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I really admire your honesty Jay! To confirm that a blind test was different from non blind test, it is a huge thing. Of course humans are not a microphones! 😄 But very few are as honest as you. And I love those Maxima Amators! They a have soul.
"I'm not a microphone. I have emotions", and the I paused and had my laugh of recognition. Great post. Keep up the good work you're doing. Greetings from the Netherlands
the risers do not make an audible difference. I am glad you are having fun and wow, 9/10 is pretty lucky. Not so lucky that I would think the laws of physics have changed. Try repeating the test and see if you get 9 out of 10 again.
What you hear goes on in your brain...and because it isn't just the sound that you're listening to but the interpretation of it in your brain it can be altered simply by whether you have had a good day or a bad day emotionally. I was a professional in the wine business and know it intimately from rolling barrels in a winery to working with Sommelier's for thirty years. There is an equivalency between taste and hearing and how the brain interprets the input from tongue or ear. From $5000 btl to $50 bottles we did thousands of blind tastings. The result is that even the best professionals could be easily influenced by a mind set whether or not they themselves knew it existed or not which was discussed after every the tasting. So spend how ever many thousands of dollars you have to spare but don't forget to share some of that money with the poor and less fortunate. When you do that your system no matter what it is will sound better.
Not only that. There is something called hearing fatigue. I play guitar (loudly). I don't know how many times, after a break in a rehearsal, the sound of my setup was different (without touching ANY of the settings) after coming back and continuing playing (did that make sense...?)
@ibstudios It means that hardware measuring as 'technically superior' isn't actually what makes things sound enjoyable to a human, there are other hard/impossible to measure factors.
@@r423sdex You do not have access to the raw input from your stereo microphone array. Everything is interpreted by your brain before that information is presented to the consciousness. That's why you can perceive things like 3D space, that's a post-processing construct of the brain. The same thing applies to the way you see, you only see in stereo not in 3D.
Well, I worked waaay back for probably the most famous maker of BS cables known in the US and probably the world, (Jan sat next to me peddling this to all and sundry around the world) and it was, of course, BS but this was a different ERA 1981, and gee whiz, here was another COMPONENT (this was the Halcyon days of audio) live an learn I say. A fool and his money are soon parted (Mea Culpa I have been guilty of falling for the "wiles" of "better sounding wire ")
I’ve been around the block with regard to interconnect cables. For my ears and my system, I have found that Mogami 2549 microphone cable and Rean Neutric connectors provide all the neutrality and transparency I require. 2549 is the cable of choice for many recording studios, due to its sonic virtues. I build the cables myself for an average cost of $9, for a 1-meter pair. It’s a twisted pair construction, so one wire is hot, one wire is the return, with the shield floating at one end. Beautiful sound, no ground-loops, no hum. You can have your cake and eat it, too.
Someone who knows what they are talking about good job I use digiflex microphone cables balanced XLR and neutrix for my connections for my speakers haven’t heard of Mogami.
I do the very same thing. I use the Mogami 2549 for all my line level cables. I also build my own speaker cables as well. I use "High Purity" (hehe) braided 18 solid wires. I make them so they are as long as the need to be to limit the as much of the RF and EM radiation as possible. (the shorter the antenna the less it will pick up). I also do not lay my cables on the floor. I route them so that they are suspended. I also make sure that I make the line cables only as long as the need to be. If they only need to be 4 inch's I make the 4 inch's. Even though the 2549 Mogami cables are well shielded.
Great video that puts cable jewelry in the right perspective. This video is both damning and a great endorsement at the same time whilst being honest about it all. So everybody can get out of it what he wants. Inakustik could not have asked for more.
Hi Jay & guys - I have two comments. 1) I made cable risers out of oak about 7 inches high and I can hear a difference too. I find the high treble has more energy and transients seem slightly faster. I am using Kimber Crystal 24 aand 14 feet (4.5 m) long each channel. The sound stage also seems better defined and the instruments' locations clearer. I do not want to put them on the floor again. I believe it reduces the capacitance for the amplifier output. I have underfloor water central heating. My power amplifier iExposure VIII from 1986)has a very extended frequency response (up to 100 kHz if I remember correctly) and has been said by the manufacturer to be sensitive to capacitance. 2) It seems the idea that Inakustik has is similar to the idea employed by GR Research for its speaker cables with the "cotton rope" in the centre of the woven conductors. The cotton is causing there to be quite a bit of air in the central core of their speaker cables and the conductors are crossing at steeper angles. Inakustik's execution is of course much higher end than GR Research and their price reflects it. It would be quite fun to have identical lengths of both cables on risers in an A/B test - Jay?! Love the channel and also can totally relate to Jay's stance on many things. All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
Being an Audiophile is all about feeling complete and its very hard to do since there are so many unobtainable products that most of the people will feel dissatisfied over time. Come to terms with yourself as soon as possible :) about cables, Yes, they might make a difference. I tried to A-B quite expensive ones and there is a difference but if you remember the joy you had the moment before you listened to the new thing, you'll save a lot of precious time. save and buy the best you could afford, even if it takes a year. high end stuff always sounds good.
Jay, I am with you! I worked at a high end store back in the day and had a chance to use some pretty expensive stuff and I heard zero differences but I was told to push them because the mark up is very extensive! I just look for a well constructed one that will hold up over time, same goes for power cords, if you really want to make a difference do something on the main power supply to your house, not some cable going from your wall to your Amp or Pre/Amp. I still have demo cables that are very expensive Nordost/Cardas etc.. and I hear no difference than a pair of Pangea Cables or AudioQuest Black Mamba from Audio Advisor, inexpensive but well made. But I do see your point about these being engineered differently.
I also used to work at a high end store back in the day...and I DID hear a BIG difference when using exspensive cables, maybe your hearing not so good?
@@Audfile I say prove it! Enough said... tweaks are the last thing you should be spending money on, half of the time even high end stores have crap rooms! Room acoustics play a much more important role, and if you don't think so, go get an Engineering degree! Room/Speakers/Equipment and then tweaks, I have no problems if some one wants to spend thousands or tens of thousands on cables or interconnect, but don't go ranting on how great of a difference it makes. My room was built with my speakers and equipment in mind, and it's far from not good enough, also my hearings is perfectly fine, your reasoning is "flawed"! LOL Jays perspective is fine, it would have been nice to see in his video how he came to these conclusions via recording and his a/b testing, as anyone can come on here and claim what they want, regardless good video and I might possibly give these a try, why? Different engineering behind them..
Got sucked into the cable game a couple years ago.. I am only referring to amp to speaker section. Was helping my son with his first audiophile system and we debated this topic . Time was limited and had to catch a flight home. Went to Home Depot and got 12 Ga contractor grade extension cable. Long story short.. I’m using it now. Neither of us had much outside interference. I will say interconnection cabling does make a big difference to my ears.
Good video, thanks Jay. To me, these type of cables are nothing more than speaker jewelry ... but like you said, people will do what they will and if they "think" they hear a difference, then more power to them. Enjoy the hobby!!
I have those cable's in my system. And they are so nice to work with. And the sound is also on par with everything out there and I've tested them up against cables 4 times the price. They still sounded more coherent than anything else
The blind a/b is all that matters. If something doesn't show up in measurements but I can reliably identify it, then what the hell is the utility of the measurement at that point? We all have different ears after all. The first chair of the symphony is going to hear a violin differently than someone who listens on a transistor radio their whole life. Your comments on value proposition are on point. Cables probably just don't scale as well as other components in terms of value. It does not mean there is literally zero audible difference between cables- it just means that, in the grand scheme of building a system, there is very little room left for them in the budget.
To say that listening is all you need is the equivalent of saying that in order to design a Lamborghini - no engineering is needed, you just need to know how it feels to drive one - absurd
@@mikevincent6332 Sorry, but i don't think that Lambo analogy is anything even vaguely close to what he's saying, i found that analogy absurd. When measurements show no difference between, say cables, then listening to decide yourself is all that is left to do. At hi-fi shows, you'd see oscilloscopes & other measurement equipment all over the place & they'd be no need to hear a thing if measurements could prove every possible & feasable aspect of sound quality, but measurenents alone fall very, very short of that, tho they can weed out a bad designs, at best. And when they design Lambos, how many times do you think they will take the developing prototypes out on their tracks before deciding on the best finished product, very many times & that's why those super-car makers all have a test track next to their facilities, but why do they bother if measurements alone could bring them to an ideal Lambo design, that's far from the case, past experience & test drives are exactly like listening to decide which is best.
Jay I continue to watch your channel I have not only watch your channel grow but I have watched how you have grown in your channel and love it. Let me say I am an electrical engineer and I am speaker wire skeptic as I do believe in science but I am also a spiritual person and believe that science as we know it may not be able to prove everything. whoever, we have saying here in Jamaica where I live "leave me with my one little delusion", translated to English. So you could have never said it better if something makes someone happier even if you think the science can prove the opposite of what is perceived let the happiness reign. Not only that but the law of diminishing returns also has its role to play and that's too much of an expensive game at my pocket point. Love your channel Keep it coming one love.
