Do expensive speaker cables make a difference?

I don't think cost necessarily plays a big part but different cables certainly make a difference to sound IMHO ... a little.
 
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It's worth noting that at Bristol, Chord Company launched a £5 pm cable, LeylineX which as the new XLPE tech.
That's worth a try as it won't break the bank.
 
I would agree with most. I could not hear any difference between VdH speaker cable costing £20 p/m and Van Damme 2x4mm LCOFC costing £8 p/m. However, I can hear a difference between these and QED Silver Special 25th Anniversary speaker cables cost around £10 p/m, with the latter sounding more clear and detailed, and having a wider soundstage. Other influencing factors may be that the QED cable used a mixture of AIRLOC cold weld, and crimped and silver soldered plugs, where as the VdH used all AIRLOC and the Van Damme was bare wire clamped.

All I can suggest is audition cables before buying, but definitely don’t spend huge amounts, it’s just not worth it.
 
The OhPhiles also tell me that all the speaker cables should be EXACTLY the same length so the 'lectric thingies all get to the destination at the same time.😂😂
 
I've been an audiophile for 40+ years and have tried lots of cables at varying price points, albeit no really expensive speaker cables, for the simple reason that a pair (for my system) adds up to 6m which, at a high price per metre, would mean a big outlay for something that's nigh on impossible to sell on. I tried Kimber Kable for a while and didn't rate it at all, though fortunately I was able to sell that pair on. I even tried plain old 13 amp (solid core) mains cable for a while and that's not bad at all, probably a good benchmark against which to compare anything else.

My speaker cable of choice these days is 4mm Van Damme, as recommended by PMC who, as designers and manufacturers of high quality speakers, must surely have tried many, probably more than most reviewers. Their house view is that whilst costly cables can sound different, the differences are small relative to outlay (the law of savagely diminishing returns). I'd bet that a lot of people buy a cable (or a pair) because they could hear a difference, only to realise after a month or two that different isn't necessarily better.

If your dealer's keen to sell you a pair of cables other than those you already own, ask him to prove their worth by way of an A/B comparison.

As an aside, the one type of cable (in my experience) where the differences between various brands and models are readily apparent are digital ones, i.e. CD transport to D:AC and, after having experimented with a fair number of those (the most expensive being that made by Abbey Road/Studio Connections), the one I keep coming back to is Van Damme's XLR terminated one.

Stick with Van Damme and you won't go wrong.
 
Original QED 79 Strand OFC works a treat and is very inexpensive at Amazon. :) I think that it will put a smile on your face.
 
Today I went and listened to a few Monitor audio speakers, the Gold 100 out of them all was my favourite. I was advised to get rid of my Amazon basics speaker cables and Van Damme cables and at least get some Chord cables starting at lowest £30 a metre in order to get the best out of my speaker.
Is this a truth or just a way to get me to spend more?
Cables do make a subtle difference to the sound that you hear, but it is subtle and a lot really depends on the overall transparency of the system, I would never spend anymore than £10.00 pm.
 
l was using 2.5mm stranded ye know the transparent cable? in my home cinema system for years,l then changed it all to Chord Company Clearway 70 metres of it and it was worth every penny....a real upgrade..l wouldnt pay anymore than £10 a metre for speaker cable
 
I've been an audiophile for 40+ years and have tried lots of cables at varying price points, albeit no really expensive speaker cables, for the simple reason that a pair (for my system) adds up to 6m which, at a high price per metre, would mean a big outlay for something that's nigh on impossible to sell on. I tried Kimber Kable for a while and didn't rate it at all, though fortunately I was able to sell that pair on. I even tried plain old 13 amp (solid core) mains cable for a while and that's not bad at all, probably a good benchmark against which to compare anything else.

My speaker cable of choice these days is 4mm Van Damme, as recommended by PMC who, as designers and manufacturers of high quality speakers, must surely have tried many, probably more than most reviewers. Their house view is that whilst costly cables can sound different, the differences are small relative to outlay (the law of savagely diminishing returns). I'd bet that a lot of people buy a cable (or a pair) because they could hear a difference, only to realise after a month or two that different isn't necessarily better.

If your dealer's keen to sell you a pair of cables other than those you already own, ask him to prove their worth by way of an A/B comparison.

As an aside, the one type of cable (in my experience) where the differences between various brands and models are readily apparent are digital ones, i.e. CD transport to D:AC and, after having experimented with a fair number of those (the most expensive being that made by Abbey Road/Studio Connections), the one I keep coming back to is Van Damme's XLR terminated one.

Stick with Van Damme and you won't go wrong.
Thanks for sharing your experience
How about RCA Interconnects do they make a difference?
At the moment Im using this
Check this out at Amazon.co.uk
UGREEN RCA Cable, 2RCA Male to 2RCA Male Stereo Audio Twin Phono Interconnect Cable Cord for Speaker, Amplifier, DJ Controller, Home Theater, HDTV, Gaming Consoles, Hi-Fi System, Soundbar,Turntable (2m) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B2HOY4S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_b1QwEbAJ6ZTV8
But planning on buying this
Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect (1 metre) Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics
 
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Just ask them for the test measurements that can prove that the extra cost of Chord copper shows any benefits over someone else's copper. If they can't (and they will not be able to) or they say it is not measurable, just laugh and walk away from these scam merchants.

Lately I read several comments on this page related speaker cables.
Without sounding inappreciable to audiophiles, some believe that
the seemingly innocuous wires used to connect a stereo amplifier
to a speaker have a considerable effect on a system’s overall sound quality.


