Huge Improvement! You Should Buy These Affordable Audio Cables
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 19 мар 2023
- Budget Tier $25 Power Conditioner amzn.to/3JPZeCX
RCA's amzn.to/3LwtjJ0
Optical amzn.to/3JSWowY
Speaker Wire amzn.to/42o0EvF
Mid Tier $300ish
emotiva.com/collections/acces... $99
Audioquest Optical howl.me/cjmCwSBdfHh $40
Pine Tree Audio Power Cable $60 sites.google.com/view/pine-tr...
World’s Best Cables RCA amzn.to/40nkB3I $25
Audioquest HDMI $50 amzn.to/3JQ1CcW
SVS Subwoofer Cable and Speaker Cables bit.ly/40p3qPz $25
Top Tier $800ish
Audioquest Power Conditioner howl.me/cjmCRV3CKm4 $400
Audioquest Power Cable AudioQuest NRG-Y3 High-performance AC power cable with 3-pole IEC C13 connector - 1 meter/3.25 feet - howl.me/ciwwTsQZ8yH $150
Audioquest HDMI $50 amzn.to/3JQ1CcW
Audioquest Optical howl.me/cjmCwSBdfHh $40
Audioquest RCA howl.me/cjmCVoXtCDc 80
Speaker Cable howl.me/cjmCYYiOnfp 90
SVS Speaker Cable bit.ly/42hPit0 $100 
Развлечения
Budget Tier $25 Power Conditioner amzn.to/3JPZeCX
RCA's amzn.to/3LwtjJ0
Optical amzn.to/3JSWowY
Speaker Wire amzn.to/42o0EvF
Mid Tier
emotiva.com/collections/accessories/products/cmx-6?aff=9 $99
Audioquest Optical howl.me/cjmCwSBdfHh $40
Pine Tree Audio Power Cable $60 sites.google.com/view/pine-tree-audio/power-cables/stealth-1000?authuser=0
World’s Best Cables RCA amzn.to/40nkB3I $25
Audioquest HDMI $50 amzn.to/3JQ1CcW
SVS Subwoofer Cable and Speaker Cables bit.ly/40p3qPz $25
$300
Top Tier
Audioquest Power Conditioner howl.me/cjmCRV3CKm4 $400
Audioquest Power Cable AudioQuest NRG-Y3 High-performance AC power cable with 3-pole IEC C13 connector - 1 meter/3.25 feet - howl.me/ciwwTsQZ8yH $150
Audioquest HDMI $50 amzn.to/3JQ1CcW
Audioquest Optical howl.me/cjmCwSBdfHh $40
Audioquest RCA howl.me/cjmCVoXtCDc 80
Speaker Cable howl.me/cjmCYYiOnfp 90
SVS Speaker Cable bit.ly/42hPit0 $100
Just as a point of reference, as you are viewed globally, the Furman costs $79.99 on Amazon Canada. On almost everything you show the prices outside of America are significantly higher. Love your stuff. Keep up the great work on giving us budget-centric audiophile wannabes lots of options.
The SS6B is not a power conditioner and is labeled wrong on Amazon (and honestly has been since it hit Amazon). The SS6BPro is labeled correctly as a surge protector and an "updated" version of the SS6B.
Thanks a bunch! I think I'll make my own cables (not "make" but cut them and add banana plugs). One important question though, at 5:25 we have RCA "subwoofer" cables... What's a "subwoofer cable" really? What if I have a cable with RCA plugs but it doesn't specifically say "subwoofers (..)" on the markings, *how do I know if such RCA cable is "subwoofer ready",* what kind of specific and _special_ RCA cable does a subwoofer require, coax? Directional? ...?
If you can hear the sonic difference between working optical cables youre not just drinking the snake oil, youre injecting it straight into your veins.
😂😂😂
In the analog domain, i can absolutely hear differences between cables. Especially RCA cables. With RCA cables it can actually be a "WOW" moment when you finally hook up a good one and realize what you've been missing.
