Journey to 3.5mm audio cable upgrade for MBP & A2 speakers- $1200 silver cable INSIDE

[cheez]

The almighty Bridges & Falls - Angel.

Omg... Silver...

Get ready for next round of pics... Dinner time. ^_^

 

[cheez]

you must be trolling. no way you would use a $1200 cable with $200 speakers ($200 because of the convenience of integrated amp, at that)

Good thing you brought up. But when I say something I will do, I will do it.

Funny thing, the cost of speaker to cable ratio is at 1:6. It's backwards lol. It's also more expensive than my macbook laptop!!


Note that the cable on the exterior looks like it has white stitching around it. Interesting.

As I was taking photoshoot, I did try put the cable around my neck like a necklace.:$


.

 

[cheez]

Might as well get yourself some pop corn and some carbonated drinks...

As you can see this cable is directional as well. Arrow from Output of computer to the Input of speaker.

:wub:

Checking on the sound now.

 

[cheez]

OK, my first (initial) impression with 5 songs I've heard so far:

Something I noticed immediately. Some instruments of sound are "reflective", like bouncing off the walls. Hits a first wall, then bounces off to hit another wall and another.. No it's not an echo. The other musical instruments stay constant - non bouncing. I like this. This is interesting. I didn't get this reflective sound from Sydney from the same song(s).

Treble got larger - As if my tweeter has been upgraded.

So far, I haven't heard any gain on the lows. I actually liked the way Sydney cable handled on the lows. BUT THEN, this is my very first impression out of the box - BRAND NEW STINKIN CABLE OUT OF THE FACTORY - the Angel that is. The Sydney had gone through good 50 hours of burn-in. And I haven't got in to low-biased songs yet.

It seems like it's begging for a burn-in... Continuing to listen to music. Stay tuned.

 

[slashbinslashbash]

It's like a train wreck. I can't turn away.

 

[cheez]

Wow that treble! How do I explain this......





The detail in the highs is increased on top of what Sydney provides. Not only more resolvable detail but they come stronger. No distortions yet. Pretty darn good considering it's not burned in. Only put in 5 hours of music play.

That treble is sick.


I did play a few of low-biased songs and it sounds as good as the Sydney. Still gotta try more songs though as I only played two.


I can tell you this right now that Sydney cable ($200) will suit well for the bass heads and still provide great overall dynamic range. Just goes to show how good the Sydney cable is. But for those that want extended and even more detailed highs you've gotta go silver route. In other words, bass heads can save some money.

 

[Cerb]

Good thing you brought up. But when I say something I will do, I will do it.

Funny thing, the cost of speaker to cable ratio is at 1:6. It's backwards lol.

Not if you'll pay for it, it's not. It's not so common for people to pay immense amounts for nothing, when it comes to speakers.

 

[cheez]

One of the gorgeous musical instruments is Cello.

Played the track "Somewhere" by July, album "In Love" which is non-vocal and contains mostly piano, bass beats, and Cello.

The challenge is how well the Cello note is resolved as the generic cable didn't do good job delivering it. It was coming from the background and was unclear and weak. The Sydney and Angel on the other hand, are dead close on the Cello note, especially the low tones. It is very transparent and "very" focused. They moved close to me, like right in front of my face. It extends all the way from mid to the lowest mark effortlessly. When I first listened this from Sydney I almost wet my pants.. :$

Cello note (from scale 0 to 10)

Generic cable - 5.0
Bridges & Falls Sydney - 9.0 (with over 40 hours of use)
Bridges & Falls Angel - 9.0... or 8.9? lol (with 6 hours of use)


With the Bridges & Falls I thought I was listening to a different song entirely, due to the strong presence of Cello note.


Lots more testing to come. I project that the songs with highs and high vocals the Angel will easily beat the Sydney as I experienced with a few songs played last night already.

 

[bearxor]

It's like a train wreck. I can't turn away.

QFT

 

[cheez]

Listening to "Rush Rush" by Paula Abdul and it sounds like I am sitting on a sofa in a large living room with marvel floor. I am surrounded by marvel walls. Speakers are like some high-end from an $100k~ $150k audio system and they are placed farther away hidden. The ceiling is only 9ft tall, and supported by some Italian designed marvel pillars - 4 pillars on each side, total of 8. The soundstage was wide, rather than tall. Incredible.


I like the way the Angel cable is heading. This is really good news. :biggrin:


I am making an official announcement. The Angel cable is a keeper. I'm keeping it.

Fox news reporter then asks me.

Question: What are you going to do with the Bridges & Falls Sydney cable???

Answer: As much as I like the Sydney cable, I will have to return it for a refund. First, it's too short (1m). I was going to move it over to my HTPC system that's hooked up to the large pro grade plasma unit but the cable is going to be too short. I will need at least 1.5m or maybe 2m. So this will have to go. The Sydney cable is a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Low-end detail is off the chart, given its price tag of $200. And also surprisingly, the treble and bass sounds so good. This should have been priced $400+ not $200. You lucky bass-heads, this cable will make your dream come true.

Question: Uhhh...... I forgot.

Answer: Take your time.



.

 

[cheez]

:whiste:

I just ran out of my high-performance car wax so had to go out and pick one up. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional Hi-Tech #26.



........ to wax my Bridges & Falls Angel cable.

Forgot to take pic of waxing oh well.... what matters is that it now has been applied with Brazilian #1 Yellow Carnauba wax and polished for extra protection and supreme mirror glaze effect. ^_^ You can see the reflection of me taking the pic.

It has now removed the finger prints and any unwanted evil substance and is now protected.

 

[SNC]

Measurements or it didn't happen.
What I find interesting is the charged insulator(?)

AudioQuest’s DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation.

That's not going to cause any coloration in the signal its carrying. I go to great pains to keep secondary energy away from my crossover components even that that is caused by the crossover parts themselves. You would be surprised at the value an inductor can change if it is within the magnetic reach of another inductor.
And here is a company causing an inductive field around the cable to "direct" the flow of electrons. It almost sounds to me like a notch filter. And even if this field could cause an electron to behave better than it would with it, what is the tolerance of that field?
It is being powered with a battery. I'm guessing that at the point where the battery no longer produces the 1.5 volts required, the field would begin to alter and there would be electrons leaking out everywhere since they didn't have a den mother to watch over them.

I have a family member who is a EE professor at Stanford who also loves good audio.
I might see if he wold like to do some tests on a set of these.

 

[Koing]

QFT

Massively not convinced getting $1200 cable for $200 speakers...you could have upgraded to a good speaker and amp setup

You are also using a pillar on a glass table for your speaker stands?

Koing

 

[dawks]

So lets recap...

Guy buys Macbook pro.. is disappointed with poor audio output. Pops and cracks non stop. Complains repeatedly, and threatens to return it multiple times.

Guy then buys mediocre $200 2.0 speakers (below average speakers no less).

Next purchase was $150 amp? "omg sounds so much better"

Next, we need a $200 USB cable, because the 1's and 0's sound better on a $200 cable. Sounds great now!!

Not good enough. Time to go back to analog. Lets try a $200 3.5mm audio cable. "omg this is amazing"

Oh wait, what do we have here.. a $1,200 cable.. this has to be perfect.. lets try it. "omg treble is so clear, epic, orgasmic".. "Gotta wax the cable to preserve it guys, everyone knows this, plus it makes the treble clearer".

I'm not really sure how the cable is filtering the original pops and cracks. Didn't know a cable could do that.

So..
$1200 Macbook
$200 Speakers
$150 Amp
$200 USB cable
$200 3.5mm cable
$1200 3.5mm cable
$20 wax.

Ok.

Having speakers a few feet off of a large GLASS surface is probably one of the worst ways to experience audio. Not sure why you'd ever want to do this.

Still unsure if we're being trolled, or OP is completely f'ed in the head. The waxing the cable part leads me to believe were being trolled.. But a sad pathetic dennilifloss kinda troll.

 

[Cerb]

I'm not really sure how the cable is filtering the original pops and cracks. Didn't know a cable could do that.

I missed whatever the OP did before this amusing thread, but I'll bet the amp providing even high impedance for the Mac's output is what really took care of things, and that it's been placebo since then.

 

[cheez]

Measurements or it didn't happen.

That's what skeptics usually ask for, measurements. I don't have any special equipments to test it as I'm a consumer, not a scientist. What matters to me is the differences I'm getting with my hearing. It's hands-on experience.

What I find interesting is the charged insulator(?)

AudioQuest’s DBS creates a strong, stable electrostatic field which saturates and polarizes (organizes) the molecules of the insulation.

That's not going to cause any coloration in the signal its carrying. I go to great pains to keep secondary energy away from my crossover components even that that is caused by the crossover parts themselves. You would be surprised at the value an inductor can change if it is within the magnetic reach of another inductor.
And here is a company causing an inductive field around the cable to "direct" the flow of electrons. It almost sounds to me like a notch filter. And even if this field could cause an electron to behave better than it would with it, what is the tolerance of that field?
It is being powered with a battery. I'm guessing that at the point where the battery no longer produces the 1.5 volts required, the field would begin to alter and there would be electrons leaking out everywhere since they didn't have a den mother to watch over them.

I have a family member who is a EE professor at Stanford who also loves good audio.
I might see if he wold like to do some tests on a set of these.

Can't say what you say is true but it's an interesting thought.

Massively not convinced getting $1200 cable for $200 speakers...you could have upgraded to a good speaker and amp setup

Yeah but if I do that, I will become one of the average audio users.. One of the reasons I spent much more on a cable is because I wanted to try something different, and is an unique combination. I am surprised that I am getting such BIG differences in sound and there is more room for improvement. The sound is very complicated thing, there's so much to the sound.

You are also using a pillar on a glass table for your speaker stands?

Koing

The base of those stands are padded with thin clear material. Same with the top of the stands so there's no rattling.

 

[cheez]

So lets recap...

Guy buys Macbook pro.. is disappointed with poor audio output. Pops and cracks non stop. Complains repeatedly, and threatens to return it multiple times.

It still pops. But it popped harder and louder with USB / Digital Out when I used the external DAC. I never threatened to return it multiple times. I was the one wanted to keep using it. It's the other members that kept telling me to return....

Guy then buys mediocre $200 2.0 speakers (below average speakers no less).

It's not mediocre. It to me sounds better than other higher end speakers under $1000 range, maybe even more.

Next purchase was $150 amp? "omg sounds so much better"

You mean the Audioengine D1 DAC? That was $170. No it did not sound better. It was worse than stock DAC out of the macbook pro via headphone port. Haven't you read my older posts in the other thread?

Next, we need a $200 USB cable

That was a pretty good cable actually. The D1 DAC was the bottleneck.

because the 1's and 0's sound better on a $200 cable. Sounds great now!!

You have a lot of post counts but know actually nothing about audio. ha ha... It's not about just 1's and 0's. It's about timing and jitter.

Not good enough. Time to go back to analog.

I went back to analog because the D1 DAC was a downgrade for me. I mean "clear" downgrade. MBP DAC via headphone port sounds better. You don't seem to know much about Macbook sound signature, lol.

Lets try a $200 3.5mm audio cable. "omg this is amazing"

Long story short, that was a very good buy. Too great value. And of course, the sound obliterated the external D1 DAC setup I had.

Oh wait, what do we have here.. a $1,200 cable.. this has to be perfect.. lets try it. "omg treble is so clear, epic, orgasmic"..

It is better. The highs and details is better on this cable. I will tell you guys more about it later in the next post or so.

"Gotta wax the cable to preserve it guys, everyone knows this, plus it makes the treble clearer".

I never said it will make treble clearer. Are you trying to be dumb?
I am actually planning to apply two more coats of wax. I might pickup a primer too.

I'm not really sure how the cable is filtering the original pops and cracks. Didn't know a cable could do that.

I never said it removed ticks and pops from my macbook. I knew those pops weren't going to go away. What I was after was the sound quality differences in the music. It's not my fault that you can't afford a nice cable. No need to try blame on the other guy because you can't get one, nor can you hear any differences. You can't afford such things, go find a better job.

So.. I'm gay

I don't care what you are... it's not my business. lol.

$1200 Macbook

Nope, I paid $1178 after tax, IIRC.

$1200 3.5mm cable. That's awesome.

Good boy.

$20 wax.

It's $13 and change.

Having speakers a few feet off of a large GLASS surface is probably one of the worst ways to experience audio. Not sure why you'd ever want to do this.

Read my previous post. Those stands are padded so there's no rattle. And ultimately, I am getting great results.

Still unsure if we're being trolled, or OP is completely f'ed in the head.

No you are not being trolled. This is real.
Me? f'ed in the head? Nope. Far..................... from it. I am serious.

The waxing the cable part leads me to believe were being trolled.. But a sad pathetic dennilifloss kinda troll.

The waxing is serious, too. I did that to apply extra protection and better appearance. But I do agree. Some people will find this trolling.

 

[cheez]

I missed whatever the OP did before this amusing thread, but I'll bet the amp providing even high impedance for the Mac's output is what really took care of things, and that it's been placebo since then.

Read my response to dawks above. It tells you that I wasn't going after the pops / ticks. You are heading the wrong direction.

 

[Zorander]

You should look up Patrick82. I think you guys will get along.

 

[cheez]

There is so much to say. Not sure where to start.

The sound difference between full copper vs silver is humongous. They are so distinctively different.

