Posh SCART leads - are they worth it?
Discussion
bruciebabe said:They do use balaced (3way) connections for each of the up to 100 odd tracks though
Abbey Road studio doesn't use gold plated plugs. So if your music source doesn't think they are worthwhile why bother in your home?
I've met people who can hear the difference
Beyond me of course
IMHO if the TV and DVD is good enough to have component in/out then it would probably be worth buing component leads, if it's not then don't bother (also s-video lead can offer improvment and they're only a tenner)
Incorrigible said:
Abbey Road studio doesn't use gold plated plugs. So if your music source doesn't think they are worthwhile why bother in your home?
They do use balaced (3way) connections for each of the up to 100 odd tracks though
I've met people who can hear the difference
Beyond me of course
IMHO if the TV and DVD is good enough to have component in/out then it would probably be worth buing component leads, if it's not then don't bother (also s-video lead can offer improvment and they're only a tenner)
The difference between an unbalanced and balanced connection is fairly tangible to most people involved in the business as a balanced circuits resistance to noise is a palpable quality. However, the difference in "normal" and gold-plated connectors can only be realised on your credit card statement I fear....
I recently picked one up in a local Tescos type place , they had cheap and cheaper versions i went for the cheaper version at about €4 its was crap , the signal is fine but the casing around the conector moves and you need to be carfull pluging it in as it feels like it will fall apart .
Gold-plated connectors are only worthwhile in atmospheres somewhat more corrosive than the average home.
"Oxygen free copper" may possibly have certain specialised chemistry-type applications but is a waste of money for cables.
The most significant difference between different cables, as has been mentioned, is how good the quality of construction is - whether it falls apart or not.
Cables are one of the biggest and most blatant rip-offs around.
"Oxygen free copper" may possibly have certain specialised chemistry-type applications but is a waste of money for cables.
The most significant difference between different cables, as has been mentioned, is how good the quality of construction is - whether it falls apart or not.
Cables are one of the biggest and most blatant rip-offs around.
I don't know about visual cables but certainly for audio cables it makes a massive difference.
Buy a good quality cable and then use a cheapo junk one and you can tell the difference straight away.
Don't buy "quality" cables from comet or those places because the "quality" ones are overpriced junk.
Go to a decent hifi store and ask them about the cables there. The advice is usually quite impartial and I expect they would make a difference but only if your telly is of decent quality. You'll probably find the picture is a lot sharper with a good cable.
The best way to do it is ask if the hifi shop has some demo cables you can borrow. You usually have to leave a deposit but it's worth the try.
Anyhow. That's my advice!
Buy a good quality cable and then use a cheapo junk one and you can tell the difference straight away.
Don't buy "quality" cables from comet or those places because the "quality" ones are overpriced junk.
Go to a decent hifi store and ask them about the cables there. The advice is usually quite impartial and I expect they would make a difference but only if your telly is of decent quality. You'll probably find the picture is a lot sharper with a good cable.
The best way to do it is ask if the hifi shop has some demo cables you can borrow. You usually have to leave a deposit but it's worth the try.
Anyhow. That's my advice!
neil.b said:My point was that there is a huge difference between the kit used to record stuff and the kit used to play stuff
The difference between an unbalanced and balanced connection is fairly tangible to most people involved in the business as a balanced circuits resistance to noise is a palpable quality. However, the difference in "normal" and gold-plated connectors can only be realised on your credit card statement I fear....
If you can hear the difference and you prefer one over the other then why not
I was astonished when he did it. We swapped leads 5 or 6 times and he could tell almost instantly (or maybe he was playing a Derren Brown on us) As I said, I can't tell the difference so I don't bother
Incorrigible said:
The difference between an unbalanced and balanced connection is fairly tangible to most people involved in the business as a balanced circuits resistance to noise is a palpable quality. However, the difference in "normal" and gold-plated connectors can only be realised on your credit card statement I fear....
My point was that there is a huge difference between the kit used to record stuff and the kit used to play stuff
If you can hear the difference and you prefer one over the other then why not
I was astonished when he did it. We swapped leads 5 or 6 times and he could tell almost instantly (or maybe he was playing a Derren Brown on us) As I said, I can't tell the difference so I don't bother
Sorry Inc, I wasn't really disagreeing with you.
I was just reinforcing that the difference between unbal/bal connections is much more tangible than difference between the metal used on the connectors.
I use QED Squarts.
They cost £50 each and yes you can tell the difference.
The use of decent cables with budget kit will improve matters significantly.
The use of cheap and nasty cables with mid to high range kit will mean you will loose all the detail that this kind of kit is capable of producing.
They cost £50 each and yes you can tell the difference.
The use of decent cables with budget kit will improve matters significantly.
The use of cheap and nasty cables with mid to high range kit will mean you will loose all the detail that this kind of kit is capable of producing.
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