Ive tried and tried and tried with digital cables, double blinded. Having people hook my stuff up and surprise me while i try to guess. Running phase null tests nto my interface. trying with multiple different interfaces even. Every way i could come up with to try and zero in on a difference with the intent to prove myself wrong, not right... Cheap cables, expensive, whatever. The only difference ive ever been able to perceive, and this is with ears trained for mixing and mastering mind you... Was build quality. And i will definitely say, there is a reason that basically every DAC designed for mixing and mastering professionals, runs thunderbolt USB and doesn't even bother with coaxial or optical. Professionals dont buy stuff that doesn't affect the outcome of a particular task like the average consumer can very easily be convinced to do.
I too recommend the exploration of cables, but only if you actually have the ability to remove the placebo affect from the equation, as well as let your ears adjust to the frequency changes they experience every single time sound pressure vanishes and returns, you also need to train your mind to compensate for this on instict as well otherwise youll hear and see lots of things that arent actually there. Its just part of the way the brain works and responds to stimulus. Unless you have the desire or ability to do that, i recommend the best quality cables you can afford in analog paths to benefit the transmission of the signal. I recommend the best digital cables you can reasonably justify because they will last a lot longer then the el cheapos at walmart.
P.S. (no pun intended) if your amplifier's USB input sounds worse then the coaxial and optical, its because the manufacturer of your equipment did that on purpose, btw.
ive done the phase null tests with dac outputs into the front of my interface with several digital cables in the feeds to the dacs. You cannot argue with a phase null test, if you think you hear a difference, its only because you think you do. That is what the placebo effect IS, perceiving something that isnt actually there simply because you expect it to be, and you can absolutely tell yourself as much as you want there wont be a difference, while still expecting there to be. People play this trick on themselves constantly without realizing it.
Audio professionals dont get sold snake oil, because all we have to do is run a phase null test that wont lie to us like our ears will.
Did you really do some null tests with various cables ? That's interesting, did they null and if not to what levels ? You should post a video ?
You forgot about Sith Audio Bass Paste. I dip all my platinum banana plugs into it before I connect. Completely opened up the soundstage.
See, this is why I use an air cleaner with a HEPA filter and an ion generator to clean the air in rooms where I use wireless speakers! That intermediate connection matters! I don't see a label, but I think this is a Sith Audio product. 😋
I have never considered Air as a conductor in this situation. Genius - simply genius! 😉
In my opinion, decent affordable cables are all that is needed. Science fact: Cables, as long as properly shielded and made make little to no sonic difference depending on application. It is basic physics and no brand has a corner on the world of physics. Trying to defy or claiming to defy the laws of physics is a fool's errand.
One should not need to spend more than around $250 on cables for everything, not including power conditioners. A budget of up to around $300 or so should get a very good power conditioner if one needs one.
I would only add the following:
Speaker cable: For very little more money, I'd go with either building one's own speaker cables out of something like Belden or what have you or at least getting something similar over the zip type cable. The zip type is fine for non-mission critical stuff, such as surround speakers and especially for vintage gear, but for mission critical, I'd spend $6 to $10 more and get the better stuff.
RCA interconnects: I have not tried the Amazon Basics, but they might be decent at least. Some of the Amazon branded products are quite good. I used to run Monoprice premium RCAs but while they are shielded (might even survive a nuke blast), they are extremely stiff and the terminators have the potential to disembowel your gear should you need to disconnect them. I would not recommend. I run Wireworld cables (only because I got a killer deal some 3 years ago). Otherwise, the World's Best are decent and somewhat reasonable. I have a pair of their japan canare balanced cables - good enough and more.
Power conditioners: They make no sonic difference and do not improve your homes wiring, etc. (they are the last step in "upgrading the home's wiring"), but none the less, they do protect your gear and give some assemblance of last step feeding of said gear. Furman is good, just as the more expensive Panamax and the ones that cost the same as a sports car. I have an older Panamax (far more expensive than the Furman) and it still does it's job. (It saved my gear twice I can count).
There are a lot of good optical cables to choose from for little money. One can almost throw a stone and hit one.
HDMI cable: By experience, they DO make a difference. However, one need not spend $50 on an HDMI cable, it doesn't buy you anymore than a $15 to $20 HDMI cable does. The trick is to make sure your HDMI cable is not only shielded of course, but not too heavy or stiff and has the correct rating. For ARC purposes, one needs to make sure the cable is compatible for that as not all HDMI cables are.
The SVS cables are over-priced.
