Cables
Posted on | August 19, 2008 |
So here’s a subject worth broaching…but probably one that you’ll never get a definitive answer on. You get a great collection of outboard gear. But then you patch it together with cable from Radio Shack? Of course not, but have you seen the price of boutique cable in the audiophile market? It can easily be more than the gear you’re connecting.
The first question to ask is “how much better is audiophile cable than cheap cable?” The short answer is “a lot”. But here’s where it gets complex. Anyone who knows anything about the science of sounds will tell you that good cable does not need to break the bank.
I generally stick with silver cable, as it’s a better conductor than copper (the stuff you’ll find in mid-grade “audiophile” cable like Monster). If you use that as a guide, you can find many companies that make really good silver cable for an affordable price.
When I first started mastering (back in 1998) I had Monster cable connecting everything. Then I learned about DH Labs and slowly migrated to their stuff. When I recently upgraded to Lipinski L-707 speakers, I also upped the speaker cable to DH Labs finest bi-wired stuff.
In each case, I heard a noticeable improvement in sonic clarity. However, at this point I believe I’d have to spend 10x more to get 10% improvement. And that’s the way it usually is with products…you hit a ceiling where the quality goes up incrementally but the price goes up exponentially.
I think it’s definitely worth investing in good cable if you’re going to invest in good equipment. Otherwise you’re undermining the equipment’s capability. You just need to find your acceptable price point.
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From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
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