13 votes. Interconnect cable test with RCA connectors

There is a perception that all audio cables are created equal. Why overpay for an expensive interconnect cable if its main task is simply to connect an amplifier to speakers or a player to a receiver? Many are convinced that the difference in sound between a budget and a premium cable is a myth exaggerated by marketers.

To test this in practice, we collected 13 pairs of RCA cables. Our test included both simple cables costing a couple of hundred rubles and models with a hefty price tag. We did not rely on the technical specifications from the brochures. Instead, we conducted a “blind” listening test to evaluate only what our ears could hear.

We connected the cables to the same high-quality equipment and tried to figure out if you can actually hear the difference. This article is not a scientific report, but an honest account of our experiment. Let's figure out together whether it is worth investing in expensive interconnect cables or if it really doesn't make sense.

Straight Wire Musicable 2 (2100 rubles/1 m)

Design

A thin, soft cable with very small but tight spring-loaded connectors covered with gold plating. The direction is indicated on the cables themselves, and the channel marking is quite standard. Inside, the cable has a symmetrical design, the conductors are made of copper, and there is also a screen.

Sound

Slightly bright, fairly light sound, but melodic, smooth, and singable. The dynamics are generally very good, the detail is not the highest, but against the overall balanced background, this is not particularly noticeable — the sound is just a little simpler than one would like. In terms of the sound of different parts of the range, there is a slight emphasis on the upper frequencies, but there is no sharpness as such.

The cable has a somewhat simplified sound, but it is quite honest.

The midrange is even, the bass itself is small but well controlled. The soundstage is not quite proportional — wide and shallow. The airiness is moderate. The sound does not change much on different recordings, and the signature remains recognizable. Overall, this is a cable with a somewhat simplified sound, but it is quite honest, without any pronounced distortions or a bright character of its own. And although there are some drawbacks, they are distributed more or less evenly across the components. For its segment, it is a good and fairly versatile option.

Audioquest Golden Gate (2600 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is thin, moderately stiff, and slightly springy. The connectors are very small and light, with gold-plated contact surfaces. The cable is braided into a single unit and only splits at the ends, so it can only be connected to devices where the right and left channel connectors are located next to each other. There are markings, although they are not very noticeable. The conductors are copper monowires, and the dielectric is foamed polyethylene.

Sound

Expressive, slightly bright sound. Emotionality, dynamics, and richness are clearly present. The detail is not high, and the dynamics are slightly smoothed out, but the sound is rich, and the scale is not chamber-like at all. There is some smoothing at the edges of the frequency range, but otherwise the result is more or less even and confident. Complex recordings may lack dynamics, but with small and medium ensembles the result is more confident and coherent.

Expressive, slightly bright sound

The soundstage is of medium width, deep, airy, but the images are rather dense and contrasting. Given its character and features, it may produce good results when used in a system with a sharp but formal sound, in cases where you want to add emotional richness to the sound. Genre preferences should also be taken into account. This option is not the most suitable for orchestral classics, but there should be no problems with most other genres.

Black Rhodium Twist (2700 rubles/1 m)

Design

A thin and very flexible cable, cut with small connectors with gold-plated contacts. Channel marking and connection direction marking are available. The cable's design is a bit unusual — the conductors are made of tinned copper, and each is enclosed in rubberized silicone insulation. Thus, two independent and unconnected conductors emerge from each connector. For convenience, they are all connected by a pair of heat-shrink rings. The design does not have a shield.

Sound

The sound is neat, light, and melodic, with very good detail and clarity of reverberations. And the dynamics are at a decent level. At the same time, the sound is quite even across the entire range, with virtually no noticeable distortions. The high frequencies are neat and clear, the midrange is open and uncolored. The bass is good in terms of both quantity and quality. Overall, the picture is full-bodied but not heavy. On the contrary, it is dynamic, musical, and detailed.

High frequencies are accurate and clear, midrange is open

The soundstage is proportionally correct with good contouring, imaging, and depth, airy and agile. On complex recordings, everything is almost as good, with no loss of coherence or detail, except that the sound sometimes becomes a little detached. Of course, the result may vary in different systems, but overall it is much higher than expected.

