Who uses long interconnect like in dealers?

I use an asymmetrical run of 3m + 6m Red Dawn XLR between my rack-mounted Aleph P and the Aleph 2 monos suspended from my basement ceiling joists in milk cartons, with 8' SPM cables up through the baseboards to the Parsifals.
Sounds superb, and has GREAT spousal approval!

For my recording adjunct I run 30' balanced cheap Canare StarQuad pro cables from Earthworks omnis through a Grace Class A pre velcroed under my Steinway to my Alesis in the rack. Completely noisefree, neutral, and detailed. Amazing quality for $0.34/ft!

So here's the big cognitive dissonance: between Alesis Masterlink and the Aleph P pre do I use 1/2 meter of more Canare (ala smart PRO recording), or do I get audiophoolish and think that I need more RD or SPM for the last link?!
What a hobby.

I typically look for VERY long runs of interconnects and cut them down / reterminate them myself. Since most people aren't using long runs of interconnects, the market for great lengths just isn't there and the seller ends up taking a bath when they finally do sell. I've purchased 8 meter runs of Kimber PBJ for $75 for the pair. I also purchased a pair of 10 meter Goertz Copper Micro Purl's for $175. My most recent find was a 10 meter pair of cables that retail for over $2000. I paid $200 delivered.

With some high quality solder, the connectors of my choice and a little time and labor, i've been able to assemble mass quantities of interconnects for pennies on the dollar. After assembling them, i burn all of them in and try them out in my various systems, share them with my Brother and / or Dad, set up systems for friends, etc... This offers unbeatable bang for the buck in my experience.

When shopping for "DIY" based bargains like this, i always try to keep in mind "versatility". Both the PBJ's and Micro-Purl's can easily be configured for use with RCA's ( single ended ) or with XLR's ( balanced ) due to their conductor configuration. As such, what might be a "decent" cable in single ended form can become an even better cable when run in balanced mode. That is, so long as one is willing to get their hands dirty in return for saving a LOT of money.

With that in mind, i hope that a lot of you folks are interested in trying out long interconnects. I'll be waiting when you post them for sale : ) Sean
>

I use 6m of canare. My installer who installs million dollar theatre setups swore buy these. So I let him run the from my monos to my rack. He had a spool and made them himself on the spot. No problems great sound. canare.com

I tried this a while back. First, put my source/pre on the wall level with my lstening seat with amps by speakers. Noticed an improvement in soundstaging (esp lateral spread) getting the equipment rack out from between the speakers (BTW, some recommend a rack between speakers for anchoring center image, ie, Michael Green).
Then went all out with an 8m Discovery Plus 4 and put all source equipment in closet ( sounded and looked good, but too much hassle).
Now using only one amp and a CD w/ volume control (Resolution CD-55) on low modular racks (Lovan) that don't obstruct image. This way, using <1m ICs allow me to use a better IC (8m Quattro-fil would break my bank). Speakers are way out into the room away from equipment anyway and equipment is somewhat isolated with Aurios/Daruma/Bright Star.
I think a lot is decided by your choice of IC. Some are reasonably inexpensive (?) to increasing lengths (Discovery, Transparent, Purist, etc) and others will cost you a fortune. Dealers can absorb the cost easier than we can (consumers).

I too am looking into this for my set-up. But I'm plagued by the thought of effectivly having this HUGE antenna between my control unit and amp. Yikes! Since I cannot go balanced with my equipment choices, won't this degrade sonic quality? Or are single ended cables shielded enough to stop the pick up?

Best,