Great video. I am watching this after you got the GR Research cables. If I am not mistaken, you found the GR research speaker cables passed your test and were better than previous cables. That speaks very well for GR research.
Hi Jay. I just had to say that this was a great review. I was very impressed with your honesty and common sense. The cables do look well engineered, researched and built. And the convenience is a big, big plus. I've watched you grow and you're a real asset to this industry. Thanks for the review. Keep up the good work.
I am happy that you have the option of tweaking your system via cables. All in all it changes my system from really good to pretty amazing. Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Thanks Jay. Experiencing and A/B all the way for me though to each his own and to their values, ears and finance. Specs are something I want to know about but a massive aside for me on what is important, which is great sounding music through the best tech in my budget. Plus I’m a guy who uses EQ’s as is needed and often. A friend and I did a comparison with cables…high / low range of audioquest analog interconnects, monolith cables, blue jeans, cheapo stuff and dealer made stuff, etc. and via 2 different rigs. Did blind testing too. It was fun and and we had some different takes but they were only degrees apart; often in the same ball-park with a few ahas and surprises resulting in one trash bin and at least one return. The cable thing will probably always be the classic panty twister thing for some.
Jay, you pretty much nailed it here as. It really is emotion and how a particular cable sounds in his system to his ears. If it sounds better than others regardless in a double blind session, it is.
I used to very influential in the Cleveland Audio file circles.I had this guy that was always calling me trying to get me to swap or buy cables(interconnects,speaker wire)but this guy refused to even consider upgrading his system components.he was happy with his Adcom 535! A cable nut! I ceased taking his calls anymore! System matching is so much more critical than cables!! I am currently using 12 ga.Romex from Home Depot that I stripped out of the insulation, Braided the black and red cables with my cordless drill.Eliminated RF interference totally,and sounds awesome!
Thanks for the video Jay. It's great to have someone closer to my age doing reviews. Nothing against these other guys but most of them are as old as the hills and it makes it look like only old people can be audiophiles.
BOOOOOO!! I'm a "Geezer" with what Rick Beato calls the 4KHz notch, which is what MOST recording engineers are saddled with and THEY mixdown the music that YOU listen to Sorry Charlie, Starkist doesn't want AUDIOPHILES with with good taste, they want AUDIOPHILES that taste good ( if you've been around long enough, you'll get it)_
I have been astonished by the improvements with using better cables, fuses and cable risers. I find keeping signal cables away from power cables make a lot of difference. I also found using better jumper cables for speakers made an improvement.
Thanks Jay, this may be your best review yet! Perfect in your honesty and we’ll thought out given a tricky topic like cable sound. Personally, I find I can hear differences when switching between interconnect cables( like brighter treble from one brand or tighter bass from another or warmer overall bass and treble) even though they’re in the same general price range. So I just go with the cables I personally enjoy listening to and put the others away for future tweaking. It’s all personal preference and budget as you point out.
Jay, you'll have the snake oil police/bell wire brigade on your case, you know who they are, they are the people with cloth ears, great video by the way👍
Very honest review Jay ! just ONE important information for you . You failed the blind test , that is totally NORMAL !!! THE reason is q simple one , blind tests are not valid as long as one does NOT include a pause off several seconds between switching, the brain decodes the perceived sound and continue to do so for some time when switching without pausing. Even faulty amplifiers went un noticed because off this..............
My strange cable experience recently was while using a cheap svs cable between my node 2i and tube dac, it suddenly stopped playing 192k songs and would only play 96k and below from Qobuz. I thought my dac was going bad. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the cable. Now I'm using a meter of Teo Audio liquid cable that came in a hazmat case, lol. No more issues. Expensive cables do tend to have better connectors and be more flexible to work better ergonomically with any system. Gives me piece of mind. Debating on switching out my blue jeans for Audio Envy cable in my 5.1 system for this reason cause they just about fall out of my old Denon AV's inputs. Not a problem on my Pioneer BR source end and sound just fine but stiff with basic connectors made more for studio than home use. Then I read lots of new connectors are purposely made to be loose on high end systems so I may keep them as Audio Envy would be $ for a set of 5 and BJs give peace of mind at the very least. Not knocking BJ's btw...perfect sound! As for two other SVS I have in my surround I will replace them with either BJ or AE because those I can trust not to f up my system anywhere.Have AE's directionals between my Sony ES SACD and AS2200 and they sound and fit amazing!
It doesn't matter if cables actually make a difference or not, as long as you think they do and you enjoy your music more, then that's all that matters, even if it's just a placebo effect, as long as you aren't spending thousands of dollars. But, if you're spending less than $200, and you can afford it, and you're getting a well made cable that'll last longer than cheap freebie ones, then no one is really getting hurt. It's you money after all. Besides, everything in high end audio is a luxury item, just like luxury clothes, cars, jewelry, furniture, appliances, cosmetics, etc. You're paying more than could be considered a reasonable markup for those luxury items, and it's your choice on where your money goes.
Good points. And cables takes time to burn in also, power cables is said to me 6 months with the unit i standby when not in use, and the brain that acclimates to the new thing that we put into the system.
As a software engineer with an intimate understanding of the Ethernet and TCP/IP stacks, I always get a chuckle when audiophiles say their $1K ethernet cable somehow sounds better when streaming. I don't even need to be an electrical engineer to be able to say the same for power cables. You mean to tell me power that has traveled for hundreds of miles through antiquated wiring will magically sound better through your last 1 meter of cable? Signal cables on the other hand, that’s a different story like this video describes.
Well if your gonna say “science” than you need the measurements. But regardless of the science used or any other factor, most are ridiculously over priced. And it’s the price that drives people nuts. I have several sets of the AliExpress AQ knockoffs and I absolutely love them. Took them apart and they have the exact same geometry as the real ones.
It amazes me how we have better cables in our homes than we do actually building the equipment that we buy the high technology in our home. I work with the testers that test dashboards and consoles for automotive. We test resistance on all the harness wires and all the modules and components. The varying of resistance between one model or 1 car made 20 seconds ago compared to the 1 that's just made is very fluctuating. When I think of a truck that costs $100000 from 1 truck to the next can have a great difference in quality. Even with automation and exsense of cookie cutter practices of manufacturing. My point is that those wires that are super expensive and they separate each few groups of strands with a thermal fiber glass tape.. And all of that silliness. We have to look at where our signal comes from in the very beginning of all signals and that starts with your power. Most of us have dirty outlets and don't even know it or care. The actual power wire powering our device is cheap wire. When I'm doing the testing on vehicles and it's a very extensive test. The wires that we use are silver. But there's barely any insulation or shielding. And they are touching each other there is no fiberglass or any PVC or any other separator between each conductor. They can bleed into each other. And this is testing everything. So when I see signal cables and they sell for like a $1000 or more.... I just think of why? To lemonade all of that is to have a digital tramsmission. Eliminate the wire altogether. On and Off with digital data rigid with no flex in data program is always better than a analog faded transmission. Although then you would need something to convert that digital data on the speaker load end. So these companies make these fancy wires That in purpose and idea we'll have you with a placebo effect. Belief is stronger than knowledge Sometimes. At work with robots and precision instruments and these factories assembling precision consumer products. And we have our power wires running parallel with our signal and highly sensitive data lines and analog lines. It's a joke. But when I see that the products are still with quality meeting within the tolerances that are set for the standard of high quality and the actual machines that are building high quality products are with such lapsinupstairs or not listening and following the standards.... I realize it's all a joke. It's placebo. Sure there is some noise and interference. But for the most part a lot of the command and control is digital and it does not get affected you don't get bits and packets getting mixed up because they get confirmed. So I think the key to the future is that everything is wireless with a digital transmission and receiving. Have all analog operations at the load itself. Eliminate the olet amplifiers and everything that is everywhere but at the load.
hello jay . i am a fellow audiophile and i saw these cable risers and decided to try it myself . i tried packaging styrofoam and heard a difference . so i got something better and it was even better . now i am going to suspend them with rubber on my risers . a real inexpensive mod that made a difference . i would like to add that i think you need serious audio equipement so to feel any difference .
I use 8 Gauge solid core Home Ground bare copper wire,wrapped with black electrical tape connected to my JLAudio 15" 4 ohm speaker, powered with a Crown XLi800 amp the sound is full, complete & EDM makes it all work, IBIZA baby.
The AB testing is a really good start to useful hifi information for the masses. ABX is better though. Especially for the cable riser part. Taking them on and off takes time and if you do it sequentially, there is no testing. The real testing would be the X element. It is a good start though. Personally if anything doesn't past a ABX test I wouldn't buy it, unless it performed the same as the next best cheaper option but looked better.
