Who else is using old cables/interconnects, and is happy?


Although I have changed my system substantially in recent years, I still retain both speaker cables and interconnects that I have owned for ~15 years. I use Audience Au24E speaker cables and RCA interconnects, and a Virtual Dynamic David XLR between my DAC and integrated amp.

The system sounds very good, and I am not inclined to make any changes to the cables. Having said that, though, if anyone has used similar cables and found big steps forward without breaking the bank, I'd be interested to read about your experiences.

More broadly, I would enjoy hearing about cables that other members have stuck with for years.
whipsaw
Most of my interconnects are at least 30 years old. These include Purist Aqeous, Tara Labs Analogue Standard, Cardas Twinlink and Audioquest Emerald hyperlitz. I no longer need 4 sets of ICs, but I still use the Purist and the Tara. The Purist were bought when the company was just starting out, and Jim Aud came and gave a presentation at a small shop nearby in Massachusetts. These are the original ones with the clear jackets, and 30 years later they have not lost any fluid and still sound fantastic. The Tara were marketed as specific for phono, and I have some new Cardas Iridium Phono on the way for comparison. The rca plating is wearing off on the Tara, otherwise I may not even have looked into replacing them. 
Forgot to add to my post above, bought speaker cables and interconnects used at 1/3  or less than the price of new.
Bonus is - they're already broken in!
This thread is so funny 😂. It’s like a race, a competition, which one spent the least on cables. Bonus points for age of cables. Double bonus, for rusty cables. Keep it going, there will be a prize, whoever wins will get .... a pair of nice cables 😂😂
If you have the money, do some research (very hit & miss) and then try some new cables. Morrow Audio makes some very nice sounding cables, and many of their lines are competitively priced. 

The key with system changes like this is to replace all of the cables in your signal path (or at least your most important signal path) and then just listen to music over time. Don't try hard to hear any immediate differences. If you do, fine, but you'll still want to live with them for a least a month-- over time you'll develop an opinion of what, if any, changes you're hearing-- after listening to lots of music, hopefully all of the kinds you normally listen to (and are familiar with).

Sometimes the change IS better, but probably, most often, you're not hearing "better" you are hearing "different". You decide if those differences are better, or are just subtle trade-offs that don't matter much to you. Unless the cables you're replacing are damaged, or are complete crap, you should expect some differences. Beyond that, it's up to you to decide if those differences add up to a real improvement that you feel is worth it. Or not. 

What is for certain true is that, above a certain level of build and materials, more money does not equal more quality. Period. Fact. It depends upon your ears and your particular system AND your room.