Cable guy

Hey all,
I have now sold my SN3 in favor of a 555PS to my NDS and have a 282nd as well as Nap200DR. I have a pair of Audiovector SR1AA. My question is whether I should go loose on cables and net filters or whether I should continue with the black boxes. I have standard cables today, no filters and Chord Epic twin to the speakers. Understand that this is an impossible question but would be grateful if anyone can give a hint on how to think?

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You will find views from one extreme to the other, with descriptions of cables varying from very minor effect to ‘night and day’, better than a black box upgrade, and no matter how many of one response vs the other, or whatever between, you will only know if you hear it yourself, in your system, in your room, and with your ears. So even if someone else has the exact same system that us no guarantee of how it will work for you. Oh, and some people might have a tendency to hyperbole…

My experience (my systems, my rooms, my ears) is that cables have only minor or negligible effect, so decent quality non-boutique cables - e.g Mogami or Carnane for interconnects - at least until you’ve reached your end game for boxes. And most people ignore the room, which at its worst can have a greater effect than almost anything else, and can always be limiting if there are problems not addressed.

As for ethernet cables (and switches) the two current threads should make it clear …as mud!

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I don’t no what you mean by net filters, but if it’s about optimising your network I think it’s well worth doing. For about £150 or less you can get some cat 6A cables and a Cisco switch. No need to spend loads.

You should certainly get a Hicap DR or Supercap DR for your 282 at this stage. Don’t forget also to make sure you have installed dedicated mains and have your black boxes on a good stand.

I view posh cables as the icing on the cake. Get the cake right first.

I know you are asking about wires but what’s it all standing upon?

I mean a power switch with filters, like Ansuz/Isotek.
I borrowed one and have been testing for a week and find no difference.
I do not run with the Naim frame because it is not allowed for the other one :(.
However, I have a glass slab under the front and NDS.

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You won’t go far wrong if you can see a clear end game with your boxes and support. Use some naca5 for the speakers and everything else as standard out the box.
Run this for a good while so you get familiar with it all. Then at a later stage swap out any “upgrade” of cable where you are better placed to evaluate them for yourself.

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Unless you have particular problems on the mains there is absolutely no need for a filtered mains block. They tend to squash the dynamics of the system and are best avoided. One block I’d heartily recommend is the MusicWorks G3 Ultra. I use one and it’s great. No filters, star earthed. Put it on an off cut of carpet if you get one.

Thanks,
but what do you mean with “dedicated mains”?

It’s having a separate consumer unit and a cable running directly to the power socket for the hifi. It isolates the system from the other mains in the house and should improve sound quality as well as removing any clicks and pops from light switches etc. What you do depends on the electrical regulations where you live.

Thanks,
I will check!

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