Always interesting listening to people talk cables. Had another review (British Audiophile) who said the exact opposite for Mogami and Belden. He said Belden for added warmth and Mogami to use for added energy. Gotta love it haha. Placebo effect and the mind are amazing
Great video! This is all completely the case with my experience as well. My system is more resolving than the average listener and my audio quality completely changed when I ditched the old power brick I was using. I now have a Furman power conditioner brick and a AudioQuest NRG-2 AC power cord running to my Dac/Amp. Significantly less (sometimes zero) background white noise from my system than what I was used to hearing. I also use the Blue jeans RCA cable which has great build quality. I don't focus on headphone cables too much and I prefer to only buy them when I have a HP worth keeping.
Same, as I'm also all in on BJC. When I needed some cheap HDMI cables for other devices, I bought some flashy gold colored ones just so they wouldn't get mixed in with my BJC.
I replaced the WBC Mogami, same ones in the video, with the Blue Jeans Cable LC-1, same in the video. They sound a tad bit better to my ear, more dynamic, larger sound stage and definelty more pronounced bass. For the money, I am not complaining. I'm using the Zu DW6 Supremes, which are pretty sensitive to any changes in the system, good or bad, and I have had plenty of both.
@@johnsmith1474 Even my mother can hear the difference between speaker cables on my system. Just went through that the other day when I was auditioning a PS Audio DirectStream DAC. Mom was here, I swapped the speaker cables from the Mogami to a pair of simple OFC, totally killed the sound. Mom is asking what did you do to the speakers? Put those other cables back. I did, and everything opened back up, the wet blanket was gone. If you do not have revealing gear, you do not know what you are missing.
@@michaelwright1602Sure, go for it, only then you can fully appreciate recordings made and mixed by sound engineers and miles of ordinary cabling, who would die of laughter over that nonsense.
I guess that it is a bit tricky to have a completely fair test if cable length is not the same - although it obviously depends on the gear how much that will actually make a difference (or not). - spending this amount (and not more) to upgrade stock cables certainly seems to be a good idea for systems that cost up to a few thousand. I like well constructed cables, comparable to what is presented here, and put the rest of my money where it matters most - the components, not the cables. I tried a few more expensive cables, but they didn't really convince me they were worth their price tag. One good thing was that prices of them went up a lot the last few years, so I didn't really loose money selling them.
My BIL is a cable nut. I've tried a host of them and settled on world's best cable and Blue Jeans for my interconnect. I hear no difference. I think these look best. I hate the big chunky looking cables. I don't even think there's a difference in sound with some monoprice interconnects I have but their connectors are too loose fitting. If there were a difference in sound, they would test different. They don't.
I have mostly Murrow interconnects but be aware they are not shielded so use care in where you use them. My power amps sit below a 50" plama TV and the field arond a plama panet is a powerful thing. Make sure you use VERY well shielded cables if your near a plasma TV. I'm using a 10ft pair of WBC Gotham cables, ˆ have no idea how they sound vs the other 4 wire shielded variants but they sound fine to me. I like the BJC RCA cables but the RCA's are just to seep for my setup, not a ton of room behind the components
Is a balanced cable versus an interconnect cable a fair comparison? I just made my first Y jack with 2549. I'll never look for anything else. I'm one cable and done.
I have both morrow MA4 and bj lc1 , funny with me it’s the opposite . In both my tube and solid state systems the results are the same , yes the bj has a slight wider soundstage, faster in dynamics but I felt the trade off was a thinner presentation, less bass , I cable I would use if your system is in the warmer side of things . The morrow while sound stage closes in a bit , every instrument has a larger presentation, they sound fuller , it’s a more neutral cable , made to translate the true representation of a recording without adding. Morrow by the way has better bass representation
Thanks for sharing. I have often wondered if the up market offerings form Morrow would address some of the leanness I noticed as you add more SSI wires. The MA4 has 6 times the stands and cost 4 times the price as the MA1 I used in the comparison.
I’m itching to pull the trigger and buy the ma7 , even with trade up options of 65 percent off , it’s about 500 dollars, but I want to see if the theory of more strands makes a difference. I like my borrows but never hesitate to steer someone towards blue jeans as well
I appreciate the effort, but everyone needs to hear all of them on their own system. I was recommended an op amp that a bunch of people swore was the best. It sounded like pressing the loudness button on an old stereo. Umm, I want more than that. Just bought some mogami cables so im about to find out.
