HiFi Audio Cables. No Snake Oil Allowed.
By Steve Huff
Ahh yes, audio cables. Even today in 2026 there are still some who think cables within the audio hobby are some sort of scam or that cables do nothing to the sound. Many still call HiFi cables “Snake Oil” either out of a lack of experience using them or testing them or maybe some were tricked into thinking if a cable can’t be “measured” then it must be snake oil. Maybe they have a system with big bass heavy speakers that are colored and so full sounding details are hidden away. I used to have a system like this and there was no cable on earth that could change it. So while pricey audio cables can be very beneficial to the refinement of a system for some for others they may do not much at all. I think this is why some feel audio cables are a scam and others swear by them and how important they are within a well set up system.
But “audio cables are all snake oil and make no difference in sound”
This statement is 100% false. Period.
Sure, there are some brands within audio that charge a fortune for their cable offerings. This doesn’t make them “Snake Oil” but rather a product for a certain class of buyer.
There are quite a few cable brands that charge a fortune for their upper end cables and one of the reasons for this is simple really. It’s psychology above all else and this comes from a conversation I had with a high end company that made cables.
They stated to me that they must have a line for those certain people who want and seek the best, and can pay for it.
Some feel that if it costs much more, it has to be the best and a lot of people who have the means do indeed look for and seek “the best” they can find, regardless of cost. This way they can rest easy knowing they bought “the best” even if it really is not “the best”. It’s psychological really. Now do not get me wrong, sometimes these upper echelon cables really do spectacular things, such as a Nordost Odin. I heard a Nordost Odin interconnect once in my system and I was in disbelief as to how much of a difference it made, for the better. With that said, no way it was worth $20k TO ME. Someone else, sure.
So many of these high end companies make these kind of “top of the peak” products for those who want to spend the most and while sure, there are improvements in material, bling and maybe even sound quality I can safely say that a $100k cable will not sound $98k better than a $2,000 cable.
I am talking mainly of cables here but some of this stretches out into the componet world as well such as with $100k DACs or $500k amps. Sure, they are almost always “better” than the lower cost or even high end in style, build and parts but sound is personal and subjective and yes, synergy is real so an amp that costs $10k that synergies perfectly with a set of speakers may even sound better than a $100k amp that doesn’t. I have a $22k DAC here that came in for review and yea, this one is the best I have heard and bested a DAC that cost much much more than it in this room. So sometimes more money does equal better.
I once sat and listened all by myself to a 1 million dollar system for about 3 hours. I left unimpressed and preferred my system that I had at home at that time. Funny, huh?
Throwing money into audio, as in “insane” money is OK to do if you have the cash to burn as if you earned it, you can spend it however you like. I am the last guy to complain about the cost of the exotic lane in HiFi as I know there is something for everyone and it is none of my business what people buy with their own money. More power to you I say! If you have the cash and want that $500k amp, go for it and enjoy the hell out of it. You earned it.
Back to Cables
Let’s get back to cables within HiFi. I do not agree at all that cables are “Snake Oil” as I have tested them for over 3 decades and for me, in a well set up system, I always hear the changes any cables brings wether it cost $20 or $10k. A set of cables for me is the finishing touch so to speak in a well thought out system but I will also say cables are not very important if one just listens to music causally or doesn’t have a critical listening seat set up.
Some may not need a “better” cable but what does “better” even mean?
Some of us just play music as background noise for the house and in this context cables do not matter at all. Just use what works. Some push their speakers up against a wall as they have no other choice. No room to pull out the boxes into the room or their wife doesn’t want speakers placed three feet into a room due to optics. I have been there, believe me!
If you must have your speakers up against a wall for “room music” , again, I wouldn’t worry much about spending good or big money on cables. Get something decent and affordable as most likely you will not hear the change. I know as this is how I started when I seriously got into listening. I had no idea how to set up my space or speakers and was chasing cables thinking it would somehow fix my bad sound when my speakers had to be up against a wall in an oddball room. They did not fix my issues as it was all set up wrong and many times I couldn’t hear any kind of dramatic change at all with cable swaps. Maybe more bass here or more treble there but none of this “magic” some speak of within audio.
Now that I know what I am doing when setting up a system for a room and have my own room just for critical listening things are much different and I can get this “Magic” easily these days. Set up and room is really the #1 thing that contributes to the sound of our system. Yes, room and setup before even speakers for a system where you sit in the sweet spot and let it all soak in.