Power cables: I don't know that they make a sonic difference, likely not. However, they are healthy for one's gear if made well and generally better then the power cables that come with the gear. Heavy money need not be spent though. I found a couple from a company called Waudio on Amazon that are just as good as any for a bit less than the Pine Tree one. Are power cables worth upgrading knowing they likely make no sonic difference? In my opinion: Yes.
As for Audioquest product: Very questionable in my opinion. Very over-priced = fact. Companies like them are the cause of the "snake oil theory". Trying to give a bad name to science fact will always result in failure on many levels eventually. I view companies like them as "flat-earthers". Fuel for cults. Same goes for all the "boutique cable companies. None of which have been able to prove their product.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who appreciates this compendium of affordable accessories. Thanks man. You mentioned Snake Oil. When I bought my Schiit Stack I discovered their custom length single ended RCAs. Love eliminating my cable clutter with 8 or 10 inch lengths.
Digital cables do not have a sonic impact, unless they introduce errors that the protocol cannot recover (or that by recovering, just maybe, there is jitter). There is, perhaps, a possibility that an HDMI cable could be borderline and the clock reconstruction circuitry on the receiver will have to work harder and create jitter, but I doubt its an issue with modern kit, and suspect its in your head. Get an electrical engineer to explain why there might be any issue one way or another - preferably a real one, rather than a guy that sells cables. There is never any cable issue with I2S, or with USB class 2 and an async buffered receiver. For I2S, an explicit clock signal is sent from the source. For USB Class 2, the clock in the DAC is driving the process after a tiny buffering period and its signaling buffered data just like TCP/IP and even an early Raspberry Pi can deliver 44.1/16 with its crappy USB.
I use Blue Jeans cables and they're great. I especially recommend their low cap RCAs for phono leads...
Great video Randy! I'm on the cusp of re-wiring my back channels because the speaker cable is 20 years old and has clearly oxidized. So for me this is the right video at the right time!
Probably just have to restrip them. Oxidation only happens when bare copper is exposed to oxygen. The stuff inside the jacket is probably still fine
@@DescartesRenegade I wish it were that easy:) But the speaker wire has clear insulation, and I can see that a lot of the copper inside has turned green. Yuck!
I bought the Audioquest Pearl HDMI's you showed 6 or so years ago. They are good and not painful to the wallet.
I use Blue Jeans Cable for speaker wires, interconnects, and data cables. So far I've purchased RCAs, S/PDIF optical and coax, BNC to RCA, Y-split RCAs, spade terminated speaker cable, and two data cables. They're all functioning great and tolerate my interminable tinkering.
Blue Jeans has been a quality go to for years.
Blue Jeans are great cables AND ALL 99% OF US WILL EVER NEED.
Their website used to have an excellent letter written in response to a threat of legal action by A Major Manufacturer of Overpriced Cables (I'll let you guess who that might be). The "AMMoOC" lawyers thought they could intimidate the BJC owner, but they didn't realize that he was *also* a lawyer. He was not intimidated, and let them know in no uncertain terms.
+1. Very pleased with BlueJeans quad wire speaker cables.
The nice thing about Blue Jeans RCA cables is that they come in different colors, so you can run different colored cables from your amp to different sources and you don't have to fool around trying to read the small print on the back of your amp.
I agree the sonic differences in RCA interconnects is so small, but HDMI, come on, blind test time. Same with optical. Power cords no, no, no. Only replace power cords if they're too short or damaged!!! Then a standard power cord is just as good.
You will not hear a difference with lo Fi equipment I agree 💯
@@sylvainbiensur7370 As far as a digital cable or a power cord you won't hear, or actually there is zero difference on any level of gear. You may hear a difference but that's due to placebo, which thru many of these discussions I've come to realize people just don't understand and are unwilling to accept it.
AQ Pearl line is a very solid choice.
Do you know that there are miles and miles of who-knows-what cable between the power station and your wall socket?
Yes, and that's why we use power conditioners after the wall socket.
I’m all for taking a step up over the cheapie cables and wire. Definitely diminishing returns the higher you go for the average system, but I do believe they make a difference, however small.
So I ordered budget tier power conditioner, and cables. I'm a believer, thanks Cheap Audio Man!
I wish I knew this stuff 5 years ago too!!! I’ve got a DH Labs Power Plus cord to my amp, took about two notes of my reference song to realize the improvement!!!
