Long interconnects or short speaker cables?

The classic question of which way to connect the stereo systems comes up again and this time, Paul digs deep.

[@jasonhanjk]

After 24 hours. Still waiting for your audio precision data.

[@r423sdex]

Paul, what skills is amir lacking in ? ASR have no problems with any manufacturers, just the false claims.

[@GingerAmberLynn]

It was clearly a cheap shot. Name-calling and accusations without any proof.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Hmmm other manufacturers contact Amir when measured preformance doesn't match thier results. And work out what's causing the inconsistency. We all have more to learn about audio after all.

[@r423sdex]

chris vinicombe not Ps audio !!! Paul says that amir is lacking skill, but maybe it’s ted smith that has a problem in that department.

[@nabildanial00]

@@r423sdex from what i can tell all ps audio stuffs that amir had measured all perform to spec or better. its just that paul dont like amir's opinions on their performance, objectively speaking. its just a clash of 2 different ideologies.

[@BKWarren]

Of course they do, not because Amir is an expert but because he has generated quite a following and the manufacturers don't want their reputation trashed by the evangelists of ASR. Note all the objectivists bashing & challenging Paul here, a bit like a street-challenge.

[@usersky007]

Did Amir ever mentioned your name Paul? He measures equipment (the best he can), not much ad hominem. Different school, set of skills, quite a different level of (technical) education. A bit egocentric to imagine an entire club of people have resources to hate you guy :)

[@jsharp9735]

When will you publish the data to compare to ASR ?

[@thomasbarber4001]

The slur directed at Amir at ASR was unprofessional and inappropriate. If Paul believes that Amir's measurements are flawed, Paul should say this plainly and should produce his own measurements. As for the correct answer to the question he is addressing here, it makes no difference for any of the distances anyone is going to encounter in any ordinary home. Paul claims in effect that different speaker cables sound different and that short lengths of speaker cable will affect the sound in a way that you can hear. This is one of the oft-made claims that divide subjectivists and objectivists. When push comes to shove, subjectivist audiophiles insist that when they know whether they are listening to A or B, that they can genuinely hear differences that they cannot hear when they do not know whether they are listening to A or B.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Seriously? Unprofessional is STFU .

[@GingerAmberLynn]

Exactly. Smarmy and condescending comments like the one Paul just made in this video just make him and his product look bad.

[@ColocasiaCorm]

The toxic objectivists on asr give me no sympathy for amir.

[@andydelle4509]

Paul, I don't understand your idea that Amir's measurements are incorrect? He has the same AP analyzer you do and base measurements on audio components are pretty standard. And Amir does know how and what to measure. Therefore if you would provide your own measurements with your own AP analyzer, I would expect them to basically match with the test tolerances. Now if you mean sound quality cannot be measured electrically so Amir's measurements don't convey the true subjective LISTENING quality of your components, well that's a different argument and quite frankly nobody can settle that. But I hope you agree that standard electrical measurements of you gear should more or less match any calibrated measurement done by others. If not, then we can get into who's wrong under those more scientific conditions.

[@acbarnard]

It was bad form to take a pot shot at Amir. He’s highly qualified and is providing a valuable service for audiophiles who are sick and tired of snake oil salesmen in the industry. I’ll be looking forward to your published measurements.

[@GingerAmberLynn]

Exactly. Viewers of this channel aren't blind to Paul's smarmy way of dismissing someone he has yet to match in terms of objectivity and instruction.

[@vicweast]

Actually, I think the first shots were made by Amir ...repeatedly. Amir is so negative and actually snarky about how he does it that I think your patience would also wear thin by now. I'll also say this about Amir: I do not believe he is actually as knowledgeable as his viewers think. In many of the Amir videos I've watched, he makes comments that evidence a lack of understanding about such factors as non-audible harmonics. I also don't think that hooking a scope up to the end of a wire is going to tell you much of anything about how a piece of gear sounds. There really is no substitute (such as measuring) that will tell you if you are going to like the sound that actually comes from a piece of gear. A lab coat and safety goggles aren't what audiophiles are about, don't you think. I'll add that Amir seems to have a core following that is very vocal and many of their own comments evidence only a superficial understanding of what Amir suggests. That said: I would absolutely like PS Audio to undergo the kind of testing and reporting Paul was considering.n PS Audio is a great little American audio company. I've owned different pieces of their gear for decades and I have visited their previous location in Boulder. Paul is a decent person and Amir is wrong maligning him. I don't think Paul got close to the kind of negativity you see in Amir on a repeated basis. Peace.

[@eetu2532]

Paul, how do you explain that the Stereophile measurements correlate with ASR's (DirectStream DAC, M700). John Atkinson is not 'all that skilled' either?

[@tenveri]

Skilled when they meet the directive, unskilled when they dare have criticism...

