That is strange. Their job is to connect one component to another and, if they fail to do that, they are defective. If he expects them to do something else, he is deluded.
Hello and good morning to you, Kal. I read this statement yesterday and took it two different ways. One way was absolute truth and the other way, I was a little surprised about. That is, if I read into it correctly. Perhaps a little clarification would help.
The first way I took it was that quite literally, the job of a cable was to "
connect one component to another and, if they fail to do that, they are defective". Taken at face value, you are correct. An interconnects job is to pass the signal plain and simple. If they do not pass the signal, there are indeed defective as they are not performing their primary function. "
If he expects them to do something else, he is deluded", This part honestly threw me off a little bit
but if you are referring to the expectation of having the cable act as a function of a pre-amp, volume knob, processor, power switch or surge protector, which is a ridiculous expectation, then you are correct. They are in fact, delusional.
Now, if I were to take your statement another way taking into account the topic of the thread, let's look at your statement once again.
That is strange. Their job is to connect one component to another and, if they fail to do that, they are defective. If he expects them to do something else, he is deluded.
The first part of your statement IMO, is indisputable. Moving onto the last sentence within your statement, given the topic of the thread, it honestly threw me back for a couple of double takes. Especially when you take into consideration your experience in the hobby we all love so dearly. Now I realize that this is your opinion and I can respect that. Everybody is entitled to have their own point of view. With that said, I'm gonna have to agree to disagree with the latter part of your statement if your intent was to say that anyone who uses cables as an EQ [if you will] of sorts, is deluded.
Just like the OP's friend, I have around 5K worth of cables sitting in a couple of boxes. Most of which have not been used in years. Within those boxes of cables lay copper cables, both twisted and solid, silver cables, cables with different metallurgy's and/or combined metallurgy's with various connections, soldering and manufacturing techniques along with a plethora of standard and upgraded/custom connectors. In other words, cables from all walks of life. Each one has its own distinctive sound. I tend to personally put the cables into two classes. Copper or silver.
In my experience, most primarily copper based cables tend to have what the end result in my system(s) that have an upper end of the spectrum that is somewhat relaxed, while the lower registers of the frequency spectrum tend to be a little bit more pronounced when comparing them to a primarily silver based cable. On the flip side, the primarily silver based cables tend to have somewhat of the opposite end result. The upper end of the spectrum is somewhat exaggerated or "enhanced" while the lower registers of the frequency spectrum tend to be omitted or relaxed, if you will. All other aspects of each one of the cables performance can vary as much as Oprah's weight over the years.
Changes within all other aspects of the cables, I know you have heard. Well, at least I would expect you to have heard over the years. This includes but are not limited to height, depth and width perceptions, imaging characteristics, the ability to pass a debatable definition of micro and macro dynamics, natural roll off of the instruments, texture, articulation, natural presentations, perceived brightness, tonal characteristics, an instruments weight or authority, visceral impact, quietness, presentation and a plethora of other characteristics a set of cables can have. I can say with
complete certainty that not one set of cables I have sounds exactly like another one. Not one. These differences have gotten even more noticeable as my audio journey and the resolution of my rig have progressed. The individual cables have also shown different characteristics within different configurations and different gear that have come and gone.
One of the characteristics specifically not mentioned in the paragraph above is the change in frequencies that I have touched on earlier with the sonic differences I have observed between the primarily silver or copper based cables. This is, what an EQ's primary function is, no? Or am I delusional?
I'll offer three very specific cables that I can use for a fixed "EQ" affect. The Silver Sonic BL-1 Series II, the AudioQuest King Cobra and the Transparent Reference IC's. In my various rig(s) and room(s) my rig has been in, the EQ [if you will] characteristics change with each cable set. Leaving out the other observations/characteristics/specifics of each cable, I will concentrate solely on my observations as to the frequency changes I have observed with just these three cables.
Silver Sonic BL-1 Series II - Mid, upper or extreme upper frequency boost, omitted or decreased lower registers, no extreme lower frequency extension.
AudioQuest King Cobra - Fairly linear throughout with slight roll off of extreme upper frequencies and extreme lower frequency extension somewhat non existent. A slight hump in the mid bass frequencies that produce an overponderance within that range of frequencies.
Transparent Reference - The most linear out of all three with excellent extreme lower frequency extension. No omission of any frequency.
Now as mentioned before, these characteristics can change somewhat depending on the gear or room used but in general, they remain the same. Mr. Rubinson, I'm not in any way trying to confront you but I am curious as to why a man with your experience would state such a thing. Would you mind clarifying a bit? I personally don't see why you would say someone would be delusional because a cable can not [as one of many factors] be utilized as a non adjustable EQ of sorts.
Tom
