What is really special is that some people spend more on audio cables than I do on RF cables for 40 GHz testing. I really admire Gene's stamina on being wiling to address this issue for the people with amnesia about the last time they asked about audio cables.
every time I see an investigation of cable reality, I am reminded of the very famous audio reviewer who used the six figure cost of his system wiring to enhance his credibility, as in, too bad not everybody can experience a super expensive system built by the expertise and experience I possess. My curiosity sparked by this channel , I went over to refresh my memory about the cost and features of his cables and interconnects. Now I couldn't find the dollar amount of his cables nor even any mention, on the last RUclips exploration of his super expensive system that I viewed . I thought that odd for a guy who unfailingly pushed fancy cables as so necessary that they should get a a good slice of the audio budget, on par with components.
@@chrismonterubio9475 I thought he said the stuff he uses is $1.20/ft (Blue Jeans Cable?)? Obviously have to add in cost of terminations (banana plugs or whatever) and labour. Is he selling cables for $300 - just wondering.
I agree because the number one priority on your system where your money goes is the pair of speakers themselves. You absolutely cannot go wrong with Paradigm Persona 5f and a vintage Pioneer SX1980.
You definitely cannot go wrong with that setup, IF you can afford it. You can buy a small house with that money, but I get your point. That amp, however, is an absolute jewel.
The fact that this is even worth a video is just sad, man. This industry is full of shit sometimes. you and your team put so much love and effort into your videos and website. It's the first place I check when I want information on a specific product. Always honest, in depth and just filled to the brim with knowledge. You need a lot more subscribers.
Don't be silly. Gene has just moved on from snake oil that costs hundreds of dollars to the extra virgin snake oil that costs thousands of dollars in expensive amplifiers and receivers. Funny that he actually uses the word "audible" in this one in pointing out that half a dB is not likely audible. But in the amplifier video the word is never used. We are supposed to believe that measurable minute differences in distortion, noise, and frequency response are somehow audible, without any evidence supporting that conclusion. For something to sound "better," it first has to sound different in a reliable test.
@@gregworrel2623 Look, The guy takes time to provide measurable evidence and truth.. I have also watched some of his "amplifier" videos and he speaks of "Audible" differences regularly. There are huge audible differences in amplifiers, one from the next. I find him one of the most honest and upfront guys in the industry!! he literally got excluded from HiFi shows because of his promotion of truth. Lets give the guy some breathing room....
@@abxaudiophiles Measurements don't tell us what is audible. In the amplifier video, he mentioned that one amplifier sounded "smoother" and "more composed." Which measurement shows us "more composed" on a graph? What does "more composed" even mean? How can two amplifiers with ruler flat frequency response have one that sounds "smoother"? He showed a graph in that video of an amplifier that had a 2dB variation at 20KHz but failed to mention that there is almost certainly no way anyone can hear 2dB variation at 20KHz in actual content. It is ironic for someone with "ABX" in their screen name to say that there are "huge audible differences in amplifiers." Are you unaware of the ABX testing done by the SMWTMS? Are you unaware of the $10,000 amplifier challenge that offered $10,000 to anyone who could correctly identify different amplifiers that were level matched and not clipping in a double blind test? At what level does amplifier distortion become audible? .01%? .1%? 1%? How well equipment measures and the engineering to get there is irrelevant once a minimum standard is achieved such that the noise and distortion become inaudible to humans.
@@gregworrel2623 He Actually said that .5-1db is basically unnoticeable...As we all know 2-3 db increase can easily be perceived as an increase in quality or other characteristics. Your diatribe is pointless, as there are MANY more issues that are more relevant than someone saying AMPS sound different.... AS THEY DO
@@abxaudiophiles Yes, he said that in this video. But in the amplifier video, one of his reasons why more expensive amps sound better was "impedance invariability." The graph showed a 2dB variation at 20KHz. Please tell me you can hear a 2dB variation at 20KHz. That is absolutely inaudible to anyone over the age of 30 and likely inaudible in actual content by anyone at any age. If you think level matched non-clipping amps sound different then prove it in a double blind comparison. I've yet to hear of anyone who could. People spend thousands on amps when a simple experiment would show they are throwing their money away when a much less expensive amp would sound exactly the same.
I am a big fan of Audioholics. That said, I reluctantly watched this video thinking this was yet another rant of Gene's about a bad experience he had with a cable vendor or manufacturer. Not that that is not interesting; I was shocked about the situation he encountered at a recent audio show last year. But I thought this video was going to be redundant... On the contrary, I instead got a lot out of this video as it was a good summary of the science. Thank you once again for another informative and interesting video, Gene. Keep them coming!
Blue jeans all the way. My wife doesn't get near my system so what it looks like.... Doesn't matter! Of course she married me so...looks must not matter to her either! :-D
Gene, thanks for this video and others like it. It’s refreshing to get explanations and analysis based in science and engineering rather than audio fantasy. You perform a vital service for the audio enthusiast community.
"It's dynamic, involving, accurate, detailed and harmonically pure," raves Todd Warnke in his review for SoundStage "The Silver Streak sets a new standard for me." -- from Stereophile magazine in their review of Kimber Kable's Silver Streak which cost $2576.00 for a pair of 3-meter cables. Audio Fantasy? Oh yeah! But Stereophile takes Kimber Kable's advertising money so you are probably not going to get negative reviews for this BS. But Gene said it best towards the end - cables due to their electrical and engineering simplicity of what they do and how they do it do NOT require that much thought into their design to get right. They just don't. But people with extreme disposable income need to justify how they waste their money and Gene's comment about bragging rights was spot on. Even if you spend $20,000.00 on an amplifier and you have Andy Singer trying to convince you that *these* cables are the perfect match for this amplifier and speaker combination, you are an idiot if you feel that you ALSO need to spend $10,000.00 on cables. Cables are cables!!!! It's like a Ferrari owner believing that $30.00 per gallon gasoline is the ONLY fuel for his car because he blew half a million dollars on it! No. Gas is gas; cables are cables. As for Andy Singer, he is an ex law student with zero background in acoustics, electronics, or engineering. But he *is* a successful salesman in that he has made a lot of money convincing other deep-pocketed idiots in New York City to spend 100 times what they actually needed to get a decent sound system.
