Cable upgrades

Audio cables/wires typically have some dominant characteristics, characteristics which they tend to impart to any system. Cardas tend to be warm… some very warm. Transparent and Straight Wire tend to be very transparent, imparting no net difference. Whether one sounds good on your system will depend on its components and your values. Matching cables to systems can be reliably recommended on this basis if the person knows the change they want. But Transparent cables will not warm up a cool system, and Cardas will not cool off a system.

Some cables have little impact on some or all sound characteristics, and the nuances that are changed can vary from system to system. Often the change might be fitting the values of the system to the user.

But in this case the effect of a well known cable was contrary to the known major characteristic.

Thanks @ghdprentice.  Would you mind commenting on the question of price range relative to total system value?  There are so many price levels of cables, I'm wondering if there was a range commensurate with my system?  I've read your comments in other threads regarding this concept, and would find your guidance helpful.

Thanks,

JAMES. 

James,

Sure. The rule of thumb is 10% the total of a component or system. It is not hard and fast. Because while wires have general characteristics and overall with additional cost they sound better… generally lower noise floor, greater dynamics and transparency… they are in your system. Each system is unique and will perform differently in each. The better the system, typically the bigger impact… looking at it as if it is a scientific instrument, the higher quality, the more sensitive. so a percentage makes sense… at least as a starting place.

Also, maybe one component has a very delicate sound and the interconnect is masking it… then it can have a very out sized effect.

Ten percent is only a place to start. I have had interconnects that cost 30% the value of the unit and were worth it, because I could not trade up components and get that sound quality boost. So, they must clearly pay for themselves in terms of sound quality improvements. This is why this tends to be a lifetime pursuit. To get good enough to know the value of sound quality among components and accessories and know your own values is a complex and long termed pursuit.

Buying used can get more impact. The Cable Company offers lots at roughly 1/2 price. Great was to start. I bought older Transparent to verify these were good solution and then bought new and higher level during a system upgrade.

@ghdprentice do you go off a price for a minimum run?
In example, minimum run is 1m and it’s $850. I need 2m and that’s $1100 which is 10% of the component price?

Personally I base the ratio on a cost of min length run.

I don’t think the generality is intended to be anywhere that specific, it’s more a question of are you fishing in the right hole. That said, yes, that makes sense. Then there is the big question of do these have the right tonal balance / synergy with your system.

The way I use it is a starting point for what I am going to plan on spending… so if my component is say $12K I’ll start looking in the $1.2K range… used. I will do everything I can to get the very best (I do lots of research on the qualities of the wires and hopefully try them).

My most recent upgrades have been from a knowledge base of forty years.. so, I knew what different brands sounded like and also the improvement in my preferred brand (Transparent) and so I bought all new. The most recent series upgrade was very significant.