Is there any real difference in audio cables?

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-- Is there any real difference in audio cables?

Posted by meriter on Jan-12-2012 21:25:

Is there any real difference in audio cables?

As far as sound quality goes like say HOSA vs. Mogami Platinum series or is it just a marketing thing like monster cables?

Posted by Rodri Santos on Jan-12-2012 21:59:

even gold cables won't make a difference if your setup hasn't got a clean output from the start

Posted by Kysora on Jan-12-2012 22:03:

Depends on the audio signal. Digital is all ones and zeroes, either the signal gets sent or it doesn't. $1,000+ monster cables are indistinguishable from coat hangers, in that regard

Analog signals, though, there are different levels of quality. Couldn't tell you much about how, though.

Posted by cryophonik on Jan-12-2012 22:05:

I'm no expert on cables, but I have A/B'ed Hosa cables with better ones with the synths in my studio and didn't hear any audible differences in signals. So, I usually just use Hosa cables and save some cash.

edit: although I should mention that my speaker cables are Mogamis.

However, for my basses and guitars, I tend to buy higher quality cables - not so much for the signal quality, but for the construction quality. After you've had a couple of cheap cables fart out on you during a gig or recording session, you quickly learn to travel with quality cables (plus a couple of backups).

Posted by meriter on Jan-12-2012 22:10:

funny you say that I splurged and got some Mogami balanced cables for my monitors and one of them cuts out occasionally

rest of the studio wired with the silver series. It's been 6 years I think still no problems

Posted by Looney4Clooney on Jan-12-2012 22:30:

no

once you get past a certain standard, which is rather low, you are paying for hype and nice packaging and the warm feeling that your audio chain will sound better.

Posted by orTof�nChiLd on Jan-12-2012 23:45:

I can't believe you asked that question

no

Edit: dacs and studio monitors weren't made to use with audiophile aftermarket cabling

Posted by Magnus on Jan-13-2012 00:23:

Audio cable BS can get extreme. I found out about just how bad it can get recently, and thought I'd share. Some of you may already know, but there are companies that take the pure rape of ignorant souls to the maximum, Audioquest being one of them. Audioquest makes a 3ft speaker cable that costs $8,450 US dollars. Then there is Siltech. Kneel before the Siltech Emperor Crown speaker cable, a set of cables that will cost you $35,000 US. It's just mind boggling to me.

$8,450 speaker cable (3 ft.) http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-K2...26413051&sr=1-2

$35,000 Siltech Emperor Crown ( 2 m) http://www.patsaudioart.com/product...nd-audio-cables

Posted by orTof�nChiLd on Jan-13-2012 01:25:

there you go magnus, pure bullshit

Posted by J.L. on Jan-13-2012 02:08:

@Magnus...

I didn't think it was possible... I've seen audioquest before.. but the siltech just boggles my mind... Even if whatever they are advertising is real, you'd be a fool to believe that everything in the signal chain including the circuitry in the source, amplifier, and speakers are even remotely that "clean"

Posted by meriter on Jan-13-2012 02:08:

quote:
To understand why Siltech uses silver and gold metallurgy for its cables, we need to take a look at silver�s crystalline structure. The natural crystal structure of copper and silver does not exhibit the characteristics of optimum conductivity. It produces small distortions when current flows through it.

The crystal-group boundary affects the signal which generates these distortions. These crystal-groups can be seen as ball-shaped clusters of crystals. This clearly provides less material for conducting, and a more complex signal path with air gaps in between. Siltech has developed a proprietary technique that greatly reduces these crystal boundaries.

Seems legit.