Expensive Audiophile Cables Really Do Sound Better!

[@dell177]

I find a glass of bourbon does wonders for the sound of my system.

[@marianneoelund2940]

One of the best suggestions I've seen yet. Works by relieving stress in the listener.

[@haukionkannel]

It is money well spent! ;)

[@incognito3402]

for attractiveness of my wife too!

[@kaiarneberg9203]

Puuhh. Thought you have gone crazy 😅

[@Clyde177]

I like a little vodka and the Bass get even deeper

[@mjfolkerts]

When I started watching this, I immediately checked to see if it was published on April 1st.

[@DiyClassics]

So did I 😂🤣

[@kohnfutner9637]

Propaganda video

[@ThinkingBetter]

LOL, funny, so did I...

[@kevinsdb1]

Sarcasm level over 9000

[@felixalonzo2847]

Sarcasm to noise ratio 9000db

[@joshuasterling2144]

Hate, not....I knew from the first five seconds you were running sarcasm to its limits...lol

[@Audioholics]

can't wait to see the hate comments from the newbies that don't know ;)

[@joshuasterling2144]

I also think its about proportional cost, if I have a 1500 dollar AVR Pre and a 1500 dollar stand alone amp, spending I think about 10- 25 dollars per cable on every channel out is about right. I run all 12-14 gauge wire, less than 25 feet on the longest run with banana plugs, half as much for ease of use than quality alone. The smaller gauge wire goes to my surrounds etc. I think I will be all in now and in the future for under 350 dollars for every wire on me...lol To include HDMI, optical etc...

[@hendrixon1]

@Joshua Sterling: Thank you because initially, I thought that he is serious; stopped watching and went to the comments; found yours and thank to you, I went back watching. So again, thank you.

[@michaelledford4751]

Hey ,the wife hearing is true ,my wife can hear me opening my wallet from the other room & comes running .

[@WiiNV]

L😂L

[@TheLassenman]

lol

[@RyanDurbin10]

$20,000 theater room, 5 dollar microphone...hahaha love you guys, buy a better mic!

[@thegrimyeaper]

All microphones are the same, don't be a fool and buy expensive ones!!!!!!!

[@Baerchenization]

@@thegrimyeaper They have a really expensive mic, one of the best actually; but they connected it via a cheap-ass XLR cable.

[@veniceog]

@@thegrimyeaper LOL, good one.

[@NalliKalliOlla]

This is just by my ear, but to me it sounds more like compression artifacts than a bad mic.

[@Audioholics]

@@NalliKalliOlla that is the exact problem. Zoom sucks but it's easy to use. Until I find a better program with a small learning curve, compression will still exist.

[@new-knowledge8040]

I put my ear up against both cheap and expensive Audiophile Cables, and damn it, there was no difference. Both were dead silent.

[@PhilipChristian]

It will depend on the electrical environment and RF interference

[@TheMikaeler]

🤣😂

[@TheEchelon]

@@PhilipChristian Joke went over your head.

[@scottyboybc]

I clicked because i wanted to see if Gene had finally lost his mind!

[@fraddi]

*WRITING DOWN INSTRUCTIONS* Freeze......speaker....cables. Got it!

[@davidhamilton163]

I have one of the Audioquest HDMI with a battery. It rocks. Company was going out of business, final day of clearance, paid 20 bucks for it, regular price of several hundred. My friends are impressed with how it looks, but their minds are blown when I swap with a "cheap" HDMI and they don't see a difference. Fun times.

[@roninquinn1570]

Finally you nailed it with TONE CONTROL. Cables should NOT be used for TONE CONTROL!!! THANK YOU. As a musician and amateur pro-audio studio guy I can absolutely tell difference between a Mogami, Canare and some "Free with Microphone/Guitar" cable. But it isn't a matter of better, worse (well sometimes), "Reference", or "Correct. I have heard cables "Brighten" or "Warm" the sound, absolutely. It is a matter of TONE, and the better cables (Mogami) simply have lower capacitance, better shielding, which makes life easier at the mixing (tone) console. Science! Thank you.

[@cosmonaut9942]

I substituted high-quality, high-dollar interconnects for the lamp cord on my bedside lamp. It was like a veil was lifted. The light was no longer harsh and glaring.

[@WiiNV]

💡 ☀ L😂L

[@TheWidowMaker.]

What Kelvin were you getting your sound at?

[@theHeartlessNooB]

I love when Gene says "more chocolaty" I get a laugh every time. Gene please try to use "more chocolaty" more often.

[@ramencurry6672]

To me the extra chocolate or enhanced flavor comes with a good tube amp.

[@Wizardofgosz]

As you and Hugo pointed out about 5 years ago in a video, if the cable thing was magic recording studios would be on board. Well, I'm a recording guy and have worked in a dozen different studios over the years, including studios with high 6-figure consoles, and there's none of this cable nonsense there. It's all high quality wire. Belden, Mogami, whatever, with Neutrik connectors, but that's it. And if recording studios aren't using these magic cables, then I'm guessing you don't need them.

[@grahamserle7930]

Would you believe that my system sounded so much better when I listened to love songs with my wife. Her energy transformed everything and all the frequencies just rose to a new level.

