Highest Quality Cable company

[Rickman]

Which, in your opinion, is the highest quality audio cable company. Interconnects, speaker cable, its all fair game.

[Glen B]

There is no single "highest quality" audio cable company. There are many companies that make well-constructed cable products with good materials. "Quality" is in the eyes (and ears) of the beholder.

[arm013]

'It is said, wire is just wire. In reality, a high-end audio cable must balance resistance, capacitance, inductance, conductance, velocity of propagation, RF radiation and absorption, mechanical resonance, strand interaction, hysteresis, high filtering, wavy serial impedance and reflections, electrical resonance, dissipation factors, envelope delay, phase distortion, harmonic distortion, piezoelectric effects, hall effect, field effect, voltage and current tracking, thermoelectric phenomenon effects, structural return loss, skin effect, corrosion, cross-talk, bridge-tap and the interaction of these and a hundred other things. As a high-end cable manufacturer, Cardas Audio strive to address every detail of cable and conductor construction, no matter how small.' (taken from the opening page of Cardas catalogue)
Well if that aint blowin' wind up your ass, I would be tempted to spend a few grand on a pair. Unfortunately, nothing I own is close to the cost of some of his cables.
Kimber is pretty darn pricey too.

[Super866]

I dont know about quality, But I personally think that Carda's may be one of the better companies as far as research goes. Just My Opinion

[GaryP]

I agree with you.

Van den hul could be another.

Nordst, too.

:)

[analogue_lover]

We're going to carry those brands, and Acoustic Zen as well. That said, most people spend too much on cables. Depends on budget, and system used (obviously, Mike).

[Negotiableterms]

Cardas would be my first choice, and Analysis Plus would be second. That said, I don't own any of either brand, so my impressions come from listening in stores and on other folk's systems, meaning no long-term experience.

[jeffe]

My definition of quality includes affordability. Best quality.... bang for the buck, IMO, is used KimberKable. PBJ,4TC & 8TC. Also I have been picking up every pair of Signal Cable Analog II's I can find as well as their power cords. I think they offer a cost to performance ratio that is nearly unbeatable in a well made product!

Anyone tried the AntiCables? I am curious. I like that simplistic approach, and hey, the "science" makes sense.

[blownsi]

Nobody mentioned audioquest?

[analogue_lover]

Auditioned AQ cables..only the uber-expensive models seemed to ROUGHLY be near the cardas TOTL, but much more $$$. Cute battery packs, though.
Mike

[Mr. Snoid]

I've been pretty happy with the products Zebra Cables offer...especially with the DYI options...great customer service and an AK sponsor as well...a

[GaryP]

Nobody mentioned audioquest?

IMHO, the low end of Audioquest (I've tried the three from the bottom of the line, upwards - I can't remember their names at this time of the morning) are unimpressive. Very unimpressive, if you know what I mean.

Anyone tried the AntiCables?

Yep. Very warm, full bass & midrange and detailed. Great cables!

I thought they lacked some high end in my system. But not enough to complain too loudly about it, though!

[wineslob]

My definition of quality includes affordability. Best quality.... bang for the buck, IMO, is used KimberKable. PBJ,4TC & 8TC. Also I have been picking up every pair of Signal Cable Analog II's I can find as well as their power cords. I think they offer a cost to performance ratio that is nearly unbeatable in a well made product!

Anyone tried the AntiCables? I am curious. I like that simplistic approach, and hey, the "science" makes sense.


Like some others here I have the "anti-cables" and they haven't been displaced yet.
They are the perfect example of "lifting a vail" (tired term).

[GaryP]

Just remembered - another company with reputedly excellent cabling is Kubala-Sosna Research. www.kscables.com

I've never heard them but I know of a mastering engineer who uses them.

[dnewma04]

www.knukonceptz.com

[Dusty Chalk]

I like Cardas.

Straightwire doesn't suck.

Neither does Kimber, if you don't need shielded.

[Daytona]

I would say Belden or Canare.

[chrisf]

If you go to Cardas web site they say they supply cables to many,many of the cable retailers.Of course they also say they can't and won't reveal who they are.This is the site that explains The Golden Ratio,thats another story.So when you you are sitting there listing to your high dollar cables from who ever you have a very good chance you are listening to Cardas.

