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Cables Galore Speaker cables, Interconnects & Power cords

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  #1  
Old 09-13-2019, 09:54 AM
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W9TR W9TR is offline
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Default I took the Red pill

Being an engineer, and worse than that an ex-audio engineer, I tend to lean toward the objective side of the fence. But I'm frequently surprised by gear that shouldn't sound awesome based on objective criteria but does just that.

Up until now, I've used OEM cords on all my gear. I have an excellent sounding system as-is, so I spent money on improving DAC's, electronics, speakers, USB cables, etc.

Last week, I bought a bunch of Shunyata power cords from miner, three Venom 14 1.5m and two Diamondback 1.5m. I'm not sure of the vintage of these cords, but I'm assuming they are well broken in.

A while ago, I picked up a Trifield TF2 EMF meter. It measures magnetic and electric field strength from 40 Hz to 100 kHz, along with RF field strength from 20 MHz to 6 GHz. Its not the end-all be-all as it doesn't measure in the MHz region, but it is a good start.



The first experiment was to measure the magnetic (H field) and electric (E field) strength at the power cord feeding one of my McIntosh MC 2301 amplifiers. The amplifier was warmed up for 30 minutes, with no signal applied during the test. I swapped out power cords and took measurements at the mid-point of each cable. For consistency I placed each cable parallel to the top of the TF2 meter on the seam that separates the meter case halves.

Here are the results:
  • Stock OEM E Field 235 V/m H Field 42 mG
  • Venom 14 E Field 4 V/m H Field 15 mG
  • Diamondback E Field 3 V/m H Field 21 mG


So there is a significant quantitative reduction in radiated noise by using these cables. Especially the E field.


Then I did some short listening tests. I use a standard set of source material that included;

Camille Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 76 Telarc CD-80051
The Art of the Balalaika, Odessa Balalaikas Nonesuch CD


I listened to a few minutes of each, then swapped out all the OEM cables feeding the three MC 2301's with Venom cables. Here is what I heard. The soundstage had more depth and height cues, and the music was more dynamic. Plucked strings on The Art of the Balalaika were crisper. Massed violins on Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 were more delineated and the soundstage was wider. Overall the improvement was not subtle - a big step in the right direction. Well worth the price of admission.

I've got more listening to do, and another couple of cords to replace - I'm thinking the YggY and C 1100 will get the Diamondback cords.

So, call me a believer!

Having this TF2 field strength meter to me is like having an SPL meter - an essential part of owning a good audio system. It is very interesting to measure the field strength around different pieces of equipment - some of this stuff radiates very little while other gear is very dirty. While I can't change out the gear, I can position it in a way that minimizes interference.

More on that later.

Tom

P.S.
There are a lot of other things I can't measure easily now, like conducted EMI and the improvement cables may make in that parameter. I do have an Audio Precision System One and will be building some voltage dividers so I can safely measure power line noise. Even then, it is limited to 10 Hz to 500 kHz, but again it will be a good start.

I know there are things I can hear but can't measure, but I do like to measure what I can and see if I hear an improvement. Of course, the trap here is that if it measures better it will sound better and that is often not the case at all.


P.P.S.
My house is fed by underground power and a dedicated 15 kVA transformer with a single dedicated circuit for all the audio gear. The house lighting and
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Main System:
Amati Futura Mains
Amati Homage VOX Center,
Proac Response 1sc Rears,
Three MC2301's for L,C,R
MC 602 for the rears
C 1100, MX 151, MCD 1100, MR 80
Nottingham Dais with Wave Mechanic
Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation

SurfacePro 3, RPi 4, ROON, WW Starlight Platinum USB, Schiit Yggdrasil, Benchmark DAC3 HGC

MX 151, OppO BDP-95, JVC RS-500 DILA projector, 106" diagonal Stewart Luxus Screenwall Deluxe with Studiotek 130 G3 material.

Lake House:
Ohm F, MC 275V, C2300, MR 77, Rega P3

OnDeck:
McIntosh MAC 4300v
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  #2  
Old 09-13-2019, 10:17 AM
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US Blues US Blues is online now
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Default

Thank you for the in-depth sharing of what you both measured and heard.