I second that. If you can’t tell a difference 100% of the time it’s not worth your money. There are so many psychological factors in cables that those tests are definitely mandatory
The best cheap way to make risers is with three chopsticks and some string tied into a teepee. Use lots of string. Costs virtually nothing and works. Give it a whirl.
You could do an all air dielectric if you suspend them vertically lol. Seriously tho I use Blue Jean Cables because they're made in America, very transparent marketing, inexpensive when compared to other high cables, and good quality. It doesn't really matter if they sound better than my Micca speaker cables I just want to support good US companies.
A factor not mentioned is the use of solder termination. I have cables more than 10 years old and the sound is still topnotch due to the banana plugs for the speakers and the RCA connectors being crimped at the factory. Yes, it would costly to have them sent back to the UK to be re-terminated. But after a year of my Benchmark, I tried to go balanced. I found a matching 1 M pair at half price, $800, from the Ukraine a match for my old cables. And these were used as the owner had switched to higher end Kimber cables. I first tried very good German Quad microphone cables. The sound was not acceptable. So, the case is that at $1800 retail, the cables cost 80% of the cost of the DAC. So, keeping the connections free of corrosion long term is another factor to consider. Using Nitrogen when soldering is one technique. The Atlas UK crimping of even balanced XLR connectors on the Marvos cables is another thing to consider for a high end purchase besides the dielectric and the copper quality to insure long term quality.
Yes I use No Seeum Air Risers that self adjust as you move the speakers further apart or in or out.. They work extremely well over glass or plastic floors but are harder to See…They are sold in the same isle as Sky Hooks & Spring Air when you need to get the Winter air out of your tires ready for Summer👍 They really improved my home decor too…
Subjective...? Absolutely Physics? Plausible Cables; Dielectric material affecting things? It'd be difficult to prove otherwise. Cable lifters; Proximity to surfaces, I say plausible since energy is carried in the field, not the cable itself. I'm anything but a physics expert.
This is true the energy is a vector traveling at near the speed of light in one direction from the sorce to the receiver that is traveling in an electromagnetic field set up by the sorce, cables and receiver. The cable provides a medium in which the electrons can transfer the charge through. Keeping the charge in the cable and not going to ground is important ...good insulation and away from a grounded floor. Keeping it orderly and free also important...good quality wire and adequate in guage for the level of current and length. Keep iron out of the electromagnetic field as not to interrupt anythig . Good shielding for the interconnects. This should all be reasonable in cost. Any thing beyond a little more than adequate isn't going to make a "huge" difference only incrementally smaller difference at a huge exponentially larger black hole in the budget.
Right on! We can only "try it & decide" Measurements can only show you capacitance, inductance & resistance (of zero to minute difference if your meter can measure Ohms, Nanofarads & Henries ...beyond 3 or 4 decimal places. Then cable makers bought the 'Skin Effect' into the hi-fi cable mix, back in the 80's.. (i first noticed in old hi-fi mags) ...& hence the conductor's dialectric effect on audio quality, for marketing ever higher costing cables, tho skin effect considerations came purely from the world of Radio communication & do effect V.H.F's that (they learn) only begin to manifest & register slowly when transmitting at 15'Khz & upwards... (some cable-sellers said 'skin effect' & hence the conducting dialectric is apparent in audio at 12'Khz but hey! ...measurable effects never completely stop & dissapear, just get increasingly smaller & sink into oblivion like the clang of a bell which would go on forever if it didn't convert it's dwindling energy into another form) ...where the signal uses just the very outer surface layers of it's conductor, increasingly so, the higher in F' you go. Tho it is important to radio-hams transmitting at high power where the dialectric values matter, but in hi-fi audio, the effects are, well, ive heard no common unaminous agreement. Despite hearing differences, measurements can be identical for vastly different priced cables, i noticed long ago. There is good science behind cables lying on the floor, the same science why car batteries should never be stored long-term placed on the floor, as they loose charge compared with those placed on proper car battery rack shelving where the lowest batteries are > 8" inches avoiding inductive earthing effects but for A.C. audio F's? maybe, I've tried placing cables on home-bodged wooden 2"ish inch risers & concluded my system just has not got resolution to hear the difference. I've different equipment now & when i finally get far better speakers than my current 'stand-in' jobs, i'll try cable risers again.
The other day, a fellow YTer, said he found power cables to make a difference on his VERY expensive and VERY detailed presentation system. So, if you put a few hundred grand into a stereo system, it apparently makes it susceptible to distinguishing the finest details due to any influence. It matters not a whit to me.
That's bias effects. Even if power cables did make a difference in the signal path I would expect the megabuck systems above all to have state of the art internal power supplies. It's kind of ironic that in effect these audiophiles are saying the more expensive gear has inferior internal power supplies
Bravo Jay, a honest, mature & laced with wisdom presentation. Do cables make a difference, absolutely. Are they worth the price, only the person buying them can make that determinate. Many things in audio can't be measured or explained but can absolutely be heard. Just try to explain distortion figures of tube versus solid state. So to all the nonbelievers that's alright but it still doesn't make it true.
By comparing human preference for even order distortion to an unmeasurably different cable, you compare two very unlike concepts while showing you don't actually understand the physics of how any of this actually works.
@@ryansemplexyz It's an analogy, not a direct comparison. As a prior US Army SFG weapons Sgt that has mechanical engineering background, I understand completely what I am talking about. As I said, if you can't hear it or can't justify it then don't buy it. This is audio, use your ears.
But how did they make or "engineer" a cable if they weren't after a specific result that can be measured? We are to believe that engineers sat around, dug up facts about conductance and dialectic properties, mixed it up in a bowl and then said let's just listen to it? And this alone definitely confirmed positive changes? Human perception and hearing is seriously unreliable. And placebo is known to alter these experiences. You're welcome to find one manufacturer that posts data from a truly blind abx test using a 'good enough' speaker cable and one of their multi-thousand dollar cables that confirms their product is undeniably better. Let us know when you're finished searching.
"Do cables make a difference, absolutely." I'm with you on that. But different people care about different things. How BIG a difference they make, relative to your other components, depends on your other components -- and you. Personally, I have found that high-purity, single-crystal copper tends to sound better than other kinds of conductors. And I use them. They're not necessarily hugely expensive (relative to, say, Siltech's silver-gold combination). But that's just me.
Perfect Jay, simple, to the point, nothing offensive toward either camp (believer vs non believer) and yes, I'm running expensive cables, but it's not like I haven't had everything imaginable in my various systems over the years including that stupid, Radio Shack brand, skinny, so called speaker wire, straight from back in the 70's - - Having said that, I still don't get why those who don't buy into the cable thing are so mad all the time. I don't care what they use, why the hell are they so passionately upset about what I'm using? Make a comment anywhere on You Tube and they just can't wait to tell me what a fool I am - - as for me, I'm too busy listening to music to give much of a rat's ass what they're using, but regardless, whatever they're running is all fine by me.
I use blue jeans cables to but I also have expensive furutech top of line but if I knew the cable science before wouldn't have bought the. Whatch audioholics vlog are cables snake oil and the audioquest cables
''I'm not a microphone, I'm a human being with emotions''. That's the essential thing in the audiophile world. Whatever makes your ears and brain happy is the way to go. No matter how cheap or expensive is the gear you are using, if it doesn't make you feel happy, then everything else is pointless. Great video btw, I like how you see things in audio and your perspective in sound quality towards real life issues.
So, how about an AB test with your Blue Jeans with and without "risers"? Wonder if that would be noticeable. @Jay''s iyagi, I love that you're off on your own! Thanks to Audio Excellence Canada for your 'start' but, still like you best!
Conductors need some sort of dielectric insulation, to stop the conductor material oxidising, if it's just left to air to do the job, the conductor will deteriorate over time, degrading the sound, cotton & wool, have a dielectric constance of around 0.6, which is pretty low, which I use for all my signal cables & teflon for my powercords, teflon is around 1.5. I've been building cables for over 30 years & ran an audio accessories company here in the uk for over 10 years.
You can use glued Jenga blocks or shorten height of two bamboo skewers. Drill diagonal holes in a maple wood or oak block with a power drill and a bit. Put glue in the holes of the block. Slide the skewers in the block diagonally. Glue the skewers where they cross. It works for my OHNO cables. Be sure to use very good glue. This may not work for very heavy cables.
I have changed my loudspeaker cables from Audioquest Rocket 88 to the Inakustik LS 2404 Air. Bigger soundstage, better separation between instruments, tighter bass, etc. (and no, no cable lifters). Much greater quality than the AQs, and great support from the Inakustik team in Germany (i am living in Sweden). Maybe i will get in contact with Inakustik and borrow (Inakustik offers this service) these cable lifters and see if they make a difference.
If the cables have better specs then the connectors in your system, will it make a difference? If the wires, coming from the output powersupply, are below the specs of the cable... (which usually is the case) That is my biggest question.
Keeping speaker cables, interconnects and power cables from running parralel to each other can cause EMI across them. Keep them all away from each other or cross them at 90° to prevent/minimize EMI.
