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Cable Debate is over (for me)
#445892 07/23/22 09:52 AM
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I decided to put this in the water cooler because it really serves no purpose and is a bit of a shrug topic for some.

Recently I put a new DAC in my 2ch setup that really improved several aspects of my listening experience. The new DAC needed both a 3.5mm to RCA cable and a Toslink to mini Toslink cable to connect to my existing components. I figured what the heck and splurged for a Mogami Gold 3.5mm to RCA cable on Amazon. Was around 125$ or so. For the Toslink I bought a generic fiber cable.

Shipping was delayed on the Mogami cable, so I grabbed a cheaper one out of my kit bag I usually use for install calibration. I typically use it to jack my ipad into systems for using Audio Tools during HT setup/phase alignment. Think is was $25 or so at Long and Mcquade.

So the new setup was up and rolling and I dug into enjoying it. All was well.

A few days later the Mogami Gold cable arrived and I swapped it in and threw the other cable back in my kit bag. Sat down to listen, happy that I had a decent quality cable to match the rest of the setup. But….. I didnt like how the sound changed. Yes, it changed. WTF… I thought. So I went to the back of the gear and checked connections etc all ok.

When compared to the generic cable, the Mogami gold was sharper, crisper and dare I say faster. Huh? You say. Yep. I was doubting my ears so swapped back. Generic cable was fuller, more dynamic and smoother. Both sounded fantastic, but different. So there I was in Goldilocks mode. Questioning the universe.

Songs I used for testing were:

Hanz Zimmer- Cornfield Chase (the epic orchestra version)
Heaven 17- Let Me Go
Depeche Mode- World in my eyes

I took my wife to dinner the next day and after we were good and primed with a few drinks we did what all loving couples do when we got home. wink Test audio cables. What? We AB’d the cables as fast as I could swap them and listened to three of her favorite songs.

Arcade Fire- Electric Blue
Vampire Weekend- Dianne Young
Jack White- Love Interruption

We listened to one song at a time and I swapped cables. She didnt know which was wich. Just that one was expensive and I was changing them. I called them A and B and she didnt know what was what. Yes, I know, not very scientific (we aren’t scientists.)

In the end she could tell me what cable was what and could reliably point out how the sound changed each time. She asked me if she was “right” and I told her there was no right and I couldn’t tell her my opinion till we were finished testing.

In the end we both agreed emphatically that the cables did not sound the same. Not even close. It was a WTF moment that changed my mind entirely, I think in a good way.

The cheap cable stayed in the system and Mogami in the kit bag. laugh

Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445893 07/23/22 04:04 PM
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I almost feel cheated using only digital cabling (HDMI, Toslink) on my playback devices...nah, there's a market of high end digital cables too. I'm just too broke to play. smile


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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445894 07/24/22 04:15 PM
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Trevor, it would be interesting to repeat the cable characterization with the Chromecast.


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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445895 07/24/22 05:52 PM
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I'm sure if we characterized those cables (i.e. got the LCR), one or both will probably have something interesting to show us ...

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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445896 07/24/22 06:06 PM
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And the output impedance of the DAC and input impedance of the receiver. Good luck with that!


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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
Mojo #445897 07/24/22 07:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Mojo
Trevor, it would be interesting to repeat the cable characterization with the Chromecast.

We did. The difference was there but not as pronounced. The chromecast sounds different than the chord so it was a mish mash of changes. It sounded flat and not as deep.

All in all in the end I was able to confirm that Axiom M5s are high enough grade to illuminate these small differences. That’s pretty cool! smile

New setup is pretty engaging now. Definitely hits the emotions and draws you in. Love it.

Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445898 07/24/22 07:30 PM
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It's impossible to know if it is system impedance or something else that leads to a larger perceptible difference on the Chord vs. the Chromecast.

Ostensibly, the Chromecast may be able to tolerate a wider cable impedance range without degradation. Therefore, both cables sound more similar than different. The Chord may be a tighter range and therefore the cables sound more different than similar.

Hence why a cable sounds like gold on one system and kaka on another.


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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
Mojo #445899 07/24/22 09:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Mojo
It's impossible to know if it is system impedance or something else that leads to a larger perceptible difference on the Chord vs. the Chromecast.

Ostensibly, the Chromecast may be able to tolerate a wider cable impedance range without degradation. Therefore, both cables sound more similar than different. The Chord may be a tighter range and therefore the cables sound more different than similar.

Hence why a cable sounds like gold on one system and kaka on another.
Assuming the blind testing was done in a valid way, I'm interested in this particular case .
We can measure all 3 components and figure out what is really happening here.
To be that noticeable something interesting is happening and I'd love to discover what!

P.S. sayin' it's impossible and throwing out an electronic conspiracy theory equivalent is not very helpful ... although it's very in smile

Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445900 07/24/22 10:16 PM
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Determining the system impedance requires proper test equipment, knowledge and methodology.


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Re: Cable Debate is over (for me)
aaaaaaaaaaaaa #445901 07/24/22 11:04 PM
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I have a Fluke 324 but that is probably crude for any testing.

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