What % Of Your System Are Your Cables?

4%.

I’ve tried some relatively expensive cables but wasn’t impressed.

I made my own speaker cables from solid core OCC wire. I was lucky enough to buy 10 pairs of NOS Belkin interconnects that are sublime. I tested them against a number of ICs in the $250-$500 range, but they simply sounded better.

I'm around 12% based on what I paid.  At normal retail for new, it would be higher. 

Are we counting cost of stands/racks, dedicated lines and acoustic treatment, as well as other tweeks some may have into the total system cost?

If that’s the case, my cables are about 13% of the total. 

No more than about 5 percent. My experience is that money is typically better spent on the actual components and speakers than on cables and tweaks. YMMV.

BTW, @noromance - What are "NOS Belkin interconnects"? Are they made with a certain type of commonly available cable such as Mogami or Belden? Also, I agree with you about "solid core...wire" sounding best for speaker cable. My three favorites here (Cardas, Harmonic Tech, and DIY Jupiter wire) are all solid core.

Surely the 10% "rule" was developed by the cable industry.  Up there with De Beers convincing the world you should spend one month's income on an engagement ring, if you truly love her.  And lately, they've upped that to 3 months salary.  The cable industry is falling behind. 🤣  Having said that, my cables are +/- 7% of my total system.  

I don’t believe in allocating certain % to cables or tweaks. Cables can easily be your bottle neck so audition as many cables you can within your budget and keep the ones that brings best possible sound out of your components and to your ears. If you can’t hear or believe cables can make a differences….well, good for you!

IME, some components are just immune to aftermarket cables and others responds very favorably.

In general, I don’t allocate but work towards an optimal system through testing. Then when I am done, I figure out how much I spent. I have done this more than once on systems upgrades... and in general, it turns out to be about 10 - 12 %. I think it’s at 12% right now.

I have done the same with components and in general have ended up with them at around the same value category each.... streamer, DAC, preamp, phono stage and amp. So all my components in my main system are about $18 - $22K. Generally my speakers are a bit more expensive. 

Over 50%.*

This includes cables, power conditioning, power supplies, distribution blocks, grounding, etc. They’re all intrinsically linked.** They’re all part of the transmission.

IMHO, it was worth every penny. My very modest system can run with some of the big dogs that I hear at audio shows.

The best part is that I had fun putting it all together. It’s been a fascinating exploration into physics - particle theory and wave theory.

- - - -

* This is somewhat skewed since I got some great deals on my primary components.

** Without a transmission, a car won’t function very well. Without a high performance transmission, a Formula One car will not compete very well.

around 11% here incuding power cables.

Around 5%

7% but my cables were all DIY.

If I bought the same cables ready made it would be higher.

I remember in the olden days, it was 1/3 source, 1/3 speaker and 1/3 cable.

Around 7%. There are some amazing cables in the 500-1,000 range.

No clue, I bought all my cables used with the exception of the 3 Acrolink cables, those were purchased new.

I agree with @steakster.  I am at 40%.
 

I was taken aback when I tried some crazy expensive cables with my moderate priced system, Chord Dave and Grimm Mu1 on the front end.  Three power cords and a pair of speaker cables.  Suddenly it sounded like systems in the $500k+ range.

I fortunately found another brand that was almost as good at a lower price (which many would also call crazy.)

 I am now of the opinion that cable and power conditioner upgrades make a bigger impact than most component upgrades.

Probably 2%

Having owned a audio store and good rule of thumb 20-25% of your  Audio system 

Digital cables cannot be overlooked either 

Wow, who really cares but less than 5%. Just have to know your magic key. 

@mitch2 They’re BELKIN AV20302-06

The old metal plug version. Something of a low-level cult favorite for folks who know how good they are. They are very specific and all the others in the series are no way near as good.

For me if I just count cables, it's about 10%.  But, if I add, rack, running dedicated lines, and power conditioners it's closer to 17%.  At this point, if I want new cables, I will research and learn to build my own.

10 to 15 %

0.1%.

Although I am retired, I refuse to do a deep dive into the actual ratio, but my best guess would be a maximum of around 10%.

0.1% if you exclude the speaker cables. I like gear where the interconnects do not have to be boutique.

With the Audience FrontRow speaker cables it is about 10%.

Though in my office system, a Magnepan Mini speaker, I found that the Blue Jean cable at 10 AWG is as good as the FrontRow. So, selling that set of FrontRow speaker cables. On my bigger system the second set of FrontRow is considerably better than the Blue Jean.

% is actually depends on the system. Tube amps require way more cable matching than solid state. Digital less than analog and so on. Some people like gold Ethernet, but whatever...

Something less than 1%. And that's with all the electronics DIY (excluding 3 Bryston bass auxiliaries) in an all-vinyl, ESL system.

I neither establish limits nor calculate percentage of total system cost when I approach system upgrades.  I establish a goal as to the improvement in SQ I wish to realize and an upper limit for the spend.  I then audition components (which includes cables) to optimize the system to my goal.  Calculating now to respond, 16% of the system spend was on all cables and cords.  