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

Some of the measurements do line up and that is true. I think the point is to focus on which measurements matter. In the case of Stereophile, John's measurements showed fewer bits and what appeared to be distortion. After Ted helped John understand how these are fundamentally different than a PCM DAC and what the real story is when examing and measuring a DSD based DAC, John happily agreed and you can read his notes to the effect. When Ted tried to help Amir with the same understanding the results were arms folded and an unwillingness to learn. It's sad, because Amir's a nice and knowledgeable fellow.

[@rentabomb]

@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio That's just more next level BS Paul. Mola Mola produce a DSD based DAC and look at the difference from the same person that measured yours !! www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/mola-mola-tambaqui-dac-and-streamer-review.10770/ What's your excuse ?? Ted the genius needs to go back to school and get himself a proper engineering degree..

[@Paulmcgowanpsaudio]

@@rentabomb Sorry David, but I think it is you that needs to sharpen up your info a bit. I know you're trying hard to support Amir and ASR and somehow make Ted look like he doesn't know what he's doing-to what end I haven't a clue- but the facts are Ted's one of the brightest and best informed engineers in the industry. Period. I wish you had a chance to sit and talk with him. I think you'd really enjoy and benefit from that. In any case, to answer your question more directly, the Mola Mola is not a DSD based DAC. It does use noise shaping but it relies upon PWM as opposed to DSD which is PDM. Easy mistake to make (though I do wish you'd tone down your vitriol). From Mola Mola's website: "all incoming digital audio is upsampled to 3.125MHz/32 bits and converted to noise shaped PWM. On the other board are two mono DACs, in which a discrete 32- stage FIR DAC and a single-stage 4th order filtering I/V converter, convert the PWM into analogue with a breathtaking 130dB SNR." For your information, PWM is Pulse Width Modulation-same as what a Class D amplifier uses. DSD is based on PDM which is Pulse Density Modulation.

[@rentabomb]

@@Paulmcgowanpsaudio Well Paul maybe that is the mistake you made in the first place. You should have done what Mola Mola did and used PWM because the test results speak volumes for their design where it is back to the drawing board for you lot ;)

[@poochymama2878]

I think it would be great for you to actually publish your own measurements that show why the ASR measurements are wrong.

[@mnoble247]

Paul, a few screen shots of your own measurements will do more to debunk Amir than an entire video on the matter. Afaik Denon, Uptone Audio, and Schiit have all acknowledged problems with their products directly related to Amir's testing. Now UpTone dug in for 6 months stating they didn't have a problem. But Alex Crespi finally, and publicly, admitted that they had egg on their face.

[@bobaloo2012]

Which is easier, attack someone tellng the truth about your mediocre products or put up the proof? The answer is clear.

[@ctbarker321]

Paul, I've been with you since I built your "Source Preamp" long ago. I think it's a cheap shot at ASR. For example, there are two examples recently where ASR "amateur as you imply" measurements have resulted in product improvements. ASR is a "double E" and has a pretty good technical background. You should read his bio for instance (www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-bit-about-your-host.1906/) First, ASR tested the latest RMC Processor from Emotiva (I'm also a big fan). ASR tested the two channel outputs and discovered a significant error that Emotiva had missed in their testing. Emotiva replicated the problem (A DSP register setting error) and issued a firmware update. ASR retested and confirmed the fix. Second, ASR tested a Denon Processor and again found some flaws in the measurements. Denon reviewed and replied that they had a bad run of capacitors in their production which they corrected. Please tell me how this not good for the consumer as well as the manufacturer? I understand it is not always pleasant to have your products scrutinized and sometimes shown where the flaws are but in the end, it ups the game of everybody which is surely good for this industry? Having benchmarks that allow customers to compare the merits of products is not a bad thing and is pretty commonplace in other consumer products (e.g. cars, appliances, etc). I can't help thinking that when you say you are considering publishing your Audio Precision specs that it wasn't driven at some level by the work of ASR? I'm not a "Paul Hater". I just bought your Stellar Phono which I am enjoying. I do think you could improve your specs with your amps and DACs compared to the competition. Benchmark Amps and DACs for example. Also, I think it is telling that both John Siau (Benchmark) and Bruno Putseys (Purifi, Ncore) (which you praised in a recent video) have directly engaged ASR and posted responses and information which again leads to better products and understanding. Paul, please don't shoot the messenger.

[@andrewjames5218]

Good reply

[@doodskiman6404]

Audio Science Review has measurements available in the public domain for all to see. What measurements does PS Audio have in the public domain? Rather than slag Audio Science Review and Amir it would be more gentlemanly and more scientific for PS Audio to publish their version of measurements with the AP Analyzer. Then peeps can compare them. Differences of measurement may be due to methodology and they may not. Until PS Audio publishes it's own measurements this slagging of Audio Science Review is simply rhetoric and tossing stuff at the wall hoping it sticks.