Or the wires inside the speaker. I must confess that i bought expensive wires for my system 25 years ago. Then i had a midrange speaker go bad and opened the speaker to change it. Inside i found tiny wires with rubbish termination. That was my wakeupcall i have not bought expensive wires after that. I still have my wires and they still work so the quality was good, but even if i had bought the cheap ones and i had to change them 10 times it would still be cheaper
I watch this video from time-to-time to better appreciate the Blue Jeans 10-white speaker cables I use. I really appreciate your effort, testing and honesty👍👍
You're right. Businesses should b e ashamed of selling things good enough that lots of customers want to buy them and their owners get to live nicely. All businesses should run at a loss. That way everybody would be happy and morally correct. Show everybody what a noble soul are by giving all your possessions to the poor. Of course, the you would become one of the poor, and would demand it all back, screaming "EXPLOITATION!!!!
Thank you ! Straight forward info with no unnecessary bs ! Using 10' runs of 8pr with hybrid tube amp with Salk monitors! Great affordable system with immense sound stage depth ! Been listening to audio for over fifty years, and I am satisfied with this one !!
Hi I’m looking at buying a new digital coaxial cable to upgrade from the one supplied with my arcam rplay and intrested to see would their be a difference , and wondered what your thoughts were and any cables to try :)
Hey Gene, have you experimented with A/C power cords? I went ahead and replaced the original cord to my pre-amp with an aftermarket higher quality power cord and immediately noticed an audible improvement. Most notably with the amp hum being cut at least 50% at idle.
Love this video Gene! I have 8ohm 15” Tannoys with 20 watt class A power amp & tube pre. What would you recommend between: Belden 9497 Blue Jeans 10 or 12 Kimber Kable 8tc Also, is there a simple upgrade on the standard plastic main power cords that you can recommend?
Hi Gene. Good video as usual. I wanted aesthetically nice cables so I am following your advice. I bought inexpensive eight gage (low resistance) wire that is twisted and shielded with tin or some crap. I'll use spade connectors. I feel if they don't hang out far, like bannannas do, it will be less strain on the terminals on both the speakers and the reciever/(amp someday). The sleeve is copper mesh but I don't expect extra shielding, jus nice looks. So, what about power cables. They transmit much higher power than any speaker cable ever will. So should we be paying more attention to the shielding of these cables. And maybe keeping them as far as possible from other cables?? Thanks for all your advice. Pat
As an electrical engineer and audiophile, AKA; audio-FOOL, I have tried to help others understand the basics of audio cable measurements/ohms law to no avail. Most will go out and spend more on their cables than they do on some of their nicer audio components. Which is foolishness unless, like you said, they enjoy their bragging rights. One company will charge you north of $20K for a pair of amp to speaker hookup cables; thats CRAZY !!! Another well =known company in Colorado will lift over $30K from your wallet for the same cables. Thanks for putting up the basic electrical theory which most people should be able to grasp. Great presentation !!! Personally, I enjoy putting the money into components and media.
Y would you.... as long as the cable is the right gauge that's it.....the speaker requires enough power to be driven that's all... anyone saying they can hear a difference in quality based on cable expence is FOS.
I have had the same Monster cable XP for years. It has always served me well in both my car and home audio. I got it from a friend who got it with a gift card he won in a contest so.... It was "technically" free. :-) I have so much of it that I doubled it up for my high powered car audio system.
I found solid core copper cable that electrons use when wiring your plug sockets sounds very good. I have about 35 foot each side. Do you think I could get better sounding cable? I have a Cyrus 3 amp PSXr and bi amped to Cyrus smart power.
Hey Gene. Love the videos,always learning something I try to use.My question is,I just went to Sewell Silverback 12awg..It uses 259 strands per conductor. They say it brings out tighter base,cleaner highs,better mids.(don't they all say that?)..I feel I hear a slight difference, maybe it's just hope.can you give some input on the cable.thanks.
Capacitance makes the most difference to highs and speaker cables don't have enough capacitance to affect audio unless they are made as flat plates next to each other. As for mids, they need very low current so resistance no problem and are even less affected by cable capacitance (and still not enough inductance to affect them). As for bass, here is where you may get a slight difference only if your other cables were a lighter guage (thinner) since bass requires the most current. The bass will be a little lower in volume if you have light guage (you turn it up to '11' and you get '9'). That's my take on speaker cables. Forget it. Buy a better tweeter or mid driver with the money you save and you will get a result you can hear and love :)
I have been using low voltage garden cable from Home Depot and they work terrific. Short is 14 gauge and long is 12 gauge (20’ and more than 10’). Work like a champ.
when you ran the tests did you use resistor 8 ohm? would the results change for different values? speakers present reactance values from 2 to 32 ohms.this make no difference or the same results?
A+ for the info. Question. How does the Blue Jeans 12 gauge compare to say 16 gauge speaker cable from a home improvement store? I assume slightly more resistance, and maybe slightly different capacitance and inductance for the thinner cable, but... is that cable still not good enough? For say 20 to 25 feet? Thanks!
Hi Gene planning on buying bjc for my speakers. I don't know if I should get the white jacket or the gray jacket trying to buy the 10 AWG The gray says belden 5TOOUP 10 AWG. The white jacket says only bjc. Whats the difference. Thanks
Great informative video! I am using Mogami 3140 single bi-wired in my system. They sound great, but I am bored & currently looking at Mapleshade Double Helix and Anticables
Good video thanks. I have had discussions with a few audiophiles over the years who told me (who has a background in electronics and RF) I didn't know what I was talking about when I suggested they may as well use thick gauge mains flex instead of the fancy expensive speakers cable they had shelled out a small fortune for. Tried explaining basic transmission line theory and that at audio frequencies for short runs they didn't need to worry about capacitance/inductance or skin effect. They wouldn't believe me, said the expensive stuff sounded noticeably better. I gave up in the end.
a quick analysis of the mechanisms of human hearing might have made your point. The human brain has no self awareness , and since human hearing is a process of the brain, everything is right that it hears. It will report what you expect to hear as real, even if it hears nothing . Hearing tests have a built error percentage, you score within a range, not on absolute accuracy. because people trying to hear test tones will report hearing tones that weren't there. much like the famous wine tests where taste was influenced by the expectations of the switched bottle labels it all goes back to human development, when we first came out if the trees and into the tall grass. Keeping off the menu by suddenly scattering like birds for no reason turned out to be a stronger evolutionary path than the guys who wanted to stop and consider if they heard something. But we can do which way to run remarkably well , being able to tell distance, location and speed of a distant sound through and open window. It's just the original reality that you can't trust, much like the brain processing optical illusions .