@steakster 

" exploration into physics - particle theory and wave theory. "

Confucius says you should add "quantum theory and nano theory" life is short you don't spend more than 1%

I'm in total agreement with @steakster ​​​​and @dougthebiker. I'm in the area of 20%. For me the infuence on the overall sound of the system brought on by the better cables, their designs and the particular materials therein (beryllium copper, very high purity copper, etc.) is so large to my perceptions that it is just essential to have very good cabling.

6.02% Cardas primarily. 

8%  -  It is more worthwhile to invest in better components than in very expensive cables.

30% excluding power conditioning and power supply. Skogrand, Shunyata, Albedo. 

Love it ... @classicrockfan 

Based on actual dollars spent I'm at 7.1%, but based on retail price, I'm at 10.0% (difference owed to some things in my system, both cables and electronics, being purchased as demos).  That said, I still need to upgrade my USB cable and speaker cables to be of commensurate quality with the rest of my system, so those percentages will be increasing.  I'm counting my power conditioner as a non-cable. 

.01

<1% Tried some variants, particularly bare bones with something a bit better where the differences should be most noticeable, but nothing, absolutely nothing. As long as it has a decent connector, I don't bother with cables. For speaker cables, bare wire, of course. Overall system is around $40K. 

Actually a tough question for me since my Bryston 9bsst amp is a five channel unit of which I only use two banks. So if I adjust the price on that for what I actually use it makes more sense. Mine is about 4%. I have DYI Mogami cables of longish lengths with WBT locking spades on amp end Aeco banana plugs (gold over pure copper) on speaker end. I need to use small banana plugs on speaker end due my old Energy Reference Connoisseur's having very limited space for connectors. That location is  underneath the cabinet, and what a pain that is. The WBT spades were a gift but if was to add the retail of those with the Aeco banana plugs it actually is more than the cost of of cable itself plus sheathing. The research I did showed that the connectors are as important if not more than the actual cable if you go by actual resistance.

@oberoniaomnia does this also mean you have no power conditioning? 

Some people are lumping that in with cabling.  And I have to say, adding a Gemini 8 from Shunyata was a massive difference.  I preferred a Cardas Parsec power cable for my amplifier over $2k nordost power cables or $400 shunyata ones.  I also have a fully treated room that I built so the ability to hear differences is not subtle in there.  I was a huge cable hater (copper is copper, 1s and 0s are just that).  Until I made friends with a local high store owner.  This relationship has cost me some dough.  But my system literally sounds twice as good.  Shunyata venom x speaker cables, alpha USB for audio interface(yes it makes a difference sorry to say for your bank account) and proper 20A circuits, and proper power cabling is quite massive.  Counting the power conditioning, and considering the cost of room treatments etc, I'm probably at 15% cables

Wow. That many of you keep spreadsheets or are math savants, like me. Not.

A true audiophile never kisses and tells his/her/they/them/their spouse what that connect costs. If you are partnered that’s the only person who might be unimpressed. Confess and face cacophony or set it and forget it. I went with door number two.

Survey says....Maybe 15% +/- but if counting dedicated room, treatments and furniture then a whee small percentage.

Do I count the power conditioner?

Less than 2%. I’ve made my own speaker cables out of 10 gauge OFC wire with rhodium plated banana plugs that have securing screws. I’ve tried some expensive cables and could not hear any improvement. Maybe my old ears, maybe not. My interconnects are inexpensive SVS RCA to the Subwoofer and Cable Matters XLR short length 1.5’ between pre and power amps.  I use the equipment manufacturers power supply cables. I have a 3 Kw battery back up that supplies pure sine wave 120v ac power, so I tried that in place of the mains but could not notice a difference. My system is dead quiet in between tracks, no hum even at elevated volume. I’m extremely pleased with the sound and believe the biggest differences I’ve heard is from speakers. 

Re: Wave Theory. This video is very informative. It’s worthwhile to watch the whole thing.

How Electricity Actually Works.

@steakster @dougthebiker 

My cable investment is not as profound as yours. But increasingly, I am moving into the cables matter more than you think camp. Adding new very expensive cables continues to transform my system. Each time, I think it cannot get better but it does. Reassuring to hear that this is true for others as well.

If you really believe cables and wiring matter, you should also replace the stuff inside the speakers and any components that have wiring. 

@roadcykler  I really do think/know it all matters. Redoing internal wiring will void warranties. Many components have high grade/high specifications for internal wiring. Wish I did in me too  

(Many do yard out crossovers so there’s that.)

@roadcykler 

I built my GR Research speakers, so I know they have really good wires inside.

It's around 14%, but I have an active crossover based system that needs 4 extra interconnects and two extra speaker cables.

And @roadcykler, when I went active I did rewire the speakers. I am not competent enough to mess with the components.

Jim S.

@steakster So it’s the adjacent fields and they need to be insulated to avoid interference and that’s why connects matter. Take that lamp cord.

.1% - cables have almost no effect.