SCART Connectors
18 January 2006, 02:28 PM
#3
Depends...if it uses the same crappy wires and poor sheilding...it'll suffer as much crosstalk and signal loss as the £3.99 ones. And still with the poor quality solder joints to boot, and the connecter will still lever itself out the back when ever you disturb your DVD player more than 1"
The only thing the gold does is look pretty and ensure a slight better connection between the cable and the socket.
(but the socket on your TV/DVD is very rarely gold plated...if anyone has bothered to look...could argue that the gold may cause corrosion of the connctors due to the "battery effect" of two different metals
)
Which is why I say build your own...as the £50 monster ones aren't "that" much better either.
The only thing the gold does is look pretty and ensure a slight better connection between the cable and the socket.
(but the socket on your TV/DVD is very rarely gold plated...if anyone has bothered to look...could argue that the gold may cause corrosion of the connctors due to the "battery effect" of two different metals
)Which is why I say build your own...as the £50 monster ones aren't "that" much better either.
18 January 2006, 02:33 PM
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Interconnects aren't anywhere near as important as speaker cables. As was once said, "The best type of interconnect is one which reaches". You *might* detect some difference from a gold SCART, but i doubt it. But at £8, i'd take the gold ones anyway just for their improved resistance to tarnishing, if you're not the sort of person who cleans their connections regularly. 
18 January 2006, 03:25 PM
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I realise that you have expensive hi-fi tastes, Tel, but I found that upgrading my interconnects made a bigger difference than the speaker cables.
I was convinced that my upgraded interconnects had made a difference and conducted a blind test with a friend and CDs of his choice. Each time, he identified whether I was using the upgraded interconnects or the cheap and crappy ones. We described the difference as "a more precise stereo image". When asked exactly where Mr Hendrix's guitar was coming from we could point to a position and say, "There", rather than "About there" with the cheapies.
We explained this as the cheapies having poor screening which led to crosstalk between the channels. If some right channel signal is fed to the left channel this will muddy the stereo image so there seemed to be some plausible science behind our findings.
Our thoughts on the speaker cable upgrade was that if you are already using low impedance cable then upgraded speaker cable isn't going to give a huge benefit.
I was convinced that my upgraded interconnects had made a difference and conducted a blind test with a friend and CDs of his choice. Each time, he identified whether I was using the upgraded interconnects or the cheap and crappy ones. We described the difference as "a more precise stereo image". When asked exactly where Mr Hendrix's guitar was coming from we could point to a position and say, "There", rather than "About there" with the cheapies.
We explained this as the cheapies having poor screening which led to crosstalk between the channels. If some right channel signal is fed to the left channel this will muddy the stereo image so there seemed to be some plausible science behind our findings.
Our thoughts on the speaker cable upgrade was that if you are already using low impedance cable then upgraded speaker cable isn't going to give a huge benefit.
18 January 2006, 03:33 PM
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Fair enough, Douglas, but it does go against the findings of the majority of people in the industry. Sure, a decent interconnect over bellwire will reap benefits, but beyond a surprisingly low point, futher improvements are often hard to detect. Case in point, for what it's worth - my Levinson DAC and transport operate superbly on a £150 optical connector, better than with audio connectors costing thousands. Weird but true.
If you've not gained much improvement from speaker cable then i'm honestly astonished - over the years i've come round to the opinion that everything from the amp forward, ie the speaker cable and speakers themselves, have a bigger influence on the overall performance than any other single component. Yes all systems are different, but that is also the opinion of many others, for what that's worth. But i guess it's these differences in opinion that keep the hobby alive...
If you've not gained much improvement from speaker cable then i'm honestly astonished - over the years i've come round to the opinion that everything from the amp forward, ie the speaker cable and speakers themselves, have a bigger influence on the overall performance than any other single component. Yes all systems are different, but that is also the opinion of many others, for what that's worth. But i guess it's these differences in opinion that keep the hobby alive...
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18 January 2006, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by TelBoy
Interconnects aren't anywhere near as important as speaker cables. As was once said, "The best type of interconnect is one which reaches". You *might* detect some difference from a gold SCART, but i doubt it. But at £8, i'd take the gold ones anyway just for their improved resistance to tarnishing, if you're not the sort of person who cleans their connections regularly.
I changed my speaker cables the other week from 1.5mm twin and earth, with loose connections and oxidised ends, to 6mm/80 strand high temperature industrial 3 core cooker cable, with the spare core left unconnected.
It didn't make a blind bit of difference.
18 January 2006, 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Chip Sengravy
I changed my speaker cables the other week from 1.5mm twin and earth, with loose connections and oxidised ends, to 6mm/80 strand high temperature industrial 3 core cooker cable, with the spare core left unconnected.
It didn't make a blind bit of difference.
It didn't make a blind bit of difference.
Chip
18 January 2006, 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Chip Sengravy
I changed my speaker cables the other week from 1.5mm twin and earth, with loose connections and oxidised ends, to 6mm/80 strand high temperature industrial 3 core cooker cable, with the spare core left unconnected.
It didn't make a blind bit of difference.
It didn't make a blind bit of difference.