[@NoEgg4u]

There are measurements that our ears can take for which no mechanical measuring equipment exists. Anyone that shows electronic measurements that conclude that different interconnects make no difference in the sound of a stereo is missing some key aspect of what needs to be measured. You can show me measurements to the moon, and that does not tell me how a stereo sounds. The only measurement that tells you whether one interconnect sounds better or worse than some other interconnect... the only tool designed to take such measurements is your ears. And your ears are only part of the testing equipment. The rest of the testing equipment is the stereo. If you use high-end interconnects in a stereo you purchased at Walmart, the test is meaningless. With a good pair of ears, and a quality stereo, professionally set-up in a treated room, you will hear the difference between interconnects.

[@doodskiman6404]

@@NoEgg4u What measurements are these? What is your background in electron flow physics?

[@NoEgg4u]

@@doodskiman6404 Define "these". How is my background in electron flow physics relevant?

[@doodskiman6404]

@@NoEgg4u What measurements are these you speak of? Any person with a formal education in electron flow and some RF theory will know that interconnects do not sound different unless something is taken away from the signal.

[@NoEgg4u]

@@doodskiman6404 My measurements are done with my ears. No other measurements matter. If the product sounds bad, I do not buy it. If the product sounds great, and is affordable, I do buy it. As to "...unless something is taken away from the signal" Then all interconnects have something taken away from the signal, because they all have difference sonic character. Also, I do not need to have taken an advanced course in the culinary arts to know when a meal tastes great. My taste buds do the measuring. I do not need a degree in any of the sciences to hear which interconnects sound best. My ears do the measuring.

[@jamescoltart2241]

You are IMHO just peddling snake oil products and this review is pure comedy gold. Avoid avoid avoid.

[@graxjpg]

“Here i go babbling” LOL I love how he continued his thought after injecting that.

[@sebdhaese]

Going after Amir? That is low, man. What do you know about his skill level or methods?

[@vintageflanker7096]

I guess he knows enough since the PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC performed terrible on the bench and the review got a lot of attention... When Amir measured Stellar Icepower-based power amps, they got good reviews because they were good enough. That's it: If a product measures bad, Amir will give it a bad review. If not, he won't. As simple as that. No need to rage against that, Paul.😌

[@NoEgg4u]

@@vintageflanker7096 Would you spend $5,000 on a stereo, based on someone giving it great measurements? When I shop for stereo equipment, asking for measurements is a zero on my list of questions. I listen to the equipment. If it sounds fantastic, then why should I care about how it measured?

[@vintageflanker7096]

@@NoEgg4u Answer to first question: Yes. I spent more than 5000€ on gears based on measurements only. And, surprise, my stereo system sounds wonderful at the end!😉 Second: Measurments and audibility ARE NOT different things. If it sounds one way or another, then it is measurable that way. Your ears (as mine) are far less reliable than State Of The Art measurment gear, you would be extremely pretentious claiming the opposite. "High Fidelity " (transparency, by the very meaning of it) is measurable all the way. You have right to like more some very specific euphonic signatures (warm, bright, 2nd harmonic distortion... etc etc). That's perfectly fine, but then, this is not transparency anymore.

[@NoEgg4u]

@@vintageflanker7096 My neighbor bought a $5,000 stereo from a catalog, knowing nothing about the specs; knowing nothing about the measurements, and he loves his stereo. So he got lucky, as did you. My neighbor also closed his eyes, counted to 10, and crossed the street. He now tells people that there is no need to use caution when crossing the street. You are correct that testing equipment will do a better job at measuring than what our ears can measure. But that statement is true only for what the testing equipment is designed to measure. It is pretentious of you to assert that testing equipment can measure everything, bar none, that our ears hear. It is pretentious of you to, by extension, tell folks that will be designing future testing equipment that they should seek other fields of science, because you are telling them that all of that measuring equipment already exists. You are telling them that you can already test everything that we can hear. The field of development for testing what we can hear has reached its pinnacle. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that our ears hear that cannot be measured. It is pretentious of you to tell readers that folks in the lab are able to duplicate the wonders of what mother nature creates in the womb. It is pretentious of you to tell readers that each piece lab equipment can process that which it is designed to process, and all of the lab equipment can combine their results, with perfect timing, and can instantly process all of the results to determine what is best. That is what our ears do with the cooperation of our brains for the processing of what we hear. I would like to see someone set-up a pair of speakers, based on measurements. -- I would like to see them determine if the speakers should be towed in or out a ¼ inch for better sound. -- I would like to see them determine if the speakers should be placed a ½ further back or forward for better sound. -- I would like to see them determine if the speakers should be tilted up or down a ¼ inch for better sound. There are established norms for speaker placement and room dimensions. But those critical last fractions of an inch will yield the best results based on our ears. There are department store speakers that measure better than Wilson Alexxa speakers. There are department store receivers that measure better than Audio Research separates. To anyone that wants a great sounding stereo: Save your money and run to Macy's for the best measurements and, therefore, the best sound quality.

