Since making a spread sheet with my audio system prices, I have been thinking(shocked) about my total investment in cables. My total system retails at $67,000 (Digital and analog front ends included). I purchased all of it here on Audiogon so my investment is about 50%. Of that I have about 10% invested in interconnects and cables and another 10% in Power Cables (Shunyata Hydra included). That's $13,000 worth of wire. I'm starting to question whether it might be more effective to put some of this budget into acitve components. It would take forever to listen to all possible combinations, but would like to hear others experiences with relatively high end systems and cable selection. It would seem to me that the point of diminishing returns would be reached sooner with cables than with speakers and amps. Do most of you follow the 10% "rule" for cabling? How do PCs fit into this rule? Are there any super bargain cables capable of keeping up with highly resolving electronics?
I do agree somewhat with post above, in that a good front end will achieve a higher level of resolution in a system.
The benefit of good components is that they are designed with plenty of "headroom" in their circuits - i.e. they have a great power supply, parts that are conservatively rated and extremely tight tolerances.
However, a more moderately priced component is often capable of performing much better if supplied with the required power.
Every component is designed to a specific price point - and often the parts used in todays electronics perform exceptionally well. However, the part that often gets overlooked is the power transformer. A good transformer will react to transient voltage and current demands extremely fast. But if the mains cable is less than adequate the transformers ability to react is compromised.
When transient demands cannot be met the internal voltages fluctuate and cause slight variations in the signal.
In a two channel system the transients affect each channel differently, which can effect the phase of the signals - this causes a "smearing" of the image and affects the details heard and the stereo image.
A good power cable will allow the component to react to transients and affectively improve the stereo image - but the real benefit is that details never before heard will be quite noticeable.
I too was once a skeptic regarding the importance of cables, until I tried them after reading several articles. The results I attained were very noticeable.
The most recent upgrades have been my power cables. I did not have to shell out thousands. One power cord cost less than $100 with a couple of nice rhodium plated connectors and it has made a significant improvement.
Now, if I can get great results with my modest little system, I have to wonder what kind of results can be attained with high-end audio components.
Perhaps there is a point at which the effect of good cables is less evident due to a components ability to deal with transients as the quality level increases.
All I know is the my system has never sounded better and most of that is due to cables that I have purchased and an upgraded power supply for two of the components.
After being a so called audiophile for 10 years and owning different equipment i cant see buying expensive cables anymore. If you have a good digital or vinyl front end then cables have less of an impact IMO. If you have a bad front end then the cables will either mask or enhance that sound, thats why some people hear such dramatic differences. Just like the post above says its really the spec of the cable that matters most, if you listen to 2 cables that have similar spec they will have similar sonic signatures. I dont care if its a 1k cable vs a $200 one. I think money is better spent on the front end because thats where your signal starts if you have distortion there it doesnt magically disappear going down the chain. The amp and speakers would be the next thing i would upgrade. After trying so much equipment what it comes down to is system synergy. The cables will make only subtle changes when you have a good front end and your preamp/amp and speakers have that synergy going on. My cables are about 8% of my system cost. All diy cables except the power cables which i use pangea which cost $40 each. I got off the cable gravy train 3 years ago after doing some blind listening test with different cables. Me and my friends were all over the board when it came to hearing any major differences. Not listening to the cables and coming back the next day yielded different result. I think its a psycoacoustic effect that our ears get trained to a certain type of cable sound. What sounded a little flat one day didnt sound the same way the next. This is just my opinion after owning so much gear. What matters most is getting the sound you like if that means expensive cable than kudos to you. I just think money is better spent elsewhere.
I've just cruised this thread and found some very reasonable opinions. However, the focus is around the cost of cables relative to the cost of the system they support.
Yes - That is the title of this thread, but I did not find any responses indicating that anyone had considred anything else - other than PRICE!
How about the quality of the conductors, whether they are copper only, silver coated copper, silver, carbon etc...
