Pro cabling for audiophile systems

[Kimo]

Updated:

 

AES/EBU: Grimm Audio.  

 

SPDIF: Apogee Wyde Eye

 

XLR: Gotham/EMT 2111, Mogami 2549.  Vovox Sonorus Direct (more expensive by comparison and unshielded)

 

Speaker cables:  Gotham then Mogami

 

RCA: Gotham GAC 1 Ultra pro and Mogami 2497.  Wyde Eye, a close second.  

 

Star quad:  Had to create a separate category, since everyone I have heard has had some defect.  Gotham 4/1, Belden BAV, Mogami, Canare in this order.  Generally, I would say avoid.  All of them tend be a little dull/dark and flat.  No soundstage depth.  Gotham is the best of the bunch, if you need it.  

 

Avoid silver plated for analog, and star quad designs, unless necessary, i.e. hum problems.

[Kimo]

Bringing in a new competitor.  Audio Envy mic cable.  Ghost cable may also get a run, once the website is updated.   Also, revisiting Mogami 2549 with different connectors.  

 

Will update recommendations after further auditions for the 1 1/2 people who still might have any interest.

[Kimo]

Got the Audio Envy burned and will say that it is a bit of a different beast from what I have heard so far.  Smoother than most other pro brands and a bit lighter in the midrange.  Certainly a bit more expensive, but not really that much when you can pay 150.00 for a pair of Mogamis, Vovox, or Gotham ultra pros.

 

  

[bobfa]

I will stand in for your 1 1/2 people interested.  Because I am very interested. 

 

Other than AC power I have two signal cables in my system. A SPDIF cable between the two speakers (Heavenly Soundworks 517). That cable transmits the digital stream from the master to the slave.  I have a Belden from BlueJeans cable there.

 

The Second cable is an AES from the streamer to the master speaker.  This needs to be about 3M long.  I am using a Mogami 3080 cable now.  I have tried a couple rather pricey cables that really did not add that much.  I was going to get something from Bluejeans cable but the Grimm is interesting.  I do not see electrical specs.  Is it 110 ohm???

[Kimo]

2 hours ago, bobfa said:

I will stand in for your 1 1/2 people interested.  Because I am very interested. 

 

Other than AC power I have two signal cables in my system. A SPDIF cable between the two speakers (Heavenly Soundworks 517). That cable transmits the digital stream from the master to the slave.  I have a Belden from BlueJeans cable there.

 

The Second cable is an AES from the streamer to the master speaker.  This needs to be about 3M long.  I am using a Mogami 3080 cable now.  I have tried a couple rather pricey cables that really did not add that much.  I was going to get something from Bluejeans cable but the Grimm is interesting.  I do not see electrical specs.  Is it 110 ohm???

 

Specs are here.  First and foremost an AES/EBU cable.  

 

The Mogami 3173 would be another one to consider.  The Belden from Bluejeans looks good too.  Some people like the DH Labs, which is silver plated like the Grimm.  The Grimm cable is a bit stiff, if flexibility is an issue.  

 

With all that said, the 3080 has lots of fans.  

 

https://www.grimmaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/Grimm-Audio-TPR-leaflet.pdf

[yamamoto2002]

I use two Canare DAC05 110Ω AES/EBU digital cables to connect computer AES/EBU out to Left active speaker (Genelec 8341)'s input, and left speaker AES/EBU passthrough out to right speaker AES/EBU input. It works flawlessly.

[bobfa]

So I am on the hunt for a very specific cable, so I am making a small investment:

 

Cable	Connector	Cost	Vendor	Note
Mogami 3080	Neutrik	$48	Amazon	Connector not specified fully
Canare DA206	Neutrik XX EMC	$50.00	Geistnote
Evidence Audio's The Lyric HG Cable	Neutrik XX EMC	$118	Geistnote
Grimm Audio TPR	Neutrik "silver"??	$54	Pro Audio LA	Connector TBD Shortage
DH Labs D-110	Furutech FP60x	$315	Moon Audio
All Cables are Three Meters long
Source: Pi2AES
Destination: Heavenly Soundworks 517 Speakers
Software LMS / Squeezelite

 

 

I have been using the Mogami 3080 for two years.  A few weeks ago I borrowed a Nordost cable that would end up being $2500 or so if I got it in 3M.  There was enough difference there for me to proceed.  I have been reading forums and just looking around and the above list is my guess at what is about right to try.

 

I am sure someone else will find another "perfect" cable.  But, this is as far as I am willing to go for now.  It will be a couple of weeks till the cables come in as they are all custom built.  

 

Bob

 

[Kimo]

Bob, looking forward to your results.  I no longer have the ability to listen to AES, since I now lack a source, but recall the Grimm fairly well.  That said, I am guessing the DH Labs gets the win.  

