hifi Delusion at it's greatest?

[Firestar_3x]

Cheap studio monitors, messing around with unnecessary cables and talking about not needing a sub when the speakers have a frequency range down to 55Hz only.

Everyone has different preferences I suppose.

 

[firstborn]

The budget / cheap cables degrade the sound, the better cables such as this Van Damme degrade the sound less.

In your test I assume both cables are the same length and follow the same path? What's happening at the terminations?

 

[JasonM]

Cheap studio monitors, messing around with unnecessary cables and talking about not needing a sub when the speakers have a frequency range down to 55Hz only.

Those monitors are cheap in price but not cheap in quality.

I use to run an Edifier S530 together with Yamaha speakers that I still own, and the Propide speakers are better quality. I'm not missing the sub.

Everything I listed makes an improvement, I don't do anything unnecessary.

Graph from the Prodipe 5's I am however considering the Prodipe Pro 8's.

http://www.prodipe.co.uk/media/courbe_spl_pro5v3_speakers_1000_x_750__079464800_1640_26012016.jpg

I do agree that the money spent on those Prodipe's is disproportionally low to the money spend on other components, however what your not factoring in is I've gained knowledge about the effect things make. There is nothing to stop me in the future buying far more expensive studio monitors, then applying the things I've learnt to that new setup.

Here is some food for thought. There are people coitizing what I have done, yet I expect 90% are not even running isolation foam, some will not even use speaker stands.

 

[JasonM]

In your test I assume both cables are the same length and follow the same path? What's happening at the terminations?

Both cables are 3m in length. Gold plated RCA plugs directly connected from source to studio monitor. The RCA plugs on the VanDamme's look better quality, however both cables have plugs that are tight.

The difference in the interference is due to better shielding from the Van Damme. From the Van Damme website.

Screen 1 Conductive thermoplastic
Screen 2 24 x 10 x 0.10 mm braided silver plated ultra-pure oxygen-free copper

https://www.van-damme.com/vandamme_product/van-damme-silver-series-session-grade-instrument-cable/

 

[JasonM]

No it's to help remove induced interference through cabling and that interference isn't typically other audio cables.

That's exactly correct, however if your in a studio there might be 20 interconnects or more contributing to the recording.

If everyone of those interconnects injected a small amount of noise, then the accumulation would be quite bad so it's important to counter the interference with balanced cables.

 

[theone8181]

Do cables normally have high capacitance? I'd have thought coppers copper.

 

[BF-Bert]

I've just recorded a background noise test between a Maplins Premium RCA and a Van Damme Silver Lo-Cap 55.

To highlight the EMF I've set the monitor gain to +6 db and the high frequency to +1 db. Normally I run the monitor at -6 db gain, and a high frequency to -1 db. So I'm +12 gain from what I normally use.

You need to compare the Maplins audible noise background at 25 seconds to the time before and after that is the Van Damme, it's clear evidence the Van Damme cable reduces EMF over the Maplins Premium cable.

And finally I set the monitor settings back to -6 db gain and -1 HF db where EMF is not audible and I also play some music over the speaker. I do this to prove this is how I normally play music from the speaker. Also I'm doing this with one hand, the thuds you can hear are the RCA cables dropping onto my desk as I pull them out to switch them.

The cables were switched very quickly, were you using the same connections on both source and speaker?

 

[JasonM]

The cables were switched very quickly, were you using the same connections on both source and speaker?

I was using the left and right channels on the Essence STX II for each cable, then switching each cable against the single input for the studio monitor.

 

[JasonM]

I've just done what could be the most ridiculous audio test ever...

I've recorded the first part of Pink Floyd Comfortably Numb using the Maplin, then from 1:30 onwards I switch to the Van Damme and restart the track.

Now it's ridiculous as I'm doing this test by handholding a Nokia smart phone. Despite this I can hear a difference in the play back.

I'm playing this track in 24/192 in Flac from Amazon Music HD, so if you can hear a difference consider the difference is even greater in my actual room.

For the comparison switch from the start, to the 1:30 point and keep switching back and forward.

 

[decto]

Both sound terrible and really distorted, I don't hear a difference listening using Sound blaster X6 and Philips X2HR headphones.
I even opened in the you tube app to see if it was better. nope.
A lower volume may help.

A £100 active monitor speaker will cost <$40 for components and assembly in China.
You need PSU, drivers, cabinet and the dual amplifier + assembly. Rest is then profit, shipping, tax etc.

Assuming a generous budget of $10 for the dual amplifier section then input filtering is going to be minimial.
No wonder the speaker is sensitive to random interference, hence you may pick up a touch less interference with the more expensive RCA cable.

For a budget active monitor they are better than some of the branded gaming junk.

May be worth considering that any effect you hear or think you hear may not transfer to higher end equipment.

 

[JasonM]

It's because I'm using a smart phone to record, the phone was held quite close to the speaker, yet I can hear a difference in the playback. Your also only hearing one speaker. In the room they are not distorted.

 

[BF-Bert]

Do you still have the different cables on separate channels?

 

[JasonM]

Do you still have the different cables on separate channels?

Yes but I assure you there is nothing wrong with the card, the output quality is the same on each channel.

 

[BF-Bert]

So your playing right channel on one cable the switching to left channel on the other cable and you can hear a difference?

 

[JasonM]

I already showed the background noise comparison between the Maplin and VanDamme, there was not even any sound playing then.

I've been using these Van Damme cables over a year, I also have them on my stack system down stairs, I know the improvements they make.

The cables on different channels is only because I can't reach over and swap both cables while holding a smart phone.

 

[mattyg]

I've skipped to the end of this thread but are people really plugging expensive power cables into the wall socket that is then connected to 15p per metre twin and earth..

 

[BF-Bert]

I already showed the background noise comparison between the Maplin and VanDamme, there was not even any sound playing then.

I've been using these Van Damme cables over a year, I also have them on my stack system down stairs, I know the improvements they make.

The cables on different channels is only because I can't reach over and swap both cables while holding a smart phone.

The noise is probably due to a lack of shielding on the maplin cable, plenty of cheap dual shielded cables on Amazon that will eliminate that. The difference your hearing on the tracks you recorded well it wouldn't be stereo if left and right channels sounded the same.

 

[firstborn]

I've skipped to the end of this thread but are people really plugging expensive power cables into the wall socket that is then connected to 15p per metre twin and earth..

I think only one person is...

 

[JasonM]

The noise is probably due to a lack of shielding on the maplin cable, plenty of cheap dual shielded cables on Amazon that will eliminate that. The difference your hearing on the tracks you recorded well it wouldn't be stereo if left and right channels sounded the same.

The sound quality differences are tonal, and more detail, these are the improvements I get once I use the Van Dammes on both channels.

Again I only used one channel as the computer is 6 foot on other side of room, and I was recording while holding a phone. It was a spur of the moment test to show the background noise between the Maplin and the Van Damme that I managed to demonstrate to people.

And if you go back only 2 pages in this thread, some people were saying there is no difference in cables that of course is not true. So I wanted to prove them wrong by showing the noise test.

I agree the noise is due to lack of shielding on the Maplin, but then all budget / cheap cables have the same lack of shielding.

 

[firstborn]

Do cables normally have high capacitance? I'd have thought coppers copper.

Start here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books/ab...ton&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&redir_esc=y