How about the capacitance of the cable - which is directly related to dialectric properties and cable construction geometries.
Price has very little to do with how a cable will perform -YES - generally, the more expensive the the cable the better "we expect it to perform" - BUT, it all boils down to a cable's technical spec!
To cite an example - I just built a power cable from DH Labs Power Plus cable and it performed as well (maybe better) than a higher end (read more expensive) Furutech DIY power cord with the same connectors
The Furutech cable was 4 times the cost of the DH Labs - yet there was no perceivable difference i.e. on my system!
I had the same results with DH Labs BL-1 inerconect ay 1/3 the cost - which performed as well as my Van Den Hul D-102 III.
The technical spec of the cables were in fact very similar - hence the same audible performance.
The difference was in contruction - the Furutech and Van Den Hul are "industrial grade" and the DH Labs are more suited to home audio applications, electing to use high quality conductors, but forgoing some of the more rigorous industrial design features of the higher priced cables.
So - what do I look for in a cable - low Capacitance - low inductance - low ressitance - very high quality copper or silver coated or silver conductors - shielded - multiple braided shields preferred - good quality connectors - copper/copper alloy or silver
As it turns out - the resolution of ALL your cables is as important as each component, so you should know the spec's of your cables - in the same way you know the specs of your amp/cd/DAC/etc...
There are a lot of companies out there that do not publish their cable specs - so how do YOU know what you are buying?
If the specs are not published - contact them and ask for the spec - if they do not provide them - LOOK ELSEWHERE!
I, like most people probably, have spent money on Hi-Fi that could have been avoided, if I had done a little homework up front. I used to buy based on reviews, but then got nto the science behind good cables - thanks to some very imformative web sites - like the Van Del Hul web site that has extensive specs and cable details.
What does matter in a hi-fi system is the resolution abilities of every component (ncluding cables) - not the cost of the components. Granted cost is loosely related to resolution.
However - I have a couple of very affordable components that perform way past their "price point", simply because I replaced their power supply and power cables. The improvements were easily heard due to the good interconnects and speaker cables I had.
So, back to the thread title - My cables make up about 18% of my total system cost and they allow me to extract every last morsel of resolution from the various components.
I didn't consiously apply a cost rule - I simply considered the specs of the cables.
I could have gone with a $7000 power cable or a $2000 interconnect, but the resolution of some of those cables would have been way beyond that of the components in my system.
So now - just like choosing a new component - I do my homework and find a cable that I think will provide a benefit, based on it's technical spec - not its cost!
Asking what percentage of your system cost should you spend on cables makes as much sense as asking... - what percentage of my system cost should I spend on my CD player!
Audio stores simply use that percentage figure to sell you higher priced cables - what they sell you is often not what's really needed!
Do your homework and save $$$!
Alternately - find a store that will loan you cables to try.
I have found that the knowledgeable stores will probably offer you several to try out, since they are confident in your findings and their future sales!
Sometimes when you find the right cable it unfortunately costs a lot. Assuming that you can afford it, what do you do? Buy this cable or a cheaper one that doesn't sound quite right? Of course, you have to try many if not all cables before spending $5k on a pair of 1.0 M interconnects. In my modest system the speaker cables retailed for as much as the speakers, and interconnects for half the price of either integrated amp or cd player. I bought everything used so the real figures not percentage were tolerable. I can understand that in some situations cables can cost half the entire system though usually when it gets that expensive it is better to replace the components. But usually doesn't mean always. In my system it is about 30% including power cords.
IMO cables are the biggest racket in audio. It all depends on what cables work in a given system. You don't need to spend a lot of money to get great sound. In fact, there are many low priced stuff that outperform the expensive ones. Years ago my system retailed for $36,000, $7,000 of that was in cables. I sold those and replaced them with $1,500 worth of cables and got better sound. Today, my system isn't a third of what it used to be and I'm still using the same "cheap" cables.