Great video Gene. I have handcrafted my own cable with a total Awg of 6, more or less, which outperforms a solid core silver monocrystal cable of 100 times more expensive. I wanted to prove the expensive high end Audio industry wrong and yes Gene you are right. Exotic speaker cables are pure Snake Oil. These Snake Oil designs take a lot of people for a ride. Even I fell for that, but at least I am over it and know the truth now. Now I only use my Snake Oil cable as a comparison test against my design's. You are right Gene, it's all about resistance and what I found out is that a big part lies in linear frequency transfer of the Audio Bandwidth in a cable design I had a lot of fun designing that cable.
Yesss! My favorite topic! And best to date, or at least recent memory lol. Love it! So my cable trick, is I used to have my tv in a closet, and I had a whole bunch of tv antennas hooked up, I also had a small 20”x 30” piece of aluminum sheet hanging up in the closet. Some TV antenna wires are coaxial, and some are spread about a centimeter apart, like two wires running along the two edges of a piece of tape. Well I had a length of this tape-wire running up to above this metal plate. And I noticed that when the tape wire ran right next to it, I had an improvement in reception! And when I moved it away, I had a really profound drop in signal, so I taped it against it. And that’s my magic trick! My two theories are 1, that is was kind of like a ferrite bead. And 2, that it allowed the signal to short circuit and cut out the antennae from creating multi-path interference with the other antennas that were also hooked up at the same time. But in all my experience hooking up lots of tv antennas, more has always been better, and taping a wire to a flat piece of aluminum was just another crouton on the salad.
Nice, helpful video. Just like any other segment of our lives, companies are desperately trying to do what they can to profit, even if that means keeping us misinformed and confused. It really is a HUGE roadblock in our quest to achieve the best in audio performance. Components and speakers are the real difference makers.
So glad youve cleared the cable thing for me. Im an absolute beginner in this and ive been umming an arring bout buying expensive cable, money which i do not have or would want to spend on cable,for your honesty youve got a new subscriber.
Great video, very informative. What is your opinion on QED XT40 and QED XT40i? Also can you explain what happens when you have to split the cable via banana plugs (because a part of the cable is inside the wall and „communicates“ with the outside world via banana aperture)
Gene, should I run two- BJC Ten (5T00UP) to each Canton Karat m70, 4...8ohm speaker, - Distance 21ft and 31ft from amplifier- OR two Canare 4S11 (Star Quad cable, 14 AWG. Thank you
Great video Gene, thanks for looking at this through an engineering lens (and not made up acronyms for exotic material so used by AQ and other cable companies). My question is on distance runs - Cambridge Audio has a great chart on their website looking at the distance you can run various AWG cables before it starts to be problematic. It seems to me that your 12-gauge wire is best for longer runs (e.g. inside walls) but that from the amp to the speakers (at distances of say 8-10 ft) you can ‘get away with’ a lot higher resistance and thinner gauge cables. Is my logic correct? I’m not going all-in on exotic cables, but I just want to make the distinction between long runs of tens of feet and the short run from the amp to the speakers (in a single room).
Well, the same goes for all cables - unless they're badly designed trough incompetence or deliberately, there are no audible difference between cables in an audio system.
Still find it hilarious that audiophiles spend more on cables than retro gaming enthusiasts do on cables to transmit analog video (which is notorious for being prone to interference).
Gene I bought a Yamaha Aventage receiver in 2015 which is when I starting watching Audioholics. I am a mechanical engineer but did do some electrical subjects. When you dropped the snake oil bomb on cables I laughed so much I was crying and I nearly fell off the couch. Then the 1kHz 10% distortion power ratings 😂 . Well let’s just say “I’m here to testify, snake oil is real and is out there!” Love your work
Hey Gene, after watching the show for a year or two now I’ve seen the light and eBay’d my QED Bullcrap speaker cable with equivalent of 16awg lathered up in snake oil. Replaced it with some Van Damme UP-LCOFC 6mm which is around 9.5 gauge. Even when I bought the QED cable I didn’t think it sounded quite as good as the bottom of the range zip chord 14 gauge plain OFC cable from the same brand but I still bought it because of the marketing. It just sounded a bit lifeless despite being ‘silver’ plated. Looking at the specs now the resistance was way better in the cheaper model. What an idiot. I will no longer worry about cables, decent gauge shotgun will do me fine until I die. Thank you Audioholics 👌🏻
I got into this hobby around 60 years ago. Stereo itself was the big thing. No solid state components existed. During that time and for many years afterwards there was no such thing as a speaker cable company. Zip cable of a thick enough gauge was what you used and that was it. Now after all these years Gene’s research and testing has validated my observation. I have never been able to tell the difference. Thanks again Gene for an outstanding video.
I have a question I might get a lot of heat for this audio is audio I've use 8 gauge power wire ofc sky high wire green as speaker wire 100% ofc about 6 feet of it I've used it in home audio and in car audio had no problem is running a thicker cable causing resistance or is it less resistance
Thank you, Gene, for stressing in so many videos which are the truly important factors when it comes to speaker cables. I am curios to know what is - in your opinion - a reasonable low resistance for a speaker cable. For example, I'm looking at QED's Signature Genesis Silver Spiral speaker cables which are rated to have a loop resistance of 0.006 Ω/m for 10 AWG. Now that's more than twice the resistance compared to some of the cables you measured in your video, and at a much bigger price range. So is 0.006 Ω/m reasonable (i.e. good enough), or is it unacceptable for the price? Also, I'm sorry if I missed any of your videos on this subject, but I'd really like to know your take on conductor materials. Does copper, silver plated copper, or pure silver make a significant difference in how the speakers will reproduce audio?
So what about that SVS Soundpath Ultra Speaker Cable? From the video it seems I'm better off with my Mediabridge 14awg cable? unless I want aesthetics.
