ARE The "World's Best Cables" Truly the Best? I Decided to take up the Challenge to Find Out

January 9, 2025

#503

Gentle reader,

I've been in this hobby we call "listening to music" since the mid-1970's when my then-new-friend, Phillip Stubbs, invited me over to show me his stereo. At the time, I had a plastic "suitcase" record player, which I thought sounded fine. My Dad had a nice stereo in the living room, but I was just a teen, earning a hundred dollars a week at my first real job, so I was in no position to buy nor had I the knowledge of home electronics, to begin to figure out what I would need to buy and in what order. 

Product Photos Courtesy of WBC, via Amazon

Well, when we walked into Phillip's bedroom, "the scales fell away from my eyes" that's the King James Version of, "My eyes were opened." He had a pair of homemade and huge speakers in cabinets he had made from 3/4" plywood. Each had an 18" woofer, a 6" midrange and a horn tweeter. A Revox reel-to-reel was next what I saw, then his Pioneer integrated amp and a turntable. He put Pure Prairie League's Two Lane Highway LP on and when the title cut started blasting out of those massive speakers...mind blown! That a stereo could sound so LOUD and so good too!

Back then, there was no Internet, telephones were attached to a wall, usually in the kitchen, or sat on a special table in the somewhere in the house, with a cord going into the wall and a curly one attached to the part (called a receiver) one talked into and listened with. Pickup trucks were what workmen and farmers drove, 4x4 vehicles were rarely seen inside a city or town, station wagons and sedans were parked in most people's driveways and they ruled the roads. Magazines, made out of real paper, and were the sources of information for all kinds of things beyond news, if there was a hobby, any hobby, there were likely multiple magazines which one could buy at a drug store or newsstand or to subscribe to, in order to quench your thirst for knowledge. 

However, for product reviews, one wondered whether an advertiser's ad revenue might "help" induce a reviewer to write some glowing terms about when they were reviewing the latest products. Mark Tobak, the author of the large book above (note the LPs behind it for size) and he decided to take on the task of testing as many popular pieces of stereo equipment and speakers he could get his hands and ears on, without bias or palms filled with cash. Sort of like Doug Demuro does with cars nowadays on YouTube. The author advertised his book in the back pages of Stereo Review and Audio magazines which is how I found out about it. I bought one and made educated and economical decisions. Okay, enough deep background.

This is a film photograph which is from April, 1995, which was when I was able (after four kids and a divorce) to finally be able to afford to buy a "real camera", which to me, meant a 35mm SLR camera. In it one can see two pieces of my original stereo: a Dynaco A25 speaker(s) and behind the plants, the Dynaco PAT-5 preamplifier I built from a kit, twenty years earlier. The SWTPC Tiger .01 power amps did not last many years, nor did the B.I.C. 940 turntable.

This is my present system. For more on it, see: The Robb Collections: Panor-era Dynaco PAT-6 in Reserve, Made-in-the-USA B&K Components: PRO10 Sonata Preamplifier and ST1400 Power Amplifier The system has changed, seemingly constantly, in the preceding decades, thanks largely to thrift stores and eBay finds.

Until yesterday, the back of it looked like this. Over the years, my adding new equipment and/or reviewing various brands of cables, it had become a hodgepodge of different cable brands connecting them altogether. I could show you a stack of digital pictures of the various cabling iterations, but, you will just have to believe me on that. SOME folks who had seen this image on Facebook, complimented my cable management, others were...horrified.

Because the B&K Components preamp and power amp have the option of using XLR cables to connect them, I did some research and kept seeing WBC mentioned. So, I bought a pair of the ones above and installed them. Since I had been used to the sound the B&K's reproduced using RCA cables, when these WBC XLRs went into service, WOW! I could not get over JUST how much more there was to the music!

I then decided that it was worth a couple of hundred bucks (total) to buy eight pairs of WBC RCA cables: 4: 1 foot long and 4: 3 feet long, and give them a try.

They come from Japan, sealed in these antistatic bags.

This is what's inside, along with instructions.

And, this is them sans packaging. I do like consistency.

Years ago, I once had a connection with an A/V installer. One day, he let me know that a wealthy client wanted all new equipment. He had pulled a bunch of Liberty Cables' top-of-the-line RCA cables along with all the old equipment and speakers, which, while they were used, they were still in excellent shape and for bargain prices. I outfitted my entire system (there were fewer components then) with Liberty Z-500 Audio cables. 

