My system....what and how will cabling impact?


Stereo Equipment


I know that not proving enough info is troubling so here is my complete list for my system.

All in around 100k.


Wilson Audio Sasha DAW

D’Agostino Integrated Amp

Clear Audio Ovation w/ 9” tracer tone arm

Clear Audio Concerto V2 MC cartridge

DCS Bartok DAC

VTL 6.5 phono pre amp (used w less then 50 hours of use)

HRS RXR Maple rack w/ isolation shelves

Transparent Music link and music wave cabling.



The room is strangely laid out. First, high cathedral ceilings with several peaks for sounds to bounce around. Second not too wide from speaker fronts to my ears but long. Approximately 25’ X 50’. From speaker fronts to my ears maybe 15. Speakers are positioned close to back wall and I am sitting on a sofa that places me about 2 feet in front of the front wall which is comprised of windows.


Now onto my first impressions. It sounds fantastic. Very warm, melodic, clean, rich and juicy are a few adjectives that come to mind. The TT sounds as good or perhaps at times better than the DAC. The soundstage is fairly wide given the limited space between my ears and the speakers.


Now onto my question. I have spent around $2,000 for cabling. I am figuring that those are what many of you would consider basic cabling. I see folks spending much much more for cabling. What does investing in high end cabling buy you? How does it effect the final outcome? Will the sound be richer and more realistic? What high end cables are recommended for the system I have? How much should one expect to spend for cables for the system I have assembled?


Thanks for your input.


lawmnsuu
IMHO to make a substantial impact you could look to invest 20-30% of your overall MRSP budget on power delivery and cabling. That said you can look for deals on the used market to bring those costs down. 

The biggest immediate impact I experienced was when I changed my power cables, and then my interconnects and finally speaker cables. 

The overall background was quieter. The sound stage was wider and deeper. Details would seem to pop out of nowhere, guitar strings breaking, foot tapping, drum skins and high hat decay... 

Do some research before you pull the trigger. Its worth doing the homework for the investment you plan on making.

Here are a couple of companies to check out as well 
http://www.hb-cable-design.com/1_english/start.html
https://audience-av.com/conditioners/
http://www.stage3concepts.com/TECHNOLOGY_main_page.htm
https://www.highfidelitycables.com/technology/
https://www.tonarm.ch/en/products/accessoires
https://silversmithaudio.com/