I tried Gene’s 14 4 “hack” and have been really pleased! Not sure what vid it’s in but involves using a cable with 4 14 AWG conductors and joining each pair to make two conductors with an effective gauge of about 11 AWG I think. Some slick cable pants and terminators and you get some pretty decent cables sans snake oil. Thanks Gene! Love Audioholics!
100% right. Combine opposing conductors for a star quad setup and you're untouchable. We use 16/4 bulk cable in our installs like this for residential room sizes. Star quad is really great and cheap to deploy. Highly recommended.
Absolutely awesome video. To answer Gene's question, I use custom handmade cables out of 12 AWG THHN stranded copper rated at 105 degrees C at a maximum of 600 volts. Twelve twists per foot, 10 feet in length. [Since I built them myself, I made them the *exact* perfect length so no looping on the floor!] The cost was nearly zero since the company I worked for was doing remodeling and throwing wire in the trash right and left before recycling was a thing. My system sounds absolutely spectacular. Yamaha receiver pushing 130 watts x 2. Speaker cabinets I also custom built with Pioneer and Focal drivers - and Dayton three way crossovers and L-pads - hand tuned with RTA. The entire system probably cost me under $1,000.00 and after 20 years I would stand it up to any of the systems Sound by Singer sells for ten times as much. Most of the real cost is the long hours building the speaker cabinets. The cables took me *maybe* five minutes each including tinning the ends and soldering the terminations on.
Love the content! SUBSCRIBED!!! I did want to ask.. do you have a budget friendly set of interconnect for my SQ car audio build?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Gene. This is the most informative, honest, interesting, entertaining, and yes, coolest show on RUclips. I am a huge fan. Being a layman and knew to the field, I can't tell you how much useful information l have gleaned from Audioholics. Whenever l have an issue putting together my entertainment system, l can rely on your expert advice. I will definitely keep listening my friend. I love the Star Trek backdrop (one of the best shows ever created), and l really appreciated your piano rendition of Silent Night over the Christmas holidays. Really nice touch. I hope this message finds you well. Keep up the good work and stay safe. Sincerely, Patrick Vudrag.
Im thinking of making of making my own diy premium speaker wire for a SVS 5.1 system. Can I twist two 14 gauge wire for the neg and two 14 guage for the positive. I plan on using Monoprice Access Series 14AWG CL2 Rated 4-Conductor Speaker Wire. Will this be to thick to run to my satellite speakers? The longest run is 20' to 25' (rears) 3' to 6' (fronts). Any response is appreciated - Thanks
Respect Gene for giving the answer at the beginning of the video, and then elaborating on the topic, instead of the other way around!
Absolutely! That's when you know the content is actually worth your time :)
I love that he gives the answer to the question right in the beginning. Now I actually want to watch the full video just out of respect
"The answer is no." Subscribed.
B I N G O😂
I think especially for short lengths, the cheap crappy speaker cables normally won’t degrade the sound.
Unsubscribed. The answer is yes on hi-end systems, otherwise don't bother.
What is really special is that some people spend more on audio cables than I do on RF cables for 40 GHz testing. I really admire Gene's stamina on being wiling to address this issue for the people with amnesia about the last time they asked about audio cables.
every time I see an investigation of cable reality, I am reminded of the very famous audio reviewer who used the six figure cost of his system wiring to enhance his credibility, as in, too bad not everybody can experience a super expensive system built by the expertise and experience I possess.
My curiosity sparked by this channel , I went over to refresh my memory about the cost and features of his cables and interconnects. Now I couldn't find the dollar amount of his cables nor even any mention, on the last RUclips exploration of his super expensive system that I viewed . I thought that odd for a guy who unfailingly pushed fancy cables as so necessary that they should get a a good slice of the audio budget, on par with components.
Love how you're still giving the middle finger to these scam artist cable companies. Wish more people would wake up to them. Thanks Gene!!
GEORGE ORWELL said advertising is the cesspit of capitalism, getting people to spend money they can't afford on things they they don't need. 🤣
His speaker wire is literally $300 for 10ft. He’s a hypocrite at best.
@@chrismonterubio9475 I thought he said the stuff he uses is $1.20/ft (Blue Jeans Cable?)? Obviously have to add in cost of terminations (banana plugs or whatever) and labour. Is he selling cables for $300 - just wondering.
@@russellbradley454 - It is better than communism when people cannot get the things they DO need.
If you want better sound, invest in better speakers.
Don't forget to spend some money on room acoustics as well :-)
@@torea6084 Also some money on the preamp/amp. With these 3 combo. Then u will all set:-)
I agree because the number one priority on your system where your money goes is the pair of speakers themselves. You absolutely cannot go wrong with Paradigm Persona 5f and a vintage Pioneer SX1980.
You definitely cannot go wrong with that setup, IF you can afford it. You can buy a small house with that money, but I get your point. That amp, however, is an absolute jewel.
I agree. Start with the speakers and (unless you are made of money or have really bad components) stop there too.
The fact that this is even worth a video is just sad, man. This industry is full of shit sometimes.
you and your team put so much love and effort into your videos and website. It's the first place I check when I want information on a specific product. Always honest, in depth and just filled to the brim with knowledge.
You need a lot more subscribers.
Audioquest is a prime example of a company profiting off of B.S. terminology.
Thank you UNKLY. We love promoting the knowledge for consumers to make an informed decisions and enjoy their home audio.
With SO much proof about this over the years, you would think that EVERYONE knows how the pathetic snake oil cables are all about.
@@berthacdellasala thanks for that. Love you guys/gals ❤️❤️❤️
@@ianjohnhorwood2605 You must work for AudioQuest.
After getting the straight up answer, I stayed to listen to the entire video. Tell me the answer and then explain, perfect format. Subscribed!
Gene!!
You should win”Audiophile Truth” of the decade award !!!
Don't be silly. Gene has just moved on from snake oil that costs hundreds of dollars to the extra virgin snake oil that costs thousands of dollars in expensive amplifiers and receivers. Funny that he actually uses the word "audible" in this one in pointing out that half a dB is not likely audible. But in the amplifier video the word is never used. We are supposed to believe that measurable minute differences in distortion, noise, and frequency response are somehow audible, without any evidence supporting that conclusion. For something to sound "better," it first has to sound different in a reliable test.