As you can see, the Liberty's have signal direction arrows. WBC's flags are far easier to see at a glance and clear indicators telling you that you had installed them oriented correctly.

These are all of the RCA cables which I had removed yesterday. As a retired auto mechanic, I learned early on to ALWAYS replace spark plug wire(s) one at a time. That way, you will be certain that you have installed them exactly where you want them to be. I use the same method with all audio and video cables.

The top left two sets are cables I have reviewed in the past. In fact, the stereo stack right next to my PC has all SKW cables. You may have seen photos of it. They are fine cables, well made and sturdy, made in China, but what isn't? The reddish ones are GHENT AUDIO cables. I also reviewed those in the past. They too are well made, flexible and great sounding, plus unique looking.

The darker blue and longest ones are Monster Cables' top-of-the-line RCA cables. I do not remember their model numbers/names. Most of them were too long for this application.

And now, here is the system completely re-cabled with WBC RCA cables. I replaced the too-long HDMI cable from my OPPO universal player with one the correct length. Also, the turntable is centered, which it was not the first week or so with the new B&K Components units. I admit, it does look much better and far neater, compared to before photo, below:

Yes, I know, the larger power amp being off center could be disturbing, but for practical purposes, having the power meter and Dynaco QD-2 on the far left allows me much more slack with the speaker cables so that it is easier to wheel the whole unit out, should I need or want to do so.

In this case, practicality overrides OCD tendencies.

The following images are all courtesy of WBC via Amazon.

With the exception of these two scans.

The diagram below, is included with each set of cables. It clearly shows how they are constructed and as to why they have taken each step, as well as clear instructions (in understandable English) as to which direction they should be installed.

There has been much debate over the decades as to whether cables need to be "burned in" for them to sound their best. I will keep my thoughts to myself on this matter.

Canare's bonafide reputation is clearly stated, above.

Let's face it, there are NO shortage of companies vying for our money when it comes to every product one can imagine and a whole lot of things one does not, nor could not, in their worst nightmares, imagine. The vast majority are made in China, which is truly the world's factory. Would you rather spend your hard-earned money on pretty things which may be of questionable quality and have an unpronounceable and made up English "name" (required by Amazon for them to advertise and sell their wares on their megasite), or purchase ones made in an Asian country in which the people have been free and able to vote for their leaders since World Ward Two ended on August 15, 1945? I have done both. With these WBC cables, I get a TEN YEAR warranty, with other brands what kind of warranty, if any, does one get? I choose freedom.

Okay, since WBC recommends "burning in" these cables for 175 hours = to almost twenty-two days if doing so for eight hours a day, I could cop out and say, "Let me get back to you, on that." but, I won't. I give you my opinion based upon my decades of listening to countless thousands of recording through all kinds of components, cables wires and speakers. 

Frankly, these WBC RCA cables sound great. I will have to listen to a lot more music of many types with records and CDs I am very familiar with, but, I feel confident that my initial impression is correct: These WBC cables are well worth the money and time I spent buying and installing them. I am happy with the sound and plan to spend a lot more time in the listening room savoring the improved sound. Will they sound better when "burned in"? Who knows?

Below are three wide angle (10mm lens on my Nikon D300 DSLR camera) images I shot of the listening room to try and show you what one would see were they standing near the back wall of the room, looking around.

Some have referred to it as a "Man Cave" but, no it is eclectic, as am I.

Each object has a story. And no animals were harmed, either.

Off to the right of the two stacked radios, and out of camera view, is my late father-in-law's old oak file cabinet, which, for some reason, he painted blue. Atop it are:

These two 200-CD towers. I see so many people who buy Ikea cubes to put LPs in and great walls of shelves designed for CDs all standing vertical. Well, LPs should stand vertical, but, with CDs, I prefer horizontal. Far easier to read the artist/title that way for me. Sure, it it a nuisance to have to move SO MANY CDs to add new ones to the collection, but, on the other hand, when I pull them out, it reminds me when I see their covers, "Oh, yes. I remember this one, I need to play it." I don't collect recordings to amass or to own, I collect to have a large variety of things to listen to. Music is made for enjoying, just as books are made for reading.

I built this shelf fifty years ago, with tutelage from my girlfriend's wonderfully kind father. He had a cabin which he built up in the mountains in "Mutton Holler" right on a creek. A white walnut tree on the property had died and he had it felled and taken to a lumber mill to be rough cut into boards. He sold me enough boards and taught me how to plane them and join them and to construct this shelf. Originally, it was to house equipment as well as records.  

