前幾天在鴨記買了這條同軸，店員介紹的，大家有乜睇發．．

In my experience, good cables convey 100% performance of your equipments, regardless of your equipment cost. I used to brought my cables to my friend's home to play around. The result told me even the amp is cheaper than the cable itself, the amp still shine through. You know better your amp characteristics with decent cables ...

List of equipments and cables on that day:

My friend's owned cables:
Taralab The One interconnect (D/A->pre),
NBS (forgot the model) power cord (D/A).
Zu Mother II power cord X 2 (pre and transport)
(forgot the model of digital cable)
XLO (forgot the model) power cord (*)
DIY green Cello interconnect (*)
Kimber cable (forgot the model) interconnect (*)
AudioQuest Midnight Blue speaker cable Bi-wire (*)
(* = replaced from the system)

Cables I brought:
Stage III Concept monument 1.5m interconnect (preamp -> power amp)
Audioquest Volcano DBS (speaker cable)
Analysis Plus Silver Oval Interconnect 1.5m (*)
(* = tested but not use)

My friend's equipments:
PS Audio Lamda transport
PS Audio UltraLink D/A
Audio Research LS7 preamp (mod to have IEC power socket)
Audio Research VT-60 KT88 X 4 50W X 2 (use original power cord)
ProAc Tablette 2000 signature
Foundation Designer stand
Solid steel series 5 rack

My friend had never upgraded his system for more than 10 years because his system was thouroughly break-in and gives stunning bass from the small book-shelf speaker that I cannot believe . However, meanwhile, he had upgraded his cables several times. Because his system is quite sensitive to show off the sound improvement on replacing cables. Even some cables cost as much as his Audio Research LS7 preamp. He uses cables to fine-tuned his desired taste.

This is the philosophy of hifi system build up:

Select your dream equipments, thouroughly break-in, further enhance system performance by proper cable matching, stop it, left the money for software, don't think any upgrade, enjoy it rest of your life .......

I treat cables as equipment because they change the whole system performance in the same degree as replacing equipments. And the market price of branded cable reflects the value how effective the cable being into the formula of sound improvement. Certainly you won't loss your music enjoyment without a decent cable. The market reality is that 10% rise of improvement cost 90% rise of investment.

Some branded cables have too strong their sonic signiture that suit special requirement. Let say if a customer wants more sweet or bass in his system and a particular cable can give him more sweet or bass, then it can charge the customer premium, because this cable inject life into his system or solve his problem. And this is also the reality of pricing theory in the market. Certainly some is affected by "sin 稿".

DIY cable is a good idea if you can source high quality material and have appropriate skill. Just like if you got decent cap, OPT, 300B, it is possible constructing your own amp beating down branded model.


Dear alfcat,

I had tried to "unplug" the battery from my AQ speaker cable. It was really day and night. Without the battery, the sound slow and lack life. With the battery on, the sound became dynamic and had colour on individual instrument. The sound stage was obviously widened.

But the voltage of battery affects the nature of sound. With the 72V upgrade by Radar, the sound becomes too fast in transient that make me nervious. So at last I switch it back to original 24V for right timing.

Dear alfcat,

其實我鐘意 Taralab 多 D, 只係玩唔起, AQ 既定位無 Taralab 咁sharp同準,

個人認為 Taralab 會 neutral 過 AQ, AQ 有少少厚道, 但分析力差少少,

尤其係 AQ 喇叭線帶少少甜, 所以 AQ 聽 Jazz, Brass 同"牛根" 會幾 "lum",

AQ 個 sound stage 闊但係假闊, instrument 件頭比例大, 所以形成假闊,

AQ 高頻無 Taralab 咁去得盡, 聽 Jazz 無問題, 但聽 violin 感覺少少硬 ...

AQ 喇叭線有 D harmonic incompleteness, 不過 AQ interconnect 好好多.

希望講出泥唔會比 AQ fans 打, 可能新款 AQ 線係無舊款線咁多低頻,

我有 keep 住 AQ 第一代頂級 Clear 喇叭線, 成五蚊銀咁粗, 裡面 12 條獨立絕緣銅線, 每條約 AWG 16 ...

新 AQ 恐怕無一條喇叭線既銅 per unit cross-sectional area 粗過佢 ...

我有同 volcano 交換驗證過, 結果係 Clear 低頻贏, 細節 volcano 贏 ...

昔日線王 Clear 可能重贏今日唔少貴喇叭線, 但價錢只係今日 D 線既幾分一,

以前條 clear 搭 Acoustic Energy AE1 成個 sound stage 浮出泥 ...