I haven't played around with speaker cables but years ago, I did with RCA interconnects from Monster( I know, bare with me) I was using a Yamaha pre amp with a Proton D1200 amp. What I noticed with the generic cables, regardless of source, the meters barely moved. When I moved to some cheaper Monster interconnects, the meters responded more and the sound was a little cleaner. I did this with about 4 of their cables, going up their product line to their Reference 2s, which, at the the time, were over $200 a .5 meter pair. With each cable, the meters on the Proton responded more quickly and the sound did sound cleaner. I'm sure there was some science there since I had a electromechanical representation of what I was hearing in that the signal was less muddled when I progressed with the cables. However, having said that I do believe that there is an absolute in point of diminishing returns with what humans can hear vs. measurements.. The thing is, most of these supposedly audiophile companies selling these high priced cables rarely provide measurements to justify the price. They might as well tell me that their super cable is made with vibranium mesh sheath, adamantium terminals, and kryptonie core.
GREAT video, thank you! Super cool bending connectors. What a good idea for any cables for that matter. Btw, I was curious snout risers so purchased some cheap tea light holders from IKEA. Noticed a considerable difference 👍🏼
YES! Cable connectors. A BIG pet peeve. Like many of the others here I mostly roll my own cables, and some of them get pretty fat&heavy. These flimsy connectors not only make me squeamish but they have me worrying whether I'm getting the best possible contact. So, my solution is to SPEAKON it. And out of the backs of speakers I use the SPEAKON 90-degree connector. I sleep better. .
Assuming that the signal travels on the outside silver plating makes sense. Increasing the diameter increases surface area. If the cable is oval or flat the surface area is further increased. A shorter cable should have less resistance. That's all logic. However it is the sound that is the truth. Cables can have a long and reliable life. At your age they may be a good investment as no doubt they will cost more in 30 years. I would not believe any of this if I didn't hear the difference. Changing a cable might be a cheaper way to improve sound than changing a unit. If you change tubes sooner or later they will burn out, but a cable should out last us.
I’ve tried all kinds of cables and then came to the realization that wire is wire when it comes right down to it. If there was something special about cabling you would see it in recording studios. I think it’s a big money grab from the companies who make these things. These ultra expensive cables that are made are meant for people who don’t have a budget and like to spend money foolishly.
You do see it in recording studios and in live music. In particular, you see it in microphone cable. Those folks do not even have a debate over whether cables matter, it is just accepted as fact.
Like a lot of the basic things in audio exceeding thousands of dollars, it's home jewelry. When you see something so nice and it has a beautiful storied website description your mind wants it to be better. Then it is better. Many of the people spending so much money on this stuff(cables, risers, random things that sit on top of amps for better sound lol) refuse to learn anything about psychoacoustics simply because they like the hobby and the constant hunt for better sound. They believe they are getting what they're looking for.
Sometimes I think I should release cable videos so I can get 100s comments from people fighting with each other over the matter 😂 good hustle for the views and engagement
I always suggest to do a double blind test of 16 guage lamp cord and these magical high priced cables. At audio frequencies, it's easy to measure a cable with test equipment. The issue is how much one believes in magic and fairies.
Please describe your comparison intervals, between the cables. In other words... Did you switch back and forth DURING each song, or did you listen to songs twice? (I have HUGE doubts about cable raisers, unless your floor is highly conductive.)
The only way to reliably test something that would have such a miniscule effect on sound would be to connect both sets to a switcher box, and have someone switch between the two while the music plays. Otherwise, the inner ear will adjust and re-acclimate to the change in noise floor in the time it takes to change cables. This falsy gives the impression of a deferent sound between the two test.
The whole cable thing has been beaten to death. My cables of choice are from a small builder in the Chicago area called 'Reality Cable'. Braided design based upon an old Stan Warren recipe but w/ high purity OFC copper and cryo treatment. Neutral and transparent sound, and they don't require a 2nd mortgage to buy. Not a rep, just owner of multiple sets of IC's and speaker wire for 2 systems. Only thing I've heard that was better were Sonoran Desert Plateau (for speaker) Just very slightly more 'open'. But insane money in my book. $1500 8ft pair. (they were just a loaner demo) Reality less than 1/3rd that.
Thanks for the answer in advance. I Asks what the difference is between a Sonos faber Faber maxima and a Serpino. In terms of brightness sound Thank you Jacob
Jay, I am an EE. I design audio gear for a lot of high end companies. I can tell you it wont measure different at audio output. BUT... I "drank the Kool-Aid" as well. LOL. At the end of the day it's my money. I have a new Lincoln Aviator Black Label instead of a Ford explorer, an Omega PloProf 1200M Co-Axial Master Chronometer watch instead of a Seiko. So why not $8300 worth of Cardas cables to go with the $72k I spent on my sound system. I know that my hundred-thousand-dollar Aviator is not going to drive better than a $45,000 Explorer I know that my Omega is not going to keep better time than a Seiko and I also know that my fancy Cardas cables are not going to measure any different then a well-designed set of blue jean cables or some well-made DIY cables based on Mogami 2497 and KLEI connectors. So why piss away all that extra money? It makes me happy when I have nicer things... I'll be the first to admit that I'm superficial when it comes to these types of things and...all of us have to admit we all like nice things!! The only difference is, some people are just more practical than others. So, just like Jay said, if you can afford and you have a really high-end system and you want to spend the money , go for it!! At the end of the day, it's your money to spend on whatever makes you happy and all the rest is bullshit!!! ( of course assuming you can comfortably afford it, dont spendb your rent money on speaker cables!!!)
Liked your video on the cable subject. I've heard differences myself in the past, when I owned a higher end home audio system. Used MIT Terminator 2 interconnects and speaker cables; as well as an MIT Proline balanced interconnect cable between my preamp and power amp. With some cables you can hear a difference, with others there isn't any at all. I totally agree with how you approached this rather hot issue. Only thing I didn't like was your outro. You pretty much plagiarized Shawn's outro from Zero Fidelity. Please come up with something more original in the future. Thanks, man; and always enjoy your videos!
Hey Guys. If you found the video helpful, please click that like button - it does help out and at least that's free right?
Find out more: www.in-akustik.de/en/
Questions about the cables: in-akustik.de/en/air-cables-contact-form/
I really admire your honesty Jay!
To confirm that a blind test was different from non blind test, it is a huge thing.
Of course humans are not a microphones! 😄
But very few are as honest as you.
And I love those Maxima Amators!
They a have soul.
"I'm not a microphone. I have emotions", and the I paused and had my laugh of recognition.
Great post. Keep up the good work you're doing. Greetings from the Netherlands
Worlds best cables here 🤷♂️
the risers do not make an audible difference. I am glad you are having fun and wow, 9/10 is pretty lucky. Not so lucky that I would think the laws of physics have changed. Try repeating the test and see if you get 9 out of 10 again.
@@scottwheeler2679 funny you mention that. We did it again the other day and this time I got 10/10
What you hear goes on in your brain...and because it isn't just the sound that you're listening to but the
interpretation of it in your brain it can be altered simply by whether you have had a good day or a bad day
emotionally. I was a professional in the wine business and know it intimately from rolling barrels in a winery
to working with Sommelier's for thirty years. There is an equivalency between taste and hearing and how the
brain interprets the input from tongue or ear. From $5000 btl to $50 bottles we did thousands of blind
tastings. The result is that even the best professionals could be easily influenced by a mind set whether or
not they themselves knew it existed or not which was discussed after every the tasting. So spend how ever
many thousands of dollars you have to spare but don't forget to share some of that money with the poor and
less fortunate. When you do that your system no matter what it is will sound better.
😇😌
Not only that. There is something called hearing fatigue.
I play guitar (loudly). I don't know how many times, after a break in a rehearsal, the sound of my setup was different (without touching ANY of the settings) after coming back and continuing playing (did that make sense...?)
Hi , How are you.Can you help me?
"I'm not a microphone, I have emotions." That's what really matters. As Sean from Zero Fidelity said, "It's all fake, pick the fake you like."
How does the sound get to the brain if your not a microphone ! Other than bass, which you can feel also.
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted"
@ibstudios It means that hardware measuring as 'technically superior' isn't actually what makes things sound enjoyable to a human, there are other hard/impossible to measure factors.
@@r423sdex You do not have access to the raw input from your stereo microphone array. Everything is interpreted by your brain before that information is presented to the consciousness. That's why you can perceive things like 3D space, that's a post-processing construct of the brain. The same thing applies to the way you see, you only see in stereo not in 3D.
