Audiosouse said:
LOL!!! That's the first time I've heard Monster cables referred to as less expensive!
Monster's lowest level stuff is pretty cheap if you ask me, in the $20 range. How is that NOT cheap?
Please submit scientific proof, such a noticeable difference will be easily measured.
Do you want scientific proof that it's you in the mirror too? Or do you trust your eyes? I trust my ears.
That's called the placebo effect, you're hearing what you think you want to hear, not what you are actually hearing, which is nothing. A correctly implimented DBT is the only way to truly trust your ears. If what you are saying is true, it will be reflected by your accuracy in the test.
I don't disagree that a DBT is the way to test this sort of thing, but there was a DBT done that also proved that people hear differently and if they know what to listen for, they can identify those differences with a near 100% accuracy.
Always good to believe whatever the cable manufacturer tells you. You can trust them, they'd never lie! Your best interests are their only concern.
I don't believe what they tell me. I believe what I've heard with my own ears.
When it comes to Audioquest, I always buy used or sales, because I DO feel they are overpriced. As long as there is no damage to the cable, used is a good way to get decent stuff for
MUCH less than retail. I think I paid half or less for all my cables, which would put them right around Monster's prices for new ICs, and the AQ are easily better constructed. I don't take to heart everything cable manufacturer's say, but AQ said one thing that I find to be very true; someone else mentioned it in this thread: ICs don't IMPROVE sound, they only detract from it, so the goal is to use ICs that have the least negative effect.
As I already said, I don't think sinking a ton of cash into cables is going to help fix a problem with your system. If your speakers are too bright in your room, ICs aren't going to fix that. If midrange is lacking, a new cable isn't going to fix that. I've tried many of AQs cables and as Gene said, the law of diminishing returns seems to have a fairly steep slope for ICs. I found that beyond about the Diamondback price point, the differences couldn't justify the price for me, so I stuck with mostly those (used you can find 1m pair for about $40-50). I also use
these, and for $65/pr they are an excellent cable. It's nearly identical to the King Cobra at less than half the price, and I wouldn't call that grossly expensive.
What ICs do YOU use, just out of curiosity? I found it funny when I had this discussion with some others about this subject that say there is no difference at all in cables, yet none of them used the cables that came in the box with their gear. They all bought cables... Why is that? There's no difference right?
I also use Bluejeans cables for all my video. These are excellent cables, and though I have not tried out their audio cables, I would expect the same of them, and their prices are quite good. Customer service is excellent, I highly recommend them.
We all know where this debate goes though...