Back Rhodium Opus (3500 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is not thick and very flexible. The connectors with gold-plated contacts are small, tight, but comfortable. All markings are present. The conductors are made of tinned copper, the dielectric is rubberized silicone. The cable is unshielded.

Sound

Airy sound with a slight emphasis on the upper midrange and high frequencies. Smooth, melodic, but slightly less detailed and not as cohesive as the Black Rhodium Twist model. The character is similar, but not as proportionally balanced. Slightly less detail and clarity in the aftertones, which makes the presentation more emotional, but at the same time more introverted.

Airy sound with a slight emphasis on the upper midrange and upper frequencies.

The frequency range is more or less correct, but sometimes it seems that there is a little more bass than desired, and this weighs down the overall picture. The soundstage is quite correct, but not very airy, rather dense. On complex recordings, the result remains more or less stable, except for the occasional sharpness in the mid-high range. In terms of use, there are many options, but it is worth being careful in cases of excessively sharp or excessively bass-heavy systems.

Oehlbach NF 14 Master Set (3900 rubles/1 m)

Design

Medium-thick, flexible, and slightly springy cable. The connectors are solid, spring-loaded, and gold-plated. All markings are present, but they are not very noticeable. The design is symmetrical. The conductors are made of copper; no further details about the design and materials are available.

Sound

A subdued, practically uncolored sound with a neat but somewhat simplified presentation. The dynamics and detail are not the highest. In terms of frequencies, the result is as follows: there is little bass, and it is rounded and softened. The midrange is slightly elevated. The high frequencies are calm, even slightly smoothed out. The presentation is moderately emotional. The soundstage is quite correct in terms of proportions, but not airy. Although there is no sense of density as such. It's just a calm, modest character overall.

Such a calm, modest character

On complex recordings, the sound can become a little sharper, but no more than that — the results are even, and the behavior is quite predictable. The main use case seems to be with systems that have excessively sharp, bright, or emotionally overloaded sound. Those cases when you want some calmness, when you need to mute the bright colors a little. And the fact that the cable behaves predictably and similarly in different conditions simplifies the task to some extent and makes the result more predictable.

Straight Wire Encore 2 (4400 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is of medium thickness, stiff and moderately springy. The connectors are proprietary, with square ribbed housings and gold-plated contact surfaces. But the shape does not interfere with the connection at all, quite the contrary. The connectors are spring-loaded and moderately tight. The connection direction is marked on the cables themselves, and the channel is marked on the connectors. The design is symmetrical, and the conductors are made of copper. The cable is shielded.

Sound

Emotional, rich, and unhurried sound. There is some quantitative emphasis on the mid-upper part of the range. At the same time, the bass is impressive in scale, iridescent, and voluminous. In general, the sound is rich, with an emphasis on emotion, but not tiresome. The soundstage is wide and deep, with enlarged, clearly defined images. At the same time, the detail is quite good. The dynamics are sometimes a little lacking, yes — the preference for small and medium-sized ensembles is obvious.

The sound is rich, with an emphasis on emotion.

This type of cable can be used in systems with sharp or rough sound, if there is a tendency towards cold sound and reduced imaging. Coldness and intimacy can be corrected with this type of cable. It can also produce good results in systems with rushed sound.

Atlas Equator Integra Asymmetrical (4700 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is moderately thick, not so much stiff as springy. The connectors are small, with gold-plated contacts and a transparent plastic outer casing. The cable is cut without soldering, only with crimping. The conductors are made of 6N OFC copper. As the name suggests, the cable design is asymmetrical. Channel markings are applied to the connectors, and the connection direction is indicated by the inscription. The connectors also have serial numbers, and the set includes a passport.

Sound

Neat, precise, rich, and detailed sound. Slightly cool, with a barely noticeable emphasis on the upper frequencies. Detail, dynamics, the ability to convey nuances and textures — it's all there. The high frequencies are detailed, the midrange is smooth, the bass is not the most expansive, but overall it looks very proportionate to all other components of the frequency range. The soundstage is of medium width and depth, with good airiness and precise rendering of planes and images.