Case in Point :
** ” Speaker Cables: Can You Hear the Difference?”
As the caption says , this was the subject of a in depth testing done by eleven audio experts on several different cables.
Just how different in electrical characteristics do cables have to be before there are audible effects on frequency response and signal level? In order to answer this question, among others, the team embarked on a series of laboratory and listening tests. Because of logistical, time, and budget restrictions, only three cables were exhaustively tested:
(1) 16-gauge heavy-duty lamp cord, purchased from a suburban hardware store for 30 cents a foot;
(2) 30-foot lengths of New Monster Cable, costing $55 a pair; and
(3) 24-gauge “loudspeaker cable,” available from many sources at about 3 cents a foot”.
The 16- and 24-gauge wires were cut to the same 30-foot lengths as the Monster Cable, and all the cables were terminated with Monster’s X-Terminators for consistency in the connections.
The Conclusion of this tests:
After fifty hours of testing, scoring, comparing, and listening to speaker cables amount to? Only that 16-gauge lamp cord and Monster Cable are indistinguishable from each other with music and seem to be superior to the 24-gauge wire commonly sold or given away as “speaker cable.”.
This project was unable to validate the sonic benefits claimed for exotic speaker cables over common 16-gauge zip cord. It concludes, therefore, that there is little advantage besides pride of ownership in using these thick, expensive wires.


**For a complete review see “Sound & Vison” mag June 2018 edition or see enclosed link!
Speaker Cables: Can You Hear the Difference?
 
Thanks for sharing your experience
How about RCA Interconnects do they make a difference?
At the moment Im using this
Check this out at Amazon.co.uk
UGREEN RCA Cable, 2RCA Male to 2RCA Male Stereo Audio Twin Phono Interconnect Cable Cord for Speaker, Amplifier, DJ Controller, Home Theater, HDTV, Gaming Consoles, Hi-Fi System, Soundbar,Turntable (2m) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B2HOY4S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_b1QwEbAJ6ZTV8
But planning on buying this
Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect (1 metre) Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

not a fan of the U-green. Thin tin connectors. Quite feeble.

Save yourself some cash and buy these instead. Well made, shielded cables.

 
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I wouldn’t say “expensive” makes them “better”. I will say, yes, a QUALITY Speaker Cable WILL make a big difference. I play in a Band and learned this lesson long ago when cabling my Amp Cabimets
 
Fancy pricey audiophile speaker cables are a complete waste of money. If you are not trying fill a stadium with sound, any decent AWG 14 (2.5mm) or AWG 12 (4mm) wire is suitable for home use. Feel free to pay a modest premium for appearance or ease of handling (i.e. flexibility, as handling stiff wires in closed spaces like the back of stereo cabinets can be a pain). But it will not make any difference in sound.

I would avoid AWG16 (1.5mm) for longer runs or higher power systems.

Copper is pretty much universal for this use and better than aluminum because oxidized aluminum is an insulator. I doubt you would want to mess with aluminum oxide inhibitor goop on your stereo component connectors.

Braided cables are meant to counter skin effect. Skin effect is real--but does not matter much until you are working with radio frequencies. At audio frequencies the effects are negligible.
 
Has anyone ran a test using silver or gold speaker cables? (Those with a few quid to spare )
 
Has anyone ran a test using silver or gold speaker cables? (Those with a few quid to spare )
black-bomb-hi.png
 
Without wanting to prolong the debate, remember that whatever wire you connect between your amp and your speakers you have no control over the wiring inside the amp or inside the speakers (including between the components in the crossover).

If I were Bill Gates (or had his $) I think I would pay for a university researcher to carry out a double blind test with connectors that had known impedance, resistance and capacitance (all individually varied, single variable change first, plus combinations) to find out at which point the human ear can detect a difference. This would then act as reference for cable designers and also provide a peer reviewed data base for posterity.
 
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Has anyone ran a test using silver or gold speaker cables? (Those with a few quid to spare )

The better way to ask that question is;

Has anyone ever ran a totally unsighted, double blind, large study with repeatable results and entirely zero anecdotes using silver or gold cables.

As an aside, gold is an average conductor compared to copper. Its usefulness in expensive circuitry is its non reactive properties.
 
I may be 'old school' but with each major upgrade have allowed 10% of the overall budget for cable and connections
 
The better way to ask that question is;

Has anyone ever ran a totally unsighted, double blind, large study with repeatable results and entirely zero anecdotes using silver or gold cables.

Genuine question. Has any such test ever been performed on humans for amplifiers which have a bit more distortion, or cable that’s a bit too thin for hi-fi use?

What makes you think that a person will hear the difference (between the different thickness wires)?
 
Speaker cables = a high markup accessory which can easily be 'thrown in' by a salesmen to sweeten / close a deal.

Same thing happens with photography and bike shops. Customer thinks they have got an amazing deal because the salesman has thrown in a few high value accessories, salesman knows that the actual cost of those accessories to the shop is pretty low, but everyone is happy.
 
So you sells pure silver speaker cable?
Does it exist?
 
"Expensive" you buy what you can afford....if you cant afford something it's "Expensive" Ergo
 
Thanks for sharing your experience
How about RCA Interconnects do they make a difference?
At the moment Im using this
Check this out at Amazon.co.uk
UGREEN RCA Cable, 2RCA Male to 2RCA Male Stereo Audio Twin Phono Interconnect Cable Cord for Speaker, Amplifier, DJ Controller, Home Theater, HDTV, Gaming Consoles, Hi-Fi System, Soundbar,Turntable (2m) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B2HOY4S/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_b1QwEbAJ6ZTV8
But planning on buying this
Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect (1 metre) Chord C-Line RCA Interconnect: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Chord's C-line is a nice upgrade over the cheap freeby interconnects,Clearway,Shawline range are even better,l use the shawline subwoofer interconnects for my REL subs
 
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