I conducted a test with three different cables and re-recorded the results. To make the test as authentic as possible, the amp was running under load. It’s important to note that I deliberately chose not to use a dummy load. It was important to me that the test would reflect my real monitoring environment as closely as possible.
Instead of a dummy load, the amp was driven by the IM1 and simultaneously routed back into the audio interface using a special cable. I ran the amp at a level where approximately 82 dB SPL were reached on the IM1. This way, any potential sonic influence of the cable can be captured as accurately as possible.
I deliberately created a collage of different music excerpts to make potential differences easier to detect. The music was sent through a precise custom DAC into the amp (Austrian Audio Full Score One) and re-recorded with a headroom of -10 dBFS using a Metric Halo ULN-8mk4.
The three balanced cables I chose were intentionally quite different: a cheap Amazon cable, the original VSX/Sivga cable, and a higher-end cable from a hi-fi store.
To ensure an honest evaluation, I created an ABX comparison test. I will reveal which file corresponds to which cable at a later point. That way, anyone interested in the whole cable topic can form their own opinion.