[@vintageflanker7096]

@@NoEgg4u For the most part: Man, you're mad. You're really mad... By profession, I know a lot of psychologists, if you're interested. For all: "I would like to see someone set up...": It already exists: www.amazon.com/Sound-Reproduction-Psychoacoustics-Loudspeakers-Engineering/dp/113892136X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=floyd+toole&qid=1598899078&sprefix=floyd+too&sr=8-1 Cheers.😘

[@SpeakerBuilder]

This partly depends on the volume at which one intends to play their system. At very high volumes, the vibrations of the sound waves will begin to effect the performance of the components, which calls for locating the components at a greater distance from the speakers, such as in an adjacent room. Such a setup necessitates long balanced input cables, which is what Paul is doing with his IRS 5 system. But most of us listen at moderate volumes where this is not really an issue, so components can be located in the listening room, and amps can be close enough to the speakers to require no more than 10 feet of speaker cable which minimizes the additional burden on the amp. But in addition, I have a triamp system which, first of all, calls for three sets of speaker wire which drives me to keep the leads short to keep the cost down, and second of all involves a very simple impedance load to the amps so the speaker lead is less of an issue. Further, I can select certain speaker wires for each amp based on what will work best for the frequency range involved.

[@emilybowman6415]

What the hell are you running, 30 gauge? It would be extraordinary for sound waves to induce more than a microscopic current on typical 12 gauge wire.

[@zeusapollo8688]

Pro sound is long runs of balanced input and long speaker cables...

[@homerjones3291]

By long runs, I’ve used 250 feet snakes (bunches of balanced cables bound together in one sleeve) with at least 50 feet of speaker cables, and that was a small club setup. Not sure how many bands are running a separate sound board hundreds of feet away from the stage anymore, but lots of bands did. You never ran a high impedance/unbalanced cable that far unless you wanted noise and lack of highs.

[@vintageflanker7096]

Paul, I appreciate you somehow, but seriously... Raging against Amir's skills and ASR... While 90% of the time, you don't say ANY technical argument to back your claims (as this video demonstrates). "It sounds different. Trust me, It sounds very different. There's a big big difference. Why? Because I say so. Period." You say you have the skill that Amir don't, and same equipment. Just publish your own measurments, then. Still, tier-measurments are always necessary to check the truth, IMHO. Plus, I would me more worried about measurments to prove all the claims you made in your videos: electronics burn in, power cables, cables in general, streaming Vs physical etc etc.... Cheers.😉

[@2mikelim]

The shorter the cable/interconnect, the better. Ideally there should be no cable/interlink at all! These wires are just posing a challenge for the electron flow, which ideally should face no challenge/resistance at all. So 0.5m interconnect sounds twice as fast as a 1m length. Electrons need traverse only half the distance. Similarly a 2m cable over a 4m one.

[@filippiasec]

Hey Paul, I disagree on the cables and thier impact, but that's not a reason to hate! I like your videos, and Im always into a good discussion. I just might learn something new.

[@jimshaw899]

There are, as you know, a lot of measurements that no manufacturer reveals. Since PS Audio has all the latest measuring equipment, perhaps you should widen the scope of published test data for components to items that can impact results, but which are presently overlooked by the industry. This widening of test data, and the publishing of it, could enhance PSA's standing in high end stuff. Aren't we all longing for voltage, current, and power vs. THD and IM distortion at frequencies other than 1KHz? What about ratings over the audible spectrum at maximum 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1% THD and IM? What about nose and distortion at 1 watt (which is where we hear a lot of music and detail)? And what about phase angles changes over the spectrum? What are the capabilities of the unit's power supply? What can it withstand in variation and noise. Are there dynamic test items that show its superiority? It is little wonder why 'audiophiles' should put little faith in present measurements; the scope of those measurements is so narrow as to be essentially meaningless, worse obfuscating, to the music. Be a pioneer in the industry. Measurements and specifications need not be totally meaningless to users. I acknowledge that measurements don't mean everything; one's ears are generally better than that. But setting new standards for published measurement could make PS Audio stand out in the crowd in being customer centric. PSA doesn't have to do it all at once; add one or two reported test items at a time, and make that a standard of future test items to report across the lines. -Already sorry I wrote all this.

[@CraftAero]

Then how can they sell single crystal oxygen free oriented interconnects ?

[@CraftAero]

@Fat Rat Sorry, those are extra. Would you 'Standard', 'Premium' or 'Elite' electrons ?

[@NoEgg4u]

@@CraftAero How can you indirectly bash a product you never demoed?

[@CraftAero]

@@NoEgg4u Math. A 0.00002% improvement under laboratory conditions does not translate (scale) well to your needs.

[@NoEgg4u]

@@CraftAero Please define "laboratory conditions". Please define what you label "improvement". What got improved? And what was the #1 thing that was used as the baseline that some other thing was an improvement over the #1 thing? How can you indirectly bash a product you never demoed?

