Cables - one of the most taboo subjects in audio

[displayname]

I've gotta say, the more time I spend with cables, the more I'm a believer.

This weekend I got to do a short demo on a very high end distributor's system. We did one test - changing the power cord on the streamer. That's it, no other changes.

Also mind you, this is the distributors flagship demo system. He already had a power cable in place that goes for thousands of dollars per meter. And he plugged in the new one, that is expected to go for substantially more (were talking the market of people that own Lambos and multiple large homes). The difference was immediate and significant.

Obviously I won't be playing at that deep end of the financial pool anytime soon, but it does highlight that I have room to grow by treating ALL of the cables as an important piece of gear in the system.

The way he explained the importance of cables in the layman's terms was actually quite simple. He said cables are just antennas in your system. The only problem is you don't want to bring in other noise, so it's all about how to keep that noise from hitting the antennas.

 

[Ghost]

Okay, so for next cable upgrade should I

• Upgrade my BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp to BJC Beldens
• Upgrade my random Amazon banana plug speaker cables
• Upgrade the power cord on my amp to a pangea or something

Currently I have

• BJC Beldens linking my TT to my phone
• BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp
• Really cheap amazon RCA's connecting my Bluesound to my AMP
• Some random banana plug speaker cables I got from Amazon for like $50

 

[SnowmaNick]

Okay, so for next cable upgrade should I

• Upgrade my BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp to BJC Beldens
• Upgrade my random Amazon banana plug speaker cables
• Upgrade the power cord on my amp to a pangea or something

Currently I have

• BJC Beldens linking my TT to my phone
• BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp
• Really cheap amazon RCA's connecting my Bluesound to my AMP
• Some random banana plug speaker cables I got from Amazon for like $50

What’s your gear again?

 

[Ghost]

What’s your gear again?

MoFi Ultradeck w Hana SL running to a Sutherland Insight running into a Kinki Studios EX-M1 powering some Wharfedale Linton 85s, with a Bluesound Node thrown in for digital streaming.

 

[SnowmaNick]

A new PC for the Node or Kinki would be my next move.

 

[Angsty]

Okay, so for next cable upgrade should I

• Upgrade my BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp to BJC Beldens
• Upgrade my random Amazon banana plug speaker cables
• Upgrade the power cord on my amp to a pangea or something

Currently I have

• BJC Beldens linking my TT to my phone
• BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp
• Really cheap amazon RCA's connecting my Bluesound to my AMP
• Some random banana plug speaker cables I got from Amazon for like $50

I would likely be the deflator here, but I see no need to upgrade for performance reasons.

The LC-1 and Belden cables should be fine for their respective applications, especially with a MC cart.

Random Amazon banana plug speaker cables are fine if they are 14 gauge of thicker - resistance is what matters there.

Even the cheap RCAs are likely not to cause problems, but may look out
of place with more fancy cables. I use a cheap RCA for my Bluetooth receiver to my amp - the BJCs don’t perform better but do move the lightweight Bluetooth receiver around.

I have an engineering mindset - if I hear differences due to cables, something to me is really wrong. Some interconnects do reject RFI and EMI better than others, but that’s a noise thing, not a tonality thing.

As an experiment, swap a BJC cable with the cheap RCA and see if you hear anything different.

 

[Mather]

I would likely be the deflator here, but I see no need to upgrade for performance reasons.

The LC-1 and Belden cables should be fine for their respective applications, especially with a MC cart.

Random Amazon banana plug speaker cables are fine if they are 14 gauge of thicker - resistance is what matters there.

Even the cheap RCAs are likely not to cause problems, but may look out
of place with more fancy cables. I use a cheap RCA for my Bluetooth receiver to my amp - the BJCs don’t perform better but do move the lightweight Bluetooth receiver around.

I have an engineering mindset - if I hear differences due to cables, something to me is really wrong. Some interconnects do reject RFI and EMI better than others, but that’s a noise thing, not a tonality thing.

As an experiment, swap a BJC cable with the cheap RCA and see if you hear anything different.

Angsty, the yin to our yang.

 

[mindhead1]

Okay, so for next cable upgrade should I

• Upgrade my BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp to BJC Beldens
• Upgrade my random Amazon banana plug speaker cables
• Upgrade the power cord on my amp to a pangea or something

Currently I have

• BJC Beldens linking my TT to my phone
• BJC LC-1s connecting my phono to my amp
• Really cheap amazon RCA's connecting my Bluesound to my AMP
• Some random banana plug speaker cables I got from Amazon for like $50

FWIW, I recently switched out some KabelDirekt RCAs for Mogami RCAs from Worlds Best Cables. No difference in sound.

I have A BJC LC connecting TT to phono pre and Mogami from phono pre to amp. Also, have Mogami from DAC to amp.

 

[Angsty]

FWIW, I recently switched out some KabelDirekt RCAs for Mogami RCAs from Worlds Best Cables. No difference in sound.

I have A BJC LC connecting TT to phono pre and Mogami from phono pre to amp. Also, have Mogami from DAC to amp.

I think I would like Mogami coax for the same reasons I like BJC LC-1.

 

[displayname]

Anyone have strong opinions of using a dedicated phono cable over a standard RCA innerconnect going from TT to phono stage?

 

[Angsty]

Anyone have strong opinions of using a dedicated phono cable over a standard RCA innerconnect going from TT to phono stage?

No, but you'd want to know what the capacitance of each option if you are using a MM cartridge. Capacitance and shielding tend to be the biggest variables with cables from the TT to the phono. Capacitance matters much less if you are using a MC cart and no SUT.

 

[mindhead1]

Anyone have strong opinions of using a dedicated phono cable over a standard RCA innerconnect going from TT to phono stage?

I tend to get a lot of hum if i use an RCA cable without a ground wire from the TT to the Phono stage.

 

[Angsty]

I tend to get a lot of hum of o use an RCA cable without a ground wire from the TT to the Phono stage.

Agree - a ground cable is most often needed to reduce hum. The RCA does not have to have an integrated ground wire, though. Just about any copper cable will do for a ground cable.