Are gold cables/connectors a farce?

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Pinky

Pinky

and The Brain...
I haven't bought into the hype behind monster cables and such, and partly because I've never had a sound setup (home theater or recording studio) that required the slightest bit of perfection, so the nickel-plated stuff has worked fine for me for years.

However, there's a lot of trusted souls both in and out of the recording instrustry that SWEAR you can HEAR the difference in using gold plated cables/connects in their home theaters and smaller studios.

What say you on the subject?

I also spent some time in google looking for an answer and came up empty (obviously using the wrong search criteria because I know this isn't a new debate topic)... if anyone's got some technical links (don't worry, my head won't exploded if I actually need to use it) I'd appreciate it! :)
 
Interesting read, though it doesn't specifically address my question, his rants are rather humorous...
 
Gold is a better conductor, and it does not corrode. However, the benefit is, in all likelihood, not enough of an issue to be worth it in most situations. If you want them, get them, but don't stress about it.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
For many audio applications, gold connections and heavy expensive cables are, in my opinion and experience, not needed. The word that comes to mind on this subject is the one you already used....hype.

Ed
 
I wonder what the actual gold content is? Maybe enough to color the metal...
 
lpdeluxe said:
I wonder what the actual gold content is? Maybe enough to color the metal...
Click to expand...

From my limited reading, I think part of the issues are:

1 -- Length and gauge of the wire

2 -- Lack of (RF) shielding

3 -- Only Plating the connector in gold, which means the actual connection to the wire is still another, less conductive material.

4 -- Corrosion takes years and can be easily cured/cleaned.


So the only positive is you can leave the cabling setup for years without fear of corrosion, but for what is often 500-1000% more cost, is this really an effective sales pitch? The difference in gold connects in audio/PC use and nickel/standard connects is nominal. Our ears certainly can't hear it, and the numbers on the PC hardware side of the fence reflect a small percentage increase that could be contributed to a larger gauge wire and have nothing to do with gold plated connectors... and to further qualify, the use of wiring really isn't any different in audio than it is in, say, usb connections... data travels the wire to its destination... :rolleyes:

I'm just surprised there's nothing definitive out there comparing the two and providing reasonable, well documented proof pro/con.
 
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You might also check out Gary Davis' Sound Reinforcement Handbook: he goes into mathematical detail as to what matters and what doesn't, and he doesn't think much of marketing claims.

In case you're wondering, I don't buy expensive cables...EVEN IF everything they claim about them is true, I can't hear the difference.
 
Unless one has an ususual interference environment, or long cable runs, regular cabling works just fine.

Ed
 
I didn't buy into the hype... until I saw the difference. Video is so much easier to relate to the brain than audio a lot of times, especially with people like us who have been doing music for a long time. We already have an audio opinion and the video provides neutral ground. There is definately a difference in the audio quality, but it can be subtle. I am an A/V guy by trade, and I can see the difference in the picture. Plain and simple. I know there are times when the audio is better or worse, but gold vs nickel or whatever seems to be less of an attribute than quality wire, quality craftsmanship and quality connects.

Pete
 
There are some differences with it comes to video. Video is much denser information than audio, and much more sensitive to connections and interference. The number of cases where cable size and connections matter there is a much larger set. When one gets into HDTV, the options become more important.

Ed
 
That brings up another point. I strongly suspect the real difference between "premium" and "everyday" cables is attention to the connectors. That is, for "premium" cables that aren't a ripoff...as for example, a set of cables my stepson gave me. His grandmother owned a bunch of rental properties in GA, and somebody left behind what looked like high-quality interconnects: gold-colored ends, big rubber wrap, arcane "scientific" white lettering along the cable. He brought them to me and I plugged them into something to test. Nothin'. When I disconnected them the "gold" connections stayed on the gear and the cable pulled away! I soldered on my own phone plugs and was amazed at the small size of the conductors compared to the big macho outer wrap of the cables. Like I say, I'm skeptical. Anyhow, connectors -- especially RCAs -- are notoriously short lived, and maybe you can justify the extra expense on that basis.

Or, Option One, you can get rid of all the RCA connections...

Option Two, learn to solder!
 
Learning to solder is always a good thing. Anyone who does equipment maintenance will eventually need this skill and gear.

Ed
 
I don't know about you, but I sware I notice a slight difference between a hosa cable and a monster/mogami cable. One other thing I notice is they normally last longer, so far. I even sware I notice a few extra milliseconds of timing accuracy with a monster midi cable vs a hosa midi cable.

The difference is very small, but I sware that I hear it. At least with a really crappy guitar cable you can sure hear it. Get the crappest cable you can find and try them vs a hosa or a monster cable.

I serious invested a bunch of money to slowly replace all my hosa cables because they would always break and it would get really annoying. Out of my monster and mogami cables one has been need to replaced so returned so far.
 
I'm not sure how a cable could affect the timing of MIDI data, which is basically digital in form. Current travel thorugh a wire is very fast. I would doubt one could hear anything in this area for differences in MIDI cables.

Shielding can make a difference in audio cables when local interferenace is an issue. We used to play a club where the bandstand was directly in front of the main electrical panel for the entire facility. Cable selection and placement made a difference there.

Ed
 
Okay, so scientifically -- is there a measurable difference, and does that measurable difference translate to real life performance?

So far it sounds like video might see an improvment (though I think relying solely on gold connects to improve an otherwise poor connection may be a bandaid on a gun shot wound as something else is likely causing some serious interference issues).

But so far I just hear some vague explanations for the pros of using gold uadio connectors... I guess i was hoping for a definitive answer, because the claims made by the manufacturers of these cables are rather definitive in nature...
 
The lack of definitive answers is what drives the profits of the premium cable industry. Over the years I have seen what purported to be definitive tests which were followed up by criticisms from both manufacturers and consumers that the results couldn't be right! If the tests show that premium cables test the same as zip cord, there is a flurry of protests that the "right" things weren't being tested; if the tests show one is better than the other, then --actually-- the same thing occurs.

On the "premium" side: OUR tests show it's superior. YOUR tests aren't fine enough to tell. And even if your tests WERE that good, it's how it SOUNDS. And if it doesn't sound superior to you, then you have faulty hearing.

On the "skeptic" side: Yeah, it's how it sounds. And it all sounds the same. Twelve awg is 12awg cable anywhere you go (unless you're Monster, and refuse to publish the gauges of your cables as being irrevelant, a state of affairs that automatically sets off my BS detector). Turbo-cut RCA connectors? Give me a break.

The mags that worship "golden ears" love these expensive cables. It validates all their assumptions, especially the one about non-initiates not being able to make fine enough distinctions to know good from superb. The people who are particularly enamored of these things are the high-end consumers for whom it is a wonderful source of gear snobbery.

And ya know what? They may be right. Maybe they DO hear something I don't, even after allowing for the well-known emotional phenomena that follows spending big bucks for something that trivial (sorry, I'm getting carried away). If you read the guys pushing these expensive cables, you read terms that would make Mr Barnum blush in the use of superlatives. We all know that these enhancements, if they exist, are incremental, and not dramatic, or life-changing, or anything else, and it's this dramatization that above all triggers the alarms for me.

You can't go wrong with well-made cables, correctly soldered connectors, and a little knowledge.
 
Were can you get lots of cable anyways? I would love to make my own snake and other cables. When I ask about it in a pro audio store they always say it's a waste of time because of all the work and the price is almost the same.
 
Fluxburn, you should be able to get adequately shielded cabling from your local electronics store (but probably not Radio Shack, they actually want you to buy theirs :p ).

Lpdeluxe, thanks for your thoughts on this. Its been a few days now this thread has been in the hr.com "geek" section and so far none of those same people you describe, who I've heard sing the praises of gold cables and partake in the gear snobbery, have stopped in to make a definitive stand for their opinions... interesting :D.
 
Fluxburn, Full Compass sells bulk shielded, mic, and other kinds of cable and every kind of connector you can think of.

Pinky, I guess everybody knows my opinions on this issue. I once found a website devoted to such things (not the one I posted earlier) and I'll see if I can find it and post it for you.
 
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