Slightly cool, with a barely noticeable emphasis on the upper frequencies

There is enough detail and dynamics even for complex musical material — the sound is practically not lost under any conditions. The only thing to consider when choosing a cable for your system is a certain emotional detachment and coolness in the sound. But these qualities are suitable when you need to “gather” the sound.

Audioquest Big Sur (5000 rubles/1 m)

Construction

The cable is slightly thicker and stiffer than the younger Golden Gate model, but looks very similar — the same design with braided conductors, miniature gold-plated connectors, and a similar labeling principle. The color and internal construction are different. Although the conductors are also copper monowires, the dielectric is foamed polyethylene.

Sound

Slightly bright, voluminous sound with very good fullness. The detail is not bad, but there are some minor complaints about the dynamics — some recordings sound a little smooth. There is a certain amount of warmth in the character. The bass is rather expansive, with a slight emphasis on the lower midrange. Although the mid and high frequencies also feel elevated, this is simply the nature of the sound — sweeping and emotionally rich. The soundstage is clearly wide, but not very deep.

Sweeping, emotionally rich

Due to its character, there is a certain tendency towards small and medium-sized ensembles, but formally, the sound changes little on complex recordings. It's just that the character predisposes one to such a perception. This cable may be a good fit for a dynamic but cold or emotionally detached system. Only in systems with these characteristics, but also with sharp sound, is the result difficult to predict.

Van den Hul Combination Hybrid (5600 rubles/0.8 m)

Design

The cable is slightly thicker than The Surf Hybrid model, also quite stiff, but less springy. And the matte gold color does not look as extravagant as pink. The connectors are similar, gold-plated, but while in the previous case they had a matte finish, in this cable they are shiny. They are also loose and do not slip out of your hands when connecting. The direction is marked with an inscription, and the channel marking is convenient and noticeable. The design is coaxial. The conductors are made of oxygen-free copper with additives, and carbon is also used in the design.

Sound

The sound is soft, delicate, bright, and emotional at the same time. The detail is very good, and there is a lot of air and light in the sound. With some emphasis on the main tones, the reverberations are clearly audible. There is a slight emphasis on the upper frequencies, and the bass and lower midrange are slightly less than I would like. The soundstage is wide, with medium depth and a clearly defined image.

The sound is soft, delicate, bright, and emotional at the same time.

There is practically no change in complex recordings, the result is quite smooth, with no difficulties in dynamics. Probable application — a slightly lazy path with an excess of low frequencies and a lack of highs with reduced dynamics and detail.

Real Cable Cheverny II-RCA (7000 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is medium-thick, but flexible and with almost no springiness. The connectors are solid, gold-plated, and fairly tight. Channel marking and direction marking are present. The design features two copper conductors made of OCC copper and a double shield with an asymmetrical design. In addition to all this, there is an indication that the cable was assembled in France, and there is also a passport with a serial number.

Sound

Unobtrusive, melodic sound with a smooth, open midrange, non-sharp high frequencies, and fairly fast, deep bass. The character is neat and precise. The dynamics and detail are quite good. There is a certain unhurriedness and thoroughness in the sound, but it is neither slow nor heavy. The soundstage is wide but not deep, lacking a little three-dimensionality and airiness, which can sometimes be perceived as constricted. This is mainly noticeable on complex, dynamic recordings, such as orchestral classics.

Character: neat, accurate

In all other cases, the cable is quite predictable, smooth, with no obvious imbalance between any components of the sound. Therefore, there are many possible uses, but in systems with slow and constricted sound, the result may not be the best. But if, on the contrary, you need to calm the sound, it will probably work well.

Real Cable CA-Reflex (7500 rubles/1 m)

Design

The cable is thick and, due to the ferrite rings in the metal casings (which add a filtering system), quite heavy. The connectors are massive, collet-type, with rhodium-plated contact surfaces. The conductors are made of OCC copper wires of various cross-sections, with polyethylene used as the dielectric. The cable has a coaxial design and is shielded. There are channel markings and direction markings, but they are not very clear. The cable was assembled in France, and the box has a serial number.

