Will upgrading my cheap RCA cables give me better sound from Blu-ray Disc?

[rgs]

Dear BigPictureBigsound,

I was recently reading a forum on Blu-Ray.com where the reviewer mentioned he had finally learned not to use cheap audio cables and was using Ultralink Advanced Performance audio cables for 6 channel analog on his BD-80. For my 6 channel analog connection to my Teac 9640 receiver I've been using the RCA cables scrounged from a few DVD players I've had and I've been astounded by the sound the BD-80 can produce with Blu-Ray DVDs. In fact that was even more surprising than the better picture. Do you think it would really make a difference to go to $120 cables like the Ultralink ($120 in Canada that is)? It's hard to believe the sound could get any better.

Best,
Richard

[BADuHamel]

Dear BigPictureBigsound,

I was recently reading a forum on Blu-Ray.com where the reviewer mentioned he had finally learned not to use cheap audio cables and was using Ultralink Advanced Performance audio cables for 6 channel analog on his BD-80. For my 6 channel analog connection to my Teac 9640 receiver I've been using the RCA cables scrounged from a few DVD players I've had and I've been astounded by the sound the BD-80 can produce with Blu-Ray DVDs. In fact that was even more surprising than the better picture. Do you think it would really make a difference to go to $120 cables like the Ultralink ($120 in Canada that is)? It's hard to believe the sound could get any better.

Best,
Richard

I think I know which reviewer you are referring to, but I won't get into that. I'd say up front that, being a life-long audiophile and a bit of a recording engineer, I have never fallen into the camp that claims interconnects have an influence on sound beyond, of course, any flaws in the cables themselves. Example: you'll find many audiophiles absolutely abhor Monster Cables, claim all sorts of things about them -- they're shrill, they sound muffled, etc. Yet, one of the greatest audiophile labels in the world, Telarc, uses Monster Prolink interconnects in their Pure DSD SACD recording chain.

While I would recommend that you step-up from the cheap cables that are packaged with players for many reasons, including they are not manufactured well, can have short lifespans, poor shielding or shorts that can affect your picture and sound, I would definitely not advise you to get insane and splurge on interconnects that cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars a foot. Something well made and heavy gauge (usually 12-gauge) is fine.

While Monster cables are well made, they are overpriced in comparison to other manufacturers. A good place to get high-quality cables for a good price would be Monoprice.com.

I hope that clears things up.

[MrBoylan]

Dear BigPictureBigsound,

I was recently reading a forum on Blu-Ray.com where the reviewer mentioned he had finally learned not to use cheap audio cables and was using Ultralink Advanced Performance audio cables for 6 channel analog on his BD-80. For my 6 channel analog connection to my Teac 9640 receiver I've been using the RCA cables scrounged from a few DVD players I've had and I've been astounded by the sound the BD-80 can produce with Blu-Ray DVDs. In fact that was even more surprising than the better picture. Do you think it would really make a difference to go to $120 cables like the Ultralink ($120 in Canada that is)? It's hard to believe the sound could get any better.

Best,
Richard

Hi, Richard,

I'm putting this in a new thread as I think it's a topic of general interest. There is some truth to the idea that cables contribute to the quality of sound, at least in the analog domain as we are discussing here. As Brandon mentioned, cheap cables can have inadequate shielding, shoddy design, poor construction and less than ideal electrical properties, all of which can contribute toward problems with the sound.

I've had good luck with Monster Cable and not all of their stuff is prohibitively expensive. I have no direct experience with Ultralink cables. What I'm personally using though, for most of my own analog connections is D'Addario's Planet Waves custom terminated RG6 cables. I love these because they have excellent shielding and a really simple to terminate design that allows me to make a set of 8 RCA cables (for 7.1 analog), any length I want, in about 15 minutes. You cut the cables with a special razor cutter and simply twist the connectors on the end and secure them with a single set screw. But these are also fairly expensive if you're just planning to do a single set of 6 cables.

It really becomes a question of priorities. The differences between a good set of $25 cables and a good set of $125 cables should be minimal at best. But the differences between a set of salvaged RCA "zip cords" that came free with your last VCR and a decent set of affordable cables could be audible, assuming the rest of the system is up to the task.

IMHO, simply replacing your current cables with a $120 set of cables would border on ludicrous. Your TEAC receiver is probably a fine-sounding unit (though I can't for the life of me find any information on it), but rather than spending $120 on cables, you might put that toward a receiver upgrade instead to get a more modern receiver that handles on-board decoding of the next gen codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, multi-channel PCM). New models from Pioneer, Onkyo and Denon can be had, in the $300-$500 range, which all support HDMI audio decoding, and some even support analog to HDMI video upconversion, which can really simplify the cabling in a complex, multi-source A/V system.

In addition to simpler connections, connecting your BD player to a receiver digitally (via HDMI) will allow you to gain much more control over your system's bass management and level calibration features, which can really make your system sing.

If you want to try a simple cable upgrade, then go with something like these (you'll need 3 pairs for 5.1) - they're $4.50/pr on clearance and seem to be pretty well built:

Parts-Express.com:Belkin PureAV Blue Series Stereo RCA Patch Cable 6 ft.

If you think you might want to upgrade your receiver, then check out our receiver reviews on the main site. We don't cover everything, but we cover enough to give you a sampling of what's out there. One of our writers just got one of the new Pioneer receivers in for review, and we expect to be getting one of the new Denon receivers within the next couple of weeks as well.

Anyway.. do cables make a difference? Yes. Should you spend $120 on analog cables for your specific system? I don't think so. I think you're better served upgrading your receiver to one that supports HDMI audio decoding. And if you want to experiment with cables, then try out the ones above. Just be sure to mark both ends of each cable clearly so you know which cable goes where. For about $20 including shipping, you've got little to lose.

Hoep that helps.

-Chris

[rgs]

Chris,

Your and Baduhamel's posts are always a huge help. I'm going to follow up on your suggestions. I'll say it again: this is certainly the most informative and comprehensive AV resource on the net!

Best,
R

[Daylightdon]

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