I bet it was a 2604. That was the first one I tried. And it sounded like the old loudness button. I've tried quite a few, settled for a 49860. The 49720 is better but I found it fatiguing after 2 hours. The 4562 has unbelievable depth but nothing goes outside of the speakers. We're as the 2134 is so wide it almost wraps around you. It has absolutely no depth at all, like zero. I placed the 4562 in a preamp, the 2134 in the amp. Best of both worlds, but not as good as each one on its own. The 49860 and 49720 do both and sound slightly better. I can't afford the supposedly good stuff for 80 or more bucks a piece, so I have no idea what the sound like. For a few bucks the 49860 and 49720 get it done. I just tried the 2549 mogami cable. I made a Y cable. Thumbs up, for sure.
Cables are not a parametric EQ or tone control. If you buy some quality cable eg. Belden and terminate it with Neutrik or Amphenol connectors you are finished with cabling. This costs about $10-$20 and 5 minutes of your time...
Interesting you say the mogami is more rolled off as in some forums i have read people saying they like the 2549 over the lc-1 because the lc-1 is rolled off which i dont get how a cable with lower capacitance is more rolled off lol
Makes little or no difference until you have at least $50,000 invested in your amplifier(s) and your line stage preamp.... And preferably $100K invested.
Kimber Kable PBJ interconnects turned me into an audiophile. Much more open and detailed than the ones here. But even PBJ was bested by Iconoclast BAV cables (also by Belden and sold by the same people at BJC) I wouldn’t expect much difference between these cables shown as they are similar in design.
Thanks for sharing. The BAV cables look interesting (and I have a lot of faith in the BJC folks) but they are 3x the price of the cables reviewed in this video. www.iconoclastcable.com/bav/index.htm
@@SineCraftAudio Yeah, they’re more expensive. If you don’t care about squeezing every last detail from your system then don’t bother. If you’re curious you can try them for 30 days for free.
The Morrow 1 series are horrible. They actually take away the highs quite a bit as far as the MA1's go. If anyone is interested in trying Morrow Audio cables, the 3 series is a good starting point. I've been there and done that throughout the years, Now I have all Morrow 7 series and I'm very satisfied with my rig. Someday I might venture to Shunyata (god willing).
Hello. I purchased the Morrow MA4 interconnect and finally notice an improvement around 550 hours of burn in. They always have sales and I got it for 50 percent off. I'm thinking of getting the speaker cable in the 5 series where currently it's 60 percent sale. I'm hoping I will notice an improvement sooner. Just not sure if my system is high enough resolving. I have a Cambridge audio CXA 81 integrated amp and Wharfedale Diamond 11.4 speakers.
@@linda5381 Hi Linda, I'm pretty sure that you will notice a difference towards improvement. I have a modest rig myself that consists of a Bluesound Node 2i upgraded, a Denafrips Ares II dac into a Rega Elex R and Dali Oberon 5's... When I jumped from the Sp-4's to the SP-7'S I had temporarily used bjue jeans speaker cables and everything collapsed. As you go up the Morrow line your speakers will sonically dissappear more. Another big upgrade to my rig came in the form of ATS Acoustic panels. They also make a huge difference. I never received a notification for your reply for some strange youtube reason, but if you need any questions answered don't hesitate to ask. I have been in the hobby for about 35 years. You're doing great by using Morrow cables and remember to start with level 3 at the very least. Enjoy the music! ✌️
Break in with Morrow is definitely a thing. Remember this, they only get better with time. Another thing is that once you have them where you want them don't move them around. Since they don't have any shielding whatsoever, I keep mine off the floor for any static that might be around. Enjoy the music! 👊✌️
for domestic applications the cost makes no difference. for commercial, yes, but only because you want something robust that wont let you down; frequent use. if you are hearing a difference please put up a blind test where you get it right at least 8 out of 10 times & i will be amazed ✌😎👍
Prior posting the video, the author shall ideally make a written, or at least a mental concept of the content he would like to disclose. In an absence of such, the viewers are exposed, in a significant amount of time, to unfocused rumblings, and loud thinking process, which is not ideal. As far as the comparison goes, I would encourage the reviewer, for the purpose of objectivity, to perform a double-blind test, take comprehensive notes and disclose the results. Everything else would be just anectodal and purely entertaining.
Hard to concentrate on you presentation when you never stop flipping all the cables around in front of the camera. Very annoying , like I was watching a shell game. Relax a little next time.
