Audio cables. Does the quality really matter?

Question

I just bought a Samsung Plasma and was wondering if the sound quality suffers with just basic audio cables, hooked up to a Yahama surround sound/dvd player. I already have the high quality video cables and the pic is just great. Just didn't know if I needed to spend the extra money on gold plated audio cables.

Answer 1

Are you talking about different cables, like from composite audio/digital coax/optical, or just different quality cables of the same type?

I'd say definitely go with digital coax/optical/or HDMI so you can get true surround sound.

They quality of the cables (gold plated,oxygen-free, etc.) doesn't really matter, unless your are a audiophile.

Answer 2

Not for TV sound - the quality is not that great to start with.

Why are you connecting TV to the Yamaha Surround?  And why with analog cables?

You should connect cable/sat box to the Yanaha, preferably via HDMI or digital cables.

Answer 3

While purists will say you always need the best, the truth is that for most people under most circumstances they won't benefit from expensive cables. My recommendation is to not buy the cheapest, but avoid the expensive brands (e.g. Monster) like the plague. For a good source for budget cables see the link.

Answer 4

I second agb90spr..

The cable world is made up of charlatans trying to convince people they need to pay an arm and a leg to enjoy their systems -- not true. Moreover, electronics stores make a fortune selling this stuff and they will push the most expensive cable they have.

If you have to run the cables over a long distance (like 20 to 50 feet), then the gauge of the cable will make a difference, but otherwise, it's unlikely that you will ever notice a difference. Do the test: go buy the expensive one, have a friend switch them up on you several times and see if you can spot them. You won't be able to. Don't forget to return the expensive cable when you're done the test.

However, if you are going to be playing around with the cables quite a lot, you're going to want cables that have strong connectors that won't break, but that's it. If you can use a digital connection for sound, always go that route first - as far as I know, all DVD players have them; not all TVs though.

As for gold connectors, don't forget that your cable is several feet of probably copper. What's less than an inch of gold going to change!!! That's like paving a street with asphalt and suggesting that paving the last foot with more durable material is going to improve the ride on the whole street.

Lastly, the speakers on television sets aren't usually very good, so there's another reason not to bother with better cables. But my answer would have been the same even if you had an amp and good speakers.

Answer 5

Gold, in addition to being an excellent conductor, is far less susceptible to oxidation over time. If you use cables with gold plated connectors, they will sound as good 2 years from now as they do today.

For your application, look for the cheapest gold plated cables that appear to be constructed well. They should cost about half what Monster wants for the same thing, and about 3 to 4 times what the cheap grab-basket cables cost.