As always another well balanced view of such a subjective area. You've hit quite a few nails on heads Phil and certainly the audio industry has fallen on its own sword by overly hyped and underperforming products. I've been buying, selling, listening to audio for over 40 years now and the most important lessons that I've learnt are to never dismiss anything until I've heard it and never give too much credence to the specs/hype before I've used my ears as the first filter.

So relaxing to watch your videos, it’s almost therapeutic 😊👍 Stay hydrated! 💯🐳

I think what's overlooked with cables is how they are terminated. Bolt-on banana plugs almost never stay put. Soldered spade plugs are best imo. I tend to make my own cables and keep the runs as short as possible with just a little slack. Not convinced by bi-wiring though.

BTW ... in the seventies ... I used to use 30 amp cooker cables for my speaker leads ... very ugly looking and impractical ... but the sound compared to "bell wire" was incredible !

One of the things I've learned over the years fiddling with HIFI is not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts. A maddening hobby.

Many years ago I was in the market for an upgrade of my system: Arcam Delta 170.3 transport, Black Box DAC, Audiolab 8000a and Epos ES11 speakers. I was looking at all options to improve. I tested CD players, Amps, Speakers (in myriad combinations over many hours at the dealership) and just couldn't justify a purchase - as no real improvement was apparent. It was then I was asked to leave the dem room and to take a break. Upon return, my own system had been re-set-up and I was invited to listen. Wow: it now had what I wanted...a tangible improvement in dynamics and engagement. Non-plussed, I enquired as to the difference: a Nordost cable was employed as digital connect between the transport and DAC...and it was fantastic. I bought it. It was used, and still cost circa £1300...but it worked. Moreover, it was significantly less than I had budgeted for my 'upgrade'. Cables do make a difference. I heard it with my own ears. To paraphrase George Michael: Listen without prejudice...you may well be very pleasantly surprised...I was.

I use Van Damme speaker cable. Very good price and brilliantly made.

I experimented with making up cables in the 90's when I had access to lots of different wire types (from my work in the Aerospace and testing business). Yes, there are differences, but each has some plus and some minus - they can be used to 'tune' the sound to a degree depending on the amplifier-speaker pairing. I ended up having 25 happy years with some reasonably expensive Mordant Short flat cable. Now I'm running NVA amps and their own cable, which works nicely for my system. If you can play with options without losing money then go ahead and experiment :)

Tough job you have there Phil! We are all tough customers:0) 30 years with the same dealer (who does much of the same kit as youself) has been the key for me. It has eventually led to effortless 'synergy', but it can so elusive. It involves patience, loyalty, trust and perseverance. 10% always works, or invest a bit more sometimes, and save in the long run. I have heard a lot of great stuff, but Red Dawn, Blue Heaven (interconnects) and White Lightning is what I have ended up with. For me, just about 'Wireless'? Thanks again, great job.

Just found your channel on KZfaq whilst I’ve been scrolling through, found it really interesting and thought provoking I will look up a couple of the cables you’ve mentioned and consider purchasing some.

Nice video phil. Different lengths creates a vrry tiny delay and that in itself can change perceived frequecy changes. I play guitar and although its more extreme it can affect if the difference is significant. Ive always found cables made a massive difference

My first system (Dual 505, NAD3020 & AR18s) was wired with lighting cable rigged up my dad! Sounded great to my 19 year old ears. Then I got serious and bought the QED cable, then - feeling terribly guilty at spending so much - I upgraded to the NAIM cable. I think it was £5 a meter in 1989. I agree with what you say about some cables being a kind of tone control. The Naim cable gave more bass over the QED but that was about it.

Coatings have micro changes in thickness and affects the inductance so any cable has a lot going on that affects the signal

I use QED XT40 speaker cable, sounds good

I suspect you have 5K subs (probably more now in Feb24) because you are non-biased, objective, non-proselytizing - basically the voice of reason and experience. I wish I lived closer!

A cable can be imagined as a circuit with resistance inductance and capacitance. Yes cables can make a difference I agree. I covered this subject a few years ago when I was on a electrical engineering course. It’s easy to get list in the science here. If it sounds good it probably is. Interconnects another matter I could hear a major improvement just by upgrades to interconnect. Balanced may get rid of noise but it’s quality will only be good ad the cable.

Thanks Phil, enjoyed this alot! Wish I lived nearer to your shop

If you do not want to spend insane amounts of money on snake oil speaker cable ... Kimber 8TC speaker cable is probably the best bang for the Buck that you could spend your money on! Watch "Audioholics' review of speaker cables on youtube ... TOTALLY spot on! ( basically, any 8 gauge cable is all you need ... forget snake oil pedallers such as Audioquest et al )

The 'high-end' Audiofraud speaker cables work best for those who sell them. Remember the sound you hear is in YOUR head, and the 'opinions' of xspurts are only valid to those who have them. "Music can be made anywhere, is invisible, and does not smell." W. H. Auden

Your videos are so informative, stuff I’d never really considered, have a basic rega P1 system ( which is amazing or so I thought 💭) already decided to upgrade to a P3 turntable, then possibly the speakers in the future, never gave a minutes thought to the speaker wire , does it ever end ? Or always something to improve.

