Why the dislike for "AudioQuest" interconnects?

[Leroy Jenkins]

I have stayed away from their products because I feel like all the pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo they put out is used to obfuscate their cables actual properties and construction. For all I know their products are simply re jacketed Belden or similar where they then charge a ridiculous mark up. Fine with me they gotta eat too but I will pass. To be fair they are far from the only ones doing this and may not even be the biggest offenders.

Ars Technica did a teardown of one of their ethernet cables that cost $350.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/gallery-we-tear-apart-a-340-audiophile-ethernet-cable-and-look-inside/

Looks to me like it's about $30 worth of actual materials and kind of cheaply put together at that. It makes all of their products pseudo scientific mumbo jumboish claims suspect to me.

Again I don't dislike them, they just in my opinion make a product that they have not proven to me to be any better than something costing a fraction of the cost. If they look nicer and people like that far be it for me to tell them how to spend their money. But I will not be a consumer of their wares nor a believer in their marketing materials.

 

[Speedskater]

Earlier this year, audioquest (all small letters) ran a full page back cover ad for a balanced audio interconnect. That cable 'Water, Earth, Wind and Fire' violated all the 'good engineering practices' rules for a balanced audio interconnect cable.

 

[lifestyle]

I have stayed away from their products because I feel like all the pseudo scientific mumbo jumbo they put out is used to obfuscate their cables actual properties and construction. For all I know their products are simply re jacketed Belden or similar where they then charge a ridiculous mark up. Fine with me they gotta eat too but I will pass. To be fair they are far from the only ones doing this and may not even be the biggest offenders.

Ars Technica did a teardown of one of their ethernet cables that cost $350.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/07/gallery-we-tear-apart-a-340-audiophile-ethernet-cable-and-look-inside/

Looks to me like it's about $30 worth of actual materials and kind of cheaply put together at that. It makes all of their products pseudo scientific mumbo jumboish claims suspect to me.

Again I don't dislike them, they just in my opinion make a product that they have not proven to me to be any better than something costing a fraction of the cost. If they look nicer and people like that far be it for me to tell them how to spend their money. But I will not be a consumer of their wares nor a believer in their marketing materials.

Very excellent material - thanks Leroy!

 

[lifestyle]

Earlier this year, audioquest (all small letters) ran a full page back cover ad for a balanced audio interconnect. That cable 'Water, Earth, Wind and Fire' violated all the 'good engineering practices' rules for a balanced audio interconnect cable.

Making a dime at the expense of the consumer? (me/you)

 

[mtrycrafts]

Thanks for your wisdom crafts. Ended up ordering the Monoprice digital RCA interconnects. The price was good and i've heard that Digital RCA cables are manufactured to a higher standard - surpassing that of analog, so they were cheap and i'm giving them a try...

There are two types of RCA cables that I know about not including what some may also attach to them.
A video application cable has an impedance of 75 Ohms to mach impedances of inputs and outputs.
then there are the rest. A video cable certainly can be used in all RCA cable applications. The rest may or may not be good in video applications. Just some additional info to confuse.

 

[jinjuku]

Can I dislike them for selling non-existent CAT7 Ethernet cables that don't really pass even 6A spec?

 

[bpassman]

This is a nice and funny thread that clearly outlays the technical truth behind IC's. I was once in a store with a rep teaching a salesman about different models of cable. Oddly the demo's did sound different when cables were switched, but when the source material changes....of course it sounds different!

While I'm not likely to spend hundreds of $ on a single cable, or fall for the marketechure; I can see why some might be lured by the fancy connectors, colors, cable braiding or soothing and sexy product names.

For me, Monoprice and BlueJeans rule.

 

[cvcgolf]

Their Nighthawks headphones are getting great reviews.. They're Dragonfly dac is getting great reviews.. Their jitterbug thingy is getting great reviews.. Michael Fremer loved the $7,000 power conditioner they have.. I'm using Evergreen and 1 set of Golden Gate interconnects.. I'll be buying monoprice 12 awg 2747 speaker cable though after reading it was good stuff..

 

[DJLaw]

First time contributor; I have use audioquest interconnects for many past years now. They are decent, but as many of you said, they are way over priced. I agree with that whole-heartedly. For a while now, I have been getting my cables from WBC ( https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/12674522011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=WORLDS BEST CABLES&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_12674522011 ). Price is very reasonable. I A/B'ed some audioquest and WBC cables. I ended up choosing WBC. A very close second to me is BJC.

 

[Verdinut]

First time contributor; I have use audioquest interconnects for many past years now. They are decent, but as many of you said, they are way over priced. I agree with that whole-heartedly. For a while now, I have been getting my cables from WBC ( https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/12674522011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=WORLDS BEST CABLES&ref_=bl_dp_s_web_12674522011 ). Price is very reasonable. I A/B'ed some audioquest and WBC cables. I ended up choosing WBC. A very close second to me is BJC.

For me, BJC is also expensive. Monoprice cable is cheaper and does the job. No difference whatsoever in the performance.

 

[ryanosaur]

For me, BJC is also expensive. Monoprice cable is cheaper and does the job. No difference whatsoever in the performance.

I answered a question in another thread... 2 of the 50’ Monoprice HQ sub cables were about 37 clams. Getting a stereo 50 rca cable from BJC was $187!
Definitely not bagging on them, but I agree whole-heartedly. $200 for any cable, whether 3’ or 50’, is too much.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...
Definitely not bagging on them, but I agree whole-heartedly. $200 for any cable, whether 3’ or 50’, is too much.

How about 500ft?

 

[davidscott]

I have a pair of AQ Tower 0.6 m interconnects between my cd player and receiver. I paid around $22 for them and I know that was too much. They replaced some old monsters and do sound better to me but I think the monsters might have been damaged in multiple moves. Anyway I wont buy AQ cables again but these seem well made so I will keep them. As far as cable batteries and directional cables well lets just say I'm very skeptical.

 

[lovinthehd]

Good thread on the subject of silly/criminal audiophool wire in general I ran across at ASR here

 

[ryanosaur]

How about 500ft?

Like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WK7HQW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YqgwEbJA01ZXV

 

[panteragstk]

I have a pair of AQ Tower 0.6 m interconnects between my cd player and receiver. I paid around $22 for them and I know that was too much. They replaced some old monsters and do sound better to me but I think the monsters might have been damaged in multiple moves. Anyway I wont buy AQ cables again but these seem well made so I will keep them. As far as cable batteries and directional cables well lets just say I'm very skeptical.

Of all the many brands of cable I've dealt with over the years, Monster has been the worst. They break A LOT more often than you'd think.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WK7HQW4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YqgwEbJA01ZXV

Yes, you found it.

 

[davidscott]

Of all the many brands of cable I've dealt with over the years, Monster has been the worst. They break A LOT more often than you'd think.

Yeah I agree. These were the Monster 100 ICs. I still have a pair of 300s got cheap on ebay but I never used them. Sort of a backup set in case the Towers fail.