Well, I worked waaay back for probably the most famous maker of BS cables known in the US and probably the world, (Jan sat next to me peddling this to all and sundry around the world) and it was, of course, BS but this was a different ERA 1981, and gee whiz, here was another COMPONENT (this was the Halcyon days of audio) live an learn I say. A fool and his money are soon parted (Mea Culpa I have been guilty of falling for the "wiles" of "better sounding wire ")
I’ve been around the block with regard to interconnect cables. For my ears and my system, I have found that Mogami 2549 microphone cable and Rean Neutric connectors provide all the neutrality and transparency I require. 2549 is the cable of choice for many recording studios, due to its sonic virtues. I build the cables myself for an average cost of $9, for a 1-meter pair. It’s a twisted pair construction, so one wire is hot, one wire is the return, with the shield floating at one end. Beautiful sound, no ground-loops, no hum. You can have your cake and eat it, too.
Mogami cables are my favorites. audibly transparent (as are almost all cables) well built, nice looking and very reasonably priced
If it works for a mic you can bet that it will work on a speaker.
Someone who knows what they are talking about good job I use digiflex microphone cables balanced XLR and neutrix for my connections for my speakers haven’t heard of Mogami.
I do the very same thing. I use the Mogami 2549 for all my line level cables. I also build my own speaker cables as well. I use "High Purity" (hehe) braided 18 solid wires. I make them so they are as long as the need to be to limit the as much of the RF and EM radiation as possible. (the shorter the antenna the less it will pick up). I also do not lay my cables on the floor. I route them so that they are suspended. I also make sure that I make the line cables only as long as the need to be. If they only need to be 4 inch's I make the 4 inch's. Even though the 2549 Mogami cables are well shielded.
I use those also but there's literally no difference I'm just bad with money but I'm not dumb enough spend anything more
Great video that puts cable jewelry in the right perspective. This video is both damning and a great endorsement at the same time whilst being honest about it all. So everybody can get out of it what he wants. Inakustik could not have asked for more.
Hi Jay & guys - I have two comments.
1) I made cable risers out of oak about 7 inches high and I can hear a difference too. I find the high treble has more energy and transients seem slightly faster. I am using Kimber Crystal 24 aand 14 feet (4.5 m) long each channel. The sound stage also seems better defined and the instruments' locations clearer. I do not want to put them on the floor again. I believe it reduces the capacitance for the amplifier output. I have underfloor water central heating. My power amplifier iExposure VIII from 1986)has a very extended frequency response (up to 100 kHz if I remember correctly) and has been said by the manufacturer to be sensitive to capacitance.
2) It seems the idea that Inakustik has is similar to the idea employed by GR Research for its speaker cables with the "cotton rope" in the centre of the woven conductors. The cotton is causing there to be quite a bit of air in the central core of their speaker cables and the conductors are crossing at steeper angles. Inakustik's execution is of course much higher end than GR Research and their price reflects it. It would be quite fun to have identical lengths of both cables on risers in an A/B test - Jay?!
Love the channel and also can totally relate to Jay's stance on many things.
All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
Being an Audiophile is all about feeling complete and its very hard to do since there are so many unobtainable products that most of the people will feel dissatisfied over time. Come to terms with yourself as soon as possible :) about cables, Yes, they might make a difference. I tried to A-B quite expensive ones and there is a difference but if you remember the joy you had the moment before you listened to the new thing, you'll save a lot of precious time. save and buy the best you could afford, even if it takes a year. high end stuff always sounds good.
Jay, I am with you! I worked at a high end store back in the day and had a chance to use some pretty expensive stuff and I heard zero differences but I was told to push them because the mark up is very extensive! I just look for a well constructed one that will hold up over time, same goes for power cords, if you really want to make a difference do something on the main power supply to your house, not some cable going from your wall to your Amp or Pre/Amp. I still have demo cables that are very expensive Nordost/Cardas etc.. and I hear no difference than a pair of Pangea Cables or AudioQuest Black Mamba from Audio Advisor, inexpensive but well made. But I do see your point about these being engineered differently.
I also used to work at a high end store back in the day...and I DID hear a BIG difference when using exspensive cables, maybe your hearing not so good?
Something Something your system isn't good enough.
@@adamsonlinearrayspeakersha87 100%
@@Audfile I say prove it! Enough said... tweaks are the last thing you should be spending money on, half of the time even high end stores have crap rooms! Room acoustics play a much more important role, and if you don't think so, go get an Engineering degree! Room/Speakers/Equipment and then tweaks, I have no problems if some one wants to spend thousands or tens of thousands on cables or interconnect, but don't go ranting on how great of a difference it makes. My room was built with my speakers and equipment in mind, and it's far from not good enough, also my hearings is perfectly fine, your reasoning is "flawed"! LOL Jays perspective is fine, it would have been nice to see in his video how he came to these conclusions via recording and his a/b testing, as anyone can come on here and claim what they want, regardless good video and I might possibly give these a try, why? Different engineering behind them..
@@adamsonlinearrayspeakersha87 It could also be the acoustics of your face mask you where hearing.
Got sucked into the cable game a couple years ago.. I am only referring to amp to speaker section. Was helping my son with his first audiophile system and we debated this topic . Time was limited and had to catch a flight home. Went to Home Depot and got 12 Ga contractor grade extension cable. Long story short.. I’m using it now. Neither of us had much outside interference. I will say interconnection cabling does make a big difference to my ears.
Did you by chance try the cable risers with you blue Jean cables, or would they not work?
Pizza Hut (for one) is giving away one of these "cable risers" in every large pizza they box... it's to keep the box from sagging into the 'za! ;)
Risers don't do anything
I appreciate your honesty !
Good video, thanks Jay. To me, these type of cables are nothing more than speaker jewelry ... but like you said, people will do what they will and if they "think" they hear a difference, then more power to them. Enjoy the hobby!!
I have those cable's in my system. And they are so nice to work with. And the sound is also on par with everything out there and I've tested them up against cables 4 times the price. They still sounded more coherent than anything else
The blind a/b is all that matters. If something doesn't show up in measurements but I can reliably identify it, then what the hell is the utility of the measurement at that point? We all have different ears after all. The first chair of the symphony is going to hear a violin differently than someone who listens on a transistor radio their whole life. Your comments on value proposition are on point. Cables probably just don't scale as well as other components in terms of value. It does not mean there is literally zero audible difference between cables- it just means that, in the grand scheme of building a system, there is very little room left for them in the budget.
Thanks for the comment. Liked your perspective
You need electrical testing first, subjective listening testing second. engineering is not possible without actual engineering taking place
To say that listening is all you need is the equivalent of saying that in order to design a Lamborghini - no engineering is needed, you just need to know how it feels to drive one - absurd
Absolutely so.
@@mikevincent6332 Sorry, but i don't think that Lambo analogy is anything even vaguely close to what he's saying, i found that analogy absurd.
When measurements show no difference between, say cables, then listening to decide yourself is all that is left to do. At hi-fi shows, you'd see oscilloscopes & other measurement equipment all over the place & they'd be no need to hear a thing if measurements could prove every possible & feasable aspect of sound quality, but measurenents alone fall very, very short of that, tho they can weed out a bad designs, at best.
And when they design Lambos, how many times do you think they will take the developing prototypes out on their tracks before deciding on the best finished product, very many times & that's why those super-car makers all have a test track next to their facilities, but why do they bother if measurements alone could bring them to an ideal Lambo design, that's far from the case, past experience & test drives are exactly like listening to decide which is best.
Jay I continue to watch your channel I have not only watch your channel grow but I have watched how you have grown in your channel and love it. Let me say I am an electrical engineer and I am speaker wire skeptic as I do believe in science but I am also a spiritual person and believe that science as we know it may not be able to prove everything. whoever, we have saying here in Jamaica where I live "leave me with my one little delusion", translated to English. So you could have never said it better if something makes someone happier even if you think the science can prove the opposite of what is perceived let the happiness reign. Not only that but the law of diminishing returns also has its role to play and that's too much of an expensive game at my pocket point. Love your channel Keep it coming one love.
"I'm not a microphone, I'm a human with emotions" 🤣🤣 love it
Great video.
I am watching this after you got the GR Research cables. If I am not mistaken, you found the GR research speaker cables passed your test and were better than previous cables. That speaks very well for GR research.
Hi Jay. I just had to say that this was a great review. I was very impressed with your honesty and common sense. The cables do look well engineered, researched and built. And the convenience is a big, big plus. I've watched you grow and you're a real asset to this industry. Thanks for the review. Keep up the good work.
Yes, I can't afford them, but they're interesting. Most high-end cable companies seem to focus more on style than substance.
@@BruceCross no such thing as a high end cable company with substance, g. its half and half split marketing and blatant dishonesty.
@@eattoast6378 totally agree...
I am happy that you have the option of tweaking your system via cables. All in all it changes my system from really good to pretty amazing.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
Thanks Jay. Experiencing and A/B all the way for me though to each his own and to their values, ears and finance. Specs are something I want to know about but a massive aside for me on what is important, which is great sounding music through the best tech in my budget. Plus I’m a guy who uses EQ’s as is needed and often. A friend and I did a comparison with cables…high / low range of audioquest analog interconnects, monolith cables, blue jeans, cheapo stuff and dealer made stuff, etc. and via 2 different rigs. Did blind testing too. It was fun and and we had some different takes but they were only degrees apart; often in the same ball-park with a few ahas and surprises resulting in one trash bin and at least one return. The cable thing will probably always be the classic panty twister thing for some.
