FAQ's

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For your reference, here is the link to the Information Sheet I provide with purchases.  Some of the same information is in the FAQ's below, and you have The Department of Redundancy Department to thank for that.

 

Q. Do cables really make a difference?

A. I suppose no FAQ section is complete without addressing the most frequent FAQ, so let's get it out of the way...

My obvious bias aside, the short answer is yes, they do.

Whether you're transferring current, or other information/signals, the concept is pretty simple - the less you lose, the more you hear; the name of the game is efficiency.

The more efficient a cable is, the less current/signal it loses along its length, and the better shielded it is, the better it rejects noise.  You lose less, and hear more.

To put another way, a great set of tires will help ensure you get more power to the pavement and improve your handling, but a sub-par set... well, I think we've all been there.

Of course, this is all just my opinion, and if there's one truth about this crazy hobby of ours, the only opinion that matters is your own; 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee, anyone?

 

Q. What am I going to hear, and when am I going to hear it?

A. First, I try to shy away from telling anyone what they should hear.  I may not be the most persuasive person in the world (I'm trying to convince my wife that a bigger TV would be great for the whole family, and it hasn't worked... yet), but if someone tells you what you should hear, you'll either want to prove them right, or prove them wrong - not a good spot for either party.

Instead, I'll focus on the when, which also touches on your likely listening experience(s).

Your new cable(s) will show their personality right away, so you should know whether or not you like them right out of the box; the 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee comes from the fact I know a lot of folks simply don't get to spend a lot of time with their system(s), not because you need 60 days to form an opinion.  

My cables are designed to minimize signal/voltage loss, so the bottom end will come in first.  That is the end of the spectrum that suffers most from signal/voltage loss, or perhaps saying it's the most noticeable is more accurate.  With this in mind, there's the possibly of the bottom end sounding somewhat "over-emphasized" out of the box, especially if you're replacing a generic/factory cable - IE. The lower the quality of the original cable, the more dramatic the difference in the new cable.  However, after a few tracks the rest of the spectrum evens out, and everything continues to open up from there.  The consensus is the cables sound their best after about 50-80 hours, but plenty of folks have reported continued system gains even after 100's of hours.

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Q. Where do I start when upgrading cables, and/or what cables should go where?

A. Some say your "best" power cable (*cough* mine *cough*) should be on your amp(s) due to high current draw, but I believe this will literally amplify issues/shortcomings from further up the chain... if you feel there are any.  What I mean is some folks refer to what they call a "veil" or "cloudiness" to their overall sound, and if you feel this applies to, then I recommend starting as far up the power chain as possible when the upgrade bug hits (regardless of current draw).  Start with a good quality wall receptacle, and/or a power cable for your line conditioner; IE. Whatever the hub of your system is, and/or what the hub is plugged in to.  From there, work your way down the power/signal chain - source(s), DAC, Pre-Amp (all equally important, so it's your call), and finish with your amp and speakers.

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Q. Which cable model(s) should I get?

A. In terms of power cables and what is best for a particular piece of gear, contrary to how some manufacturers present their respective product line(s), I don't believe in power cable types.  My design and construction philosophy is to ensure as much current as possible is delivered to your gear, and it is kept as clean as possible with proper shielding.  As such, I keep things simple by only offering two power cable models, and they share the same great shielding.  The larger one, 'The 5' (a.k.a. "GODZILLA"), simply delivers more current (or loses less) than it's little brother, ‘The Point One' (a.k.a. "GODZILLA Jr.").  Bottom line - just let your budget decide what's best.

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Q. What makes you qualified to make/sell cables?

A. Formally? Nothing. What a great sales pitch, eh? (you're definitely Canadian when you type "eh") However, I’ve been making cables for friends and colleagues (and myself, of course) for over 20 years, and I've been conducting R&D and "tweaking" the entire time.  Additionally, all my builds are thoroughly tested against various “high-end” cables to compare sound and build quality, including some 15-year-old cables of mine I recently tracked down – I’ll be modest and simply say they hold their own.  Finally, and most importantly, based on the R&D and experimenting mentioned above, I believe I'm providing a viable alternative to the current offerings, pricing, and total B.S. marketing out there for cables.  I think my feedback and testimonials bear this out.

