What is your favourite Inter-connect?

[Greg.]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for posting. Can you remind me of your cable of choice. I think it's a Van Damme microphone cable from Maplins. Is that right?

Best wishes,

Greg

[Clive]

Originally Posted by Richard

Vinyl has a different sound balance to CD. Systems set up to balance vinyl's upper bass/mid warmth and falling treble sound harsh with CD. It's obvious if you lower upper bass/mid and increase treble then when CD is used it will sound too thin and bright.

Your description is of the original LP12, most decks don't sound like this. But, if you are saying record decks are more variable in tonal balance than CD then I'd fully agree. Rather like the massive range in flavour for Scottish malt vs a narrower range for brandy (well French at least, Spanish or Greek is another story).

BTW, I'd say the Gyro has a tonal balance very similar to CD.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Greg.

Hi Richard,

Thanks for posting. Can you remind me of your cable of choice. I think it's a Van Damme microphone cable from Maplins. Is that right?

Best wishes,

Greg

Hi Greg, no, I've used that for internal wiring but never tried it as I/C. I've got some though so might give it a go.

The ones we've used (Jonny and I) for a while now are made up from loose cable Tandy used to sell in 6ft lengths. It's 8mm coax, OFC, with hard plastic then foam, with foil and braid screening. Archer Megacable Made in Japan and their stock number on the jacket. We bought about 12 between us but it's no longer available

Rich

[leo:)]

Originally Posted by Richard

Hi Greg, no, I've used that for internal wiring but never tried it as I/C. I've got some though so might give it a go.

The ones we've used (Jonny and I) for a while now are made up from loose cable Tandy used to sell in 6ft lengths. It's 8mm coax, OFC, with hard plastic then foam, with foil and braid screening. Archer Megacable Made in Japan and their stock number on the jacket. We bought about 12 between us but it's no longer available

Rich

I've also been trying to find some of this stuff, I remember when we did some comparisons at your place Rich, I did like that cable, it didn't seem to have as much of a sonic signature as the others we tried

[IslandPink]

Upper bass/mid warmth ?

Well, there are plenty of issues with vinyl, but that's a simplifcation . At least I've not compromised down from 32 bit to 16 bit ..

MJ

[Black Stuart]

Richard,
was this like Sat. cable with a single solid conductor? The reason I ask is because the Maplin style sat. cable can't be bought over here but this can.

Black Stuart

[david counter]

just bought some nice interconnects from a guy on ebay,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...MEWN%3AIT&rd=1
bought them on Wednesday got them on Saturday, very well made solid silver in teflon in a litz weave, need a bit of running in but so far sound really good
I don't think I could have made them for the 40 quid they cost

[Richard]

Originally Posted by leo:)

I've also been trying to find some of this stuff, I remember when we did some comparisons at your place Rich, I did like that cable, it didn't seem to have as much of a sonic signature as the others we tried

Hi Leo, yes, soundwise it doesn't really have one does it. It's like the most ordinary coax, say RG58, with no obvious stand-out areas, but better in literally every way.

Jonny and I also compared a lot to it and found ourselves saying "yes it's better" but then not being able to say why; it has sweeter top, more open mids and enormous bass, it made everything else we tried sound artificial, but not just one thing we could put a handle on.

On reflection I don't find this strange. It has very low LCR so it's probably not altering the frequency response much. I'm sure some cables would be better in other systems if, for example, they needed less bass/more top etc.

Hi Stuart, not like sat cable really and has, from memory, about 9 OFC signal strands. Have you tried sat cable btw?

Hi Mark, sorry, I don't understand your point, I was agreeing with your analysis (read "faces" as "confronts"), have I misunderstood? Do you think vinyl is not a variable system of reproduction?

Rich

[IslandPink]

Richard,
Apologies for the earlier curt post, but you just rattled my cage there .

Yes, I Do think Vinyl is a viable ( and indeed variable ! ) system of reproduction

"A cable is just a passive device reducing some frequencies more than others."

A simplification I think ; a better simplification than some discussion I've heard about interconnects . There is however, the potential for distortion products to be added , especially in the high frequency area, where insulation materials with surface charges ( ie. most plastics ) are concerned .


"If a group of vinyl users all like a particular cable does that have a significance?"

Sounds a little condescending . Vinyl systems are remarkably variable, and the format does have the advantage of having more basic information content, which make evaluation of eg. treble tone and soundstage depth and transparency, a lot easier than with CD .

"Vinyl has a different sound balance to CD. Systems set up to balance vinyl's upper bass/mid warmth and falling treble sound harsh with CD. It's obvious if you lower upper bass/mid and increase treble then when CD is used it will sound too thin and bright."

There are differences but I find more difference between different vinyl systems than between vinyl vs CD . Falling treble response ? - I spend a lot of my time de-bugging parts of the vinyl front end to kill an excess of top-end - and what about the vinyl source information going out to 40kHz+ that is well-documented ?
Have you considered maybe CD sounds thin and bright with revealing interconnects because of distortion products arising from slew-limiting in the op-amps used after the DACs ? On the other hand , I must admit I know nothing of your CD player, some are at least clean and sweet sounding ( Guido Tent's set-up at ETF was pretty good ) . It was very interesting to hear a top-end TEAC player heard at ETF in 2004, through Gary Pimm's ultra-transparent 'Tabor' amp . The treble tone was 'pixellated' is the best way I can describe it - the tones were quantised . This amp is direct coupled, differential and uses the same litz for internal wiring as I use for interconnects and speaker wire .

"Mark faces the demons of vinyl."
Every day, but it's worth it ..

"It's a black art source."
Superb description of vinyl - I like it !!

"There are so many variables, no definitive way, and the deck will even sound different in different rooms. Due to it being such a mechanical system everything from the support to the drive, platter, matt, arm mount, arm, counterweights, suspensions, even the age of the rubber in the stylus cantilever, not to mention the condition of the stylus and vinyl grooves themselves."
True ( ish) , and the worst thing is , every time you go back to CD , it sounds even worse than the last time ...

Mark

[Richard]

Mark

No problem, email is a blunt tool and I'm always rattling something unintentionally

By it's nature (few lines) my post was simplistic and used the example of vinyl users without meaning anything in partic. It could have said CD users and related to different cable properties.

After listening again to CD compared with vinyl in Peter's room at Bristol I stand by my (very general) comments about the 2 sources' sound balance. I preferred some tracks on vinyl and some on CD. The recording had more to do with it.

I had vinyl fairly seriously for 15 years then left off 15 years ago so have now had 15 years of each. I had the usual progression of decks from budget Garrard thro Japs, Thorens and Linns. The last was a new Linn/Ittock. The best sounding was a Throrens/Formula IV. Friends had Haddcocks, Graces, etc etc. It's fascinating to hear of old decks and arms being rediscovered.

With regard to quality (whatever that is!) the best choral I ever heard was on vinyl and the best rock is on CD. If you're ever down this way (Nottm) you're always welcome to a listen.

Rich