@@gregworrel2623 Look, The guy takes time to provide measurable evidence and truth.. I have also watched some of his "amplifier" videos and he speaks of "Audible" differences regularly. There are huge audible differences in amplifiers, one from the next. I find him one of the most honest and upfront guys in the industry!! he literally got excluded from HiFi shows because of his promotion of truth. Lets give the guy some breathing room....
@@abxaudiophiles Measurements don't tell us what is audible. In the amplifier video, he mentioned that one amplifier sounded "smoother" and "more composed." Which measurement shows us "more composed" on a graph? What does "more composed" even mean? How can two amplifiers with ruler flat frequency response have one that sounds "smoother"? He showed a graph in that video of an amplifier that had a 2dB variation at 20KHz but failed to mention that there is almost certainly no way anyone can hear 2dB variation at 20KHz in actual content.
It is ironic for someone with "ABX" in their screen name to say that there are "huge audible differences in amplifiers." Are you unaware of the ABX testing done by the SMWTMS? Are you unaware of the $10,000 amplifier challenge that offered $10,000 to anyone who could correctly identify different amplifiers that were level matched and not clipping in a double blind test?
At what level does amplifier distortion become audible? .01%? .1%? 1%? How well equipment measures and the engineering to get there is irrelevant once a minimum standard is achieved such that the noise and distortion become inaudible to humans.
@@gregworrel2623 He Actually said that .5-1db is basically unnoticeable...As we all know 2-3 db increase can easily be perceived as an increase in quality or other characteristics. Your diatribe is pointless, as there are MANY more issues that are more relevant than someone saying AMPS sound different.... AS THEY DO
@@abxaudiophiles Yes, he said that in this video. But in the amplifier video, one of his reasons why more expensive amps sound better was "impedance invariability." The graph showed a 2dB variation at 20KHz. Please tell me you can hear a 2dB variation at 20KHz. That is absolutely inaudible to anyone over the age of 30 and likely inaudible in actual content by anyone at any age. If you think level matched non-clipping amps sound different then prove it in a double blind comparison. I've yet to hear of anyone who could. People spend thousands on amps when a simple experiment would show they are throwing their money away when a much less expensive amp would sound exactly the same.
I am a big fan of Audioholics. That said, I reluctantly watched this video thinking this was yet another rant of Gene's about a bad experience he had with a cable vendor or manufacturer. Not that that is not interesting; I was shocked about the situation he encountered at a recent audio show last year. But I thought this video was going to be redundant... On the contrary, I instead got a lot out of this video as it was a good summary of the science. Thank you once again for another informative and interesting video, Gene. Keep them coming!
Audiophiles still won't believe this. Great video and spot on information through testing 👍
Blue jeans all the way. My wife doesn't get near my system so what it looks like.... Doesn't matter!
Of course she married me so...looks must not matter to her either! :-D
lol
I bet you have a beautiful soul, Stephen :P
I have Blue Jeans cables in white. They look fine to me.
lol! me too! ;-)
Gene, thanks for this video and others like it. It’s refreshing to get explanations and analysis based in science and engineering rather than audio fantasy. You perform a vital service for the audio enthusiast community.
"It's dynamic, involving, accurate, detailed and harmonically pure," raves Todd Warnke in his review for SoundStage "The Silver Streak sets a new standard for me." -- from Stereophile magazine in their review of Kimber Kable's Silver Streak which cost $2576.00 for a pair of 3-meter cables. Audio Fantasy? Oh yeah! But Stereophile takes Kimber Kable's advertising money so you are probably not going to get negative reviews for this BS.
But Gene said it best towards the end - cables due to their electrical and engineering simplicity of what they do and how they do it do NOT require that much thought into their design to get right. They just don't. But people with extreme disposable income need to justify how they waste their money and Gene's comment about bragging rights was spot on. Even if you spend $20,000.00 on an amplifier and you have Andy Singer trying to convince you that *these* cables are the perfect match for this amplifier and speaker combination, you are an idiot if you feel that you ALSO need to spend $10,000.00 on cables. Cables are cables!!!! It's like a Ferrari owner believing that $30.00 per gallon gasoline is the ONLY fuel for his car because he blew half a million dollars on it! No. Gas is gas; cables are cables.
As for Andy Singer, he is an ex law student with zero background in acoustics, electronics, or engineering. But he *is* a successful salesman in that he has made a lot of money convincing other deep-pocketed idiots in New York City to spend 100 times what they actually needed to get a decent sound system.
Cheers Gene. Once again brother, another good honest video. Saying hello from the UK. ✌👍
He's educated and does his research. Ill save my money and get cool gear instead. Gene, youre a savant.
Ian john Horwood lol
People freaking out over speaker cable quality must have never seen the cheap a$$ wires going from the circuit board to the terminal inside the amp
Not in a good amp.
Or the wires inside the speaker. I must confess that i bought expensive wires for my system 25 years ago. Then i had a midrange speaker go bad and opened the speaker to change it. Inside i found tiny wires with rubbish termination. That was my wakeupcall i have not bought expensive wires after that. I still have my wires and they still work so the quality was good, but even if i had bought the cheap ones and i had to change them 10 times it would still be cheaper
I watch this video from time-to-time to better appreciate the Blue Jeans 10-white speaker cables I use. I really appreciate your effort, testing and honesty👍👍
Monoprice cl2 in wall 14 awg is what I use,great job gene,
There's a reason the owner of Audioquest lives in a 5 million dollar condo in a beach town shopping center.
Bill Low's condo is IN the Fashion Island Shopping Center. He paid 3.3 million in 2014. It's probably doubled.
Everyone aspires to live in a shopping center.
And I bet he can't tell the difference between cables in a blind trial either :)
You're right. Businesses should b e ashamed of selling things good enough that lots of customers want to buy them and their owners get to live nicely. All businesses should run at a loss. That way everybody would be happy and morally correct. Show everybody what a noble soul are by giving all your possessions to the poor. Of course, the you would become one of the poor, and would demand it all back, screaming "EXPLOITATION!!!!
WOW! What an outstanding explanation and recommendations! Just incredible and such a refreshing presentation. Bravo!