Well, these are all very simplistic designed cables with unrefined quality copper. Imagine comparing the "audiophile" branded cables. I've found Belden digital cable to be excellent in a system with a darker sonic signature versus a more neutral system. In mid-fi systems, the tested cables could be okay. In a high end (not necessarily expensive), NO. I tried on a lark, a Mogami Gold $130 meter of XLR cables. Maybe great for a studio (totally neutral) but utterly DEAD sounding, lacks body, depth, just flat and forward sounding (really lacking in body-yuk!!!). My system now has a Von Schweikert VR9 SE Mk2 (was used on Focus Signature IIIs), EAR 890, 912, VPI TNT 6, etc. etc. My best friend's system is a VS VR35 export, Luxman C35 III, RAM RM9, VPI Scout+, etc. $100K and $15K systems both hear huge differences in cabling. I agree with the opinion, the Belden is superior for home audio use. P.S. Most high end cable is about marketing, not quality. Belden beats many expensive cables but not all. There are some really fine cables priced in the $100s and up to $1000s. Even Belden has an expensive high end line called Iconoclast. Their finest copper wire in XLR format is about $4,000, high cost. Difference in sound, I don't know. I recommend Belden over any of the other inexpensive brands and most of the very expensive/esoteric designed cables (Audioquest, defunct High Fidelity cables, Transparent Audio, Morrow that I've tried). Some cables can be used as tone controls to temper an audio system to one's liking. The Belden is quite neutral so it probably isn't going to work in that regard.
Always interesting listening to people talk cables. Had another review (British Audiophile) who said the exact opposite for Mogami and Belden. He said Belden for added warmth and Mogami to use for added energy. Gotta love it haha. Placebo effect and the mind are amazing
This is the best cable review I’ve seen. Very reasonable and balanced.
Great video! This is all completely the case with my experience as well. My system is more resolving than the average listener and my audio quality completely changed when I ditched the old power brick I was using. I now have a Furman power conditioner brick and a AudioQuest NRG-2 AC power cord running to my Dac/Amp. Significantly less (sometimes zero) background white noise from my system than what I was used to hearing. I also use the Blue jeans RCA cable which has great build quality. I don't focus on headphone cables too much and I prefer to only buy them when I have a HP worth keeping.
Yawn
I'm a BJC junkie, using the video digital instead of analog cables. I'm all in on BJC. Speaker cables too!
Pretty much all BJC in my system.
Same, as I'm also all in on BJC. When I needed some cheap HDMI cables for other devices, I bought some flashy gold colored ones just so they wouldn't get mixed in with my BJC.
How much/ what differences in sound quality between BJ’s analog interconnects like the LC-1 tested here and their video digital cables?
@@richardgrant418 to me it made 20% improvement. clarity musicality
I replaced the WBC Mogami, same ones in the video, with the Blue Jeans Cable LC-1, same in the video. They sound a tad bit better to my ear, more dynamic, larger sound stage and definelty more pronounced bass. For the money, I am not complaining. I'm using the Zu DW6 Supremes, which are pretty sensitive to any changes in the system, good or bad, and I have had plenty of both.
Nonsense, you cannot hear the difference in cables presuming they are sufficient gauge for the length.
@@johnsmith1474 Even my mother can hear the difference between speaker cables on my system. Just went through that the other day when I was auditioning a PS Audio DirectStream DAC. Mom was here, I swapped the speaker cables from the Mogami to a pair of simple OFC, totally killed the sound. Mom is asking what did you do to the speakers? Put those other cables back. I did, and everything opened back up, the wet blanket was gone.
If you do not have revealing gear, you do not know what you are missing.
@@johnsmith1474 Sure thing. I will trust my ears and those around me with ears to hear. Maybe up your game?
@@michaelwright1602Sure, go for it, only then you can fully appreciate recordings made and mixed by sound engineers and miles of ordinary cabling, who would die of laughter over that nonsense.
@@paulb4661 Can't afford a decent system, eh?
Very fair evaluation!
I guess that it is a bit tricky to have a completely fair test if cable length is not the same - although it obviously depends on the gear how much that will actually make a difference (or not).
- spending this amount (and not more) to upgrade stock cables certainly seems to be a good idea for systems that cost up to a few thousand.
I like well constructed cables, comparable to what is presented here, and put the rest of my money where it matters most - the components, not the cables. I tried a few more expensive cables, but they didn't really convince me they were worth their price tag. One good thing was that prices of them went up a lot the last few years, so I didn't really loose money selling them.
My BIL is a cable nut. I've tried a host of them and settled on world's best cable and Blue Jeans for my interconnect. I hear no difference. I think these look best. I hate the big chunky looking cables. I don't even think there's a difference in sound with some monoprice interconnects I have but their connectors are too loose fitting. If there were a difference in sound, they would test different. They don't.
BIL?