I used to use linn speaker cable which I found bass heavy, I now use naim cables which I find better balanced in my system.

Great review as ever , balanced and well presented, thanks. 🌟

Please could you do a video with a blind test of speaker cables?

One thing I have learned over time is to check for Nordost ribbon speaker cables, when the hifi demo blows 😃 Different strokes for different folks I guess..

They definitely make a difference, but as you alluded to in video, no point in going overboard, just get the appropriate price level for your system. At a hifi show I listened to Chord demoing their cables from the cheap end to the silly money end. At each price point you could hear the differences, but it's definitely more subtle the higher you go in price. I use Atlas Hyper 2.0 and found them to be a major improvement on the previous QED79.

In the old days cables were not worth consideration unless you had top flight gear. A couple of decades back most amplifiers were not nearly as good as common amps are now. Most decent quality amplifiers sound very good so cable differences do matter now for a lot of systems. Being somewhat squeaky I have always built my own because being retired I have more time than money. I usually buy bulk quality cable (heavy gauge pure copper) and very good ends and knit my own. My system is pretty good (Rogue RP5, PS Audio Direct Stream DAC and Transport, PS Audio monoblocks, and a pair of ELAC adante speakers.That system can put on a good show so I'm willing to pay fo reasonably good cables. This probably costs be less than $50 to built my own 8ft cables. I'll bet $500 cables might sound better but how good do they have to sound.

I've found that cables make a big difference. Also the more expensive cables don't always equate to sounding better.

The missus said to me "let me get this straight, you spend over £1,000 on speaker cables because you can 'hear the difference' but you can't hear me calling you from the kitchen" 😎

I know cables in any system can change sound, but I don't think it can make much difference. I think of it this way. If you've got a single circuit and you change one of the resistors or capacitors to a world class one, you're still going to have the bog standard resistors or capacitors in that same circuit. So, only as good as the weakest link. So, think of the cables inside your speakers and inside your electronics etc. That's mostly bog standard cables. If you add high end speaker cables or interconnects, your just expensive links in a circuit with the other weak cables in it.

Resistance, impedance, capacitance and inductance are pretty much all that matters. Find a cable that is a good match for your kit and you are away. Trial and error seems to be the only way to do this if you are not an electrical engineer. Sadly. Cost is not the predictor of performance, as we see with hardware. Also I will avoid anyone making a big play of ski.n Effect for audio signals. For RF signals, yes.

Speaker cables CAN SOMETIMES affect the sound that you hear (subtly). I have two sets of speaker cable. One set gives a very slightly brighter presentation than the other. Better/worse? Now that's a whole different argument.

Still using my blue called talk 3.1 with the gap in the middle from 1997, it's great cable but a real sod to bend around corners.

When i upgraded my hifi system a couple of years ago i bought qed genesis silver spiral speaker cable to replace the old qed xt400 and the difference was exceptional the only drawback is that the new cables are not very flexible .

I'm not big on the cable thing & didn't give it a second thought. However, I did drive my speakers with a single run of cable for over 2 years before taking advantage of the biwire connections on the back. The cable I got was super cheap - feels super cheap, looks super cheap- everything the company promised. And it made a huge difference! I'm so suprised! No- not night and day. But that difference rates as an improvement with me- better bass and greater volume, somehow. I wouldnt know neutral if it bit me- or accurate. It's just better. Also, I added balanced cables to my headphone amp/ headphone combo- Dac to amp to headphones, and that made a difference with 600 Sennheisers- perception of cleaner/ tidier sound- but, sadly, I still don't like the headphones as much as others I've run single ended

I think you have a very good, balanced view of hifi.

Different lengths; don't think makes much difference in moderation. Think the effect of different inductance/capacitance might figure if the amp is suseptable. Naim uses cable inductance as an essential part of the amps circuit - good value till they doubled the price!

Watching this again. The world of hifi is full of theories, most of which are as you say, snake oil. The proof is in experience and listening and how the music moves you.

In a system under about $30,000 speaker cables make very little difference. Just buy a decent low impedance cable about 12 or 10 gauge.

Brilliant video. I have not tinkered much but in the 1980’s I fell for salesman talk and bought some ridiculously expensive solid silver speaker cables, cost about the same price as a Rega Planner 3 turntable . After listening to it for 6 months I realised it was too bright so I ended up with the Linn K20 and that sounded much richer and smoother. Cable does make a difference in my opinion.

The only cable I’ve really heard a difference/improvement is Nordsost but doesn’t suit my Naim amplifiers, and my first cable upgrade 79 strand back in 1981.

I should also say that I think there are a large section of people who cannot hear the difference between cables. Psycho acoustics is a powerful thing and if you believe that cables can't make a difference and it's all poppycock then your brain and ears will probably confirm that belief.

Thoughts on Tellurium Q Blue II?

I’m looking for cable recommendations that major in scale and dynamics with great tone. I love the sound of my system, but for big orchestral pieces or movie scores it feels restrained. I want to get that big energy crashing out from the speakers and I’m wondering if speaker cables can support that aim. 10% of my current system would be £1600.