Sound

Neat yet emotional, expressive, rich sound. The midrange is slightly elevated, the high frequencies are emphasized, but not to the point of harshness. However, there is a hint of coldness in the sound. The bass is not the deepest, but it is fast and agile. The detail is good, and there is no lack of dynamics. The soundstage is wide, deep, multi-layered, and airy.

There is a hint of coldness in the sound.

Up to a certain limit in terms of recording complexity, the sound remains almost unchanged, but in some fragments, confidence and harmony are lost, and sharpness becomes more noticeable, but not intelligibility. However, there is no obvious sharpness under any circumstances. In slow passages, this cable can be used to liven up the sound a little.

A good cable can significantly improve sound, but not always. In this test, we used 13 different interconnect cables with RCA connectors: from simple and inexpensive to expensive “audiophile” ones. We listened to the same music fragment through each of them to understand if there was a difference in sound and, if so, how significant it was. It turned out that despite external differences and price, not all cables sound different, but in some cases the difference is really noticeable.

Oehlbach XXL Series 1 (8300 rubles/0.75 m)

Production

A thick, not very flexible, moderately springy cable. The connectors are massive, gold-plated, and moderately tight. They are so massive that some devices, especially vintage ones, may have difficulty connecting. The direction is indicated by arrows on the cable, but the channel marking is not very clear — the inscriptions on the connectors are almost completely covered by heat shrink tubing, and the black rubber rings — you still have to guess that this is the marking. The internal construction of the cable is symmetrical, with triple shielding. The conductors are made of silver-plated copper, and Teflon is used as the dielectric.

Sound

The sound is slightly bright, smooth, unhurried, thorough, and full, with good detail and dynamics. The high frequencies are transparent, unobtrusive, and not sharp. The midrange is open, even, and uncolored. The bass is good in both quantity and quality. The soundstage is wide, deep, well-proportioned, and precise.

Unhurried, thorough, and rich sound

When listening to complex recordings, there is no sense of failure in any component; the result is smooth and confident. Only sometimes is the transparency and accuracy of the soundstage slightly lost. A good, smooth result, and the cable's place is in a system with smooth sound.

Van den Hul The Surf Hybrid (8400 rubles/1 m)

Design

Not thick, but fairly stiff and springy cable in a fun pink color. The cable is terminated with tight and quite convenient branded gold-plated connectors. The direction is not indicated, so you have to rely on the inscription on the cable. The design is coaxial, the conductors are made of copper with additives, and carbon and several shielding layers are also used.

Sound

Melodic, lively, and airy sound with good detail and dynamics, and a lot of air. There is a slight emphasis on the upper frequencies, but it is not particularly sharp. The character is rather light, but not sharp and definitely not harsh. Aftertones and all kinds of subtle nuances and emotional shades are especially well audible. The bass is shallow, slightly smoothed out, and neat. The lower midrange is sometimes quantitatively lacking.

Melodic, lively, and airy sound

The soundstage is of medium width and depth, precise, with well-balanced proportions, and airy. In terms of genre preferences and different recordings, there is no noticeable difference; the result is smooth for both small ensembles and orchestral works. When choosing, the first thing to consider is the tendency towards an emotional (but not harsh) presentation with high dynamics. Therefore, for sharp and bright interpretations, this option may not always be preferable.

Testing RCA interconnect cables from 13 manufacturers clearly showed that there really is a difference in their sound, and it often depends on the purpose and budget. The most expensive models are not always the undisputed winners, and good results can be achieved for a reasonable price.

The main conclusion is that the choice of cable is largely subjective and depends on the specific audio system. Some cables can emphasize detail, while others can make the sound softer and more musical. Therefore, the data from such tests should be considered a useful guide rather than absolute truth.

Ultimately, the best test is your own ears in your system. If the cable is well-built, with no obvious engineering flaws, then its sound characteristics become a matter of personal taste, rather than simply “right” or “wrong.”