[@howardskeivys4184]

You hit the nail on the head, with ‘superconductivity’. It is the absolute key to true, ultra high fidelity. When I put my ‘high end’ hifi system together, I did not purchase a dedicated rack. I bought an upright, freezer. You know the type, a glass door on the front allowing supermarkets to display their frozen produce. All my ultra expensive components are housed in this freezer, the LED interior lighting makes my components the focal point of my lounge. But that’s an added bonus. The transparency of my musical reproduction is unrivalled by systems costing multiples of mine. The glass door means that my infrared remote controls are still effective from my listening position. I did used to find that the CD drawer on my CD transport used to ice over and refuse to open, but a regular application of antifreeze, and deploying an dehumidifier, resolved that minor niggle. Other bonuses are that the longevity of my components is extended, my DAC is now 50 years old and sounds as good as it ever did. Extremely prudent of me to purchase that DAC prior to the digital revolution. There again, I’ve always been ahead of thegane. I bought a Wi-Fi router, prior to the internet going live. The biggest plus is that I don’t have to keep leaving my listening position to go to the kitchen to fetch another cold beer. I keep 2 8-packs on the shelf between my pre amp and monoblocks. Of course, my electric consumption is substantially reduced as I’ve enhanced the efficiency of every component. So I can realax in the knowledge that I’m doing my bit for the environment, reducing my carbon footprint. Please don’t mock this methodology until you’ve tried it. It works!

[@Zoranurai13]

I always put my cables in a preheated oven, this bends the space time continuum and gives me better sound

[@snewton47]

Unless it's an "Audiophile" oven blessed by Michael Fremer, you will be wasting your time. Sure, you'll bend the space time continuum and your cat will age at an accelerated rate, but you'll fail to bend it at the correct "Audiophile" angle and the sound will have 30% less angelic sheen in the midrange and 22.0098% bulbous fludge in the bass..... I think I have a graph somewhere that proves it.

[@peterbronxsidetrack1238]

@@snewton47 bahahahahhh, love it - cream, rising to the surface

[@Zoranurai13]

Quantum Difference Engine but did you also use the special audiophile sauce?

[@tech-ii5sh]

lol great joke there.. Had to follow him with his place cable in freezer joke. He and we both know it does not work.

[@travis1240]

Next time try soaking them in liquid helium. You can really hear the money draining from your wallet.

[@RH-xs8gz]

I just saw a video where some guy bought $17,000 speaker cables for his system and he swears he can tell the difference. I messaged him and told him I had some primo beachfront property in Kansas for sale.

[@bmillertime1546]

Ya fuck his shift system

[@CipherSerpico]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZKmiWuJlquDqs0 This guy shows the difference between the two cables. I’m not saying it’s legit. I’m just saying that he says that the two picture differences involve the same setup except with a different cable. Any thoughts?

[@tech-ii5sh]

lol did he decide to buy your beach front property in Kansas? Good one you had there.

[@TahoeNevada]

With global warming, it’s a distinct possibility in the next twenty years, or so.

[@TheSaloonkeeper]

Totally agree on Bedlen, Canare and 10-12awg wire , best bang for the buck. Anything more expensive you won't hear the difference! Gene speaks the truth!!

[@MrKeech666]

QUALITY cables sound better, NOT expensive cables.

[@wa2368]

Gene Dellasella got paid off by the cable lobbies.

[@esbenrasmussen4289]

you just missed the point of the video

[@ChuckBradfordPhotography]

Sound? Better?

[@64fairlane305]

@Peder Hansen They can, internal

[@Debagio]

Totally agree. I have eschewed major brands and use nothing but Van Damme now. Very reasonably priced and do the job brilliantly.

[@jefsonb]

Just a small comment... this is the best and most trustworthy channel about these matters!!!

[@johnhanselman6371]

I appreciate Gene's humor at the beginning of his lesson . I was able to pay more attention to the science and useful recommendations from Gene due to enjoyment of his humor mixed in to an otherwise technical lessen. BTW: That was the first time I was exposed to the term "Sounds more Chocolately"?

[@CrazyDriverSwed]

Expensive headsets do sound better.

[@janruudschutrups9382]

Was looking for this comment, "audioholic channel", but you'd never know going by the quality of the audio in this video :P.

[@tech-ii5sh]

This is not totally accurate. I do happen to know by experience that I personally had bought a $14 headset from my local Family Dollar Store that has much better sound quality and even the mic quality than my original Logitech 930 gaming headset that run me $145 when it came out.

[@opiestanborough4774]

8 ish years ago i bought my first really good, big, " flat screen " , funny i cost bout the same as the first good tube tv i bought in 1992.... 27 " Sharp... not a Sony.... was still a grand, and the top o the line VCR that played back in stereo, had 4 HEADS and a frame by frame fog shuttle on the remote! Woopee , oh the vcr was $600 lol, so ya when i buy my big ole Plasma i got a smoking hot deal on a Monter HDMI cable was $150 on for a $100 ! the box it came in.... with the thing in a white, silk bag.... was worth as much as a normal hdmi cable.... at least i can say i never bought a Beats bt gay headphones, or a iphone... but ive spent enuff on sony playstore Pontiac... possibly Sega

[@Edward135i]

@@tech-ii5sh gaming headsets are their own bottle of snake oil, buy headphones from reputable companies like sennheiser and add a mod mic on it for the microphone.