I had to check todays date, but it's not april fools day yet unfortunately ;)
I am a cheapskate, but don't regret buying A Fosii switched power supply for my Wiim Pro Plus- it made a chalk and cheese difference, which I wasn't expecting. £65 well spent. On the back of that I bought a filtered power strip. Not sure if that made much difference (but I can't hear the faint click when my industrial compressor motor starts in the barn now)but it meant I finally seperated my audio cables from all the other mess in my study.
Years ago, I had a Sugden integrated amp, a Cambridge CDplayer and BW d1600 speakers. I replace the generic CD player interconnects and got audioquest. It made a difference. My friend came by. He was impressed and got exactly the same interconnects for his NAD sound system. It made no difference. Conclusion, sometime cables will make a difference, sometime they won't.
Having old ears & damaged hearing allows me to use your basic tier products very nicely.
I just bought the SVS SoundPath single RCA's for the new PB-3000 I bought.
Problem? I didn't check before buying the subwoofer and Marantz SR8015 and was an idiot for not doing so... 800 watts for the sub, 780 watts for the receiver, 360 watts for my 4K TV means I can't even risk turning the lights on in the room because it's going to trip the 15 Amp breaker. Can't use the AC, can't turn on my cable box/computer/Blue-Ray player or anything. So after having spent many thousands on the Marantz, SVS & Focal Theva 3-D's & other parts, now I have to spend an additional few thousand to have an electrician run 12-2 from a new 20 Amp breaker to various places in my livingroom. Man that was dumb of me not to check the power requirements first! I have until January 31st to return any of the parts I need to at least, so hopefully the electrician shows up sooner than later...
Thanks for this video! I ordered the Furman power conditioner before the video was even over. It may be just a glorified surge protector, but hopefully it'll make a difference! Love your channel sir.
I also use the Furman ELITE15 PF i Linear Filtering AC Power Conditioner in my HT because it works and looks good doing it. And these D'Addario Tour-Grade Power Base - Base Protector - Stage Power Strip with 6 ft Cable - 5 Standard and 3 Transformer- Guitar Amp Outlet - Music Surge Protector with Indicator Light also the Furman's you have listed here are good also.
Does your unit take much power from your system? I ask because I was thinking of getting one. I've read a forum that suggests using the wall sockets are better because of this.
Well done Randy options galore. Appreciate that.
I have always have noticed a difference in cables. But, diminishing returns set in REALLY QUICK. It gets to the point that the $30 RCA cable is clearly better then the $2 cable a cheap source comes with, but only slightly sounds different one costing 10 times more. Sounding different does not always mean better, at that point it is subjective and really a matter of taste.
Basically, if you are paying $2-10 for a cable its far more likely to have quality issues - not oxygen free, poor solder joints etc that absolutely will cause a drop in quality. Cables around $30-60 are likely to be made with no faults and provide optimal performance electrically speaking. For longer runs you'll need a thicker gauge but this is pure physics of an electrical system. $100 you are paying for aesthetics and $1000 is pure snake oil territory.
@@georgemoonman2830 Agreed. I use Blue Jeans speaker cables, 8 ft runs, 10awg(bit of overkill), cost 80 bucks for the pair, and they are good quality. No doubt in my mind that an 800 buck pair couldn't possibly be 10 times better. I doubt it's even audibly better, it MIGHT test slightly better. But audibly? Nope.
I have seen more than one audio reviewer misinterpret the law of diminishing returns(not that randy did). First time I bought an HDTV and used the included HDMI, the screen was all sparkly. I consulted a AV forum and it was said a better cable would solve, bought the least expensive audioquest cables and problem solved. So, cables can make a difference but it's 99% with the first few dollars spent.
Cables are BS. It's been proven by the guy who used coathangers for cables. The only thing to consider is gauge for speaker wire. Otherwise I buy the cheapest cables possible.
@@erico888 Agreed. I hear you loud and clear. (Pun intended)
I completely agree with power strips and line conditioners. I tend to use Furman line conditioners made for pro audio, or Panamax which can be placed in the equipment rack and include extendable, as well as dimmable lights aimed at the components beneath them. But power cables, though popular in high end systems, have a huge caveat. Most all modern electronics have built in power supplies and filtering which would negate any perceivable gains from changing out the cable. If you have a vintage system or any system that clearly states that there is no filtering included with the built in power supply, then a power cable is practically a must to curtail interference from ground looping.
