back to the focus of this thread on mid-tier cables, a Clarus Crimson has arrived. It retails for ~$2k.
What's Best in Mid-Tier Cables
- Thread starter KeithR
- Start date
I have not heard the Cardas but I am quite familiar with the Belden 1192a. That particular Belden cable has a neutral tonal balance, good dynamics and fairly good detail. It falls short in two areas---the bass is thick and lacks detail compared to the midrange and highs, and the overall resolution while good is not equal to my Audio Note cables or my DIY cables made with very old Western electric wire. I have tried the Belden with 6 or 7 different RCA plugs and both shielded and unshielded. All single-ended.
Despite my quibbles, the Belden 1192a is a stone-cold bargain in the cable world.
Despite my quibbles, the Belden 1192a is a stone-cold bargain in the cable world.
I recommend Belden 8402 with top of the line carbon Furutech plugs. Yes the plugs are pricey but cable is very cheap to balance it and overall result is very, very good.
The new Furutech XLR plugs are a huge improvement and now at the very top of the heap, I don't think it's possible to do better. Furutech implemented many improvements. NCF RCAs are great too, now in the same league as WBT silver. Furutech are a bit quieter but any differences are very subtle.
I've had a silver UP-OCC USB cable plugged in for a few days. Hificollective, who are the bulk Neotech supplier over here, stock these made-up cables. It's budget by WBF standards, $200 plus VAT and delivery for a 1.5m cable, so about $250 plugged in. Seems good so far.
Hi Ron - I presume you were trying to voice certain aspects of your system by using a mix of Clear Beyond and Clear Reflection. Would be interested in the recipe you adopted and why?
Choosing IC's, speaker cables, & power cords is a daunting task as there are so many manufacturers these days. All make claims of superiority over other brands...
The IC's & speaker cables that I use now are the most neutral that I could find. (RM Crimson Music Link)
I tried probably about 100 different combos from various brands, many costing more than 700.00€+ per meter.
Lots of marketing gimmicks when it comes to this subject matter. Some choose their cables/IC's based upon price/appearance or glossy mag reviews while others have a good friend who's ears they trust...
My findings regarding IC's/speaker cables is they either work as a tone control of sorts or they cut certain hi/low frequencies in order to compensate for the short comings of their source components. I won't get into brand bashing but I think most will be familiar with such brands, which are the majority of brands, while very few are the real deal and are completely honest about their products.
The IC's/speaker cables that I use are no longer made. Some claimed that the IC's that I use are nothing more than cheap CAT5/6 cables based solely upon their appearance. That of course is wrong.
The cost of my IC's/speaker cables for my 2 setups was around 7000.00€ in 2010. I've been very happy with these cables/IC's with no inclination to try anything else.
My power cords are made by Volex and I use a certain make/model of molded power cords by Volex for all of my components except certain tuners that already have a hard wired cord. The cost of each power cord was 8.00€ each. My ReVox receiver & tape deck use a different make of power cord so I ordered a couple of aftermarket no name molded power cords from Amazon at 12.00€ each.
Did the usual A/B comparisons with those power cords and indeed the sound was improved over the factory issued power cords. I still have the original factory power cords should I decide to sell.
Bottom line, cost & cosmetics is not a indicator of performance and careful audition is required in order to make the best choice.
Everyone hears differently so what works with one individual may not work with another, even if they both have the exact same setup...
That said, those that claim a certain IC/speaker cable/component sounds "better" then the question becomes: "better" for who?
Just my opinions.
Happy Listening
The IC's & speaker cables that I use now are the most neutral that I could find. (RM Crimson Music Link)
I tried probably about 100 different combos from various brands, many costing more than 700.00€+ per meter.
Lots of marketing gimmicks when it comes to this subject matter. Some choose their cables/IC's based upon price/appearance or glossy mag reviews while others have a good friend who's ears they trust...
My findings regarding IC's/speaker cables is they either work as a tone control of sorts or they cut certain hi/low frequencies in order to compensate for the short comings of their source components. I won't get into brand bashing but I think most will be familiar with such brands, which are the majority of brands, while very few are the real deal and are completely honest about their products.
The IC's/speaker cables that I use are no longer made. Some claimed that the IC's that I use are nothing more than cheap CAT5/6 cables based solely upon their appearance. That of course is wrong.
The cost of my IC's/speaker cables for my 2 setups was around 7000.00€ in 2010. I've been very happy with these cables/IC's with no inclination to try anything else.
My power cords are made by Volex and I use a certain make/model of molded power cords by Volex for all of my components except certain tuners that already have a hard wired cord. The cost of each power cord was 8.00€ each. My ReVox receiver & tape deck use a different make of power cord so I ordered a couple of aftermarket no name molded power cords from Amazon at 12.00€ each.
Did the usual A/B comparisons with those power cords and indeed the sound was improved over the factory issued power cords. I still have the original factory power cords should I decide to sell.
Bottom line, cost & cosmetics is not a indicator of performance and careful audition is required in order to make the best choice.
Everyone hears differently so what works with one individual may not work with another, even if they both have the exact same setup...
That said, those that claim a certain IC/speaker cable/component sounds "better" then the question becomes: "better" for who?
Just my opinions.
Happy Listening
Thank you for your comments!
In what ways did you find the "sound was improved" over the stock power cords?
You are welcome Ron.
Clarity was improved by a noticeable amount, while everything remained the same. I would suggest that the improvement was about 20% if I had to quantify the experience.
Other aftermarket brands with their attached aftermarket hospital grade type of plugs didn't do well during auditions. I didn't find one that could beat my lowly molded power cord from Volex.