@@richardgrant418 brother in law, I guess
I have mostly Murrow interconnects but be aware they are not shielded so use care in where you use them. My power amps sit below a 50" plama TV and the field arond a plama panet is a powerful thing. Make sure you use VERY well shielded cables if your near a plasma TV. I'm using a 10ft pair of WBC Gotham cables, ˆ have no idea how they sound vs the other 4 wire shielded variants but they sound fine to me.
I like the BJC RCA cables but the RCA's are just to seep for my setup, not a ton of room behind the components
Excellent review!
Is a balanced cable versus an interconnect cable a fair comparison? I just made my first Y jack with 2549. I'll never look for anything else. I'm one cable and done.
I have both morrow MA4 and bj lc1 , funny with me it’s the opposite . In both my tube and solid state systems the results are the same , yes the bj has a slight wider soundstage, faster in dynamics but I felt the trade off was a thinner presentation, less bass , I cable I would use if your system is in the warmer side of things . The morrow while sound stage closes in a bit , every instrument has a larger presentation, they sound fuller , it’s a more neutral cable , made to translate the true representation of a recording without adding. Morrow by the way has better bass representation
Thanks for sharing. I have often wondered if the up market offerings form Morrow would address some of the leanness I noticed as you add more SSI wires. The MA4 has 6 times the stands and cost 4 times the price as the MA1 I used in the comparison.
I’m itching to pull the trigger and buy the ma7 , even with trade up options of 65 percent off , it’s about 500 dollars, but I want to see if the theory of more strands makes a difference. I like my borrows but never hesitate to steer someone towards blue jeans as well
I appreciate the effort, but everyone needs to hear all of them on their own system. I was recommended an op amp that a bunch of people swore was the best. It sounded like pressing the loudness button on an old stereo. Umm, I want more than that. Just bought some mogami cables so im about to find out.
I bet it was a 2604. That was the first one I tried. And it sounded like the old loudness button. I've tried quite a few, settled for a 49860. The 49720 is better but I found it fatiguing after 2 hours. The 4562 has unbelievable depth but nothing goes outside of the speakers. We're as the 2134 is so wide it almost wraps around you. It has absolutely no depth at all, like zero. I placed the 4562 in a preamp, the 2134 in the amp. Best of both worlds, but not as good as each one on its own. The 49860 and 49720 do both and sound slightly better. I can't afford the supposedly good stuff for 80 or more bucks a piece, so I have no idea what the sound like. For a few bucks the 49860 and 49720 get it done. I just tried the 2549 mogami cable. I made a Y cable. Thumbs up, for sure.
At only ~ 50 a pop, makes sense
While if it’s 500 a pop, probably not
Cables are not a parametric EQ or tone control.
If you buy some quality cable eg. Belden and terminate it with Neutrik or Amphenol connectors you are finished with cabling. This costs about $10-$20 and 5 minutes of your time...
Blue jeans use belden
Good catch, updated the title slide. At least I got it right in the video :)
Can this BJC Coaxial Digital Audio Cable be used as interconnection cable from an AVR to an amp to drive your speakers?
Unlikely to sound right
BJ’s website has a good explanation of what is important for each type of connection
Interesting you say the mogami is more rolled off as in some forums i have read people saying they like the 2549 over the lc-1 because the lc-1 is rolled off which i dont get how a cable with lower capacitance is more rolled off lol
A spectrograph test showed that they boost around 2k, which is possibly why the roll off seems more apparent ?
Just tried the 2549. Made a Y jack. Thumbs up. Best I've heard.
Cable has to be pretty long before the low capacitance offers an audible difference
So must be something else causing the roll off
Makes little or no difference until you have at least $50,000 invested in your amplifier(s) and your line stage preamp.... And preferably $100K invested.
Kimber Kable PBJ interconnects turned me into an audiophile. Much more open and detailed than the ones here. But even PBJ was bested by Iconoclast BAV cables (also by Belden and sold by the same people at BJC)
I wouldn’t expect much difference between these cables shown as they are similar in design.
Thanks for sharing. The BAV cables look interesting (and I have a lot of faith in the BJC folks) but they are 3x the price of the cables reviewed in this video. www.iconoclastcable.com/bav/index.htm
@@SineCraftAudio Yeah, they’re more expensive. If you don’t care about squeezing every last detail from your system then don’t bother. If you’re curious you can try them for 30 days for free.
Oh yeah, I'm curious. I own silly expensive headphone cables and they defiantly made a significant difference.
How much are BJ’s with the Iconoclast BAV cable?
What equipment were you connecting with the Iconoclast?