Thank you ! Straight forward info with no unnecessary bs ! Using 10' runs of 8pr with hybrid tube amp with Salk monitors! Great affordable system with immense sound stage depth ! Been listening to audio for over fifty years, and I am satisfied with this one !!
Do the same vídeo about standard power cord vs other high quality power cords.
I'd like to see a Belden 83803 based power cable in a power cord comparison.
Or fiber HDMI vs regular
Why? PS audio already did it :D :D :D
You need a video for that nonsense?
@@thisrocks his intro was basically referencing Paul's intro lol
Thanks for not dumbing this down too much. Some of it was over my head but that’s how you learn. Great video!
Gene!
I just shared this on about 15 audiophile Facebook groups and disabled commenting ....🤣🤣🤣.
Truth can be such a weapon to some.
Please do one on RCA cables. Love the work Gene!
Excellent video, clear facts and a money saver. Thanks Gene!
Thank you for sticking to (and explaining) the science. Great video!
Based on your reviews, I splurged on a pair Kimber 8TC about a year ago as I only needed 5ft, so I figured why not.
the more you pay, the more unicorns will come out of your sound system.
Hi I’m looking at buying a new digital coaxial cable to upgrade from the one supplied with my arcam rplay and intrested to see would their be a difference , and wondered what your thoughts were and any cables to try :)
So great! (just picked/bought cables last week and chose the blue jeans you started with, before I saw this, love it). Thank you for doing these.
Hi Gene, does this apply to Interconnects also??? What about balanced vs. single-ended? Thanks for your hard work!
Perfect presentation. In every way. Shared this with a lot of friends.... so keep sience and engineering up !!!
Very informative video, thank you.
Blue Jeans Cable 10 gauge here, with locking bananas
Bruh 😭
Great video. BJC sound just fine in my system.
Would be great if you did one on RCA cables also!
Great video. I would like to hear this topic about interconnects
Hey Gene, have you experimented with A/C power cords? I went ahead and replaced the original cord to my pre-amp with an aftermarket higher quality power cord and immediately noticed an audible improvement. Most notably with the amp hum being cut at least 50% at idle.
hey @audioholics, could you test the Jamo S 809 5.0 system + the S 8 ATM and what subwoofer would you recommend for it?
Love this video Gene!
I have 8ohm 15” Tannoys with 20 watt class A power amp & tube pre.
What would you recommend between: Belden 9497
Blue Jeans 10 or 12
Kimber Kable 8tc
Also, is there a simple upgrade on the standard plastic main power cords that you can recommend?
Hi Gene. Good video as usual. I wanted aesthetically nice cables so I am following your advice. I bought inexpensive eight gage (low resistance) wire that is twisted and shielded with tin or some crap. I'll use spade connectors. I feel if they don't hang out far, like bannannas do, it will be less strain on the terminals on both the speakers and the reciever/(amp someday). The sleeve is copper mesh but I don't expect extra shielding, jus nice looks. So, what about power cables. They transmit much higher power than any speaker cable ever will. So should we be paying more attention to the shielding of these cables. And maybe keeping them as far as possible from other cables??
Thanks for all your advice.
Pat
How about mogami w3103 / w3104? Gene do you have any experience with mogami speaker cable?
As an electrical engineer and audiophile, AKA; audio-FOOL, I have tried to help others understand the basics of audio cable measurements/ohms law to no avail. Most will go out and spend more on their cables than they do on some of their nicer audio components. Which is foolishness unless, like you said, they enjoy their bragging rights.
One company will charge you north of $20K for a pair of amp to speaker hookup cables; thats CRAZY !!! Another well =known company in Colorado will lift over $30K from your wallet for the same cables.
Thanks for putting up the basic electrical theory which most people should be able to grasp.
Great presentation !!! Personally, I enjoy putting the money into components and media.
Great video! Very helpful!
Great video. I wonder if one day we might see a video renouncing your position on cables like we saw on digital amps and turntables;) ?
Y would you.... as long as the cable is the right gauge that's it.....the speaker requires enough power to be driven that's all... anyone saying they can hear a difference in quality based on cable expence is FOS.
I have had the same Monster cable XP for years. It has always served me well in both my car and home audio. I got it from a friend who got it with a gift card he won in a contest so.... It was "technically" free. :-) I have so much of it that I doubled it up for my high powered car audio system.
I found solid core copper cable that electrons use when wiring your plug sockets sounds very good. I have about 35 foot each side. Do you think I could get better sounding cable? I have a Cyrus 3 amp PSXr and bi amped to Cyrus smart power.
Hey Gene. Love the videos,always learning something I try to use.My question is,I just went to Sewell Silverback 12awg..It uses 259 strands per conductor. They say it brings out tighter base,cleaner highs,better mids.(don't they all say that?)..I feel I hear a slight difference, maybe it's just hope.can you give some input on the cable.thanks.
Capacitance makes the most difference to highs and speaker cables don't have enough capacitance to affect audio unless they are made as flat plates next to each other. As for mids, they need very low current so resistance no problem and are even less affected by cable capacitance (and still not enough inductance to affect them). As for bass, here is where you may get a slight difference only if your other cables were a lighter guage (thinner) since bass requires the most current. The bass will be a little lower in volume if you have light guage (you turn it up to '11' and you get '9'). That's my take on speaker cables. Forget it. Buy a better tweeter or mid driver with the money you save and you will get a result you can hear and love :)
Great Video Gene, thanks
I have been using low voltage garden cable from Home Depot and they work terrific. Short is 14 gauge and long is 12 gauge (20’ and more than 10’). Work like a champ.
LOTS OF COPPER IS ALL YOU NEED AS YOU ARE CONNECTING A LOW IMPEDANCE UNIT.
Gene Thank you for the answers I was wondering what the symptoms were. Thank you for helping us out .
Great video Gene. I appreciate you bringing the truth, been preaching it to friends for years! 👍👍👍🥇
I like seeing actual data and information regarding this, thank you. what would be your thoughts on fancy binding posts, tube connectors?
when you ran the tests did you use resistor 8 ohm? would the results change for different values? speakers present reactance values from 2 to 32 ohms.this make no difference or the same results?
Hi jene what do you think about analysis plus oval 12 speaker cable?
As usual
Honesty backed up by science and good knowledge of the subject matter .
Thank you !!!
