, QED profile and pro, Amazon basics, Oelbachs silver ,Fisual . Mogami 2534 Quad cables worked the best for me. Apparently used by the pro music and film industry. Beware - I have realised cables need at least 50 hour burn in. Mogami recommends 75 hours plus for best results. At first I was disappointed, after burn in, I was happy. I was using for Pro- ject D amps.

Listened to this through my high-end near field and my larger room system via headphones. Nearfield produced a marked difference. I sometimes preferred A and sometimes B. Go figure!!!!! In any case, I use Bluejeans cables throughout most of my 2 systems cos they produce a quality cable at a reasonable price. Nice job on this demonstration and yup ... I heard the difference clearly and a wee-bit surprised.

No problem cable A is the 200 dollar one. A has a proper soundstage and lower notice floor. Love your approach. :) (If you listening then please do not forget to use the highest video resolution from RU-vid. When you use lower resolution RU-vid also adjust the delivered SQ at a lower quality.) Wow if the cable A was the 2 dollar I need go out and to buy those! :D

Hi nice video as usual. Wich cables do you use in your system ? wich rca´s and speaker cable.

Cable A sounds closed in spatially, slightly blurry, and a bit shrill. Cable B sounds richer, more open in vocals, ambience, and instrumental detail. I listened via a Meridian Explorer 2 DAC, and a custom 6DJ8 tube pre-amplifier driving a transformer coupled headphone interface into Drop HE-X4 headphones. Quite a revealing comparison :)

Pro audio tech with 47 years experience here. The most important things in a cable are: 1. Good plugs. They have to make good, solid, continuous connections to the jacks, both center pin and ground. Shouldn't be too tight, though, or you'll damage the jacks inserting or removing them. 2. Good strain reliefs and good soldering within the plug bodies. Gotta keep the signal intact between the plugs and the wires. 3. Good shielding. None of this BS unshielded twisted pair. Good shielding = low noise. 4. Last, and least, the conductors themselves. As long as they conduct, and do not short-circuit or go open, they don't matter, provided the first three requirements are met. For a good 1 meter stereo RCA cable, you should not need to pay more than $10-$20. Make them yourself for even less. But be careful of the plugs! They're the most important thing! NOTE: For unbalanced RCA cables longer than about three meters, you need to have low-capacitance cable, or you'll lose highs with some gear. Turntable cables should never be more than two meters long, preferably just one meter.

Even with Bluetooth headset using mp3 compression i was super skeptical i would hear ANY difference but just the cables going from my dac to my Bluetooth transmitter to my headphones its almost as if i got a pair of new cans, incredible!

I watched from the TV, and the difference is very noticeable. While listening, I preferred A. I will definitely pay more attention to cables from now on.

Regardless of cheap or expensive. This demo clearly shows cables making an audible difference.

Very interesting

Hey man, do you think digital audio cables like USB and digital coaxial make a difference? Also what's your opinion on silver plated cables? Because i can hear the obvious difference between both the cables in your sound demo.. and i have always been a fence sitter when it comes to audio interconnects.

Totally agree.

Please test chord c-line cable if you can. I just bought this and seems to be doing aot of eq to the sound.

i used to use kimber and neotech pro exclusively, these days I'm just using canare. theres definitely small audible differences between cables no doubt, the only high end cable i actually kept was a qed reference usb cable and that was for anti interference reasons not sound quality.

Massive difference!! And that’s through my AirPod pros and iPhone 12 max. 😮😮😮

After the harshness of cable A gets choked by RU-vid, it ends up sounding as "more clear". RU-vid makes it tough to hear the nuances. Even after knowing the answer, and your explanation of what you heard, all I hear on this end is B has a "smoother" texture. Thanks for the demo though. 😎👍 I'm getting good results with cable upgrades kn my system. Each upgrade makes additional upgrades worthwhile. I'm enjoying the journey 😎

Actually on my speaker setup song A sounds better. But thats a thing of the setup. I have listened on my old HP PC .... with my old Vintage amp and my new M Audio BX8 active monitors. They like a bit more harsh sound, because the setup is really warm but also washed out in combination. Cables depend mostly on youre system. I just bought Audioquest Evergreen cables because its said say make the highs and mids a bit cleaner, thats what my system needs. I use ketchup cables right now, lol.

I just listened to this using my old B&W E8 earbuds. Cable A was very bright. Cable B had a very warm sound but I could not make out a difference in fidelity or instrument separation. Partly because I'm wearing true wireless earbuds (high end they may be) some things really are about size. I think the other reason your equipment's inability to produce or reproduce high fidelity sound. Me personally, I'm in love with a warmer and more airy soundstage with slow decay which is why Mackintosh tube amps are my favorite ampli. Cable B all the way

Thanks for this one. Great idea. I thought cable A sounded harsh and cable B sounded smoother with more midrange. Not sure that the equipment I'm using to watch this is sufficient to have a preference but I did perceive differences.

Diy with Van Damme studio pro patch cable! Good price, natural clear sound with nothing standing out or missing, silver plated copper cores.

I'm annoyed to admit that there's a BIG difference, and even more annoyed to admit I prefer the expensive cable B 😆

5:28, B is the $200 one, at least the better one, wider and clearer sound. A is muddy. Let's see. I want to this lot ago, great job:)