You could buy so much music and get some decent cables (that don't make any difference anyway) for a lot less money. But hey, you do you, as they say.
Choosing new cables
I am looking to upgrade my current cables. This should be my last system as I retired a few years ago and most of my components have been seriously updated in the last couple of years. I have been in this audio hobby for about 50 years and have always have great sounding musical systems.
My current cables all work and sound great but are 15 - 20 years old. So updating is what I need. I am budgeting around $10k - $15k for all new cables.
I have always felt the i/c's were the most important cable followed by the speaker cables and the power cords. However I am now leaning towards spending more on the power cords followed by the speaker cables and last the i/c.
I know all cables are very important but how would you prioritize the cables? Any suggestions on any brands would also be appreciated!
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I don't have the years of real-world experience that a lot of guys have here, and this is not a recommendation, just my own journey. My jump from lower end Nordost started by looking for high-end OCC conductors. This led me to Zavfino. IMO the value proposition is highly competitive. I'll be good for quite a while and you could go top of the line for a small fraction of what you are proposing. Details in my profile should you be interested.
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@bobheinatz Unless I'm reading your original post wrong, it seems you love the sound of your system now. So why bother spending another 10k - 15k on cables that don't seem to need replacing. The simple fact they are old is not a good reason, unless you just want to spend a lot of money? Take a nice vacation. Make some memories. So many other ways to spend your retirement funds. IMHO At the very least, make sure everything can be returned if you find the improvement in sound is not there. |
Recently I went from the top Morrow Audio cable for the interconnection between Amp/Streamer to using Cardas Beyond Clear. Here’s another transparent vote for that line. Everyone touts their stuff so there’s that too. Power cord(s) into Amp(s) can and do color too and there are lots of great cords to be had. I also had a great experience with ZenWave and use one into Amp. My wife and I picked the same one. How you like ‘dem apples? Cords into PSU’s should be very good but the AMP and what you listen (TT, phono pre, Pre Amp, streamer) to deserve the best. A interconnect or power cord change may/may not matter but your big dogs deserve finery. One way to find out. Sure the rest of the cord gang matters but some matter more than others. Does a sub need a 4K power cord? 15k buys a lot of room treatment(s). If you’re happy but hankering for more, have you been there? |
As far as IC's are concerned, I have tried Jade. They were very good and as such, may be difficult to exceed, even now, without spending perhaps much more, or not, as the case may be. Cost and auditioning results, rarely correlate. I did a fairly recent speaker cable comparison. Based on their pricing and their uniqueness, I bought a pair of Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables to trial for 30-days. They’re competition were Nordost Tyr II’s and Iconoclast by Belden — an OFE wire pair and a SPTPC wire pair. Although the Fidelum's were less costly than the Belden's and much less than the Tyr's, I found the Fideliums (with my SoundLab speakers) to be more to my liking and returned the other two loaner pairs. An in-home audition is mandatory, especially given your very good, but felt to be old cables. Many dealers and manufacturers offer in-home trials. And the Cable Company -- as has been mentioned herein -- is a good loaning source. Cable auditioning isn't a task that I enjoy. But it is a necessary one. Good luck!
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- 57 posts total