You are absolutely right there Kijanky. The cables I have tick all the right boxes and shall remain with my next system upgrades. I believe they are very neutral sounding and simply get out of the way of all my gear. It's one hifi cost I dont have to ever worry about again in my life!
Vmhf - Even if your cables cost too much it is non-perishable stuff. Electronics or speakers might go bad or you'll decide to upgrade it but cables, if neutral sounding, might stay forever. Also, I feel that it is easier when we take one element out of the equation.
I feel the same as you kijanki. My cabling costs half the price of my whole system and I feel embarrassed to admit it in fear of being ridiculed. But in my system I would have it no other way as the cables are just like another component to my ears.
"Such is the crazy world of audio" - yes it is. I'm even afraid to tell my friends how much I paid especially for cables, since they believe that any conductor (including barb wire) will do (they also believe that all amps are the same except for power while digital has to be by definition).
Tpreaves - I understand your point, and at times it can be difficult to not be fooled by one's own conscience, but since I paid $0.00 for the ICs (retail $849 for standard four foot length pair, and mine are 12 foot pair so would have been much more than that as these are hand made), this is not the case. I should however divulge that my pre is terrifically silly good for the money.
To blow your mind even further ... I almost bought a pair of tubes for my pre which cost close to 50% of my pre, which I paid full retail new. Such is the crazy world of audio.
My ICs between pre and amps cost more than my pre, which is a wonderful piece in itself. Never in my wildest dreams did I foresee that coming. But I just ignored common sense and committed to the best sounding ICs for me in my system. And am glad for it.
trust yoour ears. one shouldn't be dogmatic or doctrinaire regarding any component.
its a question of value. if an expensive cable makes a big difference, and the difference is worth the price of the cable to the buyer, it's a sensible purchase.
i like to use the analogy of expensive vs inexpensive restaurants.
i generally find that spending a lot of money on food, compared to a good diner, is not worth it. you may disagree. it depends upon how you value the experience.
compare the affect of replacing an amplifier with the affect of replacing a cable (speaker, ic or power cord).
if the affect upon the sound of a stereo system is more "pleasing" when replacing the cable, it would seem that the "new" cable has a more profound affect and could be considered as the wiser purchase , assume one can afford it.
my point is the component which has the greatest positive affect upon the sound of a stereo system should be given top priority. if it happens to be a cable, so be it.
i would therefore conclude that there is no formula to specify how much to spend for cables, relative to some other component.
You have the answer, spend on your components not cable this will give you more bang for your buck than any cable will and spend it on what ever source you listen to the most and work your way out from there changing your speakers last.Try Atlas cables if you want most bang for your buck.
I am continually amazed at the performance of the Speltz interconnects. Whereas I have upgraded everything save the speakers, the Speltz wires stay. There is nothing they inhibit. That should be the greatest aspiration for any cable.
My common sense proof of when you are done with wire comes when the given cost of a wire upgrade that makes a discernable difference is still under what a better component can do that costs more.
IMO, for me at least, that point still falls at "about 10 percent of system cost, and no higher than 25 percent," as I posted in 2005.
Wire comes first then equipment upgrades.
I see your point with this and suggest the important thing is to have an idea of the system price range where you expect to end up (at least with each step forward), and then settle in on cables that makes sense for that price range while you try different equipment. My experience with a variety of cables is that I can meet that goal relatively inexpensively, for my $50K list system, with simple DIY projects using very good quality bulk cables and top level connectors. I also have a Cable Cooker to condition them initially and periodically. I have found the resulting cables to be suitably balanced between neutrality, smoothness, detail, tonality, extension and dynamics when compared with other brand name cables I have tried, which sometimes do well in some areas but not so well in others. I can easily discern the effect of changes in my equipment. Using these cables has allowed me to get away from the expense and time required to constantly buy and try a variety of different cables.