[@tjuan7]

I agree with everything you mentioned. When I first got into high end audio the shop I went to tried to sell me super expensive speaker wires and interconnects. The guy even once described a set of wires or interconnects (can’t remember which it was) as being so good I would be able to hear the fingers on the fret of the guitar!🤣 I just looked at him and I think he got the message, he just played himself. I was demoing some speakers and noticed they had a set of speakers set up with the exact speaker wires you mentioned, the AudioQuest wires with the battery thing attached. I’ve seen USB C to A adaptors selling for $160! For all of 3-4 inches of wire. Never knew there was such a thing as audiophile USB cables. If high end audio manufacturers thought those power cables being offered for sale would make their product sound even better wouldn’t they include them with their products or recommend them. None of them do. They all include $6-10 power cables. Oh I also love it when wires or interconnects are directional.

[@rmyAddison]

It also helps if you keep you home theater room as cold as possible, putting towers in wash tubs of ice makes a huge difference. I couldn't agree more. I have about $30K in my HT, but very mid range cables. Once you get past adequate gauge/materials/connectors electrons can't tell the difference. 10 gauge, good connectors, you're set............

[@DNADanL]

Audioholics you are the best youtube channel! I learn a lot from you people! I miss the conversation with you and Hugo!

[@Audioholics]

Thx. I miss having Hugo as well :(

[@nespressoman]

What happened to Hugo?

[@todddembsky8321]

I kept looking at the calendar, it was January, but yet you were doing an April Fools joke. I personally use extreme high tech Quantum Physics cables. Once those electron entangle, wow. Actually, for speaker cables, I go to the hardware store and get 14 gauge lamp cord. 23 cents a foot. granted, I am running them almost 4 feet, but they work great, and you can get them of black, brown, or white no extra change. Now I did build coax interconnects between my equipment into the amp. Using a Dynaco ST70 as my amp. Took that down to bare chaise and did all the Bob L upgrades. Works for me

[@swinde]

18 gauge lamp wire is fine up to 30 feet per channel.

[@todddembsky8321]

@@swinde Absolutely true, but why spend $10 when all you need is $2 if lamp wire :-)

[@swinde]

At 4 feet per speaker, you only need to use 18 gauge wire. (which is smaller and should be cheaper.)

[@krymly]

I'm a cryogenic physicist and I find your rant about freezing quiet interesting. As it's quiet true that cables at cryogenic temperature are likely to perform better than at room temperature. As the one thing that ís important in speaker cables is their resistance, which in case of copper roughly doubles when going to liquid nitrogen temperatures. When going even lower in temperature, the grade of copper really starts to matter, and yes OFC is then better then the regular copper. The resistance may even lower by a factor of 20 when going down to -263°C. Now I don't reccomend heating them up as this will increase the resistance again, but I would endorse running your OFC cables at -263°C! An additional advantage running them at lower temperature, is that you can reduce the cable by this factor of 20 while keepin the same resistance as you would have at room temperature. So you could run a 24 gauge wire instead of 12 gauge. This would reduce the capacitance of the cable so that you have even less distorting cables. You're a genius for suggesting this, you should patent this imediatly and start making millions on them. p.s. Copper however does not become superconducting, ever. For that I would reccomend CCA cables as aluminium does become superconducting when within 1° of absolute zero. (-273.15°C)

[@Audioholics]

LOL what are the odds. Yes cryofrfeezing cable will reduce the resistance when the cable is at -263 deg C. However, the normal resistive properties are restored at room temperature again. CCA cables are not as good of a conductor as copper at room temperature however so your proposal is good ONLY if the cables can be kept frozen while in use. Perhaps they can be permanently encased in a cold vacuum while in use. Could you imagine the complexity, expense and waste of energy required for such a feat?

[@HeavenReservation]

What I always wondered, why would a manufacturer of audio equipment always place a basic RCA cable or wire inside the box if it wasn't good enough to reach its desired quality.

[@jeanbeezy]

this is so good, makes me wanna freeze my amplifier, cables and speakers all together!

[@nellyt2807]

After reading it makes your cables and system much quieter by putting them in deep freezer I put my fkng wife in .

[@saintedward318]

The first minute I was like "What! You sold out?!!!" Glad to hear that wasn't the case. Loved it, good info.

[@a0r0a7]

Loved this. Before I listen I always pop them in the freezer. I have found defrost in the microwave really helps the bass, imaging and detail😂Had one of those power cords that improves your amp, CD etc.. I tested it on my kettle and wow what a improvement on my cups of tea and coffee. The toaster, never tasted toast like, incredible 😂 however, don't use one on your microwave, my food exploded. I guess sometimes it just improves things too much 😀

[@tech-ii5sh]

$10 cable vs $92,000 cable, they both do the same thing nothing different except in the cost differences. You are right, most of what you said is hog wash. Only thing to remember is the gauge of the cable you need that you need to run the distance you need to run. This is due to the distance and loss of the signal drop along the route. 50 feet will cause approx., half the sound quality drop if using a small cable. Longer the distance, need a heaver wire while short distance, the smaller. You do not need a thick cable to run 3 feet. Look up the required gauge needed for the proper distance you need to run.

[@nespressoman]

All cables, including power, do make a difference. Read the whole article here. It makes perfect sense : www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-23-audioquest-triode-wire-labs

[@psionski]

Jim Nixon of course they do. When you’ve paid $1000 for a cable, you will listen to your music a lot more carefully, and you’ll notice a lot more details. Of course, you could also do this without paying $1000, but...