[ginovino]

Its warming to see there is ANY interest in cables other than RatShack or 18 gauge lamp cord!

For too long, our board was repleat with naysayers on the effect cable plays in audio reproduction in the home.

On my list of capable companies:

Bargain for the $ = Kimber 8TC, 4TC and Hero Interconnects.

Mid price Bargain $$$ = Straightwire Encore II, Maestro II & Crescendo and Serenade & Virtuoso Interconnects.

High end $$$$$ = Nordost and Cardas, just about anything.

I use the rule of inverse proportion. the more they promote, the less likely the product sounds accurate. :nono:

[systemerror909]

Its warming to see there is ANY interest in cables other than RatShack or 18 gauge lamp cord!

For too long, our board was repleat with naysayers on the effect cable plays in audio reproduction in the home. Of course, many of the naysayers never owned equipment capable of resolving the sonic differences ergo their attitudes about the rest of us!


Funny you should mention the 18 gauge lamp cord....

I just upgraded my cables from this stuff and a "higher" end radio shack rca cable and WOW cables really DO make a difference. I mean sure, I could afford to bi-wire my speakers with lamp wire, something I can't do with my current cables, but man I swear the sound field has widened by almost 50% and I'm now left wondering whats holding back my system, the speakers, reciever or source input, cause it sure as hell ain't the cables.

[ginovino]

First I would start with the speakers. They are the key ingredient in the sonic mix. they shoud represent 40% of the systems value or more!

Go listen to the most Speaker you can afford through electronics which is sustantially better (preferably component) than your current gear. don't be afraid to bring your old speakers with you. Most reputable sellers would encourage that. When you determine what you can afford(Then realistically add plus 20% more!).. Then you know what needs to be upgraded as the basis for filling in the front end! :music:

[Negotiableterms]

Folks, a gentle reminder: TOL was created so that discussion on cables and other tweaks could exist WITHOUT any form of ridicule. All legitimate comments regarding actual comparison of cables (including those finding no difference) are welcome. General derisive comments are not welcome. Off-topic comments that are also derisive are even less welcome.

[JohnS.]

There is no best...just what works well for you with the rest of your components. You need to identify what you value in a system and build towards that goal. I tend to value neutrality, detail, and bang for the buck. The last couple of years have found me favoring this guy's products, for speaker and interconnect Homegrown Audio (http://www.homegrownaudio.com/) They follow a basic formula that I agree with... small, solid core conductors and teflon insulation. I was hesitant to go with silver, but at the price of his DIY interconnects, I went for it. They're not bright sounding at all and I've been happy enough with them to plunk down a few hundred for speaker cables... one of those times when I could afford it... and haven't regretted it. He does a nice job with the preassembled cables too. My experiences with cable started with what I'll refer to as my 2nd generation system, in the mid 80's. Denon 1500 II CD, Adcom pre/power amp, ADS 1590 speaker combo was a bit harsh and I wanted to try something to tame it. Dick Olsher had just written a speaker cable review in Stereophile... 7/88, when Stereophile was just slightly more down to earth... and man, did he take a bunch of flak for that. But he inspired me to experiment with wire a bit. I tried building a pair of interconnects using a twisted pair of some solid core hook up wire, spiral wrapped with strips of aluminum foil, and twisted a drain wire over the foil. Heat shrink on some jacketing, solder on the RCA's, and heat shrink on some strain reliefs. The work was worth it... some of the hardness/harshness was gone. Now to get some better wire. There was a nearby wiremill that had specialized in producing teflon insulated wire and cable for aerospace industry and they were willing to sell small quantities. Got some nice Cardas plugs and put together a great set of cables. Bought a couple hundred feet and twisted the night away... twisting and bundling and jacketing and soldering till there was a pair of speaker cables. The results were worth it and they stayed in the system for a couple of revisions. So the HGA stuff follows my formula and fits into and with the rest of my gear. And as long as I'm going to be in a mid to small apartment, this is the sytem I'll be using for a while.

[skeenon]

Actually, it is all in the metallurgy. The companies that fabricate the cables probably do not manufacture the wire. The wire is manufactured under an ASTM specification. If you could just identify the best spec and check the one used in the cable, you could buy the cheapest cable on the market that is using the proper wire. It could probably be done, but it would not be easy.

[whoaru99]

Belden+DIY. A great and inexpensive matchup.

[kstagger]

I use Canare - good shielded interconnects and speaker cable. If it's good enough for a studio, it's good enough for me ;)

[Grainger49]

cables are a synergy thing. One system will sound great with XYZ cable, the next one will be doggie doo with them.

My system has been happy with, Harmonic Tech, Alpha Core and Cardas.

YMMV, etc. (But that was the point of the first sentence)

[Workingslug]

I fully agree with the comment that "cables are a synergy thing".
I mainly run MIT's and they have two separate speaker cables, one is for the solid state amplifiers and the other is for the vacuum tube amplifiers. MIT has made some differences in the cables because it does not sound quite the same when you connect them to the different source.
Kimber and Transparent, IMO, are other excellent manufacturers.
I picked up two pair of Gabriel's Gold interconnects off of Audiogon and will be trying them next week to see how they rate against the others that I have. I am impressed with his quality of construction as they appear to be well made and he stayed away from those locking connectors that tend to be a pain.

[Toka]

Here are two 'cable face-offs' that Audioholics did...full of actual measurements and all that 'science' stuff that gets in the way of highly capacitative, fixed-tone controls...er...yea...

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/speakercablefaceoff01.php

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/speakercablereviewsfaceoff.php

Note the vendors that declined to participate. Also note which vendors grossly overrated their measurements...and which has cables that have outrageously high capacitance... :scratch2:


For me, I'll take the Belden/Canare products as built by Blue Jeans Cable...same wire that many other, more expensive vendors offer (and I mean the same wire), just without the fancy dressing/price. Also, their IC's can't be beat (Belden builds them exclusively for BJC)...lowest capacitance rating I've yet seen, and well shielded. Nothing else matters.

While looks may be a factor for some people, and while there may be minor differences between various speaker wires (especially when using some tube gear), you absolutely, positively, take-it-to-the-bank do not have to spend a ton of money to get great sound. :yes: Under $200 and you are golden. Besides, room treatments and speaker placement are far, far, FAR more important anyway.

[spot]

Supra cables from Sweden. Not expensive, but a really good product. I have used Supra also for upgading internal speaker wiring, and the results were really good. Very easy to strip and terminate, also very flexible.

[chrisf]

You know after reading all the info and explanations of measurments explained by Pass,Rowland and others on Cardas'sweb site,I could find not a word or any claims that cables or interconnects(Cardas)do anything to improve or change the sound by using their product.Maybe I missed it but that is what I got out of it after reading the whole site.Maybe someone more knowlagable than I could read it then comment.

[RuSsMaN]

Chris, think of a good cable as doing less harm.

The buck pretty much stops for me at Cardas and Purist Audio.

[tcdriver]

Here are two 'cable face-offs' that Audioholics did...full of actual measurements and all that 'science' stuff that gets in the way of highly capacitative, fixed-tone controls...er...yea... . Toka, thanks for the links. I found the articles very interesting and thought provoking. It seems that each person will listen to and be more or less sensitive to cables than others. I seem to have a low sensitivity to differences in wire.

[Toka]

Toka, thanks for the links. I found the articles very interesting and thought provoking. It seems that each person will listen to and be more or less sensitive to cables than others. I seem to have a low sensitivity to differences in wire.

You experiences mirror mine, and are in line with the reality of what cables actually do (or more importantly, don't do). If you are interested in further reading, the following links have several articles each that explain things in more general terms...Audioholics in particular I like because they have a very 'lets keep it real' outlook about what they do. Objective and honest, they'd be the first to trumpet a breakthrough in cable design, but also take manufacturers to task when they try to sell Star Trek science (check out the 'Top 10 Signs...' article near the bottom for one of the best):

http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/cables.htm


http://www.bluejeanscable.com/articles/index.htm

(Read the 'exotic materials' article in the second link)


The truth will set you free! :banana: