Right my bad...speaker cables don't carry signal....no relation... oh and yes it's all about the gold plated shielding.....Give it a break man..,,

You run right out there and spend a nigh's pay on a "signal wire" I am sure someone who owns a very large boat will thank you for it...


[This message has been edited by Kingfrog (edited 05-22-2009).]

Kingfrog, I look forward to pictures of your rig wired up with coathangers...

As unimportant as they all are, no doubt you have the absolute cheapest cables that money can buy. No? So there IS some kind of difference? I'm sure Mr. Hosa owes you a dept of gratitude, too...

And, just to explain it for the slow and confused... Speaker cables carry high level signals. Enough to run a heater! Using a solid wire is MUCH better at the job, under most circumstances, if the gauge is sufficient to not melt However, of course, you can't coil it, pack it, easily connect it, avoid getting electrocuted by it (no shield on a coathanger).... but it'll conduct the hell out of electricity

So, how well a braided, flexible cord carries current compared to a thick solid wire to the point of indistinguishableness is pretty damn good... The bullshit 'test' you brought up never bothers to see if these 'experts' were capable of distinguishing the expensive cables to cheap ones, which is the REAL test, as few (other than Kingfrog, I guess ) are ever going to wire up their rig with coathangers.

In fact, perhaps you ought to see whether you can tell the difference between ANYTHING before you criticize anybody. I guarantee, you couldn't tell the difference between whatever cables you have now, and those that are cheaper. So what's YOUR reason for spending more than you need?

I can safely say you completely missed the point on that one

If the Audiophiles could not hear any difference in sound quality between pro end cables and wire coat hangers, then why on earth would you sink huge money into cables.

The smart man will simply buy a cable that feels heavy enough to last and shielded enough for the job at hand.

Regards.
James.

The most important thing is to stay away from audio/patch cables that have molded end plugs.

Monster cables are a rip-off...there are plenty of much cheaper cables capable of equal performance and durability.

Ian

As my mother would say " a fool and his money are soon parted." I can hardly believe that people buy into the monster cable hype. Wire is wire. I've made cables from ends purchased at Radio Shack and speaker wire. They work just fine.

There could be some shielding issues in metro areas where there are radio stations nearby but for the most part wire is wire.

Tom

I DON'T spend more than I need. I was wired up for years with HOSA snakes and they were fine except they don;t take to constant repatching and yes they have molded ends. No need for anything more then. Now I don;t use snakes anymore in the signal path because 16 lines of audio go to the PC via the XS firewire and the Tyros is patched into the XS via Quantum cables. Don't need balanced cables and I had an extra deep and isolated ground for the room I use when I had this house built. My rig is noise free and I don't use any isolating transformers.

Keyboard line levels are not an issue with any decent off the shelf cables, especially less than 6' runs. In fact neither the Motif or Tyros has balanced TRS outputs to my knowledge. Apparently there there really is no need for them in any practical application on stage and in studio. \

All this cable "hocus pocus" is focused on the gullible and those who are too "smart" for their pocketbooks. There aren't too many items that can easily command a 70% profit margin at the retail level, so why not squeeze a little more from boring old cables?

Apparently there are plenty of suckers who will buy them and "hear" the difference.

Ok then, how about this one:

Just for the sake of argument, let's assume that these Very Expensive cables are indeed worth every cent, and that they do "provide a much broader spectrum" (I suddenly crave for a balony sandwich... but let's move on).

Most of us play gigs in rooms that were never designed to make music sound real good, using amplifiers and speakers that are "mediocre" at best (I have NEVER heard a PA system that sounded REALLY good)

I guess what I'm trying to get across here, is no matter what cable you use, you will have NO use of high-end cable unless you use it in a high-end studio environment, for recording-to-master productions. For your gig, even the wire coathangers would do.

------------------
- THE DUTCH KEYBOARD FORUM
http://www.keyboardforum.nl
Happy owner of a Roland E-80 V2

When is anyone going to admit a difference in needs (or requirements) between simple, short length signal cables for line level gear, and longer run cables for very low level signals (like guitar cords, which is where Monster and other musician oriented cables are primarily marketed)..? If you feel like spending a fortune on cables that outperform your needs, have at it. I've already stated what I use (inexpensive Fender cables for live use), so don't lump me in with this bull.

But it seems, in your zeal to condemn ALL premium cables as unnecessary, some very basic facts are being ignored. There are cables that cost $5. There are cables that cost $25. There are cables that cost $100. There are cables that cost more. Do you use the $5 cables? No? Then there IS a difference. How much is a case of diminishing returns. And that, my friends, is a sliding scale. Not the absolute you are trying to make out. I happen to agree that super high priced 'audiophile' cables aren't really necessary. Unless, of course, you just dropped $100,000 on a sound system, then what does it matter?

There are people on this forum that drop $3000+ on an arranger when they can't even PLAY... A few hundred on a speaker cable doesn't seem so stupid, any more!

Look James, I think YOU missed the point, not me. You CAN'T use coathangers to wire up a sound system (if you could, they would be the best choice for speakers - you'd still have to shield them if they were for signal). You HAVE to use cables. So, the test should be, can you tell the difference between CABLES. Go out and find consistent tests where audiophiles CAN'T tell the difference between cheap cables and more expensive ones. THEN you'd actually have a point. Even Kingfrog doesn't use coathangers

Look, there's a lot of bullsh*t in the marketing of cables. But there IS also a core of truth. Better quality cables DO make a difference. Whether you need that difference (or can hear it) is up to you. Buy the $5 cables... Buy the $25 cables if you hear the difference. Heck, buy the $100 cables if you hear the difference. But don't come here and spout this rubbish that ALL cables are the same (no better than coathangers) unless you actually DO have the $5 cables (or coathangers!)....

Otherwise, to one degree or another, you are all buying into the same premise. That more money means a better product. Look at what you are playing, for Pete's sake!

Diki

You are the one that mentioned about playing with coat hangers, so I do think you are not getting the point behind the example given.

The point is........

Experts can not tell the difference between the sound quality of expensive cables with the best wire in them from wire only suitable for coat hangers.

So when buying a cable, buy a shielded one heavy enough for your needs and one that you feel won't let you down.

Don't get sucked up into the marketing hype and bull from the likes of Monster Cable.

James.