Do you use cables to 'tune' the sonics of your system?
- Thread starter AudioExplorations
- Start date
And since you can only listen to your components via cables, how would you know that one cable was "getting out of the way" vs. another revealing all of the musicality the component had to offer?
you cant mostly , but if you use headphones there is much less cables to affect the sound
How is it that we read and hear generalized characteristics of the way specific cable brands sound? These are reports across different components and systems and rooms.
Don’t we all generally agree that Cardas cables sound different from Nordost cables, just to pick two at random?
Don’t we all generally agree that Cardas cables sound different from Nordost cables, just to pick two at random?
Same as "house sound" for brands of components. There are some cable/component traits that are pronounced enough that they come through clearly with most combinations. However in my experience knowing what the "generalized characteristics" are is not enough to predict interaction effects/synergies between cables and components. For that you have to listen.
Last edited:
Anyone that says their cables they own do not tune the system is lying, to themselves at the very least.
Even if you are looking at neutrality in cables cheap or expensive, all cables have a sound whether we admit it or not.
The more transparent your system is, the bigger difference you seem to get inserting different cables, for better or worse.
Even if you are looking at neutrality in cables cheap or expensive, all cables have a sound whether we admit it or not.
The more transparent your system is, the bigger difference you seem to get inserting different cables, for better or worse.
Cables certainly make a difference, and they should be chosen carefully. But some cables have an effect that is more easily identified than others. My point is that if there is a house sound to a brand of cables that is universal across components and systems, then those cables could hardly be considered “getting out of the way“ if there character comes through and you can easily identify it.
Some systems are more tuned by some cables than they are by other cables.
Some systems are more tuned by some cables than they are by other cables.
Last edited:
Peter, every cable has a house sound, even Ching Cheng
That they are cheap and go extremely well with Lamm, is going to be very good to one's wallet.
Everyone says Nordost has a house sound of dry and lean - which is incorrect after you own them. Unforgiving, I can agree with.
Peter, every cable has a house sound, even Ching Cheng
That they are cheap and go extremely well with Lamm, is going to be very good to one's wallet.
Everyone says Nordost has a house sound of dry and lean - which is incorrect after you own them. Unforgiving, I can agree with.
Would you say each cable has an equally strong or easily identifiable house sound? And is this consistent with different cable models within a brand?
Ime, homogenization (house sound) is stronger with some than others, though sometimes it can be hard to tell unless you experience the electronics with a variety of cables. I recently tried 4 different 7 meter IC runs from preamp to amp. In terms of relative difference two were close, a third was distinquishable from those two though not dramatically so, the fourth was clearly different from all three.
Every cable tells a story, donut.
Honestly Peter. the more cables or stuff I listen to, the more different everything sounds. Sometimes better, sometimes not. I have and I am sure many on WBF have reached a position where our system sounds great - however we search for more.
Does Nordost have a house sound - overall at Valhalla and above, probably not, but I have never heard Valhalla speaker cable.
Everything we insert into our system at a certain " quality " level is always going to be more than a 20 minute listen to easily say Y or N.
Or at least in my honest opinion.
Thank you. I was just trying to better understand what you’ve been saying. Thanks for the clarification.
A few brands have a characteristic sound - I would love to know how manufacturers manage to do it! Some even share similar signatures between speaker and interconnects. Considering that intensities and currents are orders of magnitude different between them, as well as the geometries I consider it a real technical achievement.
But, for example, Mogami cables do not share characteristics and sound different between them.
They are a case of night and day, Peter. But there is considerable difference between Cardas types - I would say even more than between some brands.
I just found out that power cables can make as much of an improvement as interconnects and speaker cables.
Late to the party I guess.
Never needed a power cable replacement before because everything was hard wired or in the case of my Graaf tube preamp it had a replaceable glass fuse in it.
Late to the party I guess.
Never needed a power cable replacement before because everything was hard wired or in the case of my Graaf tube preamp it had a replaceable glass fuse in it.
Power cables make the biggest difference among cables - interconnects the least difference.
Last edited:
Similar threads
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Co-Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |