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interconnects vs speaker cables vs power cords - which make the biggest difference?

Like the subject line says, I am curious what others think in terms of whether interconnects, speaker cable or power cords make the biggest difference when it comes to noticeable sound improvements, or are they all equally important?  I am thinking of upgrading them all and am trying to decide how to allocate spending.  Thanks in advance.
ccandte
ahendler
416 posts
 
Since interconnects are the earliest in the chain they should make the most difference but it is really system dependent and also cable dependent
Alan
dweller's avatar
dweller
3,755 posts
 
I tried using Harmonic Technology Pro-9 speaker cables on an Almarro tube integrated (20 wpc). The sound was thick, slow and no treble. I changed to some Nordost Blue Heaven I had on hand and the sound was transformed! Literally night-and-day. Interconnects are designed for a (relatively) stable environment (line-level voltage).
Power cords? I've  never had an "ah ha!" moment. All-in-all I'd go with speaker wire makes the biggest difference (note: The Harmonic Technology is wonderful with high-power SS amps).
jperry
2,437 posts
 
IME power cables made the most difference

lostbears's avatar
lostbears
538 posts
 

 It really depends on the system. But in general, power cords and conditioners make the biggest difference. Then speaker cables and lastly interconnects. But again it depends on the system. I have found mixing brands of speaker cables and interconnects can deter the performance of both. Synergy is the most important thing. There is no perfect or best  cable for everyone.


mrvordo's avatar
mrvordo
151 posts
 
Like your entire system, it's a chain. Changing any one thing will change the system. So you might hear the most difference with any one of these depending on your system.
While speakers (most people think) will change your sound the most, I have always felt that the preamp is the heart of the system. Everything goes through it and if it has faults, they will be passed on to the speakers no matter how good they are.
So, if everything in your system is equal (and this is seldom the case), power cords and power conditioners could make the biggest difference as long as they are of equal to or of higher performance as the rest of the system. Then I would upgrade the speaker cables, so that I know the best signal from my amp is getting to the speakers. And finally, I would upgrade the interconnects to make sure all my source components are sending the best they can through the system.
Some people have good luck with mix and match, but my best results have come from using all of one brand of cables in my system (YMMV).
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