What proof has any producer of 'premium' hi-fi cables ever shown that they have a real measurable benefit?

Question

for example see the items mentioned in this review http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2103-2320293.html and the reviewer's comments

please note - I'm not asking for advice on what hi-fi to buy. I am very sceptical of claims made by interconnect manufacturers. As long as the physical connection is sound, any differences are surely inaudible - it's all 'emperor's new clothes'. With digital (coax or optical spdif) there cannot be any difference - as digital signals either get there, or they don't. So, what proof has ever been offered that these things make an audibl difference (also stuff like 'directional speaker cables' - electrons don't know which way they are supposed to go! - and 'burning-in' cables before use, for a £15 fee...)

Answer 1

I'd be highly sceptical about the value of these cables. Copper is actually an excellent conductor, and the chances are that a different part of your system will introduce far more noise into your system (eg the amplifier, the speakers, or indeed the output from your Digital to Analog convertor in your ipod!). So these premium cables will have much lower resistance than a standard cable, but this has no measurable impact on the sound you actually hear, since the cables are in most cases an irrelevance.

Answer 2

Is there any measurable benefit in driving a ferrari, compared to a micra. Does a rolex tell the time better than a casio? For all the sceptics out there I suggest you go listen to a high end system and then you can talk from knowledge rather than just casting scorn. Cables do make a difference and its more than just carrying a voltage, theres the bandwidth, capacitace, inductance, radio frequency rejection, of the cable. Cables on good quality hifi may well carry instantaneous currents of tens/hundreds of amps.
Simply play a bit of music on lofi and hear it fail at every transient peek in the music. With quality hifi it doesnt do that , you can hear what is played, you can also hear where the instruments are and lots of detail that you dont get with lofi.
In the same way you know theres a difference between a tranny radio and maybe a midfi denon, be assured there a difference between the midfi denon and a top line chord system.
Also the RF pickup from a non earthed system which in turn is amplified by the feedback circuit of the amp is so bad all youre hearing is hash. If you really enjoy music in your life why not spend some decent money on it. People have no problem spending vast amounts on cars, but cars don't last, the enjoyment of driving diminishes all the time, so spend car money on hifi! End of rant :)

Answer 3

Get a NICE separates system - not some Alba or Goodmans!

Eg. I run a Marantz 63 se CD player through a Yamaha amp and use 'premium' cables. Signal loss is noticable if I put in a £1.00 unshielded lead as I lose a lot detail.
Also, I have 6mm square, (sorry can't do the superscript '2') oxygen free cables for my speakers - waaaaay better than the pathetic stuff that manufacturers try to fob you off with, improved clarity & depth (expecially bass).

I know a few audiophiles that have spent between £15k and £35k on their hi-fi kit. One even has braided GOLD (solid not coated)speaker cables that were £450 a metre. Why? Because he CAN notice the difference. Only the hearing impaired and ignorant can't tell the difference between £1 and £100 cables on an expensive system with excellent quality speakers (a must).
Money buys quality - that's why I use headphones that cost a weeks wages, and not £5 ones from Argos!! It's not hi-fi snobbery - it's hi-fi FACT. If you own good enough equipment that quality cables will make a difference then you'd know. ie, if your speakers cost less than a couple of £hundred new, you might as well buy 'normal' cables as the detail they can reproduce will be below the output of the CD & amp.

Answer 4

It may surprise you to know that good-quality cables are even MORE important where a digital signal is concerned, due to the high frequencies and sharp waveforms involved. A cable that is of poor quality, or not connected firmly/terminated correctly, causes internal waveshape reflections and can seriously screw up the transmitted signal, even with error-correction stages in place.

For analogue transmission and home hi-fi, I can only surmise that the serious audiophile will notice a difference. The electrical characteristics of the cable do play a part in the signal transmission, and the characteristics of premium hi-fi cables are more tightly controlled and better optimised as part of the manufacturing process. A die-hard audiophile will do anything that can be done to eliminate tainting of the hi-fi's output signal - which will probably include an investment in premium hi-fi cables.

Of course, if your source material or the playback equipment is of poor quality, premium-quality cables won't help your case at all!

Answer 5

The proof is not generally confined to the producers, rather the client. i.e. you. It does make a difference, of which 2 major examples are the flow of current, electrons, etc in cables to destinations and the electromagnetic interferences from outside power lines.
Electrical losses are real. Therefore, it affects quality at the end. But u have to be discerning enough to notice. It makes bigger differences in DVD to HDTV when you can see the quality and depth of colour differences between the cable types.
For music you have to have good players and good examples of isntruments being played to pick up even the minutest instrument being played with the different cables.
You really have to be discerning enough and go test it out rather than trust the manufacturers, as each will claim to be the best.......

Answer 6

You're absolutely right with your 'Emperor's New Clothes' analogy. It's HiFi snobbery gone mad. Provided the cable has enough copper in it to actually conduct electrons freely, then it is good enough. I even saw a review of several cables in a HiFi mag once where the tester reckoned he could tell what the insulation was, let alone the conductor... what cobblers.

The only place where the correct cable really matters is in power-carrying applications, where you have to consider if the cable is actually big enough to carry the current, will it cause volt drop, and is the insulation man enough for the environment, but there are known laws to ascertain what is needed, e.g. Ohm's Law etc.

With signal cables, provided the connectors are of reasonable quality, the cable is adequately shielded where necessary, and the insulation and copper content are enough, the cable will be OK.

Answer 7

The quality of the cables would not greatly improve anything when the distance between the devices is only small. It would only matter over larger differences and industrial use.

Answer 8

hiii. ok heres the truth, as long as you buy all pins connected double screened cables if you can not expensive my old shop sold them at £8,99 that will do ya, you can buy the gold ones if ya like for megabucks, they will show up better response on a scope but not to your ears, when i went for interview in magor store i queried price with manager his response was this, you know they make no difference i know they make no difference but for everyone you sell theres £15 comission for you

Answer 9

true, interconnect cables maybe a waste of time, because if you look inside at the other side of where the interconnect goes on.. it is a dodgy bit of cheapo black wire....
BUT, saying that, i changed my speaker wire to QED SILVER ANNIVERSARY and you would be amazed at the difference!