Old Kimber KCAG Silver or new DH Labs Air Matrix?

[Wildings]

Considering replacing old monster cable running from Musical Fidelity DAC to Burson headphone amp...for about the same price ($235) could get new DH Labs Air Matrix or old used set of Kimber Silver which new ten or so years ago cost about $700.
I recently replaced stock cables for Audeze 3 with solid silver and have convinced myself I can notice a pleasing improvement.
Since the cable company rep told me there was a break in period, should I have asked him if there is a worn out period?! Trying to find my way through the bullshit, advice appreciated.

 

[slipperybidness]

Wasting $ on cables.....

That $ would be better allotted to better speakers, room treatments, or measurement gear.

Good old Oxygen Free Copper is all you need, beyond that is a waste of resources.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Wasting $ on cables.....

That $ would be better allotted to better speakers, room treatments, or measurement gear.

Good old Oxygen Free Copper is all you need, beyond that is a waste of resources.

btw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen-free_copper#Use_in_home_audio

 

[slipperybidness]

btw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxygen-free_copper#Use_in_home_audio

OK, perhaps OFC is even overkill.

 

[Wildings]

Wasting $ on cables.....

That $ would be better allotted to better speakers, room treatments, or measurement gear.

Good old Oxygen Free Copper is all you need, beyond that is a waste of resources.

 

[Wildings]

I believe I can tell the difference between old stock Audeze cable and new solid silver one...Will set up blind test when get silver back from repair. Satisfied with gear and separate headphone set up. Replaced that stock cable only because it failed, and had fixed for a spare. So, that led me down the interconnect rabbit hole.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...and have convinced myself I can notice a pleasing improvement.
....

Yep, you convinced yourself without knowing for sure.
Maybe that blind testing will shed a different light on the subject. But if it doesn't, may need to improve the rigor of the protocol.

 

[Wildings]

Yep, you convinced yourself without knowing for sure.
Maybe that blind testing will shed a different light on the subject. But if it doesn't, may need to improve the rigor of the protocol.

We shall see! Hopefully next week.

 

[lovinthehd]

If you've already convinced yourself buy buy buy! Personally have never thought to seek improvements via wire. Only in audiophilia do things like wire seem to have an attraction like this.

 

[Wildings]

If you've already convinced yourself buy buy buy! Personally have never thought to seek improvements via wire. Only in audiophilia do things like wire seem to have an attraction like this.

Is it not possible that with advances in headphone and speaker technology it is now possible to discern qualities and subtle differences not so evident previously? If aspects of what we can taste are not measurable but can be described, why not also aspects of what hear?

 

[lovinthehd]

Is it not possible that with advances in headphone and speaker technology it is now possible to discern qualities and subtle differences not so evident previously? If aspects of what we can taste are not measurable but can be described, why not also aspects of what hear?

Wire has been a done deal for a long time. Audiophilia is pretty much the only place it gets lofty status. Do you think the music is recorded with audiophool wiring?

ps Try this site about wire, albeit more speaker wire oriented, from a former director of McIntosh http://roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

pps I wasn't quite honest, I did try some "better" interconnects from a few vendors 30 years ago and when I showed them to my grandfather he gave me a good lecture on wire being largely about gauge and proper construction and not sales nonsense. Big fan of simple zip cord for most home audio speaker wiring purposes. He was a top electrical engineer involved with Western Electric.

 

[Wildings]

Wire has been a done deal for a long time. Audiophilia is pretty much the only place it gets lofty status. Do you think the music is recorded with audiophool wiring?

Cant speak to what music was recorded with, but is your position that how and what interconnects are made with is inconsequential, and they can neither add nor detract from what you hear with the immediacy and isolation of a headset?

 

[MrBoat]

Well. . .the whole scheme is tainted anyway, unless you want to go all the way to the coils of the drivers, the wire inside the speakers/amps, the tin from all the solder joints and silver it all the way. Not that this will audibly improve anything, but it would bother me knowing all I was doing was installing an expensive silver cable as a patch cord between so much other copper.

 

[lovinthehd]

Cant speak to what music was recorded with, but is your position that how and what interconnects are made with is inconsequential, and they can neither add nor detract from what you hear with the immediacy and isolation of a headset?

As long as they work for the application, no, in changing many many different wires/interconnects over the last 45 years the audibility of improvement has been a non-issue....unless it is actually malfunctioning it hasn't caught my attention much. Even when I tried those fancy cables my first thought was I guess it's better even though I don't hear a difference...

As I said, not a headphone guy, maybe that magnifies small differences. Can you say which of the two cables you've tried with your headphones is actually more accurate? or is it just a preference? Preference for wires that detract from the signal (such as rolling off highs if conditions are right) I've read about in some cases is actually pleasing to some...so who knows. If they're of good construction and built to the purpose (proper gauge, shielding, whatever)....I don't think it's something to worry about let alone shopping for, reading reviews about, trying to compare properly....

 

[Wildings]

Well. . .the whole scheme is tainted anyway, unless you want to go all the way to the coils of the drivers, the wire inside the speakers/amps, the tin from all the solder joints and silver it all the way. Not that this will audibly improve anything, but it would bother me knowing all I was doing was installing an expensive silver cable as a patch cord between so much other copper.

Well, I'm going from a computer to V-Link to DAC to Haeaphone amp to headphones....not long runs of speaker wire. It would seem most important sections would be from DAC to amp, then headphone cables. Easy enough to "improve" those runs and perhaps they constitute majority of signal path . I have no EE background, but could conceive how they might effect what you hear. Somehow I view power conditioners and power cord upgrades differently and with more skepticism (unless you have a ground fault or hum in the system). Unplug for lightning protection.

 

[lovinthehd]

What's a v-link? Sounds like lots of gear with more possibilities to detract from signal....

 

[Wildings]

As long as they work for the application, no, in changing many many different wires/interconnects over the last 45 years the audibility of improvement has been a non-issue....unless it is actually malfunctioning it hasn't caught my attention much. Even when I tried those fancy cables my first thought was I guess it's better even though I don't hear a difference...

As I said, not a headphone guy, maybe that magnifies small differences. Can you say which of the two cables you've tried with your headphones is actually more accurate? or is it just a preference? Preference for wires that detract from the signal (such as rolling off highs if conditions are right) I've read about in some cases is actually pleasing to some...so who knows. If they're of good construction and built to the purpose (proper gauge, shielding, whatever)....I don't think it's something to worry about let alone shopping for, reading reviews about, trying to compare properly....

Preference for sure, cant speak to accurate reproduction of the original sound. I think really relates more to headphones....room factors and sweet spot sitting not an issue, subtilties more evident.

 

[lovinthehd]

Might even boil down to how you position the headphones on your head each time. I wonder with your two wires how well you can do a blind test....maybe not only blind folded but keeping your hands in your lap so you can't feel the stiffness difference in the interconnects. Do you partake of head-fi.org? That seems to be headphone centric....

 

[Wildings]

What's a v-link? Sounds like lots of gear with more possibilities to detract from signal....

V-Link asychroonous 24bit 192khz USB to SPDIF converter. I'm starting with streaming source (Tidal) on computer. Then to DAC, then headphone amp.

 

[lovinthehd]

Sounds like lots of gear like I said. Your dac can't handle usb?