BTW, do you care to share what cable you are speaking of when you say,
the best interconnect I know of that outperforms those costing thousands is a modest $800
Those in the know know that there are only a few interconnects that could be called the best. None of them is $800 unless you meant per inch or centimeter. Also, I have three source components but only one interconnect for them. It was $800 new, by the way, but it is far from best, just very good. In addition, sometimes one has to run long wires, and it may easily cost $10k new just for that. I treat cables and power cords as components. In my modest system they cost about 25%, all were bought used.
I don't believe it makes sense or you can put a price relative to the system. There's too big a gap between performance and price, meaning the "best" cables cost a fraction of what the most expensive cables cost.
To Mitch2, as a dealer I did the comparison work between entry level equipment and the upgrade path that gives the best bang for the buck. Working from a starting point equipment upgrades will never make the bang for the buck improvements wire will. You simply do not hear the full potential of what better equipment does until the wire is at a refined state. It's as simple as the fact that you are wasting a lot of money when equipment is focused on before wire. Not only that but with inferior wire your comparison choices on equipment will be altered because of the coloration the wire imparts to the system. Neutrality is the key and there are $150 interconnects that are as neutral as the very best neutral ones are, they just reveal a little less detail.
My common sense proof of when you are done with wire comes when the given cost of a wire upgrade that makes a discernable difference is still under what a better component can do that costs more. Wire comes first then equipment upgrades.
Now that said you have to weed through the plethora of cable to get the best, because the best interconnect I know of that outperforms those costing thousands is a modest $800. There are dozens of $800 cables that mid performers so that is where the rift is between price versus performance. As a dealer I consulted on many mega buck systems that weren't doing what they should even though they had tens of thousands in wire. My wire recommendations that "fixed" the problems were way cheaper than what the person already had.
I'm writing a book on system synergy that explains in a common sense manner what the weak links of a system are and why. The common sense approach allows audiophiles to have a way better understanding of the role wire takes in a system, and which wire is the most important to have the best in.
Cables are different from the rest of the system - they are non-perishable. It doesn't hurt to buy better cables now (if you see great bargain) for the future instead of buying twice - as long as you keep them neutral sounding.
To answer the original question, in general I believe you can get the job done pretty good at about 10 percent of system cost, and no higher than 25 percent. Beyond that, I would probably start replacing components or speakers.
I just calculated the retail value of my system at around $50,000, of which the cables are about $4,000, or just about 8 percent. I have gone to DIY mostly made with high quality bulk cable and some of the best connectors available. I also have some DIY made with raw materials but, I generally like the bulk cable variety better. My only remaining manufactured cables are two Isoclean PC's I picked up with an amp purchase. In comparison, I do not believe the DIY cables are at all inferior to some of the better manufactured cables I have tried, by Cardas, Purist, Acoustic Zen, Harmonic Technology, Audioquest and others (no, I haven't tried them all). I still believe the bigger bang for your buck is in the components and speakers, and would allocate maybe 10 to 15 percent for cables, and another 5 to 10 percent for isolation and room treatment. Of course, buying used and DIY can reduce those numbers.
hello I have read your trend and the topic similar to the one I raised cables are really the worst investment and if you only knew the mark up on cables in some cases up to 80%. In the audio sales industry it's called paying the rent and keeping the lights on. Many view spending thousands of dollars on cables as the norm . I assure you it's an audio placebo for some it's enough to cure the problem and for others the problem is still there. I have two systems a solid state system and a vacuum tube system I'm not sure what a digital system is? I guess that means a cd/sacd/dvd-a player. I initially said worst investment with a return on the dollar of less than 50% when you start selling your cables you'll find out it's much less. think about in these terms if the retailer purchased the cable back from you at 30% of what he sold them to you in the first place he would be just breaking even as if he was buying them new from his supplier. in used audio market cables are considered used and audio equipment is considered vintage. in the vintage audio market you will realize higher returns in most cases and profits on some rare occasions I can't say the same for cables. I wish you luck on your decision. I guess the 10% rule is better than 50% rule especially when the cable retailers apply the 80% mark up rule with the return on your dollar of less than 40% rule.
you raise a basic question: what is a businessman's fair profit ?
have you ever owned your own business ?
as a business owner, with all of his/her fixed and variable costs, what do you think is necessary for a businessman to charge for his product to remain vaible, in relation to all of the costs expended to maintain his operation ?