But even so, speakers need to “breathe” for best performance meaning they should not have anything around them, in between them, or immediately behind them. My room is set up for critical listening, meditation and just chilling out and I always, and I mean always hear this change with any cable I swap in, whether it is for the better or worse.
I own several sets of cables from speaker to interconnects and I have always found the interconnect to make a much bigger change to the sound than speaker cables. Speaker cables do matter in a critical listening setup if you want to get the most from it and they are important but the interconnect is even more so, at least this has been my experience so take that as you will.
I have tested cables from starter to flagship from brands like Audioquest, Nordost and tested many models from Cardas and even Shunyata but I have always been a Nordost fan. I have had Nordost Vallhalla (Version 1) in my system for the last decade for my speaker cables and these will always be with me and my system. I want for no other as these have performed to a level I can not get in any other cable under say, $10k. Plus I do dig the looks and easy connection. I bought these used for a small fraction of what they sold for new 20 years ago. I also have some Valhalla Interconnects that I have always loved also bought used.
I also have Nordost Red Dawn and Blue Heaven speaker cables along with some Analyisis Plus, Audience, Cardas and some $40 specials from Amazon which are very good and compete with some $300 speaker cables. Of all of these the OG Valhalla speaker cables shines as the best for me in all ways for speaker cables, and no, these are in no way “bright” cables but rather a cable that brings it all without edge or hardness or anything type of lean sound. It’s like having no cable at all really.
Anyway, I am not sitting here today to write about speakers cables but rather I want to really focus in the interconnect as I recently found some that are unlike any other made, using materials no one else uses and these are affordable and bested my Nordost Valhalla, Cardas Clear Reflection and others that I have here from Audioquest. They cost $399, not $3,999! So no snake oil here but rather performance that sounds like it should cost thousands yet cost a few hundred.
The Best Interconnects I have heard to date for my likes start at $399. They kicked my multi thousands dollar cables to the curb but your thoughts may vary.
So if you are someone who has a well set up system, one that is revealing and brings forth a nice soundstage, some 3D imaging and you have your speakers away from the walls somewhat with toe in and your seat aligned in the right spot then this post may be for you as cables are pretty important for your system.
Also for you especially….if you are using cheap interconnects that you just bought because they were cheap and figured didn’t matter.
I have many cables to pick from here from slightly exotic to expensive to all out cheap. I have used them all and have them all here, now. I have the cheap here as I really hoped they would satisfy me in sound and I wouldn’t have to spend more, but they really do not though they are very very good. Rather they hinder the performance of my current high end system and do not let it be all it can be.
Why spend so much on speakers and electronics only to skimp on the “veins” of the system that deliver the life to it all.
Yes, I consider audio cables to be like “Veins” of the system as it is the cables that deliver the signal to the amp and then the speakers. Not all cables sound the same or are made the same nor do they use the same materials, windings or sheathing. Some are made to reduce noise, others are not shielded at all. Some are floppy, some are thin. Some are thick and unruly and some are stiff. There are hundreds to choose from which is nuts. Why can’t there be just one that does it right and does it good and doesn’t cost a fortune?
Well, there is.
Just recently I received some cables called “White Magic” from Mad Scientist Audio and having owned, and still own his older “Black Magic” line I was very curious about this new cable Bob has created over there in New Zealand.
These RCA cables start at $399 and I was sent this starter lowest cost version. When I removed the Valhalla cables, which cost thousands back in the day (and now cost around $1400 used for a 1M set) I placed in the $399 White Magic RCA’s and was…well….in auditory shock. This cable fresh out of the box bowled me over as it was instantly more refined (smoother and richer), welcoming and heart warming in sound (open and natural) vs the mighty Nordost. There was transparency yet fullness. There was sweetness yet small intimate details were all there and brought forth in an intimate way vs in my face way.
Instruments sounded more real and the sound was more natural, open and “billowy”. Sounds would swell and shrink just as the recording wanted them to. These were not trying to impress me with flash but rather everything was just right and supremely musical.
This sound was really unlike any other cable I have tested and made my Valhalla now sound a bit “hard”. Made my Cardas sound “soft” and made my Audioquest sound a bit “sizzling”. It made the Mad Scientist old Black Magic line sound a bit bright in my setup (I still have his Black Magic RCA but White Magic bested it for these ears). While the Valhalla is still an IC I love as it has dynamics and impact while exposing all details the White Magic sounds completely different and I really love what the White Magic is doing with the music.
Why would this interconnect made by some guy in New Zealand at his kitchen table kick the others to the curb so easily?
