MikeH
Well-Known Member
Steve kinda said what I was hoping he would....the biggest jump was from stock cable to even a lower priced cable. Pangeas have been on my radar so good to hear you have had good experiences with them! thanks!
Cables - one of the most taboo subjects in audio
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Mather
Unknown Member
I'll say it before and I'll say it again. I was a denier (to a degree) until I went from standard everything (speaker/RCA/AC cables) to all top end everything and the difference was staggering. Now granted I went WAY above what is probably necessary, my cables cost more at retail than my turnable and my speakers combined BUT... yeah big big difference.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
The story of one man and his cables. The love story of the year and the Rom Com that you may not have wanted, but the one that you deserve...
Same here I was a huge denier, but a believer now.
Huge differences: Phono PreAmps and Powered Subs
Minor Differences: Integrated Amps and Turntables. (I actually notice no difference with Turntable).
No idea why the Power Sub makes a huge difference and the Amp was more subtle but it was undeniable when I made the switch.
Shielded RCA are no brainer to me. Blue Jeans were good for me, but went with Zu Missions eventually. Change yes but more preference.
One of the biggest changes I have experienced (outside AT LP120 to Pioneer PLX1000 jump) was replacing my speaker posts with the Zu Jumpers. I was completely shocked by the improvement.
Huge differences: Phono PreAmps and Powered Subs
Minor Differences: Integrated Amps and Turntables. (I actually notice no difference with Turntable).
No idea why the Power Sub makes a huge difference and the Amp was more subtle but it was undeniable when I made the switch.
Shielded RCA are no brainer to me. Blue Jeans were good for me, but went with Zu Missions eventually. Change yes but more preference.
One of the biggest changes I have experienced (outside AT LP120 to Pioneer PLX1000 jump) was replacing my speaker posts with the Zu Jumpers. I was completely shocked by the improvement.
I hope one day to find someone who loves me, like Mather loves his cables.
Mather
Unknown Member
To be fair, I have no choice. They cost more than my house, if I didn't repeatedly express my undying love for them then I'd have to face the horrible horrible truth that I spent an insane amount of money on them and could perhaps have had the same effect had I simply gone the Zu route for a fraction of the cost.
BUT LET'S NOT THINK ABOUT THAT SHALL WE
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
You almost had me, almost, and then you said fall...
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Gotta release it for Oscar season!
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
I mean that’s absolutely not what I was getting at!
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I got some Zu Ibis jumper cables to use instead of the stock jumpers in my KEF R300s and don't really notice much difference either. I admittedly don't have great ears for this sort of thing though and I got them for pretty cheap on ebay so it definitely didn't HURT but nothing jumped out at me as being a huge upgrade.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Yeah with my Pangea power cables I noticed more bass on my power amps but little difference on my pre amp or my power conditioner.
Now adding the power conditioner and replacing the wall warts with linear on my table and phono did make a significant difference in terms of the overall noise floor of my system. Which was most effective or if they all had an effect is unknown as I did them all at once.
On RCAs I had been rocking the cheapest QED ones which were grand. Upgrading to the Van Den Hul’s made a difference, but a €120 a cable x4 difference? Not so sure, with the exception of the cable from my phono to my preamp which is now a balanced XLR which was well worth the change from the unbalanced RCA.
Mather
Unknown Member
My biggest change was the Bis Vivat speaker cables and surprisingly to me the Bis Maestro AC cables on my amp, phono stage and sub made an enormous difference in presence and stage, moreso than my Maestro RCAs.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
And I think this is by far the biggest takeaway from the cable discussion in general, you don't NEED to go overboard.
Mather
Unknown Member
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Yeah the power cable upgrade on the power amps definitely made a difference. The was without a doubt more bass there afterwards. The linear power supplies for the phono came with an audiophile cable of an equivalent level as the Pangea but I don’t know what difference the cable itself made because I’ve never heard it without. The combined upgrade of conditioner and the two linear power supplies all done at the same time was pretty astounding.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing I would notice more of an effect if I upgraded all cables and power at once. Power is definitely the worst offender for me currently (no pun intended). My apartment now has nearly everything on one breaker including our fridge. We're moving shortly so I haven't invested much time or money into the power situation now since we were renting. I have a Panamax and my Aries Mini came with a linear power supply. Outside of that, haven't done much at all but I definitely hear some noise in my speakers when everything is powered up but nothing is playing. But once I move into the new place, I'll reassess and probably be back here asking for some recommendations!
Mather
Unknown Member
The only thing I didn't upgrade was my turntable AC cable. Any of you notice a difference in doing this? It seemed the least important since it's really only powering the motor...
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
I’m in an apartment too so my living space is open plan and so my living room and kitchen are on the same circuit breaker. The oven/hob legally have to be on a different breaker but yeah all the noise off the rest of the appliances on the same circuit. I’m thinking that’s why the conditioner has such a big impact for me. I didn’t go super overboard either, €500 for one of those PS Audio Dectet strip ones.