After years of chasing power cables I have decided to know what's in the cables I purchase. If the cable design is a secret then I'm very leery. The last few sets of cables I have purchased work well and are a good value in parts alone. In my recent adventures I purchased cables which although pricey at least were able to be rationalized by the price of the parts alone. If a cable has $80 worth of connectors then the cable would be a bargain at $85 assuming the cable used good conductor which is not cheap.To purchase a $200 cable with $20 worth of parts is criminal but if a cable is priced more reasonably then a $500 is a good cable or at least should be if $400 of that cable is parts. Many cables are far too pricey for their actual value in parts. For me I found that there are many good cables made by smaller individuals or companies which charge a better parts to final product price ratio.I would feel more comfortable spending $500 on a cable with parts which justified the cable rather than a $200 cables which use $30 in parts and charge a 7to 1 ratio parts cost to final product cost. Good cables can be found at fair prices if one researches what they are after. Some DIY cables work with perhaps $100 worth of parts.It is important to be familiar with the sound characteristics of connectors as they can dramatically change the sound of a cable.$80 Wattgates sound better that $18 Wattgates. This is my experience.
how does one answer this question when it is impossible to ascertain the contribution of cables to the overall sound emanating from a pair of speakers.
there are so many variables, including the room and ac, that questions such as this are at best, highly conjectural.
it ii is possible that some cable may have a profound affect upon the sound of a stereo system to the same extent as a pair of speakers.
I've heard a lot good things about Mogami cables and absolutely agree about trying what professionals use. I'm just not sure that they use the most neutral cables since they might find similar synergy between microphones, electronics and cables. Also studio cost constrains might prohibit them from using long runs of very expensive cables. Their choices are likely to be very smart (good compromise) while many cables were not even taken into consideration since wiring whole studio with cables like Stealth Indra or AZ Absolute (that I use in 0.5m XLR) would be extremely expensive.
I also suspect that some studios might not even care since I have many CDs recorded very, very poorly.
Hi Kijanki, My point was that the cables used in a studio should be the most neutral to the playback of the music that was being produced and that using something other than that used in the recording studio in your home equipment can add colouration or change the end result. At one point A&M Studios was entirely wired with the Mogami quad wire that I have mentioned. The producers like Daniel Lanois etc. heard everything throught that wire, voices, guitars,drums everything when they recorded and engineered the music. Thats why I gave it a try. I get what you are saying about matching and compensating for equipment room acoustics etc. For me this stuff has worked fine with everything I have tried it on and I a-b compared it with my expensive wire before selling it. In my case it has worked out great because the money I got from selling my higher end cables went toward better equipment. For example, my Moon lp 5.3 @ $900.00 used with a $30.00 Vann damme silver coated XLR sounds way better than a Project Phonobox SE II @$300.00 with a $600.00 used interconnect of whatever Cardas golden ref, AZ silver ref etc. Anyhow I made the suggestion and if people give it a try I think some will agree and benefit.
"My thinking is that if you want to hear what the recording engineers wanted you to you should use the cables they used making the music, anything different is coloration"
Jamo1,
So, if cables used for recording are coloring shall I use the same cable to color 2x or shall I use the most transparent/neutral cables?
IMHO studio equipment has no bearing on my home system otherwise I might start using distorting VOX guitar amps for playback.
What they produced is a starting point for me. Judging system's transparency/neutrality is whole another subject but I would use studio cables, or any cables, only if they sound better to me in my system. My AZ Satori has some roundness/fullness that compensates lean lower midrange of my class D amp.