A+ for the info. Question. How does the Blue Jeans 12 gauge compare to say 16 gauge speaker cable from a home improvement store? I assume slightly more resistance, and maybe slightly different capacitance and inductance for the thinner cable, but... is that cable still not good enough? For say 20 to 25 feet? Thanks!
Hi Gene planning on buying bjc for my speakers. I don't know if I should get the white jacket or the gray jacket trying to buy the 10 AWG
The gray says belden 5TOOUP 10 AWG.
The white jacket says only bjc.
Whats the difference. Thanks
Great informative video! I am using Mogami 3140 single bi-wired in my system. They sound great, but I am bored & currently looking at Mapleshade Double Helix and Anticables
Good video thanks. I have had discussions with a few audiophiles over the years who told me (who has a background in electronics and RF) I didn't know what I was talking about when I suggested they may as well use thick gauge mains flex instead of the fancy expensive speakers cable they had shelled out a small fortune for. Tried explaining basic transmission line theory and that at audio frequencies for short runs they didn't need to worry about capacitance/inductance or skin effect. They wouldn't believe me, said the expensive stuff sounded noticeably better. I gave up in the end.
a quick analysis of the mechanisms of human hearing might have made your point. The human brain has no self awareness , and since human hearing is a process of the brain, everything is right that it hears. It will report what you expect to hear as real, even if it hears nothing . Hearing tests have a built error percentage, you score within a range, not on absolute accuracy. because people trying to hear test tones will report hearing tones that weren't there. much like the famous wine tests where taste was influenced by the expectations of the switched bottle labels
it all goes back to human development, when we first came out if the trees and into the tall grass. Keeping off the menu by suddenly scattering like birds for no reason turned out to be a stronger evolutionary path than the guys who wanted to stop and consider if they heard something. But we can do which way to run remarkably well , being able to tell distance, location and speed of a distant sound through and open window. It's just the original reality that you can't trust, much like the brain processing optical illusions .
Great video Gene. I have handcrafted my own cable with a total Awg of 6, more or less, which outperforms a solid core silver monocrystal cable of 100 times more expensive. I wanted to prove the expensive high end Audio industry wrong and yes Gene you are right. Exotic speaker cables are pure Snake Oil.
These Snake Oil designs take a lot of people for a ride. Even I fell for that, but at least I am over it and know the truth now.
Now I only use my Snake Oil cable as a comparison test against my design's.
You are right Gene, it's all about resistance and what I found out is that a big part lies in linear frequency transfer of the Audio Bandwidth in a cable design
I had a lot of fun designing that cable.
Yesss! My favorite topic! And best to date, or at least recent memory lol. Love it! So my cable trick, is I used to have my tv in a closet, and I had a whole bunch of tv antennas hooked up, I also had a small 20”x 30” piece of aluminum sheet hanging up in the closet. Some TV antenna wires are coaxial, and some are spread about a centimeter apart, like two wires running along the two edges of a piece of tape. Well I had a length of this tape-wire running up to above this metal plate. And I noticed that when the tape wire ran right next to it, I had an improvement in reception! And when I moved it away, I had a really profound drop in signal, so I taped it against it. And that’s my magic trick! My two theories are 1, that is was kind of like a ferrite bead. And 2, that it allowed the signal to short circuit and cut out the antennae from creating multi-path interference with the other antennas that were also hooked up at the same time. But in all my experience hooking up lots of tv antennas, more has always been better, and taping a wire to a flat piece of aluminum was just another crouton on the salad.
Nice, helpful video. Just like any other segment of our lives, companies are desperately trying to do what they can to profit, even if that means keeping us misinformed and confused. It really is a HUGE roadblock in our quest to achieve the best in audio performance. Components and speakers are the real difference makers.
So glad youve cleared the cable thing for me. Im an absolute beginner in this and ive been umming an arring bout buying expensive cable, money which i do not have or would want to spend on cable,for your honesty youve got a new subscriber.
so im good running 180w at 6ohm speaker with 25mm wire at 3m ?
Great video, very informative. What is your opinion on QED XT40 and QED XT40i?
Also can you explain what happens when you have to split the cable via banana plugs (because a part of the cable is inside the wall and „communicates“ with the outside world via banana aperture)
Awesome vid. Liked, now commented . please keeop making em
Gene, should I run two- BJC Ten (5T00UP) to each Canton Karat m70, 4...8ohm speaker, - Distance 21ft and 31ft from amplifier- OR two Canare 4S11 (Star Quad cable, 14 AWG. Thank you
I have Canare 4S11 cable in 4ft. runs bi-wired to my speakers. I think I'm good.
Great video Gene, thanks for looking at this through an engineering lens (and not made up acronyms for exotic material so used by AQ and other cable companies). My question is on distance runs - Cambridge Audio has a great chart on their website looking at the distance you can run various AWG cables before it starts to be problematic. It seems to me that your 12-gauge wire is best for longer runs (e.g. inside walls) but that from the amp to the speakers (at distances of say 8-10 ft) you can ‘get away with’ a lot higher resistance and thinner gauge cables. Is my logic correct? I’m not going all-in on exotic cables, but I just want to make the distinction between long runs of tens of feet and the short run from the amp to the speakers (in a single room).
GENE!!!!
We are missing a huge portion of cables and interconnects!!!
Please do a video regarding XLR and RCA Interconnects as well!
THANK YOU.
The “ABX Audiophile” this covers those, they use copper cable.... the ends don’t matter too much
Well, the same goes for all cables - unless they're badly designed trough incompetence or deliberately, there are no audible difference between cables in an audio system.
Still find it hilarious that audiophiles spend more on cables than retro gaming enthusiasts do on cables to transmit analog video (which is notorious for being prone to interference).
Gene I bought a Yamaha Aventage receiver in 2015 which is when I starting watching Audioholics. I am a mechanical engineer but did do some electrical subjects. When you dropped the snake oil bomb on cables I laughed so much I was crying and I nearly fell off the couch. Then the 1kHz 10% distortion power ratings 😂 . Well let’s just say “I’m here to testify, snake oil is real and is out there!” Love your work
Gene, I use monster cable m series 2.4s biwire cable and actually like how they sound.