Thank you for the three tiered presentation. Very helpful information. Concerning the HDMI cable where you noticed an approved audio signal, is that installed on your HT setup?
This completely goes over my head. I have tried many different cables in my different systems over the years and I can’t hear any difference at all 😂
I was in the "cables don't matter" camp but I have recently seen (heard) the light.
Love the channel. Keep it up. Blue jeans cables are my cheap go to.
Been very happy with Blue Jeans Cables! Reasonable and well made!
I plan on getting that Furman power conditioner and the Snake Oil cables.
I'm a big fan of WBC cables using Mogami cables. Pro Audio people use Mogami cable so you don't need anything better than what they use in recording studios. The prices cost about what they would cost if you made the cables yourself from the same materials.
@@ChicagoRob2 bro there's 339 comments. How do you expect me to find your comment?
Too busy rolling tubes and doobies to change my focus to cables now.😂 But thank you for your time and effort made to share this with us all.
Been really happy with Blue Jean Cables for speaker, optical, and subwoofer, also interconnects. Recently needed someother lengths and tried World’s Best Van Damme and been really happy with the flexibility.
I have been buying some mid to upper price Audioquest RCA and XLR cables used which saves half the price. There is a very noticeable difference over even lesser Audioquest cables. Speaker and power cables are all DIY with high quality wire and connectors.
That's a really good way to do it. AQ is the biggest name so its easy to find used cables. More importantly, when they started with the DBS feature, the cables have not gone through any major updates. Every year or two, they get small refinements, so if you find a good deal on a 5 or even 10 year old cable, you're not going to be too far off the current version. Just be careful with silver. Just because its more expensive doesn't mean its a better choice. Sometimes it is, but not always.
Please tell me you didn't buy expensive AQ XLR cables !
They ripped you off.
The most you should be paying is something like Mogami.
@@fluphybunny930 We've all made it this far in life without your guidance. There's no need to get excited over a piece of wire that some stranger on the internet bought for their stereo system.
Loosen the straps on your bathing helmet, sit in your safe chair and take some deep breaths. We'll somehow manage to get through this.
Personally, I have never heard a cable make any difference., however, YMMV. I do buy nice cables based solely on if they look cool (and are solid in its engineering).
THIS
I'm a sucker for braided covers 😮💨
I'm happy with Monoprice stuff, both speaker and RCA. Cheap and sounds great.
The Emotiva power strip makes a huge improvement in the noise floor, especially in bass extension, in A-B testing, plugged into the wall outlet, compared to into the conditioner (Awesome Product). Get yourself a nice piece of wood to mount high, or just at an appropriate level, behind your rack, with several hearty screws, then use good quality, smaller, screws (could be out of sight, but not an absolute) to put in a screw, wrap a generic small cotton string around the screw, thread to and wrap around the heavy Audioquest cable, back to the screw and tie, to tether and support their weight, keeping them away from the wall. There will be no sag or stress in the IEC or RCA connectors, plus the sound will improve. I have done that for years, even leaving it totally visible (like a spider's web that is keenly placed). It protects both the separation of the cables from each other, in addition to protecting the crimped connections, with Audioquest, so their longevity is extended. That "tilt" or stress will be eliminated.
Did you see Emotiva just updated there power strips? I wonder if they are even better now
I second the Blue Jean Cables are great. Built well.
I'm a big fan of AudioQuest Evergreen cable. I know they're not crap, and they are affordable and nicely flexible.
Hundreds of greenbacks for power cables is hilarious.
Well you can see the difference in picture quality from a digital cable. Thats all I need to know.
I prefer the Pine Tree Audio Iso-Braid power cables over the Stealth 1000 cables - the shortest length (3') is $65. I listened to five different AC cables in addition to the 18AWG "generic" cables - and in my system and my opinion, the Pine Tree Audio Iso-Braid was definitely the best sounding, by a good bit. The PTA Stealth 1000 was next best, and the other 3 were only slightly better than generic. The Iso-Braid AC cables *are* the *biggest/best* improvement that I have ever gotten per dollar spent. I was a major skeptic - but I am a convert, now.
I also really like the Pine Tree Audio Iso-Power 8-outlet AC filter, which is $250. You do need to buy a cable for it - so add $65-85 to this; depending the length you need.
