Cables with Boxes / Networks

[Uberbrown]

I have been reading some / talking to some about cables (speaker and ICs) and some people make a statement such as "I usually dont like cables with boxes (networks) in their signal path."

These people are referring to MIT and Transparent. My question is, why would someone make a general statement about all cables with boxes / networks. Not "why would someone make a blanket statement about a type of cables period?," but specifically "what do some believe boxes / networks do that is bad?"

Understand?

[blacsno]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

I have been reading some / talking to some about cables (speaker and ICs) and some people make a statement such as "I usually dont like cables with boxes (networks) in their signal path."

These people are referring to MIT and Transparent. My question is, why would someone make a general statement about all cables with boxes / networks. Not "why would someone make a blanket statement about a type of cables period?," but specifically "what do some believe boxes / networks do that is bad?"

Understand?

Hmmmm Some is saying that CAT5e networked cable can possibly interfer with a speaker cable? The CAT5e is shielded cable..... I've dealt with PC for many years. I've never heard that one before? Assuming I'm understanding your question correctly.

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

I have been reading some / talking to some about cables (speaker and ICs) and some people make a statement such as "I usually dont like cables with boxes (networks) in their signal path."

These people are referring to MIT and Transparent. My question is, why would someone make a general statement about all cables with boxes / networks. Not "why would someone make a blanket statement about a type of cables period?," but specifically "what do some believe boxes / networks do that is bad?"

Understand?

My guess is they think that the network boxes change the sound in some manner. I believe that most cables whether they have a network box or not change the sound in some way. Maybe they don't like what they hear, that okay by me.

Actually when you think about it, cables, interconnects, power conditioners etc are really tone controls to some extent. You tweak your gear 'till it sounds good to you.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by blacsno

Hmmmm Some is saying that CAT5e networked cable can possibly interfer with a speaker cable? The CAT5e is shielded cable..... I've dealt with PC for many years. I've never heard that one before? Assuming I'm understanding your question correctly.

Not NETWORK cable. Cable with NETWORKS...Bricks...Boxes...

The big carbon fiber enclosure on this Opus.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by Stillone

Actually when you think about it, cables, interconnects, power conditioners etc are really tone controls to some extent. You tweak your gear 'till it sounds good to you.

Thats what I thought. I just wondered if these individuals had some secret knowledge, due to the fact that they would say that they never liked cables with networks. I thought, "How can you say you dont line a cable you have not heard." One was an employee at a Wilson dealer. I was telling him stuff I learned about Transparent from this forum that he didnt know, and they sell Transparent.

[PHC1]

I guess some believe the network boxes roll off certain frequencies in the audible range. That is not the case from my own experience. Neither is it their design philosophy. If anything, the network boxes enhance the whole audible range with deeper, tighter bass, extended highs that do not have any grit and grain but instead are even more silky and smoooth. Midrange is typically more expressive with more of the emotion of the performer shining through. Transparent allows the subtle details come through but eliminates much of the grunge other cable are either picking up, generating themselves, interacting with the gear or whatever else may be going on.... The fact is they sound detailed but smooth and relaxed.

I've played around with a few Transparent IC and cables with network boxes and have never heard anything that I would consider a negative or a loss of a good thing. It has always been a very positive experience listening to Transparent cables. It is a gorgeous sounding product, at least to my taste. The higher up the line you go, the better the results but one can always stop at a comfortable price vs performance range within their line up and be very, very happy with the results.

From their website:

"The network is a low-order, phase-correct low-pass filter that effectively rolls off the ultra high frequency bandwidth of the cable and controls the capacitive and inductive reactance of the cable at lower frequencies. We believe that this approach has provided us with cables that are better suited for transferring audio frequencies — at least this is what our ears have told us. All cables are filters; i.e., they have inherent LCR (inductance, capacitance, and resistance) characteristics, and their filter characteristics change according to the cable's length and the connecting components’ impedances. At audio frequencies, uncontrolled filters affect tonal balance and group delay. Transparent's aim is to make audio cable filter behavior more predictable by controlling the cable's filter characteristics with an optimizing filter network."

[Still-One]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

Thats what I thought. I just wondered if these individuals had some secret knowledge, due to the fact that they would say that they never liked cables with networks. I thought, "How can you say you dont line a cable you have not heard." One was an employee at a Wilson dealer. I was telling him stuff I learned about Transparent from this forum that he didnt know, and they sell Transparent.

As I understand, Wilson uses Transparent cabling in his speakers.

[Uberbrown]

Originally Posted by Stillone

As I understand, Wilson uses Transparent cabling in his speakers.

That is what I understand as well. I believe that prior to the W/P 5.1 he used Monster!, but the Puppy Tail for the W/P 5.1s was Transparent, and now he continues to use Transparent.

[PHC1]

Originally Posted by Uberbrown

That is what I understand as well. I believe that the W/P 5.1 used Monster!, but then the W/P 6 and beyond used Transparent.

That explains a lot.

[Uberbrown]

For My Info...

Stillone...Do you use MWU with MM2 as speaker cables and MLU with MM2 as ICs?

Serge...what Transparents do you currently use?

And for both of you, have you listened to the cable above the one you use now, and do you think for the price difference you would upgrade from what you have now vs. the next highest?

Thanks.