By all means put a good PC on your Yggy, the reward will be beyond price.
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Schiit URD CD Transport > Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 DAC > Schiit Loki Max EQ > Bryston BP-26 Preampamplifier > Schiit Vidar Power Amp > B & W 805D + JL Audio E112 subwoofers (x2); Power- Shunyata Venom 16; ADD-Powr Symphony Pro & Eau2's; Equitech Son of Q; Cabling- Wireworld IC, Synergistic Research SC, Shunyata PC.
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  #3  
Old 09-13-2019, 10:18 AM
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For The Love of Music For The Love of Music is offline
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I’m surprised there are still any red pills left after so many of us have taken them -now go ask Alice [emoji195]

While aftermarket audio cables are leaps and bounds in cost over OEM cables, I do like Caelin’s attitude towards value in quality and price!

Enjoy your sound Tom and have fun!
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  #4  
Old 09-13-2019, 11:01 AM
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Tom.......Welcome to the "believer" side of the aisle. My journey from skeptic to advocate began with power cables, too. Then it was like eating Lays potato chips. You just can't eat one. Power cables led to interconnects, to digital cables, and to speaker cables. It was good that I was able to make the various purchases incrementally over time so the sting of the prices could be absorbed easier. If I had to write a check all at once for the grand sum of my cables, I'd probably have a heart attack. Anyway, now, when new gear arrives I don't even unpack the factory cords. I go straight for the gusto.
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STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A
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  #5  
Old 09-13-2019, 02:01 PM
Mikado463 Mikado463 is offline
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interesting write up Tom, Thanks !

question ..........does the red pill give you a headache like they say the 'blue pill' does ??
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  #6  
Old 09-13-2019, 02:47 PM
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The red pill just lightens your wallet!
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Main System:
Amati Futura Mains
Amati Homage VOX Center,
Proac Response 1sc Rears,
Three MC2301's for L,C,R
MC 602 for the rears
C 1100, MX 151, MCD 1100, MR 80
Nottingham Dais with Wave Mechanic
Sumiko Palo Santos Presentation

SurfacePro 3, RPi 4, ROON, WW Starlight Platinum USB, Schiit Yggdrasil, Benchmark DAC3 HGC

MX 151, OppO BDP-95, JVC RS-500 DILA projector, 106" diagonal Stewart Luxus Screenwall Deluxe with Studiotek 130 G3 material.

Lake House:
Ohm F, MC 275V, C2300, MR 77, Rega P3

OnDeck:
McIntosh MAC 4300v
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  #7  
Old 09-13-2019, 02:48 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikado463 View Post
interesting write up Tom, Thanks !

question ..........does the red pill give you a headache like they say the 'blue pill' does ??
Dave - are you still an 'unbeliever'?
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Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag
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  #8  
Old 09-13-2019, 04:40 PM
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Yeah it all ($$) goes down the rabbit hole. [emoji23]
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  #9  
Old 09-13-2019, 04:42 PM
Mikado463 Mikado463 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2 View Post
Dave - are you still an 'unbeliever'?
hell no Glenn, that damn blue pill gives me a splitting headache .....
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  #10  
Old 09-13-2019, 06:21 PM
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Being an engineer, I appreciate the measurements a lot. This is very interesting,
because the subjective quality that we attribute to good cables can be backed-up by
some good measurements. So welcome to the Matrix...!
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Main: Mc C2200 (Telefunkens) and MC207, Spectral DMA-180, Marantz AV8805A, JL Audio CR-1 and SAv2, Sony ST-SA5ES, TC-KA3ES and MDS-JA50ES, Oppo UDP-205 and BDP-103D, Bryson BDA-3, Magnum Dynalab FM Signal Sleuth, Remedy, PS Audio P12, Pioneer DT-555,
Samsung 65" QLED TV 8K, JBL 4311B, M&K MX125II on Ultra SS Stillpoints, B&W HTM2D2, CCM7.3 S2, CCM683
Office: Sony TA-F700ES (Mod), MDS-JA50ES (Mod) and SEQ-333ES, Accuphase T-107B, Bryston BDA-3, BHA-1 and BUC-1, Audeze LCD-4, Linn Tukan, REL T7 on Ultra SS Stillpoints, PC Server (16 TB)

Mobile:Audison bit One Virtuoso HD, bit Play HD, Amps and speakers.
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