I’ve updated my interconnects 4-5 times in 40 years. I’ve updated my speaker cables 3-4 times in the same period. I didn’t really start with power cords until much more recently, mostly because everything I owned was hard wired.
All the best.
Do you consider cables to be a "component" of your system?
Meaning, do you think that cabling (AC/InterConnects/SpeakerWire) should be considered a component that is integral to your system?
I have probably as much money in cabling and fuses as I do in most of my components (if not more).
Please, please, PLEASE don't tell me that cables don't make a difference. I disagree and there's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind, so save it for another thread, please.
I just wondered if you had to recommend a set up to someone (who wanted a nice stereo), would you consider cabling to be essential in your build price and your recommendations? If so, would you consider the cost of the cables to be on par with the cost of a component?
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On a somewhat related note. I purchased a ong run of an interconnect, used, and had them re-termed at the factory (Kimber in this case) to yield multiple pairs of shorter interconnects that I can use at a bargain price. The other method I've used is to buy the "older" generation of an interconnect just after the "New and improved" models are introduced. I've saved 40% on new cables like this. These tactics help take some of the sticker shock out of high end cables.
Cheers
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@coralkong - YES! - cables are components and very important ones at that The world of cables has changed tremendously in the past couple of years. Zavfino
In-Akustik and Hijiri
Proucts from In-Akustik and Hijiri will elevate high-res systems to excellent levels of performance There are other brands, but simply search these forums for member feedback on all three of these brands and you will find very positive feedback Don’t be fooled into thinking cables have to COST a certain percentage of overall system budget
Regards Steve |
Yes - but the least bang for buck. By a long way. Since I DIY with electrostatics, I can use nichrome wire for speaker cables instead of a tuning resistor - so effectively no speaker cables at all. For line level, Canare Starquad microphone cable. The cross linked polyester insulation has very low dielectric absorption, which is quite a lot of what we listen to. Their shielding is also the best. |
No, but I sort of agree with the analogy made by @soix
Yes, but only to the extent that cables are needed to operate the system. However, not unlike equipment stands/racks, footers, room treatments, and other auxiliaries, cables can be changed/upgraded over time and very few here have purchased their "final" cables at the time they originally assembled their system components.
Not even close. I have found that different cables sound differently in my system but the impact cables have on the overall sound of the system IMO is much less than the impact of the individual components or speakers. As with @norco74 , I have made my own cables for years from both manufactured bulk cables and from scratch, but I have also purchased manufactured cables at mid to upper price ranges by companies like Cardas, PAD, Isoclean, Furutech, HT, AZ, TWL, and more. Some, but not all, of the cables I have made myself have equaled those higher priced manufactured cables I have owned, and in some cases they bettered them (i.e., one of the interconnects I constructed is currently used by a well-regarded equipment manufacturer in their personal system). My point is that cables do sound different but IMO spending a lot of money on cables is not a prerequisite or a guarantee of good sound. |
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