Love the channel, and I’m a subscriber, but the ad-count for this video was a bit excessive. One ad-break roughly every two and a half minutes. Suggestion for a future video … I’d love to hear your purely subjective comparison of the Aethos vs new Elicit mk5. I feel one of these is in my future, but I don’t need the extra power of the Aethos and I don’t need the extra features of the Elicit.

Isn,t it a very simple issue actually: If YOU hear a difference (for the better) buy it. If not......

I found XLO electric and never looked back.

Surely the quality of the wiring inside the speakers and amplifier are potential bottlenecks?

I think you have missed an important point. Matching cable parameters to the type of output stage in your amplifier is as or more important. If you put high end low impedance cables on a vintage amp, you can drive the amp into oscillation (especially valve). Early amp designers designed for the cables of the day, so early vintage amps and modern cables are mostly a no no. Also amps these days are designed to drive 3-4 ohm loads requiring high current output. A cable may improve 8 ohm speakers but degrade 4 and 16 ohm. Horses for courses. When you buy quality cables, hopefully you get quality connectors, which are probably better than the ones that you are using and less corrosion if they are old. One other factor also is the speaker relays have contact surface areas of less than 1mm2, so throttling occurs at that point. Too many variables. On a straight scientific tests on just the cables, I doubt that cables will show any differences. How they react to the amps output stage could show a difference. Like every aspect of engineering, sometimes marketing rules.

One thing never mentioned is how good is your earring,spend a lot of money for nothing

I'm an electrician of 45 years and know enough about electricity and cables to refute everything said here. Paranoid I am definately not.

anything can make a difference but question is : how much and in what aspects of sound? audio and sound engineers have addressed these technical issues for recordings and recording studios. That is reason I use entry level professional audio products: no BS and all focus on functionality for transparent and tonally accurate sound.

What is your thought on using the same brand of cabling for all components (power, interconnect, speaker, usb etc.) thx.

Well that is pretty much a load of BS. Speaker cables can make a difference if their resistance is large enough compared to the speaker. Interconnects may be poor enough to let noise in. Virtually everything else about cables is pretty much BS ... which is why cable vendors NEVER, NOT ONCE, have done a public, blind test with proper control and non-biased operators. NOT ONCE IN 40 YEARS.

Thanks for interesting video. However I have one question. How is it, that if cables make a significant difference to sound quality, that when electrical engineers etc measure different types of speaker cable, expensive and cheap, they all have a pretty well identical frequency response ? Can you pass a double blind listening test when comparing cables ?

You dont miss what you dont try, keep your old gear . Dont talk about quality tho, you dont know the differences betwen them.

Buy active speakers, no need for speakers cables.

the definition of a 1st world problem

It's a minefield... I bought a 5K set up and now I've been told that the £25 speaker cable from amazon is crap, I need to upgrade the cartage of my planar 6. Next, I will be told that the co2 levels in the air are affecting my KEFFS

Egg on your face😂👽🛸🇺🇲🔉 and yes cable make a difference especially in your interconnects.

No speaker cable is best..............active speakers

Early naim amps would only run properly on cheap rs cable

The BBC and recording studios reckon that speaker cables are not important. Terminations make a very very very slight difference. Physics says lamp-flex is all you need

any cable with a braided cover is a waste of money , it has to be paid for and does nothing. Like your channel

lol

a lot of it is snake oil, what you want to know is the resistance capacitance and inductance and compliance a lot of people make mistakes with turntables you want to use teflon microphone cable triple or quadruple shielded at 43 ohms 19 pF 1000ft, and long is good 5m even 20+ m depends what you're trying to achieve. all analogue signal has to be below 50 ohm's a digital signal need to have 93 ohm's compliance unshielded. nonmetal plugs and sockets and 50 ohms RCA plugs, and sockets, but that generally is not the the case you just can't get that information from manufacturers, most 75 ohms. chord company ate one of the best off-the-shelf made cables fairly reasonable. belden cable is the best why my comments don't show up sometimes? what your explaining is the air effect between two different cables if they are the same? but seem to sound different, or the construction or plugs. one thing you should try is conductive polymer on all your plugs and sockets does make a difference, the chord company sell it.

The only way a speaker cable can make a difference is if there's something very, very wrong with it. Or if you live in a universe where the laws of nature are different. I know that hi-fi has become a subjectivist thing, almost like a secular religion, but I prefer scientific measurements. If you can't measure it, it isn't happening. By all means waste your money on this stuff, but I reserve the right to think you are a bit daft.

If somebody cannot hear the difference in cables & interconnects they should 1. stop parroting what other cloth ears post, some people can 100% hear changes 2. Buy equipment capable of revealing the difference in the sound of cables, 3. find a hobby that requires less brain processing power.

what a load of old bs. No doubt about it. Deeper understanding, dont make me laugh

Cables make a difference, 12 gage 10 gauge and 8 gage copper ( pure) are great , he rest of the morons selling 5k cable are thief’s and belong in hell sales people are the worst people in the world.

Nice guy, but boy does he ramble. Just tell us the facts and name names.