Cables more hype than value?

Danoroo,

I may be able to give you some insight with regards to cables. After reading your post, it looks like you are approaching the cable issue from a purely subjective standpoint. Like you say, there's no consensus, so if you want answers you'll need to take matters into your own hands. I think I can speak for the majority of people on this site when I say this how we had to do it. And we get different results due to the variety of factors involved.

The only advice I can give you is don't spend too much money until you know what you're doing. And even then, be careful.

Danoroo - some very wise advice from the posters above.

Cables are fickle and perhaps the most difficult to attain success with.

I have tried lots of cables with differing architectures and also had some amazing opportunities to get to my current cable base.

The best approach is to try to find stores that have loaners you can borrow and tryout for a week or so.

Or you can buy and return them - but there is the cost of returning to consider.

Some cables take 2-3 days to "settle" so trying to discern improvements can take at least that long.

The more affordable cables I like the look of are from Anticables, Stager Sound Systems and JW Audio. The cables I use are from KLE Innovations - but they get pricey.

For me - the right cables add great value - but the search can be frustrating.

Regards...

......I am in the cable quandary here .....I currently have Purist Audio Design 20th Anniversary cables throughout my system along with the PAD Limited Edition Power Cords. My thinking is / was the more expensive the cable the better the sound which is true in many regards but when I was looking to upgrade my speakers cables I ended up buying the Cardas Clear Beyond as going up the Purist just got ridiculously expensive. Nice cables and during this time I was moving up the Esoteric line in equipment. The Cardas Clear sound real good ..to me in this system and the my speakers also changed from Avalon's to the Sonus Faber Olympica III's ......but in my mind how can the Cardas sound better when they are about 40% less than what I paid for the Purist.....? So I an looking at changing one interconnect out one at a time and see what happens ....but the Cardas interact better than the PAD in my system for less money .....don't know

09-11-15: Garebear
how can the Cardas sound better when they are about 40% less than what I paid for the Purist.....?

For some thoughts on why a high degree of correlation between cable price and cable performance should not be expected, see the posts by me and others in this thread.

Also, see the two links I provided in my post above dated 9-8-15, which are here and here.

Also, see the current thread " Looking for really fine cables at really low price", in which several highly experienced audiophiles have reported that they prefer the sound of cables made from Belden 8402 and vintage Western Electric wire, those cables costing not a great deal more than Radio Shack cables, to cables costing multi-thousands of dollars.

Regards,
-- Al

......Al that's what I was getting at ...and also ....as we all have said many times here on Audiogon ...cables react differently in each and every system and the most expensive is not always the the best for your system. I found that one out $$$$