Hey Gene, after watching the show for a year or two now I’ve seen the light and eBay’d my QED Bullcrap speaker cable with equivalent of 16awg lathered up in snake oil. Replaced it with some Van Damme UP-LCOFC 6mm which is around 9.5 gauge. Even when I bought the QED cable I didn’t think it sounded quite as good as the bottom of the range zip chord 14 gauge plain OFC cable from the same brand but I still bought it because of the marketing. It just sounded a bit lifeless despite being ‘silver’ plated. Looking at the specs now the resistance was way better in the cheaper model. What an idiot. I will no longer worry about cables, decent gauge shotgun will do me fine until I die. Thank you Audioholics 👌🏻
Great video gene
Well done sir. Thank you for educating us.
I got into this hobby around 60 years ago. Stereo itself was the big thing. No solid state components existed. During that time and for many years afterwards there was no such thing as a speaker cable company. Zip cable of a thick enough gauge was what you used and that was it. Now after all these years Gene’s research and testing has validated my observation. I have never been able to tell the difference. Thanks again Gene for an outstanding video.
It's Gene not Jean old timer.
@@thegoat164 you are absolutely right! However, I was dictating the response and RUclips decided it was Jean. Thanks for letting me know, I edited it.
Cool. Nice video. Appreciate!
I have a question I might get a lot of heat for this audio is audio I've use 8 gauge power wire ofc sky high wire green as speaker wire 100% ofc about 6 feet of it I've used it in home audio and in car audio had no problem is running a thicker cable causing resistance or is it less resistance
Thank you, Gene, for stressing in so many videos which are the truly important factors when it comes to speaker cables.
I am curios to know what is - in your opinion - a reasonable low resistance for a speaker cable. For example, I'm looking at QED's Signature Genesis Silver Spiral speaker cables which are rated to have a loop resistance of 0.006 Ω/m for 10 AWG. Now that's more than twice the resistance compared to some of the cables you measured in your video, and at a much bigger price range. So is 0.006 Ω/m reasonable (i.e. good enough), or is it unacceptable for the price?
Also, I'm sorry if I missed any of your videos on this subject, but I'd really like to know your take on conductor materials. Does copper, silver plated copper, or pure silver make a significant difference in how the speakers will reproduce audio?
I’m using monoprice monolith cables for my fronts. I believe they are 14gauge. Should I upgrade to 10 gauge blue jeans? I have Klipsch RF7 IIIs
I use SUPRA Classic 6.0 is that ok? :)
So, did you try any Kimber Select in comparison to Kimber 8pr? Will you say there is no difference between the two?
So what about that SVS Soundpath Ultra Speaker Cable? From the video it seems I'm better off with my Mediabridge 14awg cable? unless I want aesthetics.
What type of wire connectors, if any, shall I use on my Klipsh speakers? Cheaper end of speakers but just want to use better cable.
I tried Gene’s 14 4 “hack” and have been really pleased! Not sure what vid it’s in but involves using a cable with 4 14 AWG conductors and joining each pair to make two conductors with an effective gauge of about 11 AWG I think. Some slick cable pants and terminators and you get some pretty decent cables sans snake oil. Thanks Gene! Love Audioholics!
I am also on the 14/4 bandwagon. Sounds great to me.
Why go to all that trouble when 14 gauge is more than adequate on its own for almost every home application?
100% right. Combine opposing conductors for a star quad setup and you're untouchable. We use 16/4 bulk cable in our installs like this for residential room sizes. Star quad is really great and cheap to deploy. Highly recommended.
Absolutely awesome video. To answer Gene's question, I use custom handmade cables out of 12 AWG THHN stranded copper rated at 105 degrees C at a maximum of 600 volts. Twelve twists per foot, 10 feet in length. [Since I built them myself, I made them the *exact* perfect length so no looping on the floor!] The cost was nearly zero since the company I worked for was doing remodeling and throwing wire in the trash right and left before recycling was a thing. My system sounds absolutely spectacular. Yamaha receiver pushing 130 watts x 2. Speaker cabinets I also custom built with Pioneer and Focal drivers - and Dayton three way crossovers and L-pads - hand tuned with RTA.
The entire system probably cost me under $1,000.00 and after 20 years I would stand it up to any of the systems Sound by Singer sells for ten times as much. Most of the real cost is the long hours building the speaker cabinets. The cables took me *maybe* five minutes each including tinning the ends and soldering the terminations on.
I always felt that gauge and material are the determining factors over exotic claims...
Love the content! SUBSCRIBED!!! I did want to ask.. do you have a budget friendly set of interconnect for my SQ car audio build?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
Bluejeanscable.com
Loved this video and just saved myself loads of cash. Thanks, Gene!!!
First video I've seen from you, great content.
One question though, where do you stand on Star Trek TOS; like it? :)
Gene has single handedly saved me thousands!!! Thank you sir!!
Kimber Kable looks fantastic, so in terms of aesthetics, they are clearly the prettiest
Would be cool to see a test with the cheapest scrap cable you can find vs some hifi ones. Matching the resistance of course.
Hi Gene. This is the most informative, honest, interesting, entertaining, and yes, coolest show on RUclips. I am a huge fan. Being a layman and knew to the field, I can't tell you how much useful information l have gleaned from Audioholics. Whenever l have an issue putting together my entertainment system, l can rely on your expert advice. I will definitely keep listening my friend. I love the Star Trek backdrop (one of the best shows ever created), and l really appreciated your piano rendition of Silent Night over the Christmas holidays. Really nice touch. I hope this message finds you well. Keep up the good work and stay safe. Sincerely, Patrick Vudrag.
Im thinking of making of making my own diy premium speaker wire for a SVS 5.1 system. Can I twist two 14 gauge wire for the neg and two 14 guage for the positive. I plan on using Monoprice Access Series 14AWG CL2 Rated 4-Conductor Speaker Wire. Will this be to thick to run to my satellite speakers? The longest run is 20' to 25' (rears) 3' to 6' (fronts). Any response is appreciated - Thanks
Use the BJC in my reference system and home finished 4 conductor Monoprice for my home theater 👌🏼👍🏼
Im using 16 and 14 gauge Amazon basics wire with installgear banana plugs on a RC70 and Martin Logan HT set up...Im happy :)
Here we go again. It is almost spooky how someone can just give you the engineering without an angle. Thanks dude and best wishes from NZ.