The Morrow 1 series are horrible. They actually take away the highs quite a bit as far as the MA1's go. If anyone is interested in trying Morrow Audio cables, the 3 series is a good starting point. I've been there and done that throughout the years, Now I have all Morrow 7 series and I'm very satisfied with my rig. Someday I might venture to Shunyata (god willing).
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hello. I purchased the Morrow MA4 interconnect and finally notice an improvement around 550 hours of burn in. They always have sales and I got it for 50 percent off. I'm thinking of getting the speaker cable in the 5 series where currently it's 60 percent sale. I'm hoping I will notice an improvement sooner. Just not sure if my system is high enough resolving. I have a Cambridge audio CXA 81 integrated amp and Wharfedale Diamond 11.4 speakers.
@@linda5381
Hi Linda,
I'm pretty sure that you will notice a difference towards improvement. I have a modest rig myself that consists of a Bluesound Node 2i upgraded, a Denafrips Ares II dac into a Rega Elex R and Dali Oberon 5's... When I jumped from the Sp-4's to the SP-7'S I had temporarily used bjue jeans speaker cables and everything collapsed. As you go up the Morrow line your speakers will sonically dissappear more. Another big upgrade to my rig came in the form of ATS Acoustic panels. They also make a huge difference. I never received a notification for your reply for some strange youtube reason, but if you need any questions answered don't hesitate to ask. I have been in the hobby for about 35 years. You're doing great by using Morrow cables and remember to start with level 3 at the very least. Enjoy the music! ✌️
How much is a standard length of Morrow 3’s?
Break in with Morrow is definitely a thing. Remember this, they only get better with time. Another thing is that once you have them where you want them don't move them around. Since they don't have any shielding whatsoever, I keep mine off the floor for any static that might be around. Enjoy the music! 👊✌️
for domestic applications the cost makes no difference. for commercial, yes, but only because you want something robust that wont let you down; frequent use. if you are hearing a difference please put up a blind test where you get it right at least 8 out of 10 times & i will be amazed ✌😎👍
Yes, blind test, or measurements. Meaningless otherwise.
It depends on a lot of things: how resolving your system is, how good is recording; the tonal balance of each
H ow carefully you listen etc
With blind testing you could not tell any difference between these.
They do matter . But you can throw half of them out because they are not needed.
Death by a million cuts. Cable religion is real. Lol
The reviewer didn’t sound reverent.
Prior posting the video, the author shall ideally make a written, or at least a mental concept of the content he would like to disclose. In an absence of such, the viewers are exposed, in a significant amount of time, to unfocused rumblings, and loud thinking process, which is not ideal.
As far as the comparison goes, I would encourage the reviewer, for the purpose of objectivity, to perform a double-blind test, take comprehensive notes and disclose the results. Everything else would be just anectodal and purely entertaining.
One of the main reasons is that the equipment looks more beautiful with these cables.
Hard to concentrate on you presentation when you never stop flipping all the cables around in front of the camera. Very annoying , like I was watching a shell game. Relax a little next time.
Well, these are all very simplistic designed cables with unrefined quality copper. Imagine comparing the "audiophile" branded cables. I've found Belden digital cable to be excellent in a system with a darker sonic signature versus a more neutral system. In mid-fi systems, the tested cables could be okay. In a high end (not necessarily expensive), NO. I tried on a lark, a Mogami Gold $130 meter of XLR cables. Maybe great for a studio (totally neutral) but utterly DEAD sounding, lacks body, depth, just flat and forward sounding (really lacking in body-yuk!!!). My system now has a Von Schweikert VR9 SE Mk2 (was used on Focus Signature IIIs), EAR 890, 912, VPI TNT 6, etc. etc. My best friend's system is a VS VR35 export, Luxman C35 III, RAM RM9, VPI Scout+, etc. $100K and $15K systems both hear huge differences in cabling. I agree with the opinion, the Belden is superior for home audio use.
P.S. Most high end cable is about marketing, not quality. Belden beats many expensive cables but not all. There are some really fine cables priced in the $100s and up to $1000s. Even Belden has an expensive high end line called Iconoclast. Their finest copper wire in XLR format is about $4,000, high cost. Difference in sound, I don't know. I recommend Belden over any of the other inexpensive brands and most of the very expensive/esoteric designed cables (Audioquest, defunct High Fidelity cables, Transparent Audio, Morrow that I've tried). Some cables can be used as tone controls to temper an audio system to one's liking. The Belden is quite neutral so it probably isn't going to work in that regard.
which Belden cables can you recommend for XLR interconnects? I want to make my own.