[@Thevikingcam]

Hi, im professional video/movie maker. Your comment about expensive HDMI cables matters. I got news for you, it is DIGITAL DATA that goes in there. NO magical cable makes the video "look" any better what is encoded in the videofile..... Oh, good you GOT ME :D HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Brilliant! Priceless..

[@user-rx3ww7nt2s]

Total Truth: My little Cat, Tinka can hear me opening the refrigerator from across the house, but then she has Cat ears and ZenCat Magic as well. they also know when Im pulling up outside and wen I’m going to to the bathroom. Cats are definitely Magical!

[@dcpark0509]

For an audio channel get a better mic sir.

[@Audioholics]

LOL Can't make you guys happy. I have about 6 different mics and the limiting factor appears to be the crappy editing software compressing the audio stream. Oh well. Enjoy.

[@Urahara12squad]

it is becoming a meme.

[@bendermac]

Audioholics always output audio in PCM. this will help with youtube 🙂

[@RoseGold823]

Because a better mic matters so much for everyone watching this on their phone. Failed attempt at humor my friend. Go find a bridge.

[@Audioholics]

@@bendermac the software doesnt give that option.

[@MickeyR6]

Freeze your cables fella's your music will sound COOLER! no pun intended 😉

[@y.k.9705]

You will be surprised how cool jazz will sound if you chill your stereo. My wife thought I was crazy until she heard it for herself.

[@davidgriffin79]

Also make sure there's no bare wire exposed at the plug terminators, or electrons will fall out.

[@Jamy4ya]

LMA0 😆

[@jimolson9671]

I have a highly resolving system. My HDMI’s are BJC. MY AES/EBU,, XLR’s and speaker cables (9 awg) are all Analysis Plus. They are made in the USA. Their geometry is what sold me. Gene are you familiar with this brand?

[@Mrch33ky]

Took the Harvey Gizmo challenge years ago and made a set of magnet wire rca cables. Compared them to my mega bucks cables on a headphone amp set up and was amazed how much better 22 awg copper sounded than cryo-treated-unicorn-dust cables. Good way to learn to solder too.

[@slumdogjoe]

You actually got me there for the beginning of the video...I was like whaattttt???

[@kirkcunningham6146]

You forgot to mention Monster Cable...they had maybe 3 or 4 standard wire stock for all of their standard to premium cables and speaker wire. I caught on to what they were doing by reading the bulk number on the outside of all of their cables. The M-Series was nothing but a standard wire stock for example. Noel Lee is a total fraud!

[@roninquinn1570]

Yes, but be careful, they will sue you. Monster is the most litigious company out there. They once sued an auto repair shop over their name "Monster Transmission" , as in your cars transmission. A$$holes. ;-)

[@FungedeBagre]

Thank you for coming back to the fundamentals of audio. Audio advice is better than product reviews. The problem with audio advice is that all themes can be exhausted. Don't hesitate to come back on things that you think have been referred before. We will keep listening.

[@CheetahNL]

Not only the cable matters, but also the shape. The cable need to follow the curvature of the earth. So not totally straight. Remember that. And make sure that your amplifier is a little higher than you speakers. Now electrons can flow better (since is it downhill). Also remember to not use sharp bends, because the electrons can fly out the corner! Last but not least; make sure that the static air pressure left and right are the same. Different air pressures will make the sound faster on one speaker and slower on the other.

[@carlosarniz7439]

I love your channel, I've learned a lot from it and it has made me a more informed enthusiast and to stay away from all the bs sorrounding the Hifi industry. Many thanks.

[@azael831]

81 people spent over 5k on cables

[@mrkokimoto81]

Over 400 already. They keep buying 😂

[@michaels8597]

Man,listen,i was just about to tear you a new hole,verbally,yet when you started talking about freezing cables ,expiration dates,etc,i knew you were either HIGH or pranking us.you really got me,i admit it,for about 3 minutes.Yeah,we are really tired of that cable bullshi-,especially considering many people have hearing loss,so what the hell would it matter.

[@mehulmepani]

I am from the industry (India) and I used to be an AV journalist. We had to review cables and very few of them showed real difference (again, good or bad or worst even - more accurate or less is a question of next level altogether). But we have many people in the industry who would make a keen gesture by raising their specs on forehead and discuss about super-expensive cables and are ready to kill if you differ... But then - no one is ready for a double-blinded test challenge. Says a lot about their knowledge and listening capabilities! IT and telecom industries are to be followed here whre tangible differences and improvements are gatekeeping hallmarks to accept a new practise.

[@tgifford4]

You forgot to mention that if you think happy thoughts about those cables, there will be a much happier sound coming out of your speakers.

[@dananderson3337]

love it! Im happy and it sounds good . Except tha mic!!! Haha

[@drummerkev1627]

LMAO GENE! I knew from the beginning of this video you were kidding all along. I was literally laughing my butt off! Great video and thanks for posting!

