Does Cables Matter for a Bass

[penguineman]

man well I'm kinda sorry I even asked the question now with all the feathers that got ruffled. I surely don't want people mad at each other over a question I was asking. I thought I was just asking a simple question. because I play both Bass & regular guitars and my 6 year old daughter has a electric and I really wasn't wanting to give her a expensive cable just to practice with. Thanks to all who responded I think I know what I'm gonna do on getting a few more.

 

[JimmyM]

Listen, Talkbass nerds will argue over anything, and we just love to hop on controversial topics like this. But in the end, it's all about helping people who don't know about the topic understand it a little better and possibly save them money, or at least use their money more efficiently. Instrument cables can and do sound slightly different, but it's unrelated to how much money you spend.

 

[BadJazz]

Yes, in mine opinion, cables does matters to basses tones and sound. Capacitances and coilovers, combining with skins effectuals, and coils, matters. Tones of basses can be effected, such as "thwap", "skin response", and "immediacy of tonals" be affected by cables selected, as per bass. This is entirely subjectives, of courses.

 

[bongomania]

The funny thing is that science is not subjective at all--at least that is the goal, and every effort is made to eliminate subjectivity.

 

[cnltb]

man well I'm kinda sorry I even asked the question now with all the feathers that got ruffled. I surely don't want people mad at each other over a question I was asking. I thought I was just asking a simple question. because I play both Bass & regular guitars and my 6 year old daughter has a electric and I really wasn't wanting to give her a expensive cable just to practice with. Thanks to all who responded I think I know what I'm gonna do on getting a few more.

If people get mad at each other it is their problem and certainly not your fault!

I guess the answer to your question 'Do cables matter for bass' seems to be 'to some they matter and to some they don't'.
Cheap cables will work just fine .

 

[cnltb]

And how would you suggest I do this "testing"? Plug in a gazillion cables and listen to them? Whether I thought I heard a difference or thought I didn't hear a difference, it wouldn't prove a thing.

I record with different ones and compare the results.

 

[cnltb]

And how would you suggest I do this "testing"? Plug in a gazillion cables and listen to them? Whether I thought I heard a difference or thought I didn't hear a difference, it wouldn't prove a thing.

i record with different cables and compare the results over time.

 

[Roy Vogt]

man well I'm kinda sorry I even asked the question now with all the feathers that got ruffled. I surely don't want people mad at each other over a question I was asking. I thought I was just asking a simple question. because I play both Bass & regular guitars and my 6 year old daughter has a electric and I really wasn't wanting to give her a expensive cable just to practice with. Thanks to all who responded I think I know what I'm gonna do on getting a few more.

For a student or for a hobbyist the inexpensive cables (such as the Peavey I alluded to in my earlier post) are just fine. They will give you trouble free service for what you want them for. Cables have a lot of controversy attached to them here-welcome to the "Sports Bar" side of TB!
"Now let me get out my stats, I can prove the 1992 Chicago Bulls were a much better team than the Lakers ever were. Where's my hot wings?" LOL

 

[pudgychef]

I'm not going to lie, I may have fist pumped a little when I read this.

then my work here is done!!

 

[David Jayne]

Anyhow, I totally dig why people hate monster. But, I spent like $18 to have a 12' cable for life....that can't really be such a bad deal,

Sure, provided this doesn't happen........

On a side note, my guitarist recently broke a monster speaker cable which he had bought because there was a lifetime guarantee. He tried to return it to the same GC he bought it at. When he got there he asked about the cable and they said lifetime guarantee no questions asked. He showed them the cable and they promptly told him that that line was no longer made so they would not replace it.

 

[Big B.]

Or the other horse**** about arrows indicating the direction to keep the electrons flowing properly. Monster is not a good value, sorry. They are well made but so are many cables that cost less and have lifetime warranties. And they don't break jacks. And they use lies and distortions of science to sell cables. Skin effect...electrons only flowing one way...lol!

I'll tell you what kind of crap company Monster is...a few years ago, I went to Best Buy to buy a cheap stereo, and the salesman kept relentlessly pushing Monster on me. I kept telling him speaker wire is all the same and I just want the cheap stuff.