The shelf above, like the one at the front of the room (below), I found at a thrift store. It was handmade to house records. It almost fills the closet behind me. It has never been "finished" and has a few flaws, but, so do I.

This one was made in Denmark and also, obviously to hold LP records. It is actually two shelves attached together. Both were right-time, right-place finds which I treasure. 

Well, I went farther than I planned in telling and showing you my new WBC cables, and my impression thereof, I hope that you have enjoyed this additional content. 

Feel free to comment below, or on Facebook. Thanks for taking the time to read my humble blog.

Scott Robb

January 9, 2025

#503

Why are American (and other countries') Cars and Trucks so HUGE nowadays?

December 31, 2024

#502

Gentle reader,

I had not planned upon writing another article so quickly after the last one, but, my daughter's HUGE SUV is parked outside of our house while her family and sister are on a Caribbean cruise. 

My car, a 2005 Volvo V50 station wagon is on the left. It will be twenty years old next month. I bought it used, in 2014 and have been in love with it ever since. The truck on the right is a 2017 Ford Expedition. It was not (then) the largest Ford SUV, that was the Excursion. However it IS a three-row vehicle and now IS Ford's largest SUV.

These are our two cars. They are both compact cars. The Volvo you have met, if you are a long time reader, you have also met the Caddy. For new readers, it is a 2013 Cadillac ATS Performance 2.0T. Both cars have turbocharged engines with six-speed manual transmissions.

This is our truck. It is only the second truck we have owned in our almost thirty years being married. It is a 2022 Ford Maverick XLT AWD FV4. We bought it used about six months ago. It quickly became Nancy's and she has been customizing it. It too has a two-liter turbocharged engine, same size as the ATS. The V50's engine is a 2.5 liter FIVE cylinder, but shares the same 1/2 liter displacement per cylinder. 

Our previous pickup was a 1997 Ford Ranger Super Cab, similar to the one below. We bought it in 2001 had it for many years, but undercarriage rust finally made it unable to pass the annual state safety inspection. So, we sold it as-is. I did see it on the road a couple months later, so I hope that it was properly repaired.

These are images of one which was for sale somewhere in Colorado. Ours was very similar to it. I had added a fiberglass cap to it.

Okay, so, I have established that we have and like, compact vehicles. I am certain, that if mid and full size pickup drivers would just test drove a Ford Maverick, they would trade in their behemoth trucks, having realized that all the size was truly wasted.

The drawing above has metric dimensions. Table below has US dimensions.

And below are the dimensions of my Volvo V50 wagon.

Granted, there are more specifications than listed for the Expedition. I will highlight the important ones below:

Length:  Exp: 206 in. 17.16 feet.  V50: 177.7 in. 14.75 feet.   Diff:   28.3 in. Just over two feet in overall length.

Height:  Exp: 77.2 in.  V50: 57.2 in. Diff:  Twenty inches or just under two feet in height.

Width:   Exp: 78.8 in.     V50:  69.7 in.   Diff:  Nine inches or 3/4 of a foot in width.

Interior Volume:   Exp:  178.9 cu. ft.   V50:  125  cu. ft.  Diff: 54 cubic feet 

Weight:   Exp:  5,562 pounds    V50:   3,058 pounds   Diff:   2,504 pounds!

Okay, so now you may be thinking (or saying out loud) "Of course the bigger vehicle will be bigger in every way, it IS bigger!" And you are correct, but that is not my point.

Here you see my little V50 parked between two General Motors trucks. A Chevrolet SUV on the left and a GMC four-door pickup on the right. My car can carry the same number of people as the pickup truck can. And it slices through the air and gets WAY better fuel mileage.

Here is a Ford Motor Company image showing their various passenger pickup trucks. Starting with small on the right (Maverick) then larger (the new Ranger), then full size F150 gasoline, F150 Lightning (electric) and F250 4x4. ALL can and do do the same thing: Carry people and their stuff. Yet, the smallest one, the Maverick does so with up to 40 miles per gallon!

Just look at the specifications of Ford's various pick up trucks, above and their curb weights. The more weight, the poorer fuel economy.

These are a series of late model full-size pick up trucks from various makers.

Notice

anything

similar about them? They are as aerodynamic as a brick! 

An excellent artist's rendering showing just how much larger pick up trucks have gotten since the 1970's. And how much smaller the beds have gotten.

I want you to look closely at these images from the 1950's and 1960's I want you to figure out what you are not seeing in each image.