I have gone throught trying alot of cabling in my systems throught the years. All the models from Cardas, Kimber, Acoustic zen, Harmonic Tech, Analysis Plus. For me I have found that cabling sourced from recording industry is very good indeed. Mogami Quad 2534 and Vann damme Ultra Pure Silver Plated cable for interconnect works great and for me holds it own against cables I have owned that retail for up to $1500.00 for 1 meter pair. its really inexpensive and allows money to go to better equipment. Vann Damme studio grade speaker wire, the 9 gauge stuff you can get from Bryston sounds as good or better than any fancy expensive cables I have used. on the hifi side of things the best bang for buck for inteconnects is DHlabs Silversonic Air matrix. I will now never spend anymore cash on cables. My thinking is that if you want to hear what the recording engineers wanted you to you should use the cables they used making the music, anything different is colouration.
Of course, we all know that there are ways to reduce the cost of your cables. Shopping on Audiogon is definitely one good way. Using the lending library at The Cable Company is another one because you don't have to spend money on so many cables before you find the ones you like. There are also a lot of DIY'ers out there figuring it out for themselves.
Hi , its all relative, I have picked out expensive cables in blind tests over and over again, from interconnects to speaker cables to digital cables, but the main difference is I have not always liked the more expensive cables better, once you get the ego out of the way and stop careing about brand name or cost it is amazing the differences you can hear, for good or bad.
I agree with Gopher. Cables have made a noticeable difference in my system, too. I think the 10% rule still applies (I see this thread started almost 10 years ago). But no more than 10%.
I've got about $5000 msrp worth of cable in a system worth about $25,000 msrp. Fortunately I did not pay that amount, but I do feel the cables in my system have really allowed the components they are connected to to shine.
Say what you will about cables making a difference, but these have been a major step towards happiness in my rig... as high as that cost proportion may be.
My system is resolving enough that anyone can tell apart same models of a power cable treated at different cryogenic facilities. My system is gentle enough that it can successfully play any recording of any musical genre regardless of recording quality.
This is most astounding post I have ever read on Audiogon. Also the most unbelievable. Congratulations for such a unique achievement.
Irv
PS - you don't actually believe this stuff, do you?
Ooh, i think it`s hard, this cable quest! I didn`t now that i had spend more than 10% off my hole system in cables, before i sat down and thought about it. And is it worth it?????YES, i think it is. Over the last half year, iv`e have had the priviliges of trying a lot of different cables out there, in different price class. Acoustic Zen, Harmony Tech, Dyrholm Audio, Lavardin cables. I listening to these cables for a lot of hours, and i was in a position where i just could choose whatever i wan`t, regardles to price( they where all demo, so therefor cheeper)......I endeed up with AZ cables, wich is not an inexpensive cable, but value a lot for the money. I know some people think thats is crazy spending so much on cables. My interconnect cable between my Rega Saturn CD and my amplifier Lavardin IT cost almost the same as the Saturn, and iv`e have wondered if this maybe was a bit to much to offer for that cable, but no again. My set-up sounded nice to begin with, but after all the new cables it`s in a another ball game (much better). But soon i will try to unplug all these new cables, and getting back to where i started, just to listen to the (maybe) huge different( or not)???? Then i will write again!
I make my own speaker cables using the same ingrediants as Kimber 8TC. Waste of money I did the cables, cones, cords and pucks. Put your money where it counts. In order 1)poweramp/preamp 2)speakers, 2)room treatment-2)speaker placement 3)-sub woofer 4)turntable-cart 5)cd player 6)blue ray 7)speaker cables 8)interconnects
Just thought i'd check and see what's up after "dropping out" of the scene for several years. Coming up on 9 years since this thread was started and not much has changed. Mostly still a matter of personal preference based on system synergy from what i'm seeing here. Since the owner of the system is the only one that has to be happy with what he spends or hears ( perceived or reality ), i guess that's all that matters. Sean <
I find a greater difference between cables and powercords then between components (up to a point). Example I have found a 3k interconnect that makes a greater net difference then going from a 3k pre amp to a 6k pre amp. In fact cables and power cords can allow a system to image in a way that no amount of money spent on electronics can achieve! I'd say 1/3 of a system should be invested in cables. Not sure where the 10% rule came from, but I just don't hear the same improvement between say a 2.5k amp and a 6k amp with cheap cables as when that extra money is spent upgrading the cables. Seeking performance upgrades thru component upgrades is far more expensive then experimenting with cables.