Good Luck
lawmnsuu,
You have, I would think everyone would agree - nice equipment (though I'm not familiar with a few pieces).
Systems perform only as well as their weakest / limiting link. Components, wires, power supplied, system set up, room acoustics, software (recorded music) are all very important. And each part has to be at a high enough level to identify differences when something is changed. 
I had very high end cables and found a cable brand that was / is drastically better - so good I became a representative / dealer for the brand (I'm not going to say the brand because I gave up promoting them - a totally different subject). But what I am saying is that cables make a drastic difference.
Think of it this way - and I'm using extremes to make a point.
Let's say you have "THE BEST" equipment, set up very well with a room that's acoustically treated very well and that you have extremely well recorded music. All this is connected using cheap speaker/power/interconnect wire, the kind that comes on a spool and has one silver and one copper colored conductor with transparent insulation - and for argument sake, let's say it's 18 gauge wire.
I think we can all agree that, in this example - that system would be limited / severely impacted by the wire's performance.
Another extreme example is having the best wires. Even moderate systems would produce their best results.
In very simple terms, signal wires are supposed to transfer the signal while doing the least harm, or stated another way - with the highest fidelity. In this hypothetical issue, we have to ask - do our components perform / reproduce music with the highest fidelity? If a component in the system has poor high frequency performance, then selecting signal wires with the most fidelity could make this system performance sound worse because they are actually revealing that component's poor high frequency performance (as opposed to a wire that reduces high frequencies and masks the component's poor high frequency performance).
Now I'm using over simplified examples to demonstrate a point.
However - when you have very good components and you purchase the best wires you can, then those wires will most likely stay in your system for a long, long time even when other components are upgraded.
Let me bring this to an actual system, and I'm not bragging because there are many other systems that are much, much more expensive then ours. Our system includes Sasha I's, Meridian 800 and 861v8, Pass XA-200.5's, Sound Application TT-7 Power Conditioner and great wires. Our system is very well set up and I have a selection of well recorded music. When I play music, our system not only has what I would refer to as "the basics" (frequency response, dynamics, speed, cohesion, bla bla bla) but it also images as if a real performance was occurring in our room. Would you mistake it for a real performance? No, but it's close.
When we play music - the singer and instruments are spread out on the stage from side to side and front to back just like a live performance with 3 dimensional images just like the real thing. You can't tell where the speakers are - very very literally. Last audiophile friend I had over, after 5 seconds into the first song put his face in his hands and continuously repeated "oh my God."
With the quality of your components, your system should be performing like this. If you take the time to set up your system and room well, and find well recorded music - it will. I know this because I was able to do it and I'm no one special (no bs here).
Regarding wires - if you invest in great wires, depending on the wires you select, they'll be with you for a very long time and it will be a good long term investment. This is what I've experienced and my family and I have enjoyed the great performance of our system.
There's a lot that goes into identifying and selecting components and identifying high fidelity but that's for another subject / post.
Most sincerely :-)
After clicking on this link provided by a ggc:
http://www.hb-cable-design.com/1_english/start.html
I would like to comment (as a licensed engineer - who is far from the smartest, most knowledgeable in electrical systems).
Making wire to perform well in a very high performance system isn't an "unknown art" like is alluded to by this manufacturer. Far, far from it. Applying specific engineering principals such as metallurgy, dielectrics, electro mechanics, geometry, construction, etc. all impact wire performance. The article states a specific parameter measures better but the wire sounds / performs worse - that's because only one parameter was measured and most importantly - the correct parameters weren't measure or weren't measure precisely.
Another issue is sometimes we get things wrong and empirical results (actual performance tested after a product is made) teaches us to identify why the performance was different from what was predicted. That's how science advances.
Make no mistake - wire design is done using science. Sure - there are people and even companies that don't use science but that's most certainly not the norm. Do you really think power companies use non-specific wire to transfer high voltage power for many miles? Power transmission wire is indeed very specific.
Doesn't apply to audio? It most certainly does.
Just one example (my posts are already too long) - shielding wire. Has anyone tested well designed cables, the exact same cables, exact in every detail - except one is conventionally shielded and one that isn't? I have - and the shielded cable reduces dynamics. Anyone care to guess why? Consider electromagnetic interaction. What I'm referring to is induced electromagnetic fields - it's what makes a magnet using electricity.
Simplified - current flowing through a wire induces a magnetic field around that wire. Signals flowing through a wire change rapidly when music is played. The induced magnetic fields expand and collapse very very rapidly.
Now, just like the mechanical inertia of a physical object on earth (with gravity) in motion requires a force to stop it - electromagnetic induced fields have what we can refer to as an electromagnetic inertia. These fields expand and collapse within fractions of a second. Shielding impedes the ability of these electromechanical field to expand and collapse - stated another way - the rise and collapse times of these fields are effected. I presume AudioQuest uses active shielding fields that are directed and spaced far enough away from the signal carrying wire so as not to significantly compromise the expanding and collapsing of these electromagnetic induced fields. 
Not sure if I'm doing a good job in trying to explain, in over simplified terms that science is very much used in making wire that performs well.
But please realize any entity that states science isn't used as the primary method to design and construct wire - I'd recommend avoiding.
Kindest regards :-)
When choosing cables-- for speakers, components, or power, beyond a point (based upon materials and workmanship) you will not get better sound by spending more and more money on cables. What you will get are differences-- like flavor notes on wine. So you might as well try a few brands and just settle on what you like (and ostensibly you can afford).

It is pure BS that a $5,000 cable sounds better than a $500 cable. Pure BS. I expect this post will be likely pulled because I have stated a plain fact bluntly that some advertisers take offense to-- especially those that make wild, impossible to substantiate claims for products that they sell for obscene profit margins. Yes, I do feel it is a little obscene to create a product that, lets say costs a few hundred dollars in materials and labor only to be sold for 10x-50x that at the retail level based upon fantasy claims that have nada to back them up.

The OP has a very nice system and no doubt small changes in the sound will come from trying different cables-- but when you receive advice like- spend more than $2k per cable to get better sound-- that is, again, pure BS.

So spend whatever you want, but do not for a second believe anyone that makes the claim that by spending more on cables that it will guarantee you a better sounding system. It will if you are using really cheap cables, but since you are already using very good cables, what you should expect are differences-- and they may be real or just psychoacoustic-- so I recommend "living" with the changes for a while to get a more complete sense of whether you prefer the sound as it is or as it was.

In the end, sometimes all someone wants is change for change 's sake, and there's nothing wrong with that either.
It takes an awful lot to make me pen a comment but having read and re-read MillerCarbons contribution to this question I am compelled to say, if anyone needs an example of a person in love with the sound of their own voice/messages/opinions look no further. MC you seem to state everything you think as if it's a proven fact when it's more often it's just another subjective opinion. To the OP you need to get a decent selection in to your system on a sale or return basis and give each set a reasonable amount of time. If a certain brand does not offer this forget them, there's already far too much choice. Iconoclast cables are definitely available on a sale or return basis and the Cable Company will offer you a good selection. I hope you find what you are looking for. Ps you have some wonderful components and the making of a great system.