Quick preview: Copper cable (Sydney) provided warmer sound with more comfort, and more detail in the low ends.

The silver cable (Angel) is providing me cold / cooler sound signature. Better treble and more details in the highs. Some of the sound instruments are reflective.


I am highly impressed with the Sydney cable ($200). But I am boxing it up for a return. The $1200 cable (Angel) is the keeper.

 

[cheez]

A few of the songs I played so far, the Sydney cable actually provided better detail in the lows. One of the instruments I have noticed having a big difference was the cello note in the lows. The silver cable wasn't quite as good in this regard.

I currently have about 25 hours of burnin on the Angel cable so it's still early to conclude. More testing to go.


Sydney cable via analog setup is about 100 times better than the external USB DAC (D1) setup I had. There is no comparison.

 

[Cerb]

It's not about just 1's and 0's. It's about timing and jitter.

Something that no decent cable will affect, and which a good DAC should mostly take care of, internally.

I went back to analog because the D1 DAC was a downgrade for me. I mean "clear" downgrade. MBP DAC via headphone port sounds better. You don't seem to know much about Macbook sound signature, lol.

You never went any more or less analog; and there's simply no way that the MBP's noisy output is superior. Impossible to realistically differentiate, once hooked up to an amp, maybe. But better? Not a chance. It wouldn't even surprise me if the D1 was giving you too clear an output, as way too much music is mastered like crap, and a decent DAC and amp can bring the flaws to the forefront.

I never said it removed ticks and pops from my macbook. I knew those pops weren't going to go away. What I was after was the sound quality differences in the music.

Ever considered just listening to the music?

I am highly impressed with the Sydney cable ($200). But I am boxing it up for a return. The $1200 cable (Angel) is the keeper.

I like my Switchcraft-ended ones with Canare mic cable. They have soundstage-enhancing 63/37 joints, even. Polishing such things would be downright criminal, too (Switchcraft connectors only get better looking as they get scratched up, and the barrels tarnish a little).

 

[cheez]

Something that no decent cable will affect, and which a good DAC should mostly take care of, internally.

It's the question of how the signal will be transferred from external DAC to the speakers. And keep in mind that cables not only reduce noise / jitter but it causes different sound signatures. It's not that simple as just taking care of "internally".

You never went any more or less analog; and there's simply no way that the MBP's noisy output is superior.

It is. It is far, far superior to me. You know why? It doesn't sound absorbent. The D1 DAC sounded too fat and too forward. The macbook DAC has more air and wider soundstage. It was more open too, and sounded natural. There is more to it than just noise reduction.

Impossible to realistically differentiate

It's way too easily possible because I am hearing the differences very distinctively. It's nothing better than hands-on experience. You are going by guesses while I'm on real experience.

It wouldn't even surprise me if the D1 was giving you too clear an output

It certainly removed the noise but it gave no improvement over the stock MBP DAC via headphone port when it comes to detail. There was no noticeable difference. The only difference I received was the sound was TOO absorbent on the D1.

as way too much music is mastered like crap, and a decent DAC and amp can bring the flaws to the forefront.

You must listen to a lot of compressed media, like MP3's. Some are okay but a lot of them are crap. The ones I've been testing are mostly the lossless source from CD's, and some from nicely encoded 320kbps MP3's.

Ever considered just listening to the music?

I do. Enjoying listening to music out of my Angel cable as we speak.

I like my Switchcraft-ended ones with Canare mic cable. They have soundstage-enhancing 63/37 joints, even. Polishing such things would be downright criminal, too (Switchcraft connectors only get better looking as they get scratched up, and the barrels tarnish a little).

I am thinking about priming the thing, and wax on top of it some more.

 

[cheez]

Ha ha, bling bing eeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaa!!~~ wolf wolf! Ever considered just listening to the music?

This is, actually, a good question. I'm glad you asked this.

I was listening to a track "Somewhere" by July artist and I was just trying to enjoy the music but the low tone cello note popped out of the speakers. This instrument was very very faint with the generic cable. With the Sydney cable it came right up close to my face and kind of distracted me from music listening. The cello presence was so strong it came in front of the piano. With the generic cable this note was far, far behind the piano instrument. I was like wtf..... I wondered myself, did the song change? It's the same song. But I was surely amazed with the immense difference. It's not just a little, it's HUGE. Gigantic. And I am not exaggerating on this one. This also took out my silver cable. Scary stuff.

 

[mugs]

So did you stop at the $1200 cable? What are you, poor? Surely there is a more expensive cable that will sound more expensive than the one you have.