[kphooligann]

It's past time that I introduce myself.  Apparently, I've been a member since 2009!

I  bought my first system in 1978 or 1979 with money earned by delivering the Lancaster New Era.  It consisted of a Yamaha CR 420 receiver, a JVC QLF 4 turntable and, initially, AudiTechnica electret headphones.  Epicure Ten speakers were added later.  I started out with phones and vinyl.  I don't miss the latter and still love the former.

I don't believe interconnects or speaker wire contribute to the sound of a system.  As far as I'm concerned this works for me.  If others disagree, then we will have to agree to disagree.  I've had too many college level courses in physics and electrical engineering to think otherwise.  I wouldn't trust a demo either.  That amounts to trusting an audio salesman.  Who has probably mastered slight of hand and the power of suggestion.  So, copper is copper, gold is gold, silver is silver, and aluminum is aluminum.  These elements conduct electricity and that is all cables and interconnects do.

I do believe amplifiers effect the sound of a system.  I prefer pulse width modulating power amplifiers, a completely analogue technology also known as digital amplification.  It may surprise some but, there is no A to D or D to A conversion in a digital amplifier.  I also prefer Class A pre-amps and headphone amps.  Although objectivists say this is nonsense, I say I only have to satisfy my own sense of logic in this hobby.

Currently, I listen to Sennheiser HD 700, Audioquest Nighthawk and NAD VISO HP 50 headphones through an Audeze Deckard amp fed by an Audioengine B1 bluetooth receiver. I stream the overwhelming majority of the music I listen to.  I also have system consisting of another Audioengine B1 and a Marantz CD6005 feeding a miniDSP DDRC-24 feeding a class D audio CDA 250c power amplifier driving Fluance XL7f speakers.  The Fluance speakers are a real weakness and are better suited for HT.  Should have bought used.  Looking to upgrade them eventually.

So those are some of my opinions and my current audio inventory.

Good Morning!

[FullRangeMan]

Welcome Kphooligann
The heat spreads in differently ways in these metals you mentioned, and electricity also the same, thus arising sound differences in cables from the electrical propagation characteristics of these metals, for misfortune of poor pocket audiophiles as I.

[Phil A]

Welcome to AC!

[JLM]

Welcome.

We seem to share vintage and cable beliefs. 

And yes you could do much better for speakers.

[dB Cooper]

Welcome to the sweet spot, kphooligann!

I agree with almost everything you say. Even if you stipulate the supposed differences between different types of cabling, these differences/improvements are- at the very least- grossly overstated (and never survive blind testing, which they should if the differences were "night and day" as people often assert). As an example, just a couple days ago, a member who was looking for some help posted some photos of a room with gross, obvious acoustics problems.  He needs some sort of room treatments, or to rearrange to a 'near field' style setup, or to give up and use headphones (which obviously remove room effects from the equation). All of these suggestions were made in the thread, and will produce results, but one of the suggestions he received was to get "warmer sounding" speaker cables. Puh-LEEZ.

Spend yer own money however it floats yer boat; personally, I think that the effects of $xxx-xxxx* spent on room treatments will dwarf a similar amount spent on cabling.

This topic in general is a good way to start a long thread that ends in a flame war and the Intergalactic Wastebin, and it would be a shame if that happened to your first post, so I'll just come back to Live and let live and Welcome to the forums.


*Room treatments need not be extremely expensive either; I have hung quilts on walls to very good effect.

[ArthurDent]

Greetings & Welcome to AC kphooligann 

[brooklyn]