 

I did give the Audio Envy and the Mogami 2549 with silver plugs a try.  The former is the winner of the XLR group, but it is a bit expensive by comparison, though not so much as compared with Gotham 4/1 ultra pro, Vovox, etc.  The Mogami still has the nice open midrange, but is soft on top and a little fat on the bottom.  There is also a hint of grit present.

 

Spending time with the Mogami and AE cables did expose an issue with my former favorite 2111.  Though it is clean, smooth, and detailed, it has a problem in the midrange that can result in a pinched or veiled sound, especially in some vocals.  Once heard, can't be unheard.  The good news is that the Gotham GAC 4/1 does not suffer from that problem.  It is still a little flat in my opinion,  but is probably the best of the bunch that I have heard by comparison.  

 

Updated.  

 

USB: Oyaide Neo + A series Rev 2.  Marketed toward DJs.

 

AES/EBU: Grimm Audio.  

 

SPDIF: Apogee Wyde Eye

 

XLR: Surprisingly, this has been the toughest category to find good performance in.  Audio Envy, Gotham GAC 4/1 

 

Speaker cables:  Gotham.  It really is a better listen than the Mogami and cheaper as well.  

 

 

 

RCA: Gotham GAC 1 Ultra pro and Mogami 2497.  

[FredericV]

I ordered 1.5m XLR Mogami's from German based Eno Audio for my home studio, which is based on a Windows 10 DAW PC with some tweaks, ASIO to a Metrum Adagio DAC, NAD Eigentakt and Amphion One 18, and a zoom H8 as 10 channel 24/96 audio interface. I'll soon be adding more studio gear, and more cables ....



The One 18's are great tools for critical listening, we used them for critical analysis of the pseudo hi-res format. Easily reveals it's shortcoming. We also made our own in house demo tracks on the One 18's, for easy AB of tweaks developed for our brand.

At 50 euro ex-vat the Mogami's are extreme value:



We tested the Mogami's first in another system first, on the day of arrival, as this is our daily workhorse system:

432 EVO Master -> Sonnet Morpheus DAC -> Acrolink VS Eno Audio -> Vitus SS025 -> Amphion Krypton 3

In terms of resolving power in mid-highs, my Acrolink 8N-A2080 III Evo XLR which was thousands of euro's retail, easily beats them in the system which is used to develop our server with. Our room is the lower left picture:

https://amphion.fi/enjoy/products-home-audio/krypton-floorstanding-loudspeaker/

The Mogami's have slightly more body in the bass, but I prefer the clarity of the Acrolinks. To make the AB more fair, we should burn in the Mogami's a little bit longer.

Tomorrow the Sonnet Pasithea DAC arrives which should replace the Sonnet Morpheus, Maybe I'll burn in both with some test signals in repeat.

PS: AIX also uses these Mogami's, and they are considered one of the best hi-res labels

[bobfa]

1 hour ago, FredericV said:

I ordered 1.5m XLR Mogami's from German based Eno Audio for my home studio, which is based on a Windows 10 DAW PC with some tweaks, ASIO to a Metrum Adagio DAC, NAD Eigentakt and Amphion One 18, and a zoom H8 as 10 channel 24/96 audio interface. I'll soon be adding more studio gear, and more cables ....

Do you know what version of the Mogami cable you are using?

 

 

[yamamoto2002]

My Mogami 2534. White for cool sound, yellow for energetic sound 😜

I like yellow jacket, its color is more vivid than sRGB gamut range.

[FredericV]

20 hours ago, bobfa said:

Do you know what version of the Mogami cable you are using?

 

 

This is the cable:

https://enoaudio.de/en/product/m2534bk-3xm3xf-p/

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just want to chime in here with my own experience. Due to the huge cost of running something from Transparent a long distance (40 feet in my case), I purchased a pair of these Gotham GAC-4/1 ultraPro Balanced XLR cables. They are excellent. 

 

https://www.ghentaudio.com/part/x01.html

 

[bobfa]

1 hour ago, FredericV said:

This is the cable:

https://enoaudio.de/en/product/m2534bk-3xm3xf-p/

OK it is the Neglex 2534, cool thanks

 

[bobfa]

My first cable for comparison arrived today From Moon Audio.  The DH labs D-110.  It is in the system burning in.

 

[Kimo]

Bobfa, any news on the AES cable comparison?

 

I just picked up a new pair of Gotham AES ultra pro XLRs, which had become a bit difficult to find.  Going to compare them in analog with the 2111.

[bobfa]

I am slowly breaking cables in.  I have two warmed up.  he Mogami and the DH Audio labs 110

 

[Kimo]

On 2/14/2022 at 4:57 PM, bobfa said:

I am slowly breaking cables in.  I have two warmed up.  he Mogami and the DH Audio labs 110

 

 

I finally got some Gotham GAC 2 ultra pro cable in.  Was a little tough to find in the USA.  I am using it from my phono preamp to the DAC/preamp.  Out of the box, nothing sounds overtly wrong.  That is a nice change.

 

So far, I have had better luck using the pro AES cables for analog, than the analog mic cables for analog.  

[Kimo]

Got enough hours on the GAC 2 ultra pro to make some determinations.  Most noticeably, the bass is very strong using this IC.  The soundstage is wide and there are no anomalies regarding tone.  Mid treble still has a little extra bite, but this may disappear with time, or at least lessen.  Treble is not particularly extended, but it is not nearly as boxy as 2549 or others.  Still, this is a thick sounding presentation.

 

I fear that there may be no mic cable that is neutral enough to make for a good recommendation for an IC.  Haven't given up though.  I have some Gotham GAC 2 v1 on order.

[Revelation]

I had 6 year old Mogami XLR cables I connected from my amp to my preamp. I just purchased AudioQuest Columbia cables and noticed improved clarity and openness by about 8 percent. I don't know all the details on why it sounds this way, but I definitely like the sound better and to me, its an improved sound. One would think once you get to a certain level of less resistance, the really high end cables would make less of a difference. With that being said, I am very happy with these cables and they are staying on my McIntosh amp and NAD preamp

[Kimo]

On 2/25/2022 at 1:00 PM, Revelation said:

I had 6 year old Mogami XLR cables I connected from my amp to my preamp. I just purchased AudioQuest Columbia cables and noticed improved clarity and openness by about 8 percent. I don't know all the details on why it sounds this way, but I definitely like the sound better and to me, its an improved sound. One would think once you get to a certain level of less resistance, the really high end cables would make less of a difference. With that being said, I am very happy with these cables and they are staying on my McIntosh amp and NAD preamp

 

Almost all of the pro mic cables that I have tried have been a little gritty and closed in by comparison.  The Audio Envy was not, but that is in a different price range.

 

 

[Kimo]

Well, I have come to the end of the line.  Not surprisingly, I did not find any real giant killers going this route.  Seemed to have the best luck with the digital cables.

 

USB: Oyaide Neo + A series Rev 2.  Marketed toward DJs.

 

AES/EBU: Grimm Audio.  

 

SPDIF: Apogee Wyde Eye

 

XLR: NONE.  The Gotham GAC 2 V1 was probably the best balanced of the bunch, but really wasn't very smooth.  Might need a lot of hours.   I expected these cables to pretty much sound the same, but they actually sounded the most different from one another of any group.

 

Speaker cables:  Gotham SPK.  Belden and ultimately  Mogami just aren't as enjoyable.  

 

RCA: Gotham GAC 1 Ultra pro and Mogami 2497.  

 

For a little more money, I believe that one could better the sonics on most of these analog cables.  Maybe not the durability or shielding, but certainly the sound.  I kept the Oyaide as a back up, and Gotham GAC 1 and 2 on my phono stage, but that was it.    That said, these three cables cost me under 150.00, so that is not too bad.

[nilecniv]

Thanks for your diligence, @Kimo. 

 

Your varied XLR impressions are very interesting. I've been trying to decide between the Belden 1800F or Belden BAV XLR. Would you say that between these two choices, would the BAV XLR be worth the added cost?

[Kimo]

On 5/5/2022 at 11:14 AM, nilecniv said:

Thanks for your diligence, @Kimo. 

 

Your varied XLR impressions are very interesting. I've been trying to decide between the Belden 1800F or Belden BAV XLR. Would you say that between these two choices, would the BAV XLR be worth the added cost?

 

My dac/preamp has an output impedance of 300, which is sort of moderate.  It might be contributing to the differences in mic cables being a bit exaggerated, at least according to what I have read on other forums.

 

I would go with the 1800F in my system.  I have tried the BAV and liked it in some ways, but I found it had the star quad thing going on.  A little dull/closed in feeling.  Every 110 ohm cable that I have tried has sounded a more open than every star quad, with the possible exception of the GAC 4/1 ultra pro, which gets closer.

[nilecniv]

On 5/8/2022 at 8:52 AM, Kimo said:

 

My dac/preamp has an output impedance of 300, which is sort of moderate.  It might be contributing to the differences in mic cables being a bit exaggerated, at least according to what I have read on other forums.

 

I would go with the 1800F in my system.  I have tried the BAV and liked it in some ways, but I found it had the star quad thing going on.  A little dull/closed in feeling.  Every 110 ohm cable that I have tried has sounded a more open than every star quad, with the possible exception of the GAC 4/1 ultra pro, which gets closer.

 

Thanks for sharing. I decided to give the BAV XLR a try and it should be arriving today. I'll be using the XLR between my analog preamp and amp. I've been using Canare Star Quad for years with no real faults. I've always thought it was a fairly neutral cable, but also have not tried many other options.