Holy Cow what a difference!! (Cables)

Bass-desires · #1 09-11-2011, 10:07 AM

I just picked up a nice gold plated Monster Cable at GC last night and switched out my old cheap cables so I am running 'high-end' cables from the bass to the pedal and to the board and freakin wow! I got harmonics that weren't there before! Granted for some songs, this is a bad thing because I was going for a muted sound, but holy cow what a difference!!

I will switch to the crappy cables for the said songs so I get the sound I want. The rest get rocked out. But, this blew my mind and I wanted to share.

This really makes me think about those horrible tiny cables they give to people to try out everything. I'm sure that effects the sound too. I think next time I go, I'm taking a monster with me so I can hear the full tone in the bass.

Papa Dangerous · #2 09-11-2011, 10:11 AM

wow. finally someone who says that there is a difference! I have never wanted to invest so much money into a cable when I have a perfectly fine working cable at home. Most people usually say it makes no difference, but I am glad to hear a review that there is!

ggunn · #3 09-11-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Dangerous

wow. finally someone who says that there is a difference! I have never wanted to invest so much money into a cable when I have a perfectly fine working cable at home. Most people usually say it makes no difference, but I am glad to hear a review that there is!

Really, you haven't heard folks rave about how much better their sound is with an XYZ cable??

Personally, I have never heard an appreciable difference between instrument cables, but my hearing is just as subjective as anyone else's.

If you hear a difference then it's real for you.

RustyAxe · #4 09-11-2011, 10:19 AM

My guess is that it has more to do with the crappy old cable than it does it does with the expensive new cable. Even those who claim to hear a difference never describe it as a "night and day" comparison. Laws of physics are what they are ...

Papa Dangerous · #5 09-11-2011, 10:22 AM

I most hear folks talk about how Monster is a horrible rip off of a company. That the cables make no difference, and people are fools for spending so much on cables for no reason. This is the first I really hear of someone saying such a difference. But I am sure there are confounding variables. I am sure that these new cables are very well constructed in comparison to the old, slim, shotty cable. So it could be that new vs old effect going on.

JimmyM · #6 09-11-2011, 10:39 AM

There is a difference in instrument cables. It's called "capicitance." Cables with more capicitance will sound a little less bright on the top end. Monster cables add capicitance...that's why you can tell a difference.

ggunn · #7 09-11-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Papa Dangerous

I most hear folks talk about how Monster is a horrible rip off of a company. That the cables make no difference, and people are fools for spending so much on cables for no reason. This is the first I really hear of someone saying such a difference. But I am sure there are confounding variables. I am sure that these new cables are very well constructed in comparison to the old, slim, shotty cable. So it could be that new vs old effect going on.

Seriously, you haven't seen any of the protracted arguments here on TalkBass on this subject? Some have gone on for weeks and have gotten quite heated.

Hearing is subjective. "I can hear the difference so it's real" is anecdotal and not reliable as proof positive that there is actually any difference at all. Neither is, I hasten to add, "I cannot hear the difference so it's not real" proof that there is no difference. If you hear a difference than it's real for you, and whether or not anyone else does is irrelevant. Neither position is provable by small sample observation.

Monster's business practices, however, are objectively verifiable.

cnltb · #8 09-11-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass-desires

I just picked up a nice gold plated Monster Cable at GC last night and switched out my old cheap cables so I am running 'high-end' cables from the bass to the pedal and to the board and freakin wow! I got harmonics that weren't there before! Granted for some songs, this is a bad thing because I was going for a muted sound, but holy cow what a difference!!

I will switch to the crappy cables for the said songs so I get the sound I want. The rest get rocked out. But, this blew my mind and I wanted to share.

This really makes me think about those horrible tiny cables they give to people to try out everything. I'm sure that effects the sound too. I think next time I go, I'm taking a monster with me so I can hear the full tone in the bass.

Of course there is a difference between cables.
Much more so if your instrument is a passive one.