Jay, you pretty much nailed it here as. It really is emotion and how a particular cable sounds in his system to his ears. If it sounds better than others regardless in a double blind session, it is.
Keep em comming my mate, genuine opinions,
"Thats what we like'
."
Good one jay'
Regards Antony..
Warrington England
Somehow I believe you! A very genuinely honest review 👍
Great review, I really enjoyed this content and WOW what a beautiful cable! Thank you Jay. Yep, cables matter, I’m with you.
Don't raise the cables lower the floor. It's true it's a known fact. REALLY!
I used to very influential in the Cleveland Audio file circles.I had this guy that was always calling me trying to get me to swap or buy cables(interconnects,speaker wire)but this guy refused to even consider upgrading his system components.he was happy with his Adcom 535! A cable nut! I ceased taking his calls anymore! System matching is so much more critical than cables!! I am currently using 12 ga.Romex from Home Depot that I stripped out of the insulation, Braided the black and red cables with my cordless drill.Eliminated RF interference totally,and sounds awesome!
I want to know if you were to hook up the blue jeans cables, and then use the same cable risers, if you can hear a difference!
Really appreciate your reviews. Your honesty shines through. Keep up the great work 👍
Thanks for the video Jay. It's great to have someone closer to my age doing reviews. Nothing against these other guys but most of them are as old as the hills and it makes it look like only old people can be audiophiles.
BOOOOOO!! I'm a "Geezer" with what Rick Beato calls the 4KHz notch, which is what MOST recording engineers are saddled with and THEY mixdown the music that YOU listen to Sorry Charlie, Starkist doesn't want AUDIOPHILES with with good taste, they want AUDIOPHILES that taste good ( if you've been around long enough, you'll get it)_
As an older guy, it makes me happy to see young people actually care about good sound and good systems.
Excellent vid. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
I have been astonished by the improvements with using better cables, fuses and cable risers. I find keeping signal cables away from power cables make a lot of difference. I also found using better jumper cables for speakers made an improvement.
Yes and also moon rocks and audiophile sand
Did you do a blind testing?
Loved your content on this video. Hope you won’t make too many “enemies” including the place you worked at before. Keep up the good work
One of the most objective reviews of a cable. Thanks man, it was very interesting video!
Thanks Jay, this may be your best review yet! Perfect in your honesty and we’ll thought out given a tricky topic like cable sound. Personally, I find I can hear differences when switching between interconnect cables( like brighter treble from one brand or tighter bass from another or warmer overall bass and treble) even though they’re in the same general price range.
So I just go with the cables I personally enjoy listening to and put the others away for future tweaking. It’s all personal preference and budget as you point out.
Jay, you'll have the snake oil police/bell wire brigade on your case, you know who they are, they are the people with cloth ears, great video by the way👍
Unless those cloth ears are designed by Armani.
Were you able to also notice this effect of cable risers on your own speaker cables or only with the one reviewed?
Very honest review Jay !
just ONE important information for you . You failed the blind test , that is totally NORMAL !!!
THE reason is q simple one , blind tests are not valid as long as one does NOT include a pause off several seconds between switching, the brain decodes the perceived sound and continue to do so for some time when switching without pausing. Even faulty amplifiers went un noticed because off this..............
Great review Jay! I too stick with Blue Jeans speaker cables (BJC Ten White w locking bananas) and LC-1 interconnects.
My strange cable experience recently was while using a cheap svs cable between my node 2i and tube dac, it suddenly stopped playing 192k songs and would only play 96k and below from Qobuz. I thought my dac was going bad. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the cable. Now I'm using a meter of Teo Audio liquid cable that came in a hazmat case, lol. No more issues. Expensive cables do tend to have better connectors and be more flexible to work better ergonomically with any system. Gives me piece of mind. Debating on switching out my blue jeans for Audio Envy cable in my 5.1 system for this reason cause they just about fall out of my old Denon AV's inputs. Not a problem on my Pioneer BR source end and sound just fine but stiff with basic connectors made more for studio than home use. Then I read lots of new connectors are purposely made to be loose on high end systems so I may keep them as Audio Envy would be $ for a set of 5 and BJs give peace of mind at the very least. Not knocking BJ's btw...perfect sound! As for two other SVS I have in my surround I will replace them with either BJ or AE because those I can trust not to f up my system anywhere.Have AE's directionals between my Sony ES SACD and AS2200 and they sound and fit amazing!
It doesn't matter if cables actually make a difference or not, as long as you think they do and you enjoy your music more, then that's all that matters, even if it's just a placebo effect, as long as you aren't spending thousands of dollars. But, if you're spending less than $200, and you can afford it, and you're getting a well made cable that'll last longer than cheap freebie ones, then no one is really getting hurt. It's you money after all. Besides, everything in high end audio is a luxury item, just like luxury clothes, cars, jewelry, furniture, appliances, cosmetics, etc. You're paying more than could be considered a reasonable markup for those luxury items, and it's your choice on where your money goes.
I enjoyed this review. I must point out that 10 AB tests in a row is not enough to rule out chance. But I appreciate your opinion, it feels honest.
Good points. And cables takes time to burn in also, power cables is said to me 6 months with the unit i standby when not in use, and the brain that acclimates to the new thing that we put into the system.
Love your stuff brother
As a software engineer with an intimate understanding of the Ethernet and TCP/IP stacks, I always get a chuckle when audiophiles say their $1K ethernet cable somehow sounds better when streaming. I don't even need to be an electrical engineer to be able to say the same for power cables. You mean to tell me power that has traveled for hundreds of miles through antiquated wiring will magically sound better through your last 1 meter of cable?
Signal cables on the other hand, that’s a different story like this video describes.
Am telling you my Dac sounds better after swapping out power cable with medical grade cryo treated cable maybe it's magic
I use RG58 for interconnects and shielded cat5 cable for speakers. Sounds very nice.
Well if your gonna say “science” than you need the measurements. But regardless of the science used or any other factor, most are ridiculously over priced. And it’s the price that drives people nuts. I have several sets of the AliExpress AQ knockoffs and I absolutely love them. Took them apart and they have the exact same geometry as the real ones.
It amazes me how we have better cables in our homes than we do actually building the equipment that we buy the high technology in our home.
I work with the testers that test dashboards and consoles for automotive.
We test resistance on all the harness wires and all the modules and components. The varying of resistance between one model or 1 car made 20 seconds ago compared to the 1 that's just made is very fluctuating.
When I think of a truck that costs $100000 from 1 truck to the next can have a great difference in quality. Even with automation and exsense of cookie cutter practices of manufacturing.
My point is that those wires that are super expensive and they separate each few groups of strands with a thermal fiber glass tape.. And all of that silliness. We have to look at where our signal comes from in the very beginning of all signals and that starts with your power. Most of us have dirty outlets and don't even know it or care. The actual power wire powering our device is cheap wire.
When I'm doing the testing on vehicles and it's a very extensive test. The wires that we use are silver. But there's barely any insulation or shielding. And they are touching each other there is no fiberglass or any PVC or any other separator between each conductor. They can bleed into each other. And this is testing everything.
So when I see signal cables and they sell for like a $1000 or more.... I just think of why? To lemonade all of that is to have a digital tramsmission. Eliminate the wire altogether.
On and Off with digital data rigid with no flex in data program is always better than a analog faded transmission. Although then you would need something to convert that digital data on the speaker load end. So these companies make these fancy wires That in purpose and idea we'll have you with a placebo effect. Belief is stronger than knowledge Sometimes.
At work with robots and precision instruments and these factories assembling precision consumer products.
And we have our power wires running parallel with our signal and highly sensitive data lines and analog lines.
It's a joke.
But when I see that the products are still with quality meeting within the tolerances that are set for the standard of high quality and the actual machines that are building high quality products are with such lapsinupstairs or not listening and following the standards.... I realize it's all a joke. It's placebo.
Sure there is some noise and interference.
But for the most part a lot of the command and control is digital and it does not get affected you don't get bits and packets getting mixed up because they get confirmed. So I think the key to the future is that everything is wireless with a digital transmission and receiving. Have all analog operations at the load itself. Eliminate the olet amplifiers and everything that is everywhere but at the load.
Interconnect are super important. I solder my connections to be sure they are good.
hello jay . i am a fellow audiophile and i saw these cable risers and decided to try it myself . i tried packaging styrofoam and heard a difference . so i got something better and it was even better . now i am going to suspend them with rubber on my risers . a real inexpensive mod that made a difference .
i would like to add that i think you need serious audio equipement so to feel any difference .
You should try a balanced cable to monoblock amplifier right by speaker terminal and only use like a 6 inch speaker cable
I use 8 Gauge solid core Home Ground bare copper wire,wrapped with black electrical tape connected to my JLAudio 15" 4 ohm speaker, powered with a Crown XLi800 amp the sound is full, complete & EDM makes it all work, IBIZA baby.