[@mrsandroks]

Before the video, I did some research about cables and quality but was not satisfied I was looking for someone who says the cables matter and watching the very beggining I was being convinced kkk I ever liked a golden cable it is like better quality of sound

[@oliverbeard7912]

Sensible advice.Cables can only go so far.Once loss has been minimized,there is nowhere else to go.But the vendors always need to make money to survive,and will therefore always come out with a newer,better cable.They need to create ''problems'' with flowery language in order to ''solve'' them for the consumer.Add in some fancy packaging,brochures,a confident salesperson and you're home and dry as a manufacturer.Speakers and rooms will always have a greater impact overall,and will cost alot less to change than some super duper cable at tens on thousands of pounds.

[@felixalonzo2847]

Hey Gene I took my new 5000$ stereo pair of cables to a late night massage parlor. It made them instantly happy and charged up like never before. Music sounded 10 times more amazing. Thanks!

[@Saiku73]

Love your videos but please use better mics to record. Just listen to Joe N Tell's show to see the huge difference it makes. It is especially aggravating to see "audio"holics use crap mics.

[@charlesludwig9173]

JBL told me to use 14 Gauge Lamp Cord. I left the station with that cord 30 years ago and it still works. In another 30 years I might want to inspect the insulation which I suspect may become brittle.

[@editorjuno]

@Carlos Dasilva -- The generic name is "zipcord" and it comes in several gauges. 16 and 14 are commonly used for heat-producing appliances.

[@swinde]

18 gauge is fine for audio unless you are exceeding 30 feet between each speaker and the amplifier. (not likely)

[@editorjuno]

@@swinde -- For the more typical run of 6-10 feet, 20 or even 22 AWG will do just fine. I usually use jacketed 18 AWG line cords salvaged from defunct vacuum cleaners. The idea of specialized "audiophile" or "high-end" speaker cables is absurd on the face of it. :-)

[@swinde]

Bruce ...Absolutely correct. I normally just buy 18 gauge zip cord from a hardware store for speaker leads. Back in the 1980s a friend of mine had purchased $100.00 or more Monster speaker cables for his McIntosh/ Klipsh horn La Scala speakers. He asked me to come over and do some measurements. We found that these cables had a rather high capacitance compared to the zip cord. But he decided that it sounded better with the Monster cable anyway. I really could not hear any difference.

[@editorjuno]

@@swinde -- I switched out some ordinary 18 AWG zipcord for the original Monster Cable (glorified 12 AWG zipcord with very finely stranded conductors) back in the 1980s and, if anything, the pricey stuff slightly degraded the performance of my old SAE/Adcom "high-end" system, but not enough for me to bother changing it back. That's when I concluded that the whole idea of fancy "audiophile" speaker cable was codswallop.

[@frankzalewski7993]

I worked for Richard Long and Associates 30 years ago. We were a sound company designing and installing some of the best Disco sound systems in the world. We had some consumer speaker lines for our residential projects (Allison, ADS, Klipsch and Bozak) . It was in the late 70s Richard and I were at the AES convention in NY visiting with our vendors. Roy Allison a friend of Richards said we should come to dinner with him. It was a dinner of some of the New England audio elite (Roy Allison, Rudy Bozak, and Henry Kloss). A discussion on wire came about and before you know I was sent on a mission to score high end audio and speaker wires from all over the city. We ended up at Acoustilog Labs on SOHO for the testing and the group has grown with NY audio notables: such as, Alan Fierstein, Alex Rosner, Harry Muntz and Mike K. After many hours of testing and discussion long, also, many bottles of wine. The clear winner was a 16awg lamp cord, its brother 12 gauge, a close second. The worst was M____ter Cable, all M____ter Cables. M____ter Cable changed the frequency response of the signal drastically with added capacitance. So your best choice for speaker wire is no further away than your nearest Hardware store.

[@esbenrasmussen4289]

I was so ready to hear out the other side of this discussion. I was all set up with full patience and calmness to hear some arguments. But funny, very funny....

[@joentell]

I'm a huge fan of Audioholics! I mention you guys a lot on my channel. You made the same mistake I made and you said the S-word...snake oil. You're going to upset a lot of these "audiophile" reviewers now. 😂 I would love to be in contact with you guys one day.

[@IsmaelMartinezPR]

Why not call it what it is. There is null testing and blind testing, which done right prove that the pseudo science is just that.

[@joentell]

@@IsmaelMartinezPR I did. I made a video calling it snake oil and Steve Guttenberg made a video saying that he was irritated that people call it that. I'm in contact with Ethan Winer. Talked with him on the phone for a while. Cool guy!

[@RoseGold823]

@@joentell When you see a horse, you call it a horse. Don't worry about Steve and anyone who gets irritated by calling something that is snake oil, snake oil. They are part of the problem. Why would anyone defend companies and products that are only out there to rip you off?

[@joentell]

@@RoseGold823 I'm not worried about him believe me. I do what I think is right. I thought it was a bit funny. My original comment was tongue in cheek. I publicly offered for Steve to have a discussion with but he either didn't see it, he ignored it, or didn't want to. If these cable companies had data to backup their claims that their products audibly improve the sound, then wouldn't it be in their best interest to show that data? Most companies are eager to show how their product performs in a way that is superior using facts to support their claims. Those same companies are reluctant to show how their product works because they don't want others to copy them. High-end cable companies on the other hand are backwards. They are eager to show the technology behind why their product "works", but they fail to come up with any facts to show that the performance of their product is superior.

