2. cables
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How good does my system have to be to realize an improvement with cables?

I've heard the difference power cables and interconnect cables in a highly resolving system so that's not the question.  $200 for cables  on a $500 DAC doesn't make sense to me.  Wouldn't that $200 be better spent on a better component?  At what point is an expensive cable the best choice?  Spending $500 on a $15,000 DAC does make sense as the transparency and resolution of the component could be better realized with a better signal / power source.

My question is what's the  percentage of the overall component's cost should be the cabling and at what point should it even be considered?

Or put a different way How would you know if your cables are your weakest link?

 

128x128danager
holmz's avatar
holmz
2,328 posts
 

Quality cables win every time. 

OK - and what are the physical attributes define quality?

danager's avatar
danager OP
954 posts
 

I have found speaker cables make the largest difference and went with Nordhost Heimdall 2.  Upgrading power cords or USB cables yielded no improvement to my ears.  YMMV

Thank you for the response.  What a wonderfully frustrating hobby, right?  My issue would be if I didn't hear a difference did I just try the wrong cable or can my components just overcome the deficiencies in my chosen cables or is something else holding me back from realizing the improvements?

My only conclusion is there is not a right answer to any stereo question.  Like trying to get your arms around water.

 

jl35
4,014 posts
 

exactly...different gear, different room, different music, room correction, different sonic preferences... all lead to different cable choice...you just gotta start trying some

ghdprentice
7,047 posts
 

Yeah, “it depends”.

westcoastaudiophile
310 posts
 

"If you bought your gear at WalMart” - you can get good-n-bad gears everywhere these days.

nice and therefore expensive cables are just “nice”, not necessarily improving anything technically. I upgraded cables to make my whole system to be elegant and to manage cables to lower noise coupling, optimize loading, impedance etc.

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