I like your honesty and integrity
The AB testing is a really good start to useful hifi information for the masses. ABX is better though. Especially for the cable riser part. Taking them on and off takes time and if you do it sequentially, there is no testing. The real testing would be the X element. It is a good start though. Personally if anything doesn't past a ABX test I wouldn't buy it, unless it performed the same as the next best cheaper option but looked better.
I second that. If you can’t tell a difference 100% of the time it’s not worth your money. There are so many psychological factors in cables that those tests are definitely mandatory
4ga optical cables braided with a 4/10 twist help prevent the ones from sticking.
Duh!? :)
The best cheap way to make risers is with three chopsticks and some string tied into a teepee. Use lots of string. Costs virtually nothing and works. Give it a whirl.
"...I make youtube videos..."🤣🤣 Liked the video. Learned a new word too...dielectric. Thanks.
I really like your videos.
Always super informative and enjoyable ! 😊
You could do an all air dielectric if you suspend them vertically lol. Seriously tho I use Blue Jean Cables because they're made in America, very transparent marketing, inexpensive when compared to other high cables, and good quality. It doesn't really matter if they sound better than my Micca speaker cables I just want to support good US companies.
A factor not mentioned is the use of solder termination. I have cables more than 10 years old and the sound is still topnotch due to the banana plugs for the speakers and the RCA connectors being crimped at the factory. Yes, it would costly to have them sent back to the UK to be re-terminated. But after a year of my Benchmark, I tried to go balanced.
I found a matching 1 M pair at half price, $800, from the Ukraine a match for my old cables. And these were used as the owner had switched to higher end Kimber cables. I first tried very good German Quad microphone cables. The sound was not acceptable. So, the case is that at $1800 retail, the cables cost 80% of the cost of the DAC. So, keeping the connections free of corrosion long term is another factor to consider. Using Nitrogen when soldering is one technique. The Atlas UK crimping of even balanced XLR connectors on the Marvos cables is another thing to consider for a high end purchase besides the dielectric and the copper quality to insure long term quality.
Yes I use No Seeum Air Risers that self adjust as you move the speakers further apart or in or out.. They work extremely well over glass or plastic floors but are harder to See…They are sold in the same isle as Sky Hooks & Spring Air when you need to get the Winter air out of your tires ready for Summer👍 They really improved my home decor too…
In akustik makes fantastic cables :)
You thinking is spot on
The best and most durable RCA cable i have ever used came with my equipment, it said JA Pan , love those cables.
Subjective...? Absolutely
Physics? Plausible
Cables;
Dielectric material affecting things? It'd be difficult to prove otherwise.
Cable lifters;
Proximity to surfaces, I say plausible since energy is carried in the field, not the cable itself.
I'm anything but a physics expert.
This is true the energy is a vector traveling at near the speed of light in one direction from the sorce to the receiver that is traveling in an electromagnetic field set up by the sorce, cables and receiver. The cable provides a medium in which the electrons can transfer the charge through. Keeping the charge in the cable and not going to ground is important ...good insulation and away from a grounded floor. Keeping it orderly and free also important...good quality wire and adequate in guage for the level of current and length. Keep iron out of the electromagnetic field as not to interrupt anythig . Good shielding for the interconnects. This should all be reasonable in cost. Any thing beyond a little more than adequate isn't going to make a "huge" difference only incrementally smaller difference at a huge exponentially larger black hole in the budget.
Good review, and a nice recommendation for Blue Jeans cables!
Right on! We can only "try it & decide" Measurements can only show you capacitance, inductance & resistance (of zero to minute difference if your meter can measure Ohms, Nanofarads & Henries ...beyond 3 or 4 decimal places. Then cable makers bought the 'Skin Effect' into the hi-fi cable mix, back in the 80's.. (i first noticed in old hi-fi mags) ...& hence the conductor's dialectric effect on audio quality, for marketing ever higher costing cables, tho skin effect considerations came purely from the world of Radio communication & do effect V.H.F's that (they learn) only begin to manifest & register slowly when transmitting at 15'Khz & upwards... (some cable-sellers said 'skin effect' & hence the conducting dialectric is apparent in audio at 12'Khz but hey! ...measurable effects never completely stop & dissapear, just get increasingly smaller & sink into oblivion like the clang of a bell which would go on forever if it didn't convert it's dwindling energy into another form) ...where the signal uses just the very outer surface layers of it's conductor, increasingly so, the higher in F' you go. Tho it is important to radio-hams transmitting at high power where the dialectric values matter, but in hi-fi audio, the effects are, well, ive heard no common unaminous agreement. Despite hearing differences, measurements can be identical for vastly different priced cables, i noticed long ago.
There is good science behind cables lying on the floor, the same science why car batteries should never be stored long-term placed on the floor, as they loose charge compared with those placed on proper car battery rack shelving where the lowest batteries are > 8" inches avoiding inductive earthing effects but for A.C. audio F's? maybe, I've tried placing cables on home-bodged wooden 2"ish inch risers & concluded my system just has not got resolution to hear the difference. I've different equipment now & when i finally get far better speakers than my current 'stand-in' jobs, i'll try cable risers again.
you are 20 years old and have 30 years experience for high end!! congratulations!!!!!!
!
The other day, a fellow YTer, said he found power cables to make a difference on his VERY expensive and VERY detailed presentation system. So, if you put a few hundred grand into a stereo system, it apparently makes it susceptible to distinguishing the finest details due to any influence.
It matters not a whit to me.
That's bias effects. Even if power cables did make a difference in the signal path I would expect the megabuck systems above all to have state of the art internal power supplies. It's kind of ironic that in effect these audiophiles are saying the more expensive gear has inferior internal power supplies
Bravo Jay, a honest, mature & laced with wisdom presentation. Do cables make a difference, absolutely. Are they worth the price, only the person buying them can make that determinate. Many things in audio can't be measured or explained but can absolutely be heard. Just try to explain distortion figures of tube versus solid state. So to all the nonbelievers that's alright but it still doesn't make it true.
By comparing human preference for even order distortion to an unmeasurably different cable, you compare two very unlike concepts while showing you don't actually understand the physics of how any of this actually works.
@@ryansemplexyz It's an analogy, not a direct comparison. As a prior US Army SFG weapons Sgt that has mechanical engineering background, I understand completely what I am talking about. As I said, if you can't hear it or can't justify it then don't buy it. This is audio, use your ears.
But how did they make or "engineer" a cable if they weren't after a specific result that can be measured? We are to believe that engineers sat around, dug up facts about conductance and dialectic properties, mixed it up in a bowl and then said let's just listen to it? And this alone definitely confirmed positive changes?
Human perception and hearing is seriously unreliable. And placebo is known to alter these experiences. You're welcome to find one manufacturer that posts data from a truly blind abx test using a 'good enough' speaker cable and one of their multi-thousand dollar cables that confirms their product is undeniably better.
Let us know when you're finished searching.
"Do cables make a difference, absolutely." I'm with you on that. But different people care about different things. How BIG a difference they make, relative to your other components, depends on your other components -- and you. Personally, I have found that high-purity, single-crystal copper tends to sound better than other kinds of conductors. And I use them. They're not necessarily hugely expensive (relative to, say, Siltech's silver-gold combination). But that's just me.
Neither does what you say
Perfect Jay, simple, to the point, nothing offensive toward either camp (believer vs non believer) and yes, I'm running expensive cables, but it's not like I haven't had everything imaginable in my various systems over the years including that stupid, Radio Shack brand, skinny, so called speaker wire, straight from back in the 70's - - Having said that, I still don't get why those who don't buy into the cable thing are so mad all the time. I don't care what they use, why the hell are they so passionately upset about what I'm using? Make a comment anywhere on You Tube and they just can't wait to tell me what a fool I am - - as for me, I'm too busy listening to music to give much of a rat's ass what they're using, but regardless, whatever they're running is all fine by me.
You sound angry to me...
I use blue jeans cables to but I also have expensive furutech top of line but if I knew the cable science before wouldn't have bought the. Whatch audioholics vlog are cables snake oil and the audioquest cables
''I'm not a microphone, I'm a human being with emotions''. That's the essential thing in the audiophile world. Whatever makes your ears and brain happy is the way to go. No matter how cheap or expensive is the gear you are using, if it doesn't make you feel happy, then everything else is pointless.
Great video btw, I like how you see things in audio and your perspective in sound quality towards real life issues.
how did you do a blind A/B test on your own system?
So, how about an AB test with your Blue Jeans with and without "risers"? Wonder if that would be noticeable. @Jay''s iyagi, I love that you're off on your own! Thanks to Audio Excellence Canada for your 'start' but, still like you best!
Wow. Eye candy!
That wont last, right?
Let's see one that's a few years old...
Another very well done show, Jay.
