What % Of Your System Are Your Cables?

Cost is really not a very good way to determine what wires to use. Unfortunately often it’s pretty much the only thing you know for sure about a particular product.

My mantra is if you don’t know what it is you are paying for don’t pay it.

Or at least buy used. Like cars, new wires depreciate immediately but wires do tend to physically hold up very well over time.

These are numbers based on replacement value for all gear and wires.  I am including power distribution and conditioning in “cables” numerator.

Main system - hybrid home theater/two channel: 46% of system cost in cables.

Office system: 53% of system cost in cables.

I have purchased a lot of my gear used and assembled many of my own power cords, so these numbers reflect what I would have to pay retail to duplicate my current setups.  I am guessing many folks look at these percentages and say I am heavily “over cabled”, but I think it’s just right.  When I add new electronics, I can easily hear differences, if they exist, because my cable looms are reasonably capable.

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I think cables become a necessary component when one finally discovers components that are satisfying. Then there’s an urge to possibly discover more.

I've lived with many different pieces that I felt could use some massaging.

Number one thing is to be sure of your listening space. If that is sorted, what a great opportunity to move forward.

In my main rig, about 5%.

In my bedroom rig about 33%, but In that system I spent a total of $220 combined on source and amp.

I have interconnect cables ranging from around 400 bucks to about 80 bucks. But the bottom line is, I used the cable that sounds right for the gear that I'm hooking to. It ads up but I slowly built my inventory over time so never had a huge outlay.

Just get the cheapest OFC cables you can find and they'll be objectively better than any boutique snake oil brands with their marketing markups. It should be a very, very small percent of your budget, and it shouldn't go up just because the price of your sound system has gone up.

Including grounding block and cables, power conditioning, power cables, interconnects,  and speaker cables 17%.  Does not include the tonearm cables on multiple arms. 

Putting together a loom of Empirical Design. It will be less than 5% when finished  

I did a total upgrade back in 2021 and my average is about 28% for all new cabling and tweak stuff. I'm running two amplifiers ( Cary Audio and a pair of Vincent hybrid mono blocks) that I can use a switch designed specifically so that there isn't any feedback to either of the amps that aren't being used. I'm pretty happy with my set up. I do agree that setting a % or a specific $$$ amount isn't a good place to start. Your ears will tell you what is right for you.

Less than 1%, DIY with available quality stock. Considerable Research, mechanical and A/B testing giving us “O” Rabbit hole trips !  It’s only money but it’s still mine 🤪

Zero. There it is, I said it. 

3-4% for me.  Speaker cables are DIY.

About 25% for me. 

The Rule- 10% minimum. 20% maximum.

Happy Listening!

For many years, the answer on how much I actually spent on cables was 0.00%, because my amps and sources (apart from the turntable) are from Naim. The cables that came in the box for free were very hard to beat, and so were the ancient Naim speaker cables I got for free when a mate ‘upgraded’’.

In the last decade, I have upgraded a lot and eventually found cables that work better than the originals. However, as others have said “it depends”. Should we allow for how many sources we have, and whether we have separate pre and power and/ or a phono stage?

I’d also say that spending a few hundred on getting a sparks to fit a dedicated electricity supply from meter to hifi had a bigger impact than any power block or conditioner I have heard (some costing over £10k).

Critically, I know that I am a rubbish tester, esp on a quick A versus B test when I know what the new cable costs and how hefty it is. So I get friends (including professional musicians) to help and do actual ‘blind’ listening tests - if a difference can’t be consistently picked in repeated tests without sight of which wires are plugged in, then I am happy to assume that it is in my mind and not my ears. That sort of test has saved me a lot of money, particularly on cables.

Also, ‘different’ is not the same as ‘better’. Many use cable choice (esp speaker cables) like tone controls to get those speakers and that that room just right. 

For those who have found a magic cable that makes £1k speakers sound to then like £20k speakers, at least to them, congratulations- I am very pleased for you. Don’t let my (or others) scepticism put you off.
 

I’ve heard huge differences between IC’s and very noticeable differences between USB and speaker cables and small, very subtle differences between power cords. But I must say, I’ve never tried a $20k cord of any kind.