I *am* still going to do it you know!!
18 January 2006, 04:55 PM
#12
Gold is a better conductor than copper /aluminium, but you shouldnt mix metals that make contact with each other as there can be a reaction, making the actual electrical contact worse. So use the same metal contacts. Scart leads cost as low as 89p fully wired, but disconnect the unused pins so you dont get cross talk or pay for fully individual screened leads
Andy
Andy
18 January 2006, 04:58 PM
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Is there not some kind of anti oxidisng paste for this ?. We put vaseline on lead-acid battery posts to stop them furring up on generators, would this work?
18 January 2006, 05:01 PM
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Originally Posted by TelBoy
If you've not gained much improvement from speaker cable then i'm honestly astonished - over the years i've come round to the opinion that everything from the amp forward, ie the speaker cable and speakers themselves, have a bigger influence on the overall performance than any other single component. Yes all systems are different, but that is also the opinion of many others, for what that's worth. But i guess it's these differences in opinion that keep the hobby alive...
but, like you said we all have different opinions, and of course hearing
have you tried any of these products in your system, telboy..
http://www.isoteksystems.com/index.asp ive recently put a mini-sub vision in mine and the improvements are startling. worth borrowing off your local dealer and having a play
18 January 2006, 05:14 PM
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Originally Posted by andy97
Gold is a better conductor than copper /aluminium, but you shouldnt mix metals that make contact with each other as there can be a reaction, making the actual electrical contact worse. So use the same metal contacts. Scart leads cost as low as 89p fully wired, but disconnect the unused pins so you dont get cross talk or pay for fully individual screened leads
Andy
Andy
19 January 2006, 11:28 PM
#23
Originally Posted by pslewis
£70!!!!! 
Could I interest you in a piece of Iceberg real estate??
One born every minute!!
Pete
Could I interest you in a piece of Iceberg real estate??
One born every minute!!
Pete
If you spend a grand on the cinema set and the same again on a quality crt, then why would you skimp to save some pennies on the connections between them?
20 January 2006, 12:19 AM
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if you have the 10k to spend on a system your not going to link it up with bargin bin leads are u
if u say he is a mug what do u base that on are u a audiophile
im sure other people would call us scooby owners mugs 4 spending the money we do on our cars but what do they know ??
if u say he is a mug what do u base that on are u a audiophile
im sure other people would call us scooby owners mugs 4 spending the money we do on our cars but what do they know ??
20 January 2006, 09:14 AM
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Pete - I realise that as you get older, your hearing deteriorates. Obviously yours has deteriorated to the point where your hi-fi system sounds like a wind-up gramophone with a dog looking down the horn.
You're right. If your hearing is that bad then a quality interconnect cable will make no difference to you so a cheapo from "Pikeys 'R' Us" will be fine for you.
Meanwhile, for the rest of us whose ears still work.....
You're right. If your hearing is that bad then a quality interconnect cable will make no difference to you so a cheapo from "Pikeys 'R' Us" will be fine for you.
Meanwhile, for the rest of us whose ears still work.....
20 January 2006, 09:28 AM
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There is an awful lot of crap talked about gizzmos for hi-fi. Much of it is emperor's clothing. Some of the more way out of them have been challenged to put up or shut up by JREF and for some reason they shy away from DBCT and the chance to win $1 million.
Under most circumstances most people won't notice any difference in thier home where chances are the acoustics of the room have a far bigger impact on ruining the sound than the fancy bits have on trying to maintain it.
Under most circumstances most people won't notice any difference in thier home where chances are the acoustics of the room have a far bigger impact on ruining the sound than the fancy bits have on trying to maintain it.
20 January 2006, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by pslewis
Because it's a CON!!!!!!!
You are a MUG!!!!
Been taken for a ride mate!!
Pete
You are a MUG!!!!
Been taken for a ride mate!!
Pete
20 January 2006, 01:02 PM
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Originally Posted by stormyuklondon1
have you tried any of these products in your system, telboy..
http://www.isoteksystems.com/index.asp ive recently put a mini-sub vision in mine and the improvements are startling. worth borrowing off your local dealer and having a play
http://www.isoteksystems.com/index.asp ive recently put a mini-sub vision in mine and the improvements are startling. worth borrowing off your local dealer and having a play
I'm running a Russ Andrews Super-wotsit mains conditioner at the moment. In fact last night i had a bit of a blast, and used the opportunity to see whether i could actually tell the difference without it, since i've made a few upgrades since i installed it. And thankfully, there *is* still a difference. It's small, but it's worthwhile. Its only downside is that it hums. Not a lot, but i know it's there! I might see if i can try the Isotek one from Audiophile Candy on a sale or return basis though - just in case it's that little bit better....
20 January 2006, 01:10 PM
#30
Ahh, power conditioners....supplimenting and sorting out what the crappy power supply used inside your hi-fi should be doing anyway
But what do you expect when they use cheap and nasty capacitors that can't compensate for voltage ripple under load on the DC supply rails....in a £500 amplifier too
But what do you expect when they use cheap and nasty capacitors that can't compensate for voltage ripple under load on the DC supply rails....in a £500 amplifier too