My friend bought Honda Civic and he just loves this car. He believes that there is no correlation at all between performance/quality and the price. I told him that quality difference between Rolls-Royce and his Honda Civic is pretty much the same as between Honda Civic and a Yugo.
Wouldn't you agree that there is SOME correlation between price and sound of cables - or is it completely random and things like purity of metal, capacitance, inductance etc. are not important at all. Can good sounding cable be made of dirtiest, cheapest copper (copper oxide is a semiconductor)?
There is also the question of the different parameters that you have to put in the equation (ie country of origin, new vs used etc). For example, on the basis of "retail prices" my cabling would be c. 35% of my system's overall value. They come from a US manufacturer, and their prices are much higher here in Europe (vice versa for European cables in the US). I bought all of them used and sometimes at 1/3 or less of their original value - which would drop the overall percentage to under 20%. This is the important factor - what it actually costs you in real terms.
Stringreen makes a good point about no correlation between cost and performance. A lot depends on the equipment and how it reacts to cables. For example, I just changed to an all Linn system and very entry level kimber works much better than the more expensive and exotic Purist cables I used to own. People need to audition and be careful before blowing $$$ on cables they dont need.
Mitch - Double Barrel is very good and it is step above Satori Shotgun (so I heard). Satori wires look like Teflon isolated strands + one wire consisting of strands of isolated (enamel) magnet wires. I was looking for Silver Reference II ICs (about $450) while I found AZ Absolute 0.5m XLR for $600. I could not refuse that - if I did I would have bad dreams for the rest of my life, I'm sure.
Kijanki, you say; "I re trimmed my Satoris with new spades and discovered that wire has inside isolated strands (9 I think) + 1 strand that is not solid but has inside again 9 very small strands." and I found from the AZ website; An incrementally layered, multiple strand, non-extruded, pure "zero crystal" copper cable designed for amplified signal delivery in perfect phase with absolute spectral and tonal coherence..." AZ seems a little vague compared to other manufacturers who more specifically report their cable construction or even provide pictures, so I have been curious to their construction. Are saying you found the Satori's use both solid core and stranded PCOCC copper wire? I am finding a number of well-respected cable manufacturers using stranded wire for both IC's and speaker cables. To my ears, there seem to be trade-offs with stranded wire being maybe a bit more dynamic and solid core being maybe a bit more clear/pure sounding. Maybe Robert Lee has found a good sonic trade-off? I have been recently using and enjoying his Double Barrel speaker cables in 5 ft. length. I have been considering DIY speaker cables, but it is hard to justify when the Double Barrel's sound so good. I am using DIY IC's of solid silver, some made from the raw Jupiter wire, and others made from bulk premanufactured wire with a 23awg twisted pair and foamed Teflon tape dielectric. My total cable expenditure with that set-up is about 6.5 percent of equipment cost and my system sounds as good or better than ever.
There is no correlation between cost and performance in wire. I use Anti-Cables...I compared it to the top of the lines in Nordost, Audioquest, Kimber, Wireworld, Purist, Cardas, etc.,etc. To my wife's and my ears, Anti-Cables came out best. The closest to the Anti-Cables were the Audioquest Sky/Everest combination at a huge increase in price...and even then the Anti-Cables were more like music. Wire has to work with the components you have. A meter of interconnect will sound different with different components. All we can do as audiophiles is to experiment ourselves with our own systems, since MIT or any brand will sound WAY different in my system than in yours. The joy of this hobby is not to read reviews and abide by them, but to find out what floats our own boats.
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