Does it make a difference to have nice Cables for monitors?

[heisleyamor]

I have 2 KRK RP-6s and I use Livewire xlr to 1/4" cables. Will better cables improve the sound quality? Maybe Monster XLR to 1/4" cables. I'm on kind of a budget, but I'm trying to improve my sound at the same time.

[heisleyamor]

bump :-)

[deve]

I would say yes, better cable will improve the sound. I am not sure about monster though.

[Engine Room]

After many hair-pulling sessions with noise in our system, I pulled all of our monster cable and replaced it with George L, and the difference was f'in amazing.
I've got some monster cable snakes just lying around if you'd like to buy them......

/dirty doug

[underworld]

i think the answer is: it depends. when you say "improve the sound quality" - what do you mean exactly? a better cable is pretty unlikely to change the frequency response of your speakers or room (which are much more influential to "sound quality" in general). if, however, you are having issues with interference, or weak signal - a better cable may help that.

i don't think there's anything wrong with monster cable in terms of cable quality - although, it is a bit overpriced for what you get. if you do a search for mogami or canare you'll find several quality cables for decent prices. in my experience, many (most?) studios are cabled top to bottom with mogami or canare or some equivalent (in terms of quality and cost).

of course, if money is no object, then by all means, go grab a couple of these beauties and let us know if you can tell a difference:

http://www.thecableco.com/product.php?id=414

after all, "... the Zero is as close to musical perfection as a cable can come"

[Ibvee]

No, I think there's a chance of 99,9% that you will not hear a difference (in a blind listening test).
Especially not with these monitors.
If you want to improve your monitoring, spend money on better monitors, or (and that should be the 1st) treat your room!

At least if you have decent balanced cables that is.


The whole cable thing is way overrated!dfegad

[theblue1]

Good, solid wire is good. Inferior wire does not hold up. Bad solder joints give out. Poor choice of insulation can cause capacitance charge buildup that can result in cable "microphonics" (small, static-like, crackly discharges). Proper gauge is important. Too small and long cable runs between amps and speakers become problematic because of resistance; too big (bigger than 12-14 gauge, say) increases cable capacitance (a bad thing).

Good cable is worth a decent price.

But magic cable is bullshit, pure and simple. The imaginations of the easily swayed not withstanding.


Wire has a very simple job. And wire of decent quality tends to do it every bit as well as wire of exceptional quality.

Converters, sensitive preamps, transducers (mics, and speakers), monitoring environment -- those are much harder to get right and, as a consequence, most folks should probably consider looking at those areas if they feel their rig is in need of improvement.

[Vogon]

FWIW,
Interconnect and speaker cable whitepaper
Top Ten Signs an Audio Cable Vendor is Selling You Snake Oil — Audioholics Home Theater Reviews and News

Most people totally underestimate the power of their own mind to skew their perception when "comparing" cables. The *only* way to really test a cable is an ABX test, which will be actively avoided by most, no-one likes to know they've deceived themselves. Even OFC copper has not been proven in ABX tests to be an advantage, as the impurities in "regular" copper still conduct.
With monster cable, in runs that are long enough to influence the signal at audio frequencies, some like what it does and some hate it - it's not "better" than (way) lesser-priced decent cable made to roughly the same specs.

[PhilE]

Cheap bell wire sounds dreadful. any good quality thick speaker leads sound better. However, there is very little point in getting very expensive cable for short runs- just dont use rubbish. I think the stuff I use is about £3/meter.