There's so many brands and models within each manufacturers lines that's it's very difficult to try each one, especially when their performance at audition was sub-optimal to begin with...just saying. Meanwhile the dealership was trying to convince me that those high cost power cords were better...lol. Trust your own ears.
I hope that I never have to audition another IC/speaker cable or power cord ever again...lol.
The whole experience was a complete mind f*ck to say the least...
Just my opinions.
Last edited:
If I may ask which model of the Volex power cord do you use? Thank you.Choosing IC's, speaker cables, & power cords is a daunting task as there are so many manufacturers these days. All make claims of superiority over other brands...
The IC's & speaker cables that I use now are the most neutral that I could find. (RM Crimson Music Link)
I tried probably about 100 different combos from various brands, many costing more than 700.00€+ per meter.
Lots of marketing gimmicks when it comes to this subject matter. Some choose their cables/IC's based upon price/appearance or glossy mag reviews while others have a good friend who's ears they trust...
My findings regarding IC's/speaker cables is they either work as a tone control of sorts or they cut certain hi/low frequencies in order to compensate for the short comings of their source components. I won't get into brand bashing but I think most will be familiar with such brands, which are the majority of brands, while very few are the real deal and are completely honest about their products.
The IC's/speaker cables that I use are no longer made. Some claimed that the IC's that I use are nothing more than cheap CAT5/6 cables based solely upon their appearance. That of course is wrong.
The cost of my IC's/speaker cables for my 2 setups was around 7000.00€ in 2010. I've been very happy with these cables/IC's with no inclination to try anything else.
My power cords are made by Volex and I use a certain make/model of molded power cords by Volex for all of my components except certain tuners that already have a hard wired cord. The cost of each power cord was 8.00€ each. My ReVox receiver & tape deck use a different make of power cord so I ordered a couple of aftermarket no name molded power cords from Amazon at 12.00€ each.
Did the usual A/B comparisons with those power cords and indeed the sound was improved over the factory issued power cords. I still have the original factory power cords should I decide to sell.
Bottom line, cost & cosmetics is not a indicator of performance and careful audition is required in order to make the best choice.
Everyone hears differently so what works with one individual may not work with another, even if they both have the exact same setup...
That said, those that claim a certain IC/speaker cable/component sounds "better" then the question becomes: "better" for who?
Just my opinions.
Happy Listening
Last edited:
How can you determine that cables "work as a tone control" when you cannot A-B-A compare a component with and without cables? The reality is that since you can't listen to components without multiple cables you can only know what the combination of a component (s) and multiple cables sounds like, and pick the combination that you like the sound of. There is no "neutral", cable-less reference. To claim otherwise is folly. I think that what happens is that when we have a component/cable combination we like and get used to we decide that it is "neutral", and when we try new cables that interact differently with our component(s) we describe the sound as "colored" and the cables as acting like tone controls......until we stumble on a new combination we like better.Choosing IC's, speaker cables, & power cords is a daunting task as there are so many manufacturers these days. All make claims of superiority over other brands...
The IC's & speaker cables that I use now are the most neutral that I could find. (RM Crimson Music Link)
I tried probably about 100 different combos from various brands, many costing more than 700.00€+ per meter.
Lots of marketing gimmicks when it comes to this subject matter. Some choose their cables/IC's based upon price/appearance or glossy mag reviews while others have a good friend who's ears they trust...
My findings regarding IC's/speaker cables is they either work as a tone control of sorts or they cut certain hi/low frequencies in order to compensate for the short comings of their source components. I won't get into brand bashing but I think most will be familiar with such brands, which are the majority of brands, while very few are the real deal and are completely honest about their products.
The IC's/speaker cables that I use are no longer made. Some claimed that the IC's that I use are nothing more than cheap CAT5/6 cables based solely upon their appearance. That of course is wrong.
The cost of my IC's/speaker cables for my 2 setups was around 7000.00€ in 2010. I've been very happy with these cables/IC's with no inclination to try anything else.
My power cords are made by Volex and I use a certain make/model of molded power cords by Volex for all of my components except certain tuners that already have a hard wired cord. The cost of each power cord was 8.00€ each. My ReVox receiver & tape deck use a different make of power cord so I ordered a couple of aftermarket no name molded power cords from Amazon at 12.00€ each.
Did the usual A/B comparisons with those power cords and indeed the sound was improved over the factory issued power cords. I still have the original factory power cords should I decide to sell.
Bottom line, cost & cosmetics is not a indicator of performance and careful audition is required in order to make the best choice.
Everyone hears differently so what works with one individual may not work with another, even if they both have the exact same setup...
That said, those that claim a certain IC/speaker cable/component sounds "better" then the question becomes: "better" for who?
Just my opinions.
Happy Listening
Last edited:
I have a Stax tube energizer that allows 3 inputs, but only use 2 for A/B, thereby at a press of a button I can instantly hear differences. My preamp has 2 outputs also. My previous CD player also had 2 outputs so IC A/B for comparisons using different IC's on the outs took only a couple minutes...
I hope that answers your question.
So yes that's true in that there's no perfect neutral system or components. The cables that I have are the most neutral that I could find, doesn't mean that there aren't better ones somewhere.
Last edited:
Also it may be noteworthy to mention that I've been to many live performances over my lifetime, mostly classical chamber music and classical guitar but also many rock shows & musicals. So my definition of neutral is very likely much different than yours. We all hear differently so the sound is open to interpretation by each individual.
Answered my question? No, because you didn’t address the issues I raised. But your response did confirm/support my original point.
Last edited:
Not noteworthy at all-commonplace I would imagine for members of this forum (yours truly included) and not relevant to this discussion. It doesn’t matter what your definition of neutral is. All it is possible to listen to (including when you are "A-B ing" inputs) is the interaction among components and multiple cables.
Similar threads