Q. What AWG/size are your cables, and how does that compare to others?

A. This seems like it should be pretty straight-forward, doesn't it?  As for the the first part of the question, I state my power cables as being 4.5 AWG ('The 5'), and 6.5 AWG (‘The Point One') respectively, and the speaker cables as 6 AWG.  Now for the ulcer-inducing second part - there are no set rules for how AWG is stated.  As such, here's some of what you'll see in the industry:

- Some companies call it the total AWG of all the wire/conductors in the cable. This is common because it makes the cable look more substantial, but it's useless information; it's like a car company telling you the combined horsepower of all their models.

- Others state what each run of wire is, but they leave out their function (how many are being used for what); in other words, the car company lists individual horsepower... but no corresponding models.

- I state the AWG of the "Hot", "Neutral", and "Ground" conductors in power cables independently, and the AWG of the "Positive & "Negative" in speaker cables independently.  Just to play devil's advocate, if I did combine them, they would be greater than 1 AWG (power) and 3 AWG (speaker).  I state independent conductor size so you always know exactly what you are getting, and its purpose.
 

Q. If my house wiring is 14 AWG & 12 AWG (most common sizes), what is the benefit of a larger AWG power cord?

A. This question is simply a polite rephrasing of comments from the "last bit of wire can't/won't make a difference" crowd, although many in said crowd will refuse to acknowledge this answer.  The name of the game is minimizing loss from "Point A" (outlet) to "Point B" (gear), IE. Whatever the voltage/signal is at Point A, the goal is to transfer it to Point B as efficiently as possible.  I am happy to do a "deep dive" if you want to contact me directly, but to keep it simple for now, a larger AWG cable reduces loss by increasing conductivity and lowering resistance. 

 

If you don't like that answer, here's the tongue-in-cheek, Science schmience, full-on wise-a_s answer:

 

A. A car with a V12 engine may not be necessary, but if I could get that performance for the price of a 4-banger, it would be a pretty easy decision (maybe not quite as easy given fuel prices, but you get the idea).

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Q. How/why are your prices so (relatively) low?

A. As self-serving/corny as this is going to sound, I don't do this for big profits; I'm just a stay at home dad putting his free time to use.  Additionally, most of the expenses associated with a typical business don't apply to me - I don't sell my stuff in stores, I don't pay for advertising, and the (ever ongoing) R&D I perform is on my time and dime.  As such, when you add it all up (or take it all away), you are only paying for high-quality materials, and a little bit of wine/beer for my wife and I (well... mostly me).

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Q. Why are your "additional length" charges so high by comparison/percentage to a standard length?

A. As mentioned above, the VAST majority of my cable prices go towards materials, which results in higher (by comparison/percentage) additional length charges. For example, my cost of wire and sleeves (VR sleeve, Copper shield, and outer finishing) for a standard 4-foot "GODZILLA" cable is $230 CAD (+$100 for plugs).  That works out to $57.50/ft., and I charge $60/ft (yeah, I try to make a few bucks where I can).  There is a complete price/cost breakdown of each cable on their respective build/quote pages, but suffice it to say, I think my pricing is pretty fair.

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Q. "Handcrafted"?  Yeah, right - you're just putting plugs on wire.

A.  First of all, that's not a question.  Second, how dare you!? (just kidding)

I understand the "question" given my prices, and I suppose it really just depends on your threshold for what constitutes handcrafted... or how big of a troll you are.  Now, of course I don't make my own materials (I don't have a smelting plant in my backyard), and all of my cables start out as bulk wire on a spool. However, not only is said wire custom-made for me, outside of the sleeves (VR sleeve, Copper shield, and outer finishing), all other materials are also custom-made, and in some cases I've even designed them from scratch.  I don't say all that to stroke my ego, it is to demonstrate I'm doing a bit more than simply assembling cables.  To put it another way, I don't know of many painters who make their own paint, brushes, or canvasses, but I would still call their creations "hand-painted"...unless they used their feet.

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Q. You talk about science a lot, yet there are no measurements to be found on your site - what gives?

A. I don't have the equipment to make said measurements under load, as I've never seen the need to make them.  I instead use trusted scientific principals (like "Increased Conductivity = Decreased Resistance", for example), mathematical formulas (like this: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/capacitance-cables-engr-hassan-mahmood), and years of experience to inform my designs, then leave it to my clients to provide what measurements never can, like answers to the questions "Is the product any good?", and "Is it worth someone's time and/or money?"

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Q. Do/will you make interconnects (RCA & XLR's)?

A. As it stands right now (2024), it's not in the cards.  As for why, there are a lot of really good quality IC's out there at the price points I live in (Blue Jeans and Cullen, for example), and I don't feel I can offer something significantly better at said price points.  Power and speaker cables, however, are entirely different beasts.