[@rw80]

Basic knowledge about Ohm's law shows that short speaker cables are the best. Preferably short interconnects as well of course, but the question is probably asked because someone didn't have the possibility to have both. The reason why short speaker cables are better is very simpel: the impedance of loudspeakers is very low compared to the inputimpedance of a power amp. You want to have the highest possible damping factor and that depends on the output impendance of the amp/impedance of the cable and the impedance of the speaker. E.g. speaker is 4 Ohm, output impedance is 0,01 Ohm, which results in a damping factor of 400. Adding just a few 10ths of Ohm by longer cables drastically reduces the damping factor. So the amp designer did his utmost best to have the lowest possible output impedance which is than ruined by the speaker cable. Another factor is signal losses. Speaker cables carry real currents, so I^2*R results in power loss. So speaker cables should be as short as possible. Than the interconnects. Because of the high input impedance of the power amp, there's just a very small current flowing. I.e. hardly any power loss with longer cables. The only negative aspect of long signal cables is that they could pick up external noise signals. But that can easily be compensated with balanced cables, -inputs and -outputs. PA systems in large venues use long, balanced signal cables and short speaker cables or even active loudspeakers (cables can't be much shorter than in active speakers).

[@mikecoffee100]

Keep up The Great Vids and Hello From Vancouver Canada

[@supersonicboy75]

In all your time you have never ever published any measurements or methodology for critical review by your peers. These videos dressed up as friendly chummy Q&As are a platform to advertise. All these years later and you still can’t give details on why you think your transport is superior just vague words like ‘digital lens’. Marketing blurb. Meaningless. Show us your measurements and methodology for critical appraisal.

[@johnberard330]

How about using your ears troll.

[@supersonicboy75]

John Berard because they are as reliable as your opinion, gullible. You must hate engineers using measurements to build, optimise and prove safety and efficiency of aeroplanes and cars and would much rather rely on marketing BS and subjective whims. Another pseudo-intellectual we have here. Why can’t we just rely on our senses, hmmmm where do we start with answering such an elementary question....

[@johnberard330]

@@supersonicboy75 Sorry to hear you have to rely on measurements due to your bad hearing boy. I am glad I don't have that problem. Bye boy.

[@supersonicboy75]

John Berard you won’t address the points about infallibility of human senses and would rather sit at the feet of Grandpa Paul and hang on his last word before you had over your cash.

[@r423sdex]

@@johnberard330 he may have better hearing than you !!! Only by having your hearing measured will we know. Oh forgot "measurments" count for nothing, well only in the audio industry !!!

[@realitykicksin8755]

If Amir tests DAC from PS Audio and then subsequently test a DAC from other brands (Say Aurelic) and finds that the noise distortion seperation and linearity from the other brands is 60dB better ... then can you really say with a straight face that Amir is trying ... implying that he did not measure correctly. PS Audio is clearly losing credibility with this statement. Perhaps start listening to you customers instead of toying with them.

[@steverogers7611]

I almost wrote in with this exact question

[@PLFORTE1]

Thanks so much for revisiting this one!! I've recently been obsessing over replacing all of my home audio interconnect cables with higher quality cables and I'm wondering how much it really matters since I'm mostly dealing with cables under 6-'ft, in fact it's mostly 0.5-2ft connections. I do have a few parts of my setup where I need to do 20-30 feet, or even 35 feet cable runs, but otherwise I try to keep my components as close together as possible so I can use super-short interconnects. What are your thoughts on this? Do you need high end cables for short interconnects in a home audio environment, or is it only really only important for distances of 10-20 feet or more? thanks again for doing these videos!

[@finscreenname]

IMHO quality of cable no matter how long it is.

[@skrutinizr9372]

Amazon Basics and Monoprice interconnects are going to give you as good of a signal as the "boutique" brands for people who like to brag about what they have- you know, like Paul and his pizza oven. Science matters, but people like Paul claim to have magic ears and they don't think science matters. Don't throw your money at these snake oil salesmen.

[@stevemann3078]

Paul thank you for all your videos over the years giving great suggestions and ideas on audio equipment. I was just wondering in a scenario is it better to go with two subwoofers or run a separate and run other speakers you know that you could run them at 60 hertz would that give a more proper. clean signal I know it's easier to go with two subwoofers because you can either have two subs out from your AVR receiver. Just curious what your thought on the two scenario options would be except for amplifier or two subwoofers to run extra speakers I'm thinking separate for me but it could vary for other people thank you Paul,

[@santhakumar2460]

Thanks Sir for the info

[@poserwanabe]

Whenever possible, run the amps AT the speakers keeping speaker wire short, put the front end wherever you want with balanced lines, done.

[@markwagner1997]

Wow, a "portable pizza oven" that requires 4 people to move it! I'd love to see your portable stereo! 😃😃 Thanks for another good video... I always enjoy them!

[@boblee5524]

Yeah and his smartphone is a red British telephone box!!!

[@pyrolinn2088]

I guess when your speakers are Infinity IRS V the oven does seem portable...

[@Ineedtotakeabreak]

Just get a soundbar and a $5000 HDMI cable.

