After all these years, my latest experience reaffirms my impressions on the difference in sound quality between interconnects.
In summary, there is a difference but no night and day difference. However, it’s the small differences that make the (big) difference. Subtle but important differences. I could probably live with the cheaper interconnects but this hobby is all about diminishing returns and I’m now back with the better sounding one.
The cost of the new pair of interconnects, Acrolink 7N-DA6300IV Mexcel is in excess of £3k, pitted against a significantly cheaper pair (Wireworld Silver Eclipse 8).
I didn’t compare a lot of cables but in my experience, mains power cables bring the most difference, followed by speaker cables then interconnects and lastly digital cables which bring the least difference.
I went from EpicX to SarumT interconnect for my 333 and CD5si into my 332. Significant difference. My series 300 system is newly installed, so my assessment is tentative.
Perhaps I’ll try the interconnects on the Luxman L-590AXII someday, or another DAC which I own to see if I’ll hear a more significant difference. I’m currently on the Gryphon Diablo 300 and Chord QBD76.
…and, also after years of trials…
Of course, interconnects do sound different, but the best sounding are likely to be the ones with which the components were developed (if between components from same manufacturer).
Speaker cables are a different matter, mainly because of the variance in length between what the manufacturer used and we use at home, and when we chose speakers from different manufacturers.
As @Neilb1906 said. there will never be any FINAL thoughts about interconnects.
In my opinion it’s all down to how much money you have to burn on them, along with confirmation bias once you reach the most you can afford.
I’m shure though that if we could all actually listen with every cable that is made, we would still all come to different conclusions regardless of price.
So there still is no FINAL thoughts
…I will counter with: read my comment more carefully.
Anyway, if your speakers sound better with wobbling cabinets, then my rationalisation is that this is mitigating a problem somewhere in the system/ set up. We will never agree on shims on Regas, but using most other cartridges is perfectly ok.
Never heard of Acrolink.
There’s possible hundred other i/c brands that didn’t get my attention.
Not that I have tried expensive cables - hell I have.
Never found true benefit for the outcome.
I’d stick to mid-priced cables like Rega Couple, Linn Silver or Black, Mogami, Chord, FlashBack and a few others lying around.
Acrolink is a brand name associated with a Japanese mining and industrial material company. Acrotec was born in the 1980s during the bubble economy period, at the time, different Japanese companies tried to out perform one another in copper purity. Acrotec was always making higher price cable. At some point after the bubble economy was over, the name was changed to Acrolink.
There is an assumtion here that during development a manufacturer actually uses both time and money on testing cables. In the real world I doubt it is so.