[@tjp444]

@@joentell I posted Ethan Winer's recent challenge to Paul McGowan (CEO PS Audio) to do a test comparing audio cables in the PS Audio forum. Paul responded by saying he was going to ignore Ethan's request. It's amazing how so many of the people who state there's something magical about special cables often refuse or ignore a simple blind listening test. Ethan's null test pretty much proves there's nothing electronically measurable with expensive cables vs basic cables. And if you can't measure or detect it it electronically, than it's all in your mind.

[@MrTantricrose]

Damn .. i half covered myself in ice to improve my performance and now im told its BS... i may wear a braided jacket with batterys in my pocket just to try it though

[@DaveJ6515]

I think generalizing is always wrong. Here is what I have learned in the past 40+ years, listening to setups ranging from 400€ up to 80,000€ (Cd player, DAC, AMP, and cables) 1) Some expensive cables are not necessarily better than ordinary cables. Scammers do exist. 2) Until you have a very revealing setup there is no point paying a lot of money for cables: you won't hear the difference. 3) No point spending in cables more than about 10% the cost of components. 4) If you are deciding to spend a given amount on better cables or a better component, go for the component 5) The benefit from cables follows the law of diminishing returns, only it's steeper than with components. 6) A given cable may sound well in a given setup and not so well in another one. It happens. 7) Some cables enhance given properties in order to sound appealing and immediately strike the listener. They equalize sound. Personally I keep away from them. 8) Only buy a cable if the improvement in your setup is perfectly noticeable for a few days in a row, at different hours, with different types of music, different volume settings and different subjective condition. Buy it if you REALLY LIKE IT in all situations. 9) Do not allow price redefine what you like. The new cables will probably sound different, but do you REALLY LIKE the different sound? Are you allowing the price tag tell you that YOU SHOULD LIKE IT to become a hi-end audiophile? You are paying money to receive enjoyment, not to enter an exclusive club. 10) Do not allow the seller into your listening room. Do not listen to the seller talking about the cable. If the difference is there, you will notice it. If you need someone to tell the difference for you, spare your money. 11) Choose components and cables to listen to your favorite music, do not choose music to listen to components and cables. If you apply these rules, most times you will NOT buy. That's why vendors prefer to convince you that if you pay more you will hear better (which is NOT true in general): it makes their life easier and they sell more. At the same time, in my experience there are cables that make a striking difference, and are worth the investment. Not very often. So in general the snake oil position is, in my opinion, wrong, but the industry has been doing its best to convince people of it.

[@hdubont856]

HDMI: The worst cable gives you the most fairy dust on your screen! I want that!

[@canillocanillo3371]

bluejeans cables... thats as good as it gets... no need for anything else... mogami xlr , monoprice speaker cables.... these offer great value and its hard to get any better at any price

[@StringerNews1]

You forgot the most important part: drain out the generic electrons and fill your cables with premium _organic_ electrons!

[@Russking23]

you forgot glutenfree and vegan....

[@wolfmanjacksaid]

After I took out a 2nd mortgage to buy some solid silver AQ HDMI cables, my wife left me. On the plus side, I can watch as much TV as I want with my new HDMI cable!

[@scarabeo500gt]

I use and totally "LOVE" silver coated cable and got some great stuff for $30 and its hand made in the USA...Crisp clean highs and warm mids..

[@MichaelLivingston-me]

Once I added a deuterium isotope to my phono cables the clarity of the pink noise was greatly improved.

[@Russking23]

Press Alt F4 for performance boost

[@joepresti5287]

Love it, you are dead on when blasting cables. That's why Blue Jean cable is so successful! Keep up dismissing snake oil in the audio industry.

[@MrTheDarku]

I'm watching this in 2020 and I'm happy he didn't have a stroke while recording this :)

[@rtg97229]

I think people misunderstand cryogenically frozen cables. To get the best results you have to be cryogenically frozen with the cables.

[@Audioholics]

LOL, that will definitely make a permanent change ;)

[@johnsmith-qz4bv]

i knew you were pulling my leg gene..lol.....great video...i watch all your videos you had some great infomation thank you cheers

[@razakkalik9072]

You forgot to mention those highend audio magazines that "review" audio" cables...

[@kolgankhanh2003]

Have you ever look in side your amplifiers and your speakers to see how the connections are made?Just plain solder and metal terminals , from the circuit board to the speaker terminals the parts are not even qualify copper terminals. Like hooking up cheap quality connections from your amplifier to your speakers by using high end cables in between. ‘Metal to gold back to metal and you think this will increase sound quality’. I’m trying to say if you have very high quality connections from start to finish then may be yes, but to most people still can’t hear the different.

[@thomasmleahy6218]

* Gene, you dog! Guppies? Stick with the Lirpa signature cables! Love the humor. *

[@Bloodmoon1985]

Best cable rant ever!

[@amazoidal]

Let's see. I put a $200 a foot power cable that is shielded on the last meter of power to my component. It's at the end of miles of aluminum power lines, many feet of cheap Romex, and at the component end, there is just plain copper inside the box. Will that last meter of shielding take out the EFI/RFI? I buy 8 feet of OFC/Cardas One etc speaker cable to connect to my speakers. Does it matter if the wires inside the speaker are non-OFC/Cardas One? Or the amplifier has non-OFC copper inside it? Same with interconnects. Keep in mind that the chain is only as good as the weakest link. The weakest link is inside the component, inside the speaker. Those wires are not $500 a foot. What's inside the mixing console at the studio? Probably Belden if you are lucky. The production equipment? It's just commercial grade. You can't make it better with expensive cables. You at best will just preserve "the weakest link". Save your money.