[@epg2501]

Nice Napoleon Grill too! I have one!:)

[@Projacked1]

Both as short as possible....job done....and it looks better.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

That's what I did. Mirror image monoblock amps with input on one side and speaker out on the other helped.

[@legrandmaitre7112]

Just make sure you burn in all these expensive cables - hey, that bbq oven looks handy!

[@montynorth3009]

My experience of long interconnects is that they are prone to pick up extraneous hum and noise.

[@pbhrbb]

They can be. If they are balanced, and if the gear at each end is well designed, they shouldn't be. I used to run my live sound system, Mixer to amp around 100ft, because that was the multicore I had, and it was always quiet as a grave with no signal - even if you were stupid enough to put your ear up to the speaker. If unbalanced, a bit of debugging may be needed, and maybe good quality transformers (eg www.jensen-transformers.com) to balance the signal, but it really depends on how far from Amp to speakers.

[@user-cb3rq1zy3k]

Which is the best option : Unbalanced long interconnect cable vs short speaker cable. (for distance ± 30 feet). Thanks.

[@TheTrueVoiceOfReason]

I sure do miss the "Paul days" of 'well, that all depends...' Have a great weekend Paul and all.

[@veteq101]

I really don't understand the debate around speaker cables not making a difference. Is it possible that people claiming that it doesn't make a difference never tried a cable that was not purchased at home depot? My wife and I just spent the last 5 days testing 3 different cables, Nordast frey, audioquest robin hood and lampwire from home depot with nice banana plugs at the end and without exception, she was able to tell me which ones were connected. I am not saying that one is better than the other but there was a noticeble difference. One has no Bass or treble, One had great bass and less treble and one had more treble and almost no bass (like the sub in the speaker was off).

[@poserwanabe]

In a ABX test, how much money would you be willing to bet on this ?? Also, where do you live ?

[@marianneoelund2940]

@@poserwanabe I want to join that party.

[@poserwanabe]

@@marianneoelund2940 Easy money right? 😂🤣

[@geoff37s38]

veteq101 it is called “confirmation bias”.

[@veteq101]

@@geoff37s38 It is not, my wife, on a blind test, was able to tell wish cable I used 3 our 3 tests. I am starting to believe that some people's system might not be very reviling and in that case a cable might not show a difference.

[@arkman8109]

Great design, large over hang and store front style windows. I already have plans for my next house to be that style

[@geoff37s38]

It depends on your definition of “long”. Audio cables of lengths typically of a few metres long do not require expensive and special materials or construction. Just buy reasonably priced, well constructed products and ensure good electrical contacts at terminal points, use 12 or 14 gauge twin wire for speakers, this is all that is required. You can buy super expensive cables and you will hear an improvement, but nobody else will. Roger Russell - a former engineer and speaker designer for McIntosh Labs - details how expensive speaker wire brand marketing misinforms consumers in his online essay called Speaker Wire - A History. He writes, "The industry has now reached the point where [wire] resistance and listening quality are not the issues any more, although listening claims may still be made...The strategy in selling these products is, in part, to appeal to those who are looking to impress others with something unique and expensive..” www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

[@frankestrada4963]

As far as speaker cables go, is there a general consensus or definition of what is considered “long” or “short?”

[@geoff37s38]

Frank Estrada It depends on wire gauge and speaker impedance. Aim for cable to be no more than 5% of speaker nominal impedance. E.g. for an 8 Ohm speaker and 14 gauge wire 80 feet or 25 Metres is approximate maximum recommended length. For a 4 Ohm speaker it is 40 feet/12 metres. Heavier gauge wire will increase possible length, thinner wire will decrease possible length.

[@marcop680]

As an italian guy I put a thumb up just for the pizza owen! ...just kidding, always a pleasure to listen Paul's enlightening words. Paul, please, what aobut unbalanced cables vs. speakers cables? same answer? thanks

[@markclancy5371]

I would love to see tests & comparisons on normal usage!.like RCA to balanced on runs under a 1meter to speaker cable on runs around 3 to 4metres mark which is probably average not 20ft plus.

[@ThinkingBetter]

The technically ideal system of tomorrow is a tube free system with a pair of carefully optimized audiophile active speakers with DSP cross-over and digital audio cables connected to a head unit that does the high-res master file digital audio playback decoding, EQ incl. audiophile loudness and volume control. But where do I find that?

[@adelkharisov]

Genelec The Ones are those, aren’t they?

[@ThinkingBetter]

@@adelkharisov Interesting speakers. I would love to take a listen to those. There are a few speaker options in this category. More will come.

[@ThinkingBetter]

Fat Rat Yes, looks like done with very competent engineering. You know, the future audiophile system in terms of reaching best performance is done better in such way and all you need other than such speakers is a Mac Mini or similar to run the show. Forget about a rack of boxes. Sorry to those making boxes.

[@poserwanabe]

@@ThinkingBetter hey I love building racks !!