Yes, traffic jams are nothing new.

What

is

...missing from all of these photos? Pick up trucks. And no vans either.

(Okay, there is ONE pick up truck in the B&W image above. And it is a WORK truck. Also in the same image is a VW Beetle and a Jaguar sports car.)

Just why is that so? Because back then, almost ALL trucks of any kind or size were work vehicles, not personal transportation. Not something one wanted to show off to their buddies. Sedans and if one needed the room, station wagons were what almost everyone drove. And, most families only had ONE car.

CARS were what people bought when it was time for a new vehicle. Also note that almost EVERY vehicle in these images was made in the USA. See any Volvos? Well, yes, the green car in between the two white cars, above is a Volvo. There is also an Alfa Romeo behind the red and white Chevrolet station wagon in the in the far left lane. But, look at the other images, good luck finding anything but cars made in the good old U.S. of A. Also no SUVs (they didn't exist) nor minivans, same reason, why? No full size vans either. Because they were work vehicles. If your family was growing, your Mom and Dad traded in their old and tired sedan and bought a STATION WAGON.

This is a photo of the very first new car Mom and Dad bought. It is a 1958 Chevrolet Delray. The very bottom of the line (least expensive) of Chevrolet cars that year.

Dad, (with my middle sister) thought like advertisers as car makers wanted him to. They had drilled into people's minds for decades, that they should buy a new car EVERY year. It was the American way. US car makers spent hundreds of millions making each new model years cars look DIFFERENT than the previous years cars.

After the Delray, they bought one of those new fangled Volkswagen Beetles (official model name was "Type 1") since it was only my older sister and I at that point. 

As more of us came along, one new baby every two years, the Beetle would not do. So, they moved up to the VW Type 2, more commonly known as: Bus, Microbus or Station Wagon. The bus was barely larger than the Beetle, yet all seven of us had plenty of room inside. The VW engines back then were in the rear of the cars and they produced only around forty horsepower. Yes, forty whole ponies. Torque (the force which makes vehicles accelerate) was closer to seventy pound-feet. Oh, and no air conditioning either. Were they speed demons? No way! However, EVERY August, the Robb family piled into their trusty VW bus and drove over mountain ranges to get to Phoenix, Arizona to visit the grandparents. We always made it and Dad enjoyed way better fuel mileage than a comparable American station wagon with it's six cylinder, and more likely large V8 engines gulped.

Are you aware that the Ford Motor company in North America only makes one car? Yep, it's called Mustang. Every other vehicle they make is a truck. Even their smallest crossover is called a truck. Why? Two reasons: trucks were what advertisers convinced people to buy and the EPA, in the beginning, did not saddle car makers with the same emissions requirements as they did for passenger cars. And looser safety regulations for trucks as well. Why? Trucks were work vehicles back then. Far fewer trucks of any kind were made back then. Ordinary people bought cars: Sedans, station wagons and convertibles. Sports cars were "those low down foreign jobs" with the Chevrolet Corvette, being the lone American sports car.

To sum up my beef, and I feel I am crying to the wilderness here, please ask yourself this: Do I need a large truck or SUV or do I want one? If so, why? How often do I USE that huge bed back there? Can a smaller, more economical vehicle take me every where I need to go? Do I enjoy spending a hundred dollars filling the enormous gas tank of my vehicle? Or would I like all that freed up cash to buy things that do NOT burn up into the atmosphere?

Thank you for putting up with my ranting. I know that America will never return to simpler times when sedans were everywhere station wagons were kings of the roads. However, if you look at Europe, over there large vehicles, except work ones, are few and far between. Even their commercial vehicles tend to be way smaller than ones the US produces. Yes, the roads are smaller and more narrow, but, most of the time any large vehicle one sees is still a work vehicle over there.

This morning, the YouTube video below showed up in my feed. Watching it, I realized that the enormity of American vehicles is nothing new. Large Cars of the Early 1960s - YouTube Watch this and pay attention to the car's lengths (always in inches 200 inches = 16.6 feet) and curb weights. The main difference between now and then are the type of vehicles cars then, trucks now and the HEIGHT of the vehicles. We are all much safer in vehicular crashes than ever before, unless one is in a small vehicle impacted by an enormous pick up truck or SUV, that is, then, well, just pray it never happens. Stay safe, my friends.

Feel free to comment below or on Facebook.

Scott Robb

December 31, 2024

#502

Happy New Year!