19%

Thinking that in current system the cables list price is 10% - 15% of the list price of components. But my experience is that great deals on new/demo/used cables are better than on components, so probably spent about 7-8 % of total cost on cables. When I was upgrading components more often, cables were a lower percentage than now, with infrequent component changes...

Looks like 11% for me at prices paid I have no idea at retail most of my cables were bought used.

Only a moron would hook up $10k speakers to a $10k amplifier with $10 of lamp cord.

I tried those expensive cables, it’s all squirrel food for your brain…sent them all back and use Blue Jeans cable a well built cable at a fair price….

Just did the math. 7%. Higher than I thought. I prefer DIY, but my time has also become increasingly scarce with youth hockey. Analog interconnects are more than  digital and I don’t have much in the digital front. I use the dac in the streamer which is fed by a .8m Audioquest Ethernet cable from a fiber optic modem w/ an isolated 5g out, so only 2 digital cables. And a balanced cable out to preamp. But everything does add up. I didn’t include treatment and conditioning, power cables yes. I’m actually surprised it’s that high. 

@oberoniaomnia very interesting to hear your experiences! Wow 90V drops!! I thought mine was bad for being between 124 and 126

I wonder sometimes if this cable thing is a system thing. Like maybe some systems are more sensitive? I don’t want to say "better" because I have no idea what your system sounds like and that would be a cruddy thing to say. But maybe it’s more just about certain speakers, amplifiers etc having more sensitivity to wiring changes. Or maybe your stock wiring is just amazing?

If you get a chance to try out some shunyata cabling, do it. I had tried several bran ds too and was in the camp of "I don’t know if I hear anything different" whenever I would try different speaker cabling. For example, going from my amazon basics wiring to mogami wiring was like "hmm I think I hear a change" but then going from the mogami to the shunyata it was like "holy crud - it’s not subtle at all!". My amplifier doesn’t have an A/B so to be fair, I had to swap cables or have a friend do it. But in most cases I could discern little differences, except in the case where I purchased the component or cable. It has to be clear in order for me to shell out funds.

The same goes for power conditioning. Not impressed at all with the ones I had tried thus far until I tried out a gemini 4 from shunyata, and ordered a gemini 8 immediately since I have a 20 amp line. Difference from gemini 4 to 8 was not noticeable at all just as a side note.

I am actually about to head to the hi-fi shop to try some high quality interconnects, the final frontier for my system. I am super skeptical again about these having any noticeable or beneficial improvement to my system. But I’ll be happy to be wrong as I was about speaker cabling and digital cabling!

Friendly note to those buying cabling: find yourself a hi-fi shop. They will usually cut massive discounts on stuff you’d pay full price for online. And let you try before you buy! PSA over

@jrareform I have a voltage adjuster (occasionally line voltage drops down to 90V) and a power conditioner (both Furman). I have compared speaker cables (Cardas 101 AWG 14 vs. Pearlacoustics AWG 4-5: so MASSIVE DIFFERENCE), and I can't tell them apart. Put them on A-B speaker outs bare wire (no possible effect of connectors) hooked up simultaneously, so could switch with a click of a button. Absolutely nothing different.

I compared some interconnects, no difference: standard, some Cardass, BlueJeans.

Power cables: the problem is that most aftermarket cables are not UL/CE listed, so present a home insurance liability. And after all, I don't buy it to begin with. 

My room is also treated, I get my soundstage etc. I do notice differences between tubes, phono cartridges, phono preamps, speakers, even a tiny bit with DACs, but a lot of audiophile stuff I tried and cannot replicate (e.g., digital delivery software: Roon vs. Audirvana: nothing; USB cables: nope). My system is listed here on audiogon if you care to check it out.

.1% - cables have almost no effect.

@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.

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.

@roadcykler 

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

@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.)

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

@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.

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

How Electricity Actually Works.

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. 

Do I count the power conditioner?

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.

@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

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.

<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. 

.01

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. 

Love it ... @classicrockfan 

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

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

6.02% Cardas primarily. 

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.

@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 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.  

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