For interconnects, I have made my own - these cost only about $25. They are braided 18AWG solid core copper wire, with locking RCA plugs. If I was going to buy interconnects, I would get the Pine Tree Audio Iso-Quad interconnects. They are *very* reasonably priced and *very* well made.
Neil - I also have the Pine Tree Iso Braid power cable. Im really happy with it.
I have heard a lot of audiophiles -- both reviewers and rank-and-file hobbyists -- say that cables make a sonic difference. I'm not saying they don't, but in all the presentations I've seen, there's one specific form of scientific control that never gets mentioned. Some reviewers will leave the first set for the second music segment, to police against placebo effect, but what they don't mention is if they ever disconnect and then reconnect the first set, and then play the second music segment. And that's a huge missing data point in the pro-difference argument, because the physical act of breaking and re-establishing the connections really *does* make a verifiable sonic difference -- so much so that many manufacturers include this procedure in their troubleshooting guides.
Awesome Info Randle Man... And you can always Tin the ends of you cables and then do Red and Black Shrink Tubing...
Pine Tree is the kind of company we should all support. Small outfit in the US that makes custom high quality products at a reasonable cost. My whole system is wired with Pine Tree wires, including two mammoth cables, and each time I swapped them in, my system sounded clearer, better. They’re building me a dual 5v LPS for my Dac and streamer for a very reasonable cost with high quality parts, hand built. And if something goes wrong, they’re just an email away up in Massachusetts. Just my experience.
100% agree.
My journey go from van der hull to neotech 3200 series and now mogami 4mm2X4 strings. I use this cables for speaker wires and power cables. Power filter i have in the past 4 Isotek aquarius and now i have a 3 phase AC sistem and on the 2 phase i have the music room. 1 phase is just the comutational power and second i have just the traditional transformer power system. Intercontect xlr mogami with canare is just make sense right now … probably i will change in the future to neotech for digital cables and interconnect xlr
Hi Randy. I just upgraded to an AQ Cinnamon HDMI in my home theater. Even my wife noticed immediately that she can hear the dialog in movies much more clearly. No more rewinding. Voices are less muddy and better separation from background sound effects. This huge win was all because you shared that you heard a difference at an AQ trade show booth. Thank you!!
That is not at all how digital video signals work. I guarantee it is just a placebo. you literally just got ripped off there is no possible fidelity to be gained especially in terms of frequency response for a digital cable. Even for analog cable it cheap 20$ is more than good enough. Digital signals are different and they will not change regardless of what cable you use.
You should do more research into electrical engineering before over spending on a useless HDMI cable
@@mistafizz5195 why should he trust what you say over and above his ears
@@davidhardaker192 Because perception is subjective, and people are not created to perceive objective truth from their filtered senses which are keen to bias and distortions.
@@davidhardaker192Double blinds have been a part of science for a long time. Scientists do double blinds for medicine because subjective perception is unreliable and inaccurate.
I have two of the furman powerstrips. Built like absolute tanks and I have my guitar amp plugged into one. I can hear a lower noise floor when I plug headphones into it.
Always an interesting topic. Having pushed the boat out and bought a PSM136 I can’t rave enough about clean power! Speaker cables - I’ve never tried $1000+ ones but still have to be convinced laws of diminishing returns are not in play! I love worlds best interconnects but I have the $100+ ones. Have yet to be convinced there is much difference in optical cables - interesting comment on HDMI May try a more expensive one!
My experience with optical cables is that the really cheap ones can have garbage connectors that can actually fall out of the jack. When I went to just slightly more expensive ones, they stopped falling out and the bass was massively improved to the point that even I could hear the difference. The difference was so noticeable I thought at first that there was something wrong with my system.
Great advice on the budget range.
I use audio quest cinnamon hdmi and coax. Blue jean cable speaker wires in a 5.1 setup. Will look in to power conditioner
Audioquest Cinnamon is excellent.
Ordered a few Audioquest cables due to this video. Cheers!
