The Future Shop Comprehensive Guide to HiFi Cables and Accessories, Vol. 1- Introduction

Vol. 1- Introduction

 

Future Shop is a retailer that has catered to audiophiles for the last 16 years, and in that time we have enjoyed serving a discerning and knowledgeable customer base. Recently, though, we have been wondering whether that has made us a little complacent; are we relying too heavily on our customers to have a strong understanding of the different ways in which cables and accessories- what we call “the hidden costs of HiFi”- can improve their experience of their systems?  

Looking at our store and the information available on our products, we began to worry that it might not feel accessible to those taking- or considering taking- their first steps into the audiophile lifestyle. While all the technical information is useful to those who can decipher it, it can probably be a little intimidating for those who cannot. We also imagine that seeing premium cables with costs running into the thousands per metre could be bewildering to those who may not be entirely convinced by the difference that the right cables and accessories can make for any system.  

It is with that in mind that we are excited to announce that we shall be compiling the vast knowledge of our technical experts into an exhaustive series of guides to the different kinds of cables and accessories. This will be split into the following categories:  

• Power cables and conditioners 
• Speaker cables 
• Interconnects (analogue & digital) 
• Isolation 
• DACs 

This series is not being created to push products, and as such we shall not be making product-specific recommendations. In this series, we shall be identifying all the variables (materials, construction, etc.) in each of the above categories, and- based on our knowledge and experience- considering the impact that adjusting these variables can have on a HiFi system. 

We hope that providing you with this information will leave you in a position to make better sense of the technical specifications provided by manufacturers. As for the sceptics, we hope to give you a greater appreciation for the technology behind our range of cables and accessories, and perhaps even persuade those that need convincing that these technologies can, in fact, make a difference in your system! 

Before we get stuck into the different cables and what to look for in each category, we should talk a little about HiFi. Let’s imagine that you have just purchased a new HiFi set-up: two speakers, a pre & power amp, and your source component (turntable/CD player/ streamer/computer). You’ve plugged it all in with the cables provided with the equipment, and while you’re not necessarily disappointed with the sound, something tells you it could be better. Your setup may sound a little bass-heavy, or may present a little bright- maybe it lacks depth and detail, or doesn’t sound as natural as you’d like. It is important to realise at this point that your equipment is likely not functioning to the best of its ability. The cables that came out of the box- be they the power cables, the interconnects or the speaker cables themselves- are, in almost every case, the most basic product in their category, chosen by manufacturers for their cost-effectiveness rather than performance. 

We are aware that there are still plenty of people out there, including audiophiles- and even some retailers(!)- who firmly believe that cables are snake-oil, and scoff at the claims made by “believers” about the difference that cables can make to your HiFi system. To such people, we would say: cables are definitely not magic. In the world of HiFi, we often speak of how certain components improve the listening experience, but it’s important not to allow this sort of talk to lead us to misconceptions about the job these components do. When journalists, retailers and customers talk about an improvement in the listening experience, they aren’t actually saying that the sound itself has been “improved”. That may sound like we’re being precious about semantics, but we believe that this semantic confusion is the major reason for scepticism about high-quality cables.  

In truth, there isn’t a single component in a HiFi system- be it an amp, a speaker, or a cable- that actually, technically, “improves” the sound coming out of your source. The goal of HiFi systems is simply to preserve and replicate the signal leaving your source as “transparently” as possible- in other words, all of these components aim to minimise the loss and distortion of the signal. In theory, the sound is perfect at source- the challenge we face is that there is some degree of loss and/or distortion at every single stage: as power travels from the mains to your source & amps, as that power is turned into an electronic signal, as the signal travels from a source over the interconnect, as it is amplified, as it travels to the speakers, and as it is translated into sound by the speakers. So rather than “improve” sound, all of the components in a system are simply trying not to make it worse. Where lower quality components can introduce interference or allow distortion and signal loss, higher quality amps, speakers and cables do a better job at protecting and preserving the signal. 

This also means that it’s important to match cables to your equipment. A cable cannot improve the performance of your equipment beyond what it is inherently capable of, the most it can do is allow the equipment to perform to its full potential. If your speakers and amps cost £500, then going from a £50p/m cable to a £1,000p/m may not be the best use of money because your speakers will not be able to illuminate the difference, and if someone tries to sell you cables that cost more than your hardware then they probably are snake-oil merchants. But if your system cost £5,000+, then you are more likely to see a difference from such a cable. It often isn’t beneficial to simply spend as much as possible, it’s more important to assess what level of performance is appropriate for your cable. 

We aren’t naïve enough to think that the above will have been enough to convert all the sceptics, but if you do feel an increased curiosity, or have always been a “believer”, then our upcoming series is for you! For each of the categories listed earlier, we will be examining the following variables and exploring how they can affect the performance of cables: 

• Material(s) used for the conductors 
• Configuration of the conductors (solid, stranded, twisted etc) 
• Dielectric (minimises energy loss, some protection from interference, gives structural integrity to the cable) 
• Shielding (protects conductors from interference) 
• Material(s) used for the plugs 
• Length of cable 
• Termination method 
• Grounding (if applicable) 

By the end of this series, we hope to have provided you with a solid foundation of knowledge that helps you make more informed choices. Because every HiFi setup is unique, it would be impossible for us to publish a guide purporting to be a complete buyer’s guide. For advice specific to your system, we still recommend calling or emailing our expert technical advisers, but hopefully, this series will give you a greater appreciation for the reasoning behind their recommendations. 

We hope you are as excited about this as we are, and if so, make sure to keep an eye out for updates in the coming days and weeks! 

 

Click here for Vol. 2- Power