Well, I guess it is all spelled out at the Mad Scientist website where he discusses how he makes these cables. Most cables (almost all of them made by any company today) either use silver, copper or a mixture of both. Mad Scientist interconnects and digital cables do not use Silver, Gold, Copper, Palladium or any other material used today in cable manufacture. In fact, the “Mad Scientist” uses a material no one else uses and it was genius of him to try this. I guess that’s why he gave himself this title.
Hmmm, so what is this material he has discovered and is now using with his cables? He will not say what he uses and I do not blame him as if he did there would be 20 others trying to copy him to make a buck. Bob found this material, had it made into the thickness he needed and when he tested them he was shocked himself or so the story goes. All I can say is that after hearing this so called “starter” cable in the White Magic lineup I instantly wrote to him saying I wanted to purchase a 1.5M RCA in his “White Magic Prime’ line, which is his top tier level. I also have a White Magic USB cable on the way for my streamer/DAC connection. I love good audio cables but get excited when something really good comes along that costs less than you expect.
Yea, these are that good when it comes to sound quality. Construction wise, not so sure these will hold up for a decade but time will tell. They are not made in a factory with machinery but rather all by hand by the man himself, Bob, over at Mad Scientist Audio and yes, at his Kitchen Table.
I’d say do not spend more until you hear these White Magic.
I will say this. If you are looking for an awesome set of audio cables at an awesome price and one that bested my big money cables in many ways then you do not need to spend more for a natural, open, sweet, realistic, flowing, fluid sound that brings such a beautiful sound that is musical, detailed and yet never ever hard, lean or harsh. Never bloated or overly warm. It’s just “RIGHT”. No veil here, no lean sound either. I believe this is what a cable should sound like and I just wish I had designed them as I would finally be able to make some money doing what I do here, lol.
It’s as if these WM cables do not color a thing where the others are. That is the impression I am getting here.
You may not even need to go with his top of the line Prime line as the starter range has magic as well though when I hear the Prime I may change my mind, lol. What I can say is that these new White Magic cables are astonishing in sound and I will never spend more for a cable. As I have found again and again in this hobby, some of the best stuff I discover is made by passionate folks who run a small company and truly love the hobby vs a big company trying to find their next big profit margin.
Oh, when you buy a cable from Mad Scientist they even pay shipping AND Tariffs, which unfortunately has really made prices skyrocket within the audio hobby. I am seeing it happen on the regular and when I ask, the answer is “It’s the Tariffs”. So these Tarriffs have raised the prices, quite dramatically, within the audio hobby. This is fact. These ship from New Zealand and they arrived pretty fast for me, a few days to a week.
You will not get a Tariff bill from Mad Scientist as he pays it up front. Awesome.
So if you have been looking for a superb interconnect that will create some “magic” within your audio system I can easily recommend Mad Scientist Audio WHITE MAGIC and no, this was not a paid post nor is the link below any kind of affiliate sales link. I just love these for what they do, and what they cost.
What others are saying about White Magic
I recently looked these up using Google to see what others are saying about them, real people who bought them. One thread had a guy super enthusiastic about them and praising them as I have here, and for good reason. Yet there were those in the comments talking trash, cable deniers and those who think measurements mean something within audio or cables. They really do not as our ears are the only measuring tools we should use in this hobby.
There is nothing “Snake Oil” about these White Magic cables. The best DAC I have ever heard is the $22k Audio Mirror WAVE DAC and guess what? The designer of this DAC tuned the sound mostly by ear, not measurements. Go figure. I have had a DAC here that was all about measurements and many called it the best DAC you can get regardless of price and guess what? I didn’t review it as it was sterile and lean to my ears, a sound I dislike. I disliked it and yet it “measured” perfectly and cost about a grand. This is why I do not care about measurements in audio.
Also, these White Magic will not sound crispy, they will not sound sizzling nor will they try to impress with special effects and wow factor. If that is what you seek there are options out there for that.
The sound of the White Magic cables are different from others I have used and again, just seems natural and oh so musical, making the music sound fuller yet open, detailed yet smooth, focused yet not tight or constricted. Just beautiful and “right”. Again, nothing lean, nothing bloated. Nothing warm, nothing bright. These are not closed in but a bit open and allows me to hear everything yet everything I hear sounds right.
So yea, cables matter in systems set up for critical listening and I am loving the White Magic Interconnects as they bring something different than the same old same old variations on the same thing. They do not cost a fortune yet sound like they could.