I use Audio Envy Studio prestige RCA interconnects ($200 2 matched cable pair) for my Moon CD player to a Threshold FET 10 preamp and to an Adcom GFA 555 power amp. AudioQuest Golden Gate ($80) for the Moon DP110 phono stage to the preamp. I just sort of figured that I should have fancy cables awith good equipment. I could definitely hear a difference between the AudioQuest and the Audio Envy, but both are really nice
The only thing I found for sure with cables is for subwoofers. I have had three subwoofers, a Klipsch, a SVS SB1000, then a SVS SB3000, they all sounded muddy without any details. This was using two different cables that had gold ends for about 15 bucks each.
I had one of the guys at SVS send me one of their $35 subwoofer cables and OMG, the details came alive.
I switched cables back-and-forth several times and the detail was not slight it was huge.
Randy - Thanks for all the great content - thoughts on Headphone cable upgrade - just purchased Hifiman XS - any thoughts? Thanks for the assist.
Randy, Thanks for making this tier list of cables! Makes good sense.
IMHO - HDMI and RCA cable quality is on my important list. Power cables not so much other than current carrying capacity. If my finances ever improve, I'll be buying Worlds Best RCA cables with the Gotham dual-shield cable for interconnect use. They seem tough yet flexible and have great EMI shielding.
Oh, Randy, there my not be a better audio cable than the ones I sent you last year. Hahaha! How about vid with all of your gag props? That would be great.
hdmi cable either work or they don't. You can't get better one's or zero's.
@@terraneidem5765 yeah I found that part of the vid kinda sus to.
Its all or nothing with digital dataline stuff or maybe some intermittent dropouts if u have a dodgy optic cable like I witnessed the other day it sounded garbled most likely the cable was pinched though it was pretty old.
sure the very cheap stuff will be more likely to fall apart and have internal breaks in the wire etc but for digital its really no issue with EMI n stuff like that.
I've had really bad luck with amazon basics banana plugs, I bought a set and half of them broke at the tip. I bought some Viborg banana plugs from amazon after and they've been a great budget solution, had them for like 4 years and have never broken.
Totally get how analog cables can change/improve sound. I've heard it myself and I use some pretty beefy RCAs in the interconnects. And beefy speaker wire can also make an improvement. I guess a power cable could make a difference for the same reasons but I've not experienced it. But I still can't resolve how anything digital would sound different or better with a different cable. For 4K, the max bitrate for HDMI is 10.2 Gbps. Anything faster isn't helping. And i really can't reconcile how something like gold connections on a digital cable can matter. If you heard a difference with digital, and I trust that you did, I just can't account for why.
They don't make a difference.
The "gold" connector is often not even on the part that makes contact.
BUT those ***affiliate*** links pay better.
A well made cable >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> bs marketing.
And AudioQuest is nothing but bs marketing.
Very disappointed to see this crap been pushed.
What youé hearing is not real. its nothing more than Confirmation bias
As long as the digital cable is not introducing data loss or corruption, there is ZERO difference between a digital cable at any price point.
Akord cables are very cheap but good quality!! 👍
Thank you very much!
I love wbc great value and there Sonic descriptions have so far been spot on.
Great video, Randy! Heard about Supra Cables? Really good quality
and great value for money.
I use them in my system.
I like Blue Jeans Cables. Custom lengths and, in some cases, custom colors. Also, a friend swears by "medical grade" power cables which aren't very expensive. Amazon has 'em.
Great options for every budget. I was skeptical about cables matter until I changed between rca cables and could really hear the difference. This was not a placebo either because I had my non audiophile friend verified, and it actually increased the decibel level of my system using a meter. Now I'm a believer.
I have a Rotel A14, through which I can stream music via the front panel USB-A port from an iPhone. Any opinion if the type of USB to lightening connector cable should make a difference? Thanks!
I'm running Morrow Audio Dig-4, MA-7's and SP-7'S and I'm quite satisfied with them for what I paid used. For power I'm only using 14awg hospital grade for now. Enjoy the music folks! ✌️
Ever since I started using an external dac on my pc setup I get a ringing noise on occasion. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the pc itself somehow. Maybe driver issue or wire or psu. I havent tried a power conditioner before I wonder if this would help.
I use the rca amazon cables. They are great value for the money. Best cables for the money
Your clear liquid comment LOL! I just got home from the hospital after the Alien Probe!
I find uGreen cables from Amazon good for the price. Not strident or thin sounding. I’m using 5 meters of this from PC to DAC with a VPI brick on it.
