The controversy surrounding the effect of interconnect cables on audio performance is littered with half truths and lies. There are many who will gladly sell audiophile enthusiasts a cable 1m in length, costing in excess of £1000. 

Is this really good value for money ?

What is the best cable ?

These questions are like asking what is the best car in the world; or is it better to drive to the supermarket in a Porsche or a Peugeot ?

I am an engineer with experience in high speed signal propagation and I know it's possible to send 100Mhz signals over barbed wire (see High-Speed Signal Propogation, Johnson & Graham) with almost no ill effect; so should you really spend your hard earned on a cable costing £1000. In my opinion the the answer is a resounding NO.

However, if the question is: Do interconnect cables make a difference in high end audio ? Then my answer is YES. The reasons for this are complex (and it's been many years since I've had to solve Maxwells Equations !), but are determined by a number of factors. There are the effects of the cable materials, its construction, its immunity to external noise and the connectors used. Any interconnect can be modeled in terms of its Inductance (L), its capacitance (C) and its resistance (R). This LCR model will have different interactions when the frequency changes on an audio signal and will have different effects accross the entire bandwidth, resulting in variations of the harmonic structure of the audio output. While it is beyond the scope of this guide to delve too deeply into the engineering of signal propagation I think there are a number of criteria that should be bourne in mind when choosing an interconnect for quality audio equipment :

1. Look for good quality cable by manufacturers who specialize in audio equipment. Remember there are very few audio cable suppliers who actually make thier own cable.

2. Look for good quality gold or silver plated connectors. Remember that gold plating is often not the best, especially when compared to silver, but it will provide you with a good clean surface contact.

3. Try to ensure that the connectors are soldered with silver content solder. This is used in RF (radio frequency) electronic assemblies and has better conductivity than normal lead-free solder.

4. Don't be seduced by that monster thick cable for connecting your amp to CD player. Because these are short reach connections the effect of the C and the L components have much more effect than its R (resistance).

5 Finally,  because these cables are usually in an enviroment where there is lots of electrical noise from other equipment, try to ensure that the cable has some sort of shielding.

I hope you have found this short guide useful so please help others to see it by clicking the YES button below.