[@bc527c]

Not that I give a fk, but your logic is fking lame. Here is a pro tip, bundle all of your cables together along with all the power cables, and only use the generic power cables that came with your gear. Zip tie that bundle up nice and tight. Sweet, yeah!

[@jr62inhometheater98]

bvocal where is your logic not that I give a fk.

[@amazoidal]

Try not to bundle any of your cables in parallel. Use spacers if necessary and run at right angles. It's not logic, it's science.

[@ronshaw80]

Zi m, shielded power cables do nothing for the magnetic fields, regardless of the advertising hype. The shielding can help RF from affecting the cable, but for magnetic fields, it takes ferrous material, and fairly thick for the line frequencies involved. That copper or foil shield will do nothing for magnetic fields.

[@amazoidal]

One meter of so-called "Shielded" power cable isn't going to do anything for the RF that entered before or after the shielded part. The power wires on the poles and the Romex in your house is a giant antenna. It would be better to invest in a Power Conditioner and the best is going to convert the AC to DC and back to AC again. Toroidal transformers will remove lots of potential gremlins. Probably the best conditioner is made by PS Audio. But their lowest priced model, the P12, is 5k. The problem with the Furmans, the Panamaxes , Richrad Gray and the Monster units is that there is no real testing and comparisons out there. You buy on faith that it removes noise,etc. But most are just overpriced outlet boxes with spike protection. I really laugh at the Pangea Audio Premier AC Power Distribution Strips. 8 outlet model on sale for only $399! Hurry!

[@arvidlystnur4827]

Being this video is 5 years old, perhaps my comment won't matter, though this video is great and supports my understanding. I always knew resistance was the most important factor in speaker wire. I'd imagine 16 gauge silver wire would have less resistance than copper, but cheap 14 gauge lamp cord would be better than either of those. I have to look at your chart to make a better selection. I've been under the impression that my six foot lengths of 14 gauge are sufficient yet perhaps I should go 12 or 10. I've done some makeshift sound reinforcement for community events and noticed no difference in short length 10 or homemade 14 gauge but in thirty foot runs, incredible difference. In interconnects, the capacitance depends on the application. Standard guitar cables have a higher capacitance than cables for low impeadence cables use for piezo pickups on acoustic instruments. If one uses a standard cable between the pickup and the impeadence transformer ( buffer)high frequency will decrease. Between the buffer and amp there's no difference in cable choice.

[@dwightballard3868]

I would be interested in your thoughts on cable manufacturers like MIT and Transparent who use those networks in their cables. A lot of audiophiles swear by Transparent, but would be interesting to do a double blind listening test.

[@grand7m]

Afte 20 years of publishing, still using a garbage mic.

[@RWL2012]

9 years of this KZbin channel though :P

[@timeWaster76]

Sounds like someone got their feeling hurt .... ;-(

[@stacybritt641]

I knew you were joking! Good information for the masses.

[@doltBmB]

So I was watching an audiophool talk about special power cables. It seems nonsensical at first glance. But when I thought about it maybe it could make sense. In theory the only signal that should be in a power cable would be the phased 60hz/50hz AC signal. But that power is used to amplify the audio signal. Perhaps something about the amplification process interacts with the power cable, making the audio signal pass through the power cable, and suddenly being limited by the characteristics of that cable. What made me think about it was that he claimed thicker cables attenuated the bass less, exactly what you see with these low resistance speaker wires. The test would be to see if you can somehow measure or detect the audio signal in the power cable, at the plug, or even going all the way back to fuse box. He did also claim that house wiring and even the transformer coil was important, which in that case would be logical. I also remember reading an article talking about how, since speakers are not perfect loads, but reactive, some of the power may be reflected back into the amp and cause distortion there. Apparantly that's very difficult to measure but it could be worthwhile to investigate as well. The problem is they may really hear something that isn't just placebo, but they make up a lot of nonsense to explain it, muddying the waters. Jitter turned out to be real, even though early digital audiophiles made up a bunch of mumbo jumbo to explain why early CD players sounded bad.

[@lewbarrett]

Is there a reason why consumer manufacturers who supply balanced XLR inputs and outputs don't opt for locking connectors? One of the plus features of professional balanced equipment is that the connectors lock and remain secure until the user decides to disconnect. Hifi gear, even from many respected high end manufacturers, rarely incorporates this feature that's an accepted necessity in the pro world. I also think consumer manufacturers do us a disservice when they don't back up the connector with a proper balanced circuit to match, but that's another issue. People should use balanced interconnects if they have the ability to do so. Removes a lot of variables.

[@Audioholics]

Agreed 100% i hate when the connectors aren't locking. Also balanced connections withput trully balanced circuits doesn't fully taken advantage of the design.

[@jasonschubert6828]

I no longer use cables. I just connect my components up with a whole line of batteries.

[@randyhunt1581]

Forget the cables, I wantsome of the drugs you have been taking.

[@noisytim]

found one!

