Upgrade Cables or Just Upgrade Equipment & Live in Shame?
I have a perfectly adequate hodgepodge of cables.
Basically a dog from each town.
Kimber 8T speaker cables
Mismatched length Transparent Audio I/Cs. DAC to Integrated
Basic Shunyata Ethernet cable. DAC to Streamer
Cable company Ethernet lines from Router to Streamer-Yes the ones from Comcast, Cox, Infinity etc-Amir says they are lovely BTW.
GR Research Power Cable + Assorted Pangea A9s
Some Chinese Fiber from TV to DAC.
StraightWire Digital- DVD to DAC
The only thing I have two of are the Pangea Power Cables!
Believe it or not I am pretty happy with the sound overall.
I use SolidSteel Tables and Dynaudio Stands + assorted room treatments.
Gear list just so you have a complete picture:
Pass Labs INT25
John "Fritz" Heilor Carerra 7 BE standmount Speakers
REL 5Ti Subwoofer
Innuos Zen Mk 3 Streamer/Burner/Storer
ANK 4.1x DAC
Balanced Power Transformer
Uptone Audio EtherRegen
If I avoid going the "Cable Envy" route I would instead buy 3 more subs
to have an array
What say ye???
Anyone with a system analysis ??
If an either/or proposition, i.e., cables or subs, IMO you will move the ball much further with the subs than with new cables. As to the number of subs, do your research. The manufacturer of my subs believes two is a big improvement over one, and three or four can enhance things further. IME, going from one to two was a very significant improvement. I would like to try three. You could also look up The Swarm Subwoofer System for more perspective. |
jeffseight, I guess the big question is what is it that you think could or want to be improved? Is it bass, soundstage, dynamics? All of these will take you down different roads. If you are happy with your equipment, then, AC cleaning, power, room treatment and speaker placement will give you more bang for your buck. I am not a proponent of using all the same brand of cables unless your equipment is made by the same manufacturer and the same vintage. And cabling would be the last thing, but when everything else is good the cables will enhance the system. ozzy
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After re-reading your post. It seems you are interested in more subs. I have 4 JL-Audio F-113 subs in my room. I chose those so that they could be eq’d to the room. I’m not sure if the Rel has that feature. If not, you may experience more issues trying to have the subs blend with the mains. I also have the JL CR-1 Electronic crossover to further enhance the transition from the main speakers to the subs. ozzy |