Whenever I think of home audio cables I have images of Doc Octopus battling Spiderman. Power conditioner 25 dollar awesome thanks
I use the brand QED for my
Speaker Cables,
HDMI Cables,
Subwoofer Cable.
ifi Power Cable on my 4K Firestick
Thanks for sharing
This channel falls apart from me when its based on getting inexpensive stuff and then go check it here in Canada and its crazy expensive comparatively. Yeah, great for Americans.
Not Randy's fault but Amazon's for letting resellers ask ridiculous prices for grey imports
D'Addario Accessories IEC to NEMA Plug Power Cable, 10FT (North America) - chep, or Pangea Audio AC 14SE MKII - high end. That is all I use
Media bridge is my favorite RCA and banana. Crutchfield brand speaker cable is great
I love detail. Replaced the emotiva rca for my marantz cd6006 to excellent but cheap amplifier. What was excellent natural sound became brittle, edgy. Different surge protector s make a BIG DIFFERENCE. POWER CONDITIONER BY EMOTIVA SUCKED ALL THE LIFE SUCH THAT I THOUGHT I BROKE SOMETHING. To my relief when I got rid of the conditioner the sound life came back I did read the power conditioners should not be used unless you have a problem with your electricity and in general the more direct connection to the wall the better can make a huge difference
I don't know why you don't have 1 mil or more subscribers bucko. Bring it on!
Just build my first hifi system, and I went with CHORD CLEARWAYX speaker cables, but nice viedo to " add more stuff as time goes " diffently very amazing information and wanna add the Audioquest Power Conditioner diffently! I did also just order there HDMI 2.1 cabel.
Hey Randy 👍👍 how does the dac in the bluesound node compare to the gashelli j2 offerings? Not for bass - but mids & highs?
Phillips and GE HDMI cables are ok!
Monster cables got an incredible bass but lacks details
Pearl48 AQ sounds crispy, detailed, clean but lacks some bass
For a audio rca , xlr are mogami gold made in Japan lifetime warranty at a reasonable price at pro audio stores guitar center ect.
Audio quest blueberry at 3ft was an improvement and so was my monoprice optical to my projector, the optical hdmi was maaaasssive improvement not subjective, flicker, judder, ect so I take some flax from the 1 and 0 ppl but it’s not a question
Furman M8. Best Furman unit for 'budget' money.
I was interested that you mentioned plugs and their differences... I am taking my life in my hands here... and really you can't just swap plugs without swapping cables, but where does that leave you?
Well, World's Best Cables offer Keith Eichmann plugs as an option.
And I have to say, I can hear a difference. Not a huge difference, but I've had Keith's plugs before,... I met him 15-20 years ago when he had just developed the "billet plug" and I ws loaned a pair of interconnects and I was very impressed. Not so much by the price, but the sound.
Now you can get them fitted to WBC cables (listed as KLEI) and since as far as I can see, the cables are the same price regardless of plugs, and in so far as ANYTHING I suggest is worth trying, I'd suggest trying them.
Great info keep it coming. How about an DIY vid !!!
Thank you😎, this video posted 9 months ago. It appears prices have risen.
A good overview. I bought some gold-plated amazon basics RCA and 3.5mm cables and they're definitely an improvement. Have you dabbled in the sound differences between 14AWG and 10 or 12AWG speaker wire?
I just switched out my subwoofer cables from Monoprice to SVS and what I did notice right away was I had to turn the volume down with the SVS by like 40%. So far after a week or so, I love the SVS. The Monoprice were fine, but the SVS is better in my opinion and to my ears
Ivanky has a optical cable that specifies Japanese termination. $10 Impeto 8k OCC HDMI was a distinct audio improvement. $13 Zeskit X- tech is coax HDMI with a different sound signature and videophile reviews. $26
There is no reason a digital signal should sound different over hdmi cables, but it does.
Hoping everything comes out good with your colonoscopy!
I hope so too!
It all comes out before your colonoscopy
I would love to see you do blind tests, (especially of HDMI). I am not trying to tell you what to do, or challenging your experience. I am curious.
The Pearl HDMI cables are well worth the money. Pliable, available in short lengths, future proof…
+1 for Emotiva cables.
What Coaxial Subwoofer cable you recommend ????
I bought a new cable for my hifi man sundaras, they go to my schiit stack which is connected to my computer. There is a difference, mainly interference i was getting.