So he takes me to some big display Monster put up entitled "Take The Monster Challenge" or some sort of similar slogan. They had two identical setups with speakers...one set was wired with the cheap raw speaker wire Best Buy sells in a spool, the other set was wired with raw Monster speaker cable. The salesman showed it to me, and explained how Monster cables let more frequency response come through because they're made better. Sure enough, the Monster setup sounded better while the other setup sounded like it had a blanket over it. I remarked about the noticeable difference, then asked to see the receivers hidden behind the display.

"Um, the receivers?" he asks?

"Yeah, the receivers powering these speakers."

"Um, why do you want to see them?"

"I want to see if they really are identical."

"Um, OK."

He quickly removes the cover, shows me the matching receivers, then tries to cover it back up quickly. I said, "Wait a second, let me just see something here..." I look at the settings, and sure enough, the treble was turned down in the receiver powering the speakers with cheap cables. I turn it back up, switch between the two, then I say to my wife really loud so everyone around could hear it, "Hey honey, check it out...the treble knob was turned down, and now these cheap cables sound just like the Monster cables!"

Then I lectured the guy about how I was a pro musician and know all the tricks, and I added, "The only thing preventing me from walking out right now is the price of this stereo. So if you really want this sale, you're going to sell me the cheap cables and you're not going to mention Monster again. And don't even mention the extended warranty!"

He says, "Well the extended warranty is a really good..."

"Bye."

"OK, OK!"

Fun day

Nicely done. Certain Best Buy stores have also been caught using this kind of chicanery with their hi def television displays. The setup with the Monster cables will be run with a blue ray source and the "cheap" cables will source from a standard definition source. of course the Monster setup looks better and sales go up.

 

[aborgman]

Skin effect is real as well with multi strands.

Skin effect IS real... at frequencies WAY beyond that of audio.

Calculate the skin depth in a copper wire at audio frequencies.

 

[aborgman]

So watch how you come off there buddy...

I stated I heard a difference.
You stated "you didn't hear any difference".

No - he didn't say you didn't hear a difference. He said that difference wasn't caused by skin effect.

And your a complete fool by stating skin effect anomalies don't effect tone on multi-stranded instrument cables. Your picking the wrong person to tangle with. I know cables very well - so if I were you, I'd shut it

Since you know so much about cables - calculate the skin depth in a copper conductor at 20KHz.

Then compare that skin depth to the actual wire diameters used in audio cabling.

 

[aborgman]

Listen – to all the naysayers – I must ask, what could possibly be my end game here other than simply stating I compared differently constructed cables from the same company (both around the same price) and one cable responded to my playing dynamics better? What is so hard to believe about that?

Nothing at all.

Cables have differences in bulk capacitance that causes the low pass filter formed by the pickup impedance/tone control/cable capacitance to be different. This will cause passive basses to sound different with cables of different capacitance.

... doesn't have anything at all to do with skin effect though.

 

[bongomania]

Hearing "something" does NOT mean knowing what caused that "something".

Pretending otherwise, and then telling people with university and professional training in the subject that they are ignorant and should "shut it"... Embarrasing behavior.

 

[Modern Growl]

Hearing "something" does NOT mean knowing what caused that "something".

Pretending otherwise, and then telling people with university and professional training in the subject that they are ignorant and should "shut it"... Embarrasing behavior.

I'm so ashamed

And when did I say I had "university and professional training" ? I just said I'm more learned then he was. Slander my words - you should be "embarrased" for such behavior!

Dude - get over your forum ego. This is an internet forum.

I get it though - you spend hours upon hours here, so you build up this sense of self importance.

 

[bongomania]

You should be, and sarcasm doesn't make you look better.

 

[Modern Growl]

No - he didn't say you didn't hear a difference. He said that difference wasn't caused by skin effect.




Since you know so much about cables - calculate the skin depth in a copper conductor at 20KHz.

Then compare that skin depth to the actual wire diameters used in audio cabling.

I heard a difference

And NEVER did I say skin effect was the reason I went with the cable I did.
According to Tony @ Evidence audio's research, Skin effect works against pure tone - and a solid core conductor is the best approach for the most pure signal.

DID YOU NOT READ WHERE I CHOOSE THE STRANDED CABLE!!!??? AKA - the one that "suffers from "skin effect" ???

- See, now you just look foolish.

I went to the University of Cable Design - didn't you know! Don't mess with me.

 

[Prostheta]

Solid sarcasm or multithread sarcasm?

 

[Modern Growl]

You should be, and sarcasm doesn't make you look better.

Well I don't - and sarcasm is fun.