eddie-baby

yep, so we are back to Keiths well made OFC, it is the best option and the cheapest. The trouble is some systems have very little in the way of tone control, they might not even have tone controls, so putting a cable in for effect can help to make you enjoy a system more.

Yes it had big bass by switching the solid core, he was using it with quite a big system and the effect was dramatic. The dealer said we sell it all the time to people with bright thin systems and it always does the trick. Its not the best and there are better and more balanced cables he said but it works for that. I honestly since then thought it was a solid core thing but perhaps I was generalising. I have to say I'm with Keith there are some great unbranded cable out there just ofc dirt cheap! The only trouble is it really is a lucky dip and you have no idea of what their characteristics are. But its usually subtle with cables anyway unless you really rock radically different designs such as Nordost or Solid Cores against OFC, then you might hear some strong variations in presentation. I gave up spending too much on cable when I was having trouble telling a £80 per meter cable from a £15 per meter. The thing is though if you are looking specifically for some characteristics on the presentation (like a warm effect) well some known branded cables can kind of guarantee it over just randomly buying well made OFC.

That wasn't my experience when I was comparing cables many years ago, in fact it was a dealer who showed me the difference between a few initially. After that I did some comparing myself at home. Audioquest use to be quite a warm sounding cable, solid core, emphasised bass and rolled off treble and the vocals came across warm, it was useful if there was a bright system. Really cant remember the specs now or if the new stuff has the same effect. I'd be interested to know if it did actually. When the dealer first demo'd the Audioquest for me years ago it was literally like turning the tweeters down and adding a bass boost. I tried a few Van D Hulls, they kind of had the effect also, however not so much. I always put it down to the solid core perhaps so that might be worth exploring.

That is exactly what I mean. I don't want to have paid a small fortune (for me) for the best dac I've heard or can afford then listen to it but miss some of its minutiae detail and nuances that its capable of because I've stuck a DSP in the chain. I would though like to be able to adjust frequencies and levels so that it reacts better to the room or can tame things that are possibly overblown or under pronounced. The DSPs I have all tried so far just don't cut it for me as much as they 'could potentially do'. I would like to use one as a tool also where I could make my own speakers better than relying on what manufacturers provide you with, one size fits all crossovers. For me I feel well designed passives are just better even if limited. Or I even have some speakers which have no crossovers at all but then you really are at the mercy of well designed drivers and how it pairs with the rest of your equipment.

Oh I see So far it has been my experience though. Unless it's put before the dac then I can't see them ever being totally transparent ever. Even then it could effect the sound over not having it. If you like the sound of your well designed dac, oh naturel. But it's just like if you swap cables from your source to your amp its going to change (interfere) with the signal. I can't see why anyone would think a complicated box of electronics would be any different, if it improves what you like great, but if it takes something away, or adds something you don't, even if it improves something else, not so great. It's all about if you really need it and if your happy to live with it. Everything is a compromise in audio. We use to live with scratchy records, then when everything went hyper clarity and low noise with CD, people started complaining its good but it doesn't sound nice any more. But that would be generalising because they just havn't found the right dac.

Not saying they are all the same, neither is PS, that's why he's trying it and trading one for another to see if he can fully use dsp the way he really wants to. I can understand what he is trying to achieve.

It's a double edged sword I suppose. If your adding any sort of box your adding extra for your music to go through, if it enhances what's there in the first place great. But if it's already good it's just the adjustment bit you want without any extra anything.

But they don't that's the trouble. That's why he's box swapping to find one that interferes the least if I understand it. They may let you adjust so you get a better overall frequency but as for the quality, they don't improve it. If anything they take something away and make sound quality worse if you already have good sound quality. But the control and parameters you can adjust on them is the what makes them so appealing.

Please let me know if you do. Hopefully you share with us on here. Give me a nudge if I miss it please.

Hmm, I think you might have a quest on your hands finding something to achieve what you want. I'd be interested to know if you do find it. Please let me know. I still think the best option may be to do the tinkering before any dac, the trouble is you can't do the full active crossover thing then, just EQ basically. I'm waiting /watching to see what happens with DSPs.

Interesting, thanks for sharing 👍

Wow, they are nice. Any with the grills off. Nice contemporary photo that as well.

That would have wreaked havoc with my habit!

Labour of love though

I imagine it's not a bad place to work either.