LiamCohl · #9 09-11-2011, 10:43 AM

Your signal is only as good as it's weakest link, most of the time the rest of the gear isn't good enough to allow the cable difference to be noticed so it doesn't really make a difference, if you ever have a chance at plugging a high qualiy instrument through a reddi->1073->fairchild 660 or similar high end recording chain into a nice set of studio mains in a well built room, then you'd have to be deaf to not hear the difference between a nice gold plated cable and some junky radioshack one. Anyways, who doesn't like just being able to walk into a store and get a new cable for free with no questions asked when yours breaks, that is why monster wins with me for analog cables. better than having to bring my soldering stuff on the road.

ggunn · #10 09-11-2011, 10:46 AM

Ah, well, here we go again...

ugly_bassplayer · #11 09-11-2011, 10:50 AM

OMG , here we go again.

ggunn · #12 09-11-2011, 10:55 AM

Pass the popcorn, willya?

SBsoundguy · #13 09-11-2011, 11:02 AM

I attribute the difference to the snake oil based tubing around the monster cables. Same with on TARA labs cables.

Papa Dangerous · #14 09-11-2011, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

There is a difference in instrument cables. It's called "capicitance." Cables with more capicitance will sound a little less bright on the top end. Monster cables add capicitance...that's why you can tell a difference.

That makes the most sense from what I have read.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggunn

Seriously, you haven't seen any of the protracted arguments here on TalkBass on this subject? Some have gone on for weeks and have gotten quite heated.

Hearing is subjective. "I can hear the difference so it's real" is anecdotal and not reliable as proof positive that there is actually any difference at all. Neither is, I hasten to add, "I cannot hear the difference so it's not real" proof that there is no difference. If you hear a difference than it's real for you, and whether or not anyone else does is irrelevant. Neither position is provable by small sample observation.

Monster's business practices, however, are objectively verifiable.

I have read these threads, but they always seem to bash than to accept that there is a difference in tone and such. I myself have always been skeptical, and felt there might be something, but nothing significant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggunn

Pass the popcorn, willya?

*passes popcorn and doobie*

Medford Bassman · #15 09-11-2011, 11:24 AM

i went wireless years ago and am happier. i do keep a a couple cables around in case of failure.

I was suckered one time in purchasing an Evidence Audio cable. Built well? Yes. Stiff as hell? Yes. Noticable difference between my Bayou cable or guitar-cable.com cable? No.

Capitence(SP?) definitely is where it's at. I dropped a $125 on that evidecne Audio cable. Now it sits in a gig bag occasionally used when someone in the band needs an extra 1/4" cable.

IMHO.

Spectrum · #16 09-11-2011, 11:27 AM

This would be easy to test, just hook up the cables to an HP signal analyzer like you find in most college electronics labs, and see which one gets the best response. That would satisfy me, but since this is like the wood debate, opinion trumps data.

lowfreq33 · #17 09-11-2011, 12:34 PM

If I'd paid that much for a cable I'd probably hear a difference too.

Zoa · #18 09-11-2011, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectrum

This would be easy to test, just hook up the cables to an HP signal analyzer like you find in most college electronics labs, and see which one gets the best response. That would satisfy me, but since this is like the wood debate, opinion trumps data.

Oh only if only. All credit to TB's own Bongomania.

Analysis of Audio Cables

Jim Nazium · #19 09-11-2011, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spectrum

This would be easy to test, just hook up the cables to an HP signal analyzer like you find in most college electronics labs, and see which one gets the best response.

I don't think anyone disputes that there can be a measurable difference in cables. As someone already pointed out, cables have non-zero resistance and capacitance, which can be shown with a signal analyzer.

The question is whether there is an audible difference. The way to test that is with a double-blind listening test.

TimmyP · #20 09-11-2011, 01:33 PM

The other day a guy had a fancy Fulltone cable. I hope it was broken, as it had a lot of volume loss - a Horizon cable twice as long was a lot louder.