[@realtalk6340]

Cables matter to some extent. Hasn’t anyone ever charged their cellphone on a cheap charger cable? It matters. Especially power cords

[@jnagarya519]

I added a motor vehicle battery to each end of my speaker cables. Better than that, I run each of my speaker cables through a freezer. Now the system gives me electrifying chills!

[@johnlightfoot9967]

People who buy cables listen to the music, people who buy interconnects listen to the equipment.

[@ImplosiveCatt]

I bet 95% of audiophiles can't hear the difference between wav and mp3 format in double blind test.

[@Pule12345]

www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/06/02/411473508/how-well-can-you-hear-audio-quality?t=1582021129563

[@timeWaster76]

Pic the right files and but the level of conviction is directly related to the price they spend .

[@LeftyStratPlayer]

There's a video somewhere on here about a guy who spent close to $13K for a two-meter pair of helium-filled XLR cables. Someone saw him coming from a mile away.

[@daslaundrynazi]

So you're telling me that raising my cables off the floor with ice cubes is not going to re-align the crystalline matrix of the wire within them?? I'm so confused right now, since I've heard the resulting lowered noise floor in a double blind test...and you know you can't argue with that; confirmation bias be dammed!

[@ChrisSmithy]

I don't understand why an Audiophile who has been in operation for 20+ years can justify and admit to having recording audio quality issues and is wearing a headset. You want people to actually take you seriously? Watching your videos and hearing the content is like watching something that was put out 10+ years ago. I'm glad you expected the negative comments, at least you wont be surprised.

[@pking39]

Shame on you to debunked the myth. I just spent $65000/pair on the Transparent's new Generation 5 -- Magnum Opus speaker cables before I discovered this video. Please do not let my wife see this video because I cannot afford divorce lawyer after spent my house's mortgage on the cables :-)

[@JP-yw4wx]

They're nothing but used car dealers. Basically bullshiters. Monster confessed in an interview once and the interviewer was told to keep it hush hush. They stated, reason why they sell expensive speaker cable is because people are gullible enough to buy them thinking that they're something out of the ordinary. 👎👎👎👎

[@michaelledford4751]

I think my $8,000 power cords give me tighter bass and chocolatey midrange with caramel highs ,I also think premium gasoline tastes better than regular gasoline ,I'm not sure but I think drinking gasoline is why I hear which direction electrons flow .

[@timeWaster76]

Yes but the taste of gas went way down when they took the lead out.

[@haris525]

Gene audio cables matter! I just got my stereo cables blessed by a Rabi and got them Kosher certified for stereo use My next step is to get them baptized so they absorb some heavenly juices Lastly I am going to an Imam and get them certified halal Please let me know if I should perform any other rituals for that perfect, sweet delicious magical sound! Also I use my 1/ ♾ gage pure silver power cable that connects my power amps directly into nuclear power plant because standard wiring just doesn’t give me that last bit of audio bliss that I crave!

[@Audioholics]

Make sure you elevate your cables too ;)

[@haris525]

Audioholics haha yes sir 😉

[@bphilbac]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Mrch33ky]

"My friend the Witch Doctor he told me what to do!" kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6OmoKabj9B8f5I

[@Blustride]

I'm going to completely kill this joke and point out that 1/infty gauge conductor isn't even the largest you could measure in AWG. 0 AWG exists, and there are even 3 sizes above that (2/0, 3/0, and 4/0). When you go larger than that, you get into kcmil, goes up to and beyond 1000 kcmil, which is 1" in diameter (compared to roughly .5" for 4/0 AWG). If you're interested, a source I found lists it for $32 a foot.

[@troybrownentertainment2324]

Somebody is going to be stupid enough to take Gene serious. 🤣🤣🤣

[@brettaylor2661]

I gained .003 db by duct taping frozen bananas to my speaker cables.

[@manw3bttcks]

Even if it did make a difference, the prices on some of these are ridiculous like 3000$ for a 5ft power cable or a similar amount for a LAN cable

[@sirsuse]

Donald Trump would be a great salesman for exotic cables. He lies to people's faces all the time and they buy into it.

[@Audioholics]

Agreed. LOL

[@gregmartinez5836]

Just buy good quality audio equipment(amps,speakers and such), that's all you really need. We love you gene! You and audio science doing the right thing. Truthful. Honest, no bull! We work hard for our money to be throwing it away.

[@timeWaster76]

thumbs up... Spend the money on buying music.. How may show can on see toe 2500 bucks ? And the buys 250 records

[@mishkabar]

No Argument .Totally Agree ,No one can argue with physics .However there can be a problem ,not the wire but a connectors and on each cable there are up to four potential points of failure and in a worse case partial failure (non steady contact) . The failure can geometrical- surface aera of an actual contact , chemical - oxidation that can affect the conductivity of the contact or mechanical the speaker vibrates . I'm suspecting the mentioned above reasons causes keep the issue of cables alive. It's not measurable at the "crime scene" and non repetitive . Recently my right speaker wasn't well ,my first thought was it's about time it's 40 years old JBL .The cable is the same age 12 gauge cable. All I did was throwing away the terminals on both speakers an replacing the terminals to a gold plated bananas not the expensive ones .That healed my speaker .

[@peterrech2307]

now I know why my cables broke when I froze them...………...great video, laughed all the way to the end. fully agree with you, exotics use the same inner cable with fancy exteriors. love it, I just found your channel. will watch them all.