Thanks for being there for us!😎
Conductors need some sort of dielectric insulation, to stop the conductor material oxidising, if it's just left to air to do the job, the conductor will deteriorate over time, degrading the sound, cotton & wool, have a dielectric constance of around 0.6, which is pretty low, which I use for all my signal cables & teflon for my powercords, teflon is around 1.5. I've been building cables for over 30 years & ran an audio accessories company here in the uk for over 10 years.
You can use glued Jenga blocks or shorten height of two bamboo skewers. Drill diagonal holes in a maple wood or oak block with a power drill and a bit. Put glue in the holes of the block. Slide the skewers in the block diagonally. Glue the skewers where they cross. It works for my OHNO cables. Be sure to use very good glue. This may not work for very heavy cables.
I have changed my loudspeaker cables from Audioquest Rocket 88 to the Inakustik LS 2404 Air. Bigger soundstage, better separation between instruments, tighter bass, etc. (and no, no cable lifters). Much greater quality than the AQs, and great support from the Inakustik team in Germany (i am living in Sweden). Maybe i will get in contact with Inakustik and borrow (Inakustik offers this service) these cable lifters and see if they make a difference.
You hear what you see.
If the cables have better specs then the connectors in your system, will it make a difference?
If the wires, coming from the output powersupply, are below the specs of the cable... (which usually is the case)
That is my biggest question.
Keeping speaker cables, interconnects and power cables from running parralel to each other can cause EMI across them. Keep them all away from each other or cross them at 90° to prevent/minimize EMI.
I haven't played around with speaker cables but years ago, I did with RCA interconnects from Monster( I know, bare with me) I was using a Yamaha pre amp with a Proton D1200 amp. What I noticed with the generic cables, regardless of source, the meters barely moved. When I moved to some cheaper Monster interconnects, the meters responded more and the sound was a little cleaner. I did this with about 4 of their cables, going up their product line to their Reference 2s, which, at the the time, were over $200 a .5 meter pair. With each cable, the meters on the Proton responded more quickly and the sound did sound cleaner. I'm sure there was some science there since I had a electromechanical representation of what I was hearing in that the signal was less muddled when I progressed with the cables. However, having said that I do believe that there is an absolute in point of diminishing returns with what humans can hear vs. measurements.. The thing is, most of these supposedly audiophile companies selling these high priced cables rarely provide measurements to justify the price. They might as well tell me that their super cable is made with vibranium mesh sheath, adamantium terminals, and kryptonie core.
Sweet, so now the unsightly wires hanging behind my desk (but not touching the ground) are considered audiophile?! Score! LOL
GREAT video, thank you! Super cool bending connectors. What a good idea for any cables for that matter. Btw, I was curious snout risers so purchased some cheap tea light holders from IKEA. Noticed a considerable difference 👍🏼
YES! Cable connectors. A BIG pet peeve. Like many of the others here I mostly roll my own cables, and some of them get pretty fat&heavy. These flimsy connectors not only make me squeamish but they have me worrying whether I'm getting the best possible contact. So, my solution is to SPEAKON it. And out of the backs of speakers I use the SPEAKON 90-degree connector. I sleep better.
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Try occ Audio Sensibility! They do both occ copper and occ silver. RCA or XLR.
Assuming that the signal travels on the outside silver plating makes sense. Increasing the diameter increases surface area. If the cable is oval or flat the surface area is further increased. A shorter cable should have less resistance. That's all logic. However it is the sound that is the truth. Cables can have a long and reliable life. At your age they may be a good investment as no doubt they will cost more in 30 years. I would not believe any of this if I didn't hear the difference. Changing a cable might be a cheaper way to improve sound than changing a unit. If you change tubes sooner or later they will burn out, but a cable should out last us.
I’ve tried all kinds of cables and then came to the realization that wire is wire when it comes right down to it. If there was something special about cabling you would see it in recording studios. I think it’s a big money grab from the companies who make these things. These ultra expensive cables that are made are meant for people who don’t have a budget and like to spend money foolishly.
I agree
You do see it in recording studios and in live music. In particular, you see it in microphone cable. Those folks do not even have a debate over whether cables matter, it is just accepted as fact.
@@joshua43214 can you please site any examples of any studios using ultra high end cables
@@joshua43214 they matter with shielding and LC parameters, but not wishy-washy hifi nonsense
Like a lot of the basic things in audio exceeding thousands of dollars, it's home jewelry. When you see something so nice and it has a beautiful storied website description your mind wants it to be better. Then it is better. Many of the people spending so much money on this stuff(cables, risers, random things that sit on top of amps for better sound lol) refuse to learn anything about psychoacoustics simply because they like the hobby and the constant hunt for better sound. They believe they are getting what they're looking for.
Sometimes I think I should release cable videos so I can get 100s comments from people fighting with each other over the matter 😂 good hustle for the views and engagement
Interesting to hear positive things about cable risers. The good thing about this is it can easily be done for next to nothing.
I always suggest to do a double blind test of 16 guage lamp cord and these magical high priced cables. At audio frequencies, it's easy to measure a cable with test equipment. The issue is how much one believes in magic and fairies.
My power amplifier produces 60 Ampères per channel - you think I should try that lamp cord?
🤔What is the InAQ spade material. pls provide info !! Is it Brass or bronze or?🤔
Please describe your comparison intervals, between the cables. In other words... Did you switch back and forth DURING each song, or did you listen to songs twice?
(I have HUGE doubts about cable raisers, unless your floor is highly conductive.)
Same song twice. Not during. The ones I know very well.
The only way to reliably test something that would have such a miniscule effect on sound would be to connect both sets to a switcher box, and have someone switch between the two while the music plays. Otherwise, the inner ear will adjust and re-acclimate to the change in noise floor in the time it takes to change cables. This falsy gives the impression of a deferent sound between the two test.
@@ryansemplexyz well said.
The whole cable thing has been beaten to death. My cables of choice are from a small builder in the Chicago area called 'Reality Cable'. Braided design based upon an old Stan Warren recipe but w/ high purity OFC copper and cryo treatment. Neutral and transparent sound, and they don't require a 2nd mortgage to buy. Not a rep, just owner of multiple sets of IC's and speaker wire for 2 systems. Only thing I've heard that was better were Sonoran Desert Plateau (for speaker) Just very slightly more 'open'. But insane money in my book. $1500 8ft pair. (they were just a loaner demo) Reality less than 1/3rd that.
good vid! enjoyed your opinion. Think your channel is maturing
nice one being realistic and actually thinking about us poor people ha
Thanks for the answer in advance. I Asks what the difference is between a Sonos faber Faber maxima and a Serpino. In terms of brightness sound Thank you Jacob
Jay, I am an EE. I design audio gear for a lot of high end companies. I can tell you it wont measure different at audio output. BUT... I "drank the Kool-Aid" as well. LOL. At the end of the day it's my money. I have a new Lincoln Aviator Black Label instead of a Ford explorer, an Omega PloProf 1200M Co-Axial Master Chronometer watch instead of a Seiko. So why not $8300 worth of Cardas cables to go with the $72k I spent on my sound system. I know that my hundred-thousand-dollar Aviator is not going to drive better than a $45,000 Explorer I know that my Omega is not going to keep better time than a Seiko and I also know that my fancy Cardas cables are not going to measure any different then a well-designed set of blue jean cables or some well-made DIY cables based on Mogami 2497 and KLEI connectors. So why piss away all that extra money? It makes me happy when I have nicer things... I'll be the first to admit that I'm superficial when it comes to these types of things and...all of us have to admit we all like nice things!! The only difference is, some people are just more practical than others. So, just like Jay said, if you can afford and you have a really high-end system and you want to spend the money , go for it!! At the end of the day, it's your money to spend on whatever makes you happy and all the rest is bullshit!!! ( of course assuming you can comfortably afford it, dont spendb your rent money on speaker cables!!!)
I have cardas clear speakers, I.C.s , power cables. Curious how the inacustic cables differ?
Blue Jean cables ARE affordable for their quality. You could easily spend WAY more on cables. You could always make your own if you're crafty.
Your view on cables is the same as mine, does it look good, is it crafted well, is it nice to use, and do I THINK it sounds better - in that order.
If nothing else the cables do look really cool.
Recreational drugs would be cheaper and make an even more remarkable improvement.
True...but they have gone down the same path....make your own...grow your own. 😊
Liked your video on the cable subject. I've heard differences myself in the past, when I owned a higher end home audio system. Used MIT Terminator 2 interconnects and speaker cables; as well as an MIT Proline balanced interconnect cable between my preamp and power amp. With some cables you can hear a difference, with others there isn't any at all. I totally agree with how you approached this rather hot issue. Only thing I didn't like was your outro. You pretty much plagiarized Shawn's outro from Zero Fidelity. Please come up with something more original in the future. Thanks, man; and always enjoy your videos!
Terminator 2's were some of my favorite cables!
On the other hand bower days everybody should end their videos with peace… as Long as they mean it :).