[@ThinkingBetter]

@@poserwanabe I'm with you on that. I also like to play with boxes. Still, from an audio performance perspective, if you want the best, an optimized integration is better, if done well. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJvagaFnhdZjoJI

[@janinapalmer8368]

Can you send me a pizza 🍕 menu please ... I definitely agree with the long balanced signal lines ... though speaker cables can be long if the terminal impedance is high 8 ohms plus ...

[@Mark-lq3sb]

Hey Paul, (off topic) Just received my August copy of PS Audio Newsletter. Excited to see and read about the new CD player. Will you be offering trade-in when these hit the market? Sure hope so! ...and I'll take a pepperoni, black olives, green peppers, and extra cheese, Please!

[@walterstorm9221]

Love the pizza oven!!!! Been trying to perfect pizza myself for years lol!!! yes, never the same :P Such an art!

[@boblee5524]

800 degrees? Damn...are you trying to melt Arsenic or Ytterbium? OkOk you are talking Fahrenheit right?

[@fernandozegarraaudio8144]

Perhaps the question is not well formulated, so at first it did not make sense to me. He must be wondered long interconnection vs long speaker cables.

[@cengeb]

But what kind of salt did you put in the dough?

[@richardvannoy7230]

“Opinions” don’t matter. They’re subjective. Give me measurements, and how you did the measurements, any day.

[@thegrimyeaper]

They don't matter either. My penis doesn't measure much, but boy does it give me a lot.

[@scottyo64]

@Fat Rat Maybe his dingy reaches his ears?

[@NickP333]

I’m laughing so much at these responses! Bravo, guys!

[@noco-pf3vj]

Funny when you mentioned Amir, Paul. Audio is a small but very hostile community.

[@tonystevenson6068]

Probably the best way to go is a power amp at each speaker with short speaker cable and long interconnect to preamp,no!! Tony.

[@alex-wk7mq]

long balanced interlinks

[@Tom_Losh]

For my home systems my preferred setup for a few decades has been to have all the source devices near the listening area so I can pop in a new disc, tape, whatever without having to get up and walk across the room to do it. I also keep the control pre-amp in the listening area so I can fiddle with the controls any time I want, no remotes required. The power amps are over by the speakers, generally between the main speakers, with short massive speaker cables. The connection between these widely separated units is at line level (600 ohm broadcast line level, not high impedance "home" line levels) over balanced lines. In my humble opinion, this gives ME the best overall setup for MY purposes. Disclaimer: I spent time working in broadcast FM and TV stations, a little time in recording studios, and am used to seeing miles and miles of balanced line audio.

[@finscreenname]

We have seen the system at PSA Audio where it sits back where the seats are (because of it having a turntable). It has to be 20+ feet away from the speakers. My thing is balance. Same length speaker cables and interconnects the same but as short as possible. My Turntable is 3 watts. No reason to make it push through 15 foot interconnect. Please Paul never think I'm part of the Hate Paul Club. I will challenge what imho I think you are off the wall about but never hate.

[@brettarsenault6573]

I absolutely want a pizza dough recipe video!!!

[@yesacoustic]

I imagine the "Hate Paul Club" would have very few members. We love you. Never miss your vids.

[@mrubengmail]

I would certainly hope the "Hate Paul Club" would have very few members, hopefully zero - because hating Paul isn't the point. It's about the routinely duplicitous arguments he makes in his videos, not about any emotional feeling towards the man (who seems very nice). If folks enjoy PS Audio products, good for them. But some PS Audio products measure well, and some don't. And some do what they claim, and some don't (and can't). The reason folks critique Mr. McGowan's videos is because he makes baseless claims of superior fidelity from PS Audio products and frequently seeks to bolster his authority as he does here: "I could take measurements too, and they would be better than Amir's measurements of our products, and I could explain to you why, and we could publish our own measurements... but I'm not actually going to explain why, and I'm not actually going to publish those measurements." When someone takes that tack, they should expect criticism of their line of reasoning and argumentation.

[@r423sdex]

I like Paul, but some of ps audio component measurements are very poor, considering the price.

[@adelkharisov]

Gotham GAC 4/1 Ultra Pro is a 5 times shielded Quad microphone cable and it seems to be the best Cu cable option for a very long run.

[@billhause8847]

Love your videos. Where can I get one of those cool PS Audio shirts?

[@markclancy5371]

@Fat Rat you get 1 free from ali express direct from China with a fake PS Audio Amp.

[@rentabomb]

There is no need to be condescending to the tester on ASR ! You had the AP equipment all along and yet you released this broken design of a DAC into the public arena and made up some BS marketing wank about how it could extract information from a CD never before heard ! And now that the design has been exposed for what it is you want to shoot the messenger ! Yes for all of the distortion it produces it is little wonder you make the claim that it produces information never heard from a CD :D LOL

[@bikdav]

You need to start a separate cooking channel with your experience.

[@GeraldGarcia]

Proud "Amir club" member here.

