Thanks for the warning. It is definitely tempting to think that one’s favorite new piece of gear is going to be “endgame.” In this case, I definitely plan to hold onto the Celestee for a long time, and I actually have decent quality black versions of all of the cables I need. I was just totally gobsmacked by the look of the Celestee and its stock cable, and I was a little bummed when putting on one of my plain looking ones for better sound. Normally I wouldn’t go for the matching, but in this case, the look just really makes me happy. I appreciate the recommendations, and I’ll definitely check them out!
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“All in all, these Gotham GAC-4/1 Star Quad RCA cables are a crazy good value with literally ZERO weakness at their price point. In fact, the lower three tiers of AudioQuest cables (Evergreen, Tower & Golden Gate) might not best these cables (and I’m no AQ hater; I just don’t own any to conduct a direct comparison). These Gotham cables are THAT fundamentally good in every area. Inherently neutral, but they would not be out of place connected to vastly more expensive equipment.”
Not everyone agrees with you.
That could be true, but it was @Roark who didn’t like Gotham. I was seeking info and quoting from Amazon’s pages when shopping. And at this point I still haven’t bought or tried any Gotham cables in my home setup.
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Yes, I was the user who commented on my dislike of the Gotham version by WBC. They built an rca cable with a quad wire cable meant for microphones, hence why the capacitance is so high on all the quad “star” configuration cables. However my ears guided me on the decision to return the one and use the shorter cable as 1/4” pig-tail headphone adapter, which in this use case made no difference being quad wire.
I stand by my assessment from 2021, if others disagree so be it. Welcome to the land of differing opinions.
I have used the Mogami 2497, as the 2408 cable in bulk is nearly impossible to find outside of Japan and are structurely similar to the 2497. Those would be worth the upgrade from all the options WBC offers at this time.
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Looks like most of their 2497 cables are out of stock (except for one that’s 0.5’ length). Curious if you’ve tried Mogami 2549? After doing some research I settled on those for my WBC interconnects (Amphenol connectors). I’ve been using them for a few years and seem OK to me, but I haven’t don’t any comparisons with other cables.
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I do have some Mogami 2549 (twin) and 2532 (quad) cables. I don’t hear a bleeping whiff of a difference between them under any circumstances, but got the quad to hopefully avoid noise in a rats-nest of cables.
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If you have a solder iron, buy the bulk here; Mogami W2497 | Redco Audio
Use these connectors because they have a larger OD than the 2549, though the Amphenol connector can work with a bit of creativity; Canare F10 | Redco Audio
I did try these with the RCA from WBC, however their claim of being directional to help with the noise is BS. This cable picked up a lot of refi/emi, or whatever unseen interference is floating around. The way they wire it as directional by grounding the shield on one end acts more like an antenna than a shield. I imagine they do this to lower the capacitance, however it is more susceptible to noise in my environment. So I would constantly get frustrated with it, I might re-do it with 3 pin XLR connector as it would be a good XLR cable using the shield properly of course.
If you aren’t able to build the 2497, then the Blue Jeans Cable are hard to beat at the end of the day, they are a solid core coax style with low capacitance and excellent shielding.
We all hear differently, and I will be the first to admit I do find it hard to notice big changes between cables, other than lower noise floor, the differences are usually more subtle and help clear the path for the signal to come through figuratively.
If you are crafty with a solder iron, there are other great options which have better conductors/build geometry sold in bulk for a bit more money, yet still a lot less than the fancy $500+ cables out there.
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I’m not hearing much a difference between cables. But I am hearing a difference between jacks being used.
Today or tomorrow I’m going to test using Belden 1508a cable using Furutech 1/4 stereo jacks and mini XLR against the same cable using Neutrik 1/4 and mini XLR.
They shouldn’t make a difference but whenever I use a Furutech adaptor for a 1/8 Neutrik Jack instead of a regular ole adaptor made of brass it changes the sound quite a bit. More open and tighter.
So I am going to make two cables for my Beyerdynamic 1990 out of the same Belden 1508a cable but with different connectors to see what is going on. I might also measure the electrical properties with the jacks on. To see if anything changes there. It might. But nothing should make an audible difference.
It’s worth noting that I put furutech connectors on some Belden cable ( not the 1508a) and it was bright and airy . Then I changed them for a switchcraft mini XLR and Neutrik 1/4 and it became very dull. Maybe I did something wrong. But I have to recheck.
Cheers
I’ve tried the WBC and they weren’t nearly as good as the Blue jeans LC-1.
Until I tried the Blue Jeans 1694a Belden RCA.
Best RCA cable by far.
The blue jeans headphone cable is also amazing.
Their Belden 1508a is awesome.
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So far I can hear differences between connectors. Not wire so much if any.
But for connectors , I do hear a difference between Neutrik and Furutech. With the latter sounding a bit more open , maybe a touch tighter and clearer?
I admit I need to listen more tonight and in the next days when I make some cables with the exact same wire and length but use different connectors.
Adaptors make a diff in sound . I have to measure with my LCR and DATS which are accurate to see how much resistance is added or something else.
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In case anyone is interested in my review of the Arctic Cables Aeris (V2) for the Austrian Audio Composer and in combination with the Questyle CMA18P, here it is 
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It looks like Dekoni is copying the Hart Audio modular cable system, but with different proprietary interconnects. If only every cable maker standardized on one type of segment connectors…if only every headphone maker standardized on connectors…if only amp makers standardized…
Hart Audio: Headphone Cables – Hart Audio Cables
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I saw that, but Hart offers many more options. I’d rather support Hart in any case…
Hart uses mini-XLR not proprietary interconnects.
It’s only “proprietary” because the 2.5.mm TRRS connector has an M/F molded boot/receiver. Mini-XLR has its own issues (length, size, contact area); absolutely unsuitable for my modular cable design.
Still, nice to see more modular options … even if they’re six+ years late to the party.
I should probably buy a set of each to make sure they’re not doing something silly … like using a single run of re-sheathed star-quad stock (in star-quad geometry) as their core cable …
I’m aware they are using standard base connectors (mini XLR; TRRS), but there are various ways to implement both of them. What are the pinouts…? Balanced connectors employ different configurations, as I learned when customizing my Porta Pro for the Hart standard.
The Dekoni boot/receiver may suggest outright spite for DIY. I think back to the IBM PS/2 and its scrambling of every connector. I think back to Apple’s last 3.5mm video out with reversed lines.
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You’re right.
100%
I was only thinking about the raw connectors, but there’s more to it than that (both for Dekoni, Hart and any other options).
It is an (extremely minor) lament, that I couldn’t figure out a way to build my modular cables in a ([a|an] even vaguely) cost-effective manner.
James answered that in an email to me some time ago:
Question 2:
If you mod the cans with a custom jack, and want to use our modular system, you’ll want them to terminate the cable to a Female 4-pin mini-XLR in the standard XLR pinout:
Pin 1: L+
Pin 2: L-
Pin 3: R+
Pin 4: R-
Options for connectors would be:
Rean RT4FC-B (I think these look nice, but I prefer the ones below more generally)
Switchcraft T4FLX
Switchcraft TA4FSHF
I hope that info helps!
Thanks
- James
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Was looking for a digital cable to go between iPad and DAC. After reading @Torq all over the forum, I decided that Audioquest wasn’t worth trying and went for a short thunderbolt cable.
Stay tuned for the analog cable between the DAC and amp. I have a strict $200 limit on snake oil.
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