[@dimitriapproved]

I watched this video with cheap cables and didn't make much sense. I'll have to watch it again with upgraded cables.

[@charlesferguson6678]

The thing I wonder about is which run of wire is most susceptible to interference and noise. Which part of the signal path suffers the most from interference. A DAC would suffer more from a dirty signal than speakers? I don't know the answer, but that's the question I ask

[@RealHIFIHelp]

Long signal cables dampens the sound and creates more noise. That sometimes sounds really good in a mellow/released type of way, especially on crap gear to avoid showing too much detail. But usually when dealing with a top system you want shorter cables for more focus/attack/coupling.

[@georgelien]

Again ? Yes, a different location. A different Paul. : )

[@scottyo64]

I perfer long xlr interconnects & short speaker wires although I do the oposite. Waiting to change this once I move again.

[@gregrop4857]

Gr research. I think that's right I'll edit it's not

[@glennarcher986]

It doesn’t matter to me as long as the cables and interconnects haven’t been dipped in snake oil!!😂

[@chrisboylan4599]

4-5 meters is what d Aussie has.

[@bc527c]

Apple wood works nicely in Pizza ovens. Any speaker cables laying on concrete is not a good thing (just saying, in case someone has cement floors), and length has effect. When one is, more or less, obsessed with tuning their rig, it's amazing how a small change -anywhere in the room- can have such noticeable effect. I'm not just talking cables, but even something like moving a chair...

[@edwardhahn4911]

Put your papers in the pizza oven.

[@homerjones3291]

The papers all come out the same - burnt to a crisp.

[@bilguana11]

Analysis Plus cables.

[@necrodh]

i just measure the correct ohms, voltage, amps in a cable, i dont care if they are made of a special cooper from marz and shielded against AK-47 atacks

[@ccovemaker]

Friendliest shots fired ever.

[@tjkadar]

If the equipment is the same, instead of publishing just the measurements, why don't you publish the measuring methodology? In this way, the measurement methodology will be the same and the results verified.

[@StewartMarkley]

That is a deep dig? More like a deep ramble. Paul couldn't even get the title right. Long interconnects versus LONG speaker cables is the issue. Maybe Paul needs to go get a cognizance test. Maybe go visit Biden in his basement and get a BOGO discount.

[@Jakevoss96]

Amirm is a Topping salesman nothing less and certainly nothing more

[@Yiannis2112]

45 meters is almost 150 feet

[@ApEsXiT]

"4 to 5 meters"

[@Yiannis2112]

@@ApEsXiT Oh right! My bad! I thought something was off...why would anyone talk about such long distances anyway...Apparently my ears are off lol

[@johndaddabbo9383]

The Preamp to Amp balanced cable for PS Audio's IRS setup is currently 15 meter (50 ft}.

[@philnicol8072]

# I know it's all about Resistance. * But late at night, a pepperoni pizza is something i can't Resist . Load the oven!

[@philnicol8072]

@Fat Rat Short runs of speaker cable. Between 10-12 AWG. Even if we can't hear the audible difference, it's good just to have mass loads of copper on the floor anyway.

[@philnicol8072]

@Fat Rat Keeping the RCA length down to 1 metre would knock out any chance of interference occurring with your analogue RCA signals. In general thicker speaker wire (12 AWG) ups the bass output to the speaker a little. Hence knocking down the treble on notes. I've learnt a lot from the website: AudioHolics. I knew nothing before learning from these guys I'm no electrician by any means! ⚡

[@NickP333]

Paul, I betcha can make some great sauce for those pizzas with the way your tomatoes are coming in this year. Now I’m gonna have to order a pizza before the day is over.

[@NickP333]

Fat Rat Haha! Rat, ya certainly make me laugh, and I wasn’t about to talk about cable length again! Why not tomatoes instead? Haha

[@edg5367]

You got the wood burning oven. All ya have to do is get rid of that gas grill and get a true BBQ. Just say’n. You the man Paul keep on truckn dude

[@alex_stanley]

Grilling and barbecuing are two entire different cooking processes.

[@edg5367]

Alex Stanley I’m very well aware of that thank you very little. That was the poin

[@kdomster9141]

Paul, we trust our ears and we put snake oil / placebo hate campaigns into sour urban legends of cheap and jealous audiophile wannabes....😄

[@r423sdex]

k domster what do you sound like !!!

[@kdomster9141]

@@r423sdexHow do I sound like...? May not be the smoothest but message gets thru.... 😂

[@r423sdex]

You use the word "cheap", like the more you spend the better it is, well dream on with that one !!!

[@kdomster9141]

@@r423sdex Sorry The less you spend the better your wallet feels ...😉

[@mippymoo069]

Yer do a pizza vid :)

[@m.9243]

Couldn't agree more.. Give someone an oscilloscope and, all over sudden, you have an 'expert' engineer! ...and a very opinionated one at that!

[@richardvannoy7230]

First to view!