Can hi-end cables benefit less expensive electronics?
Some time ago, there was a guy on a Polish hi-end forum claiming that in his case it was better to buy some hi-end power chord than investing in a more expensive CD player. Has anybody had an experience where they invested in an expensive cable and felt the investment justified without upgrading the unit utilising the cable? Overall, would there possibly be any point in buying some expensive cable to feed electronics nearly the cost of the cable itself? I'm currently using a KT88 amplifier with a Metronome CD8 (which is also used as DAC) plus Metronome DSS as the streamer (transport only). Speakers: Franco Serblin Accords. In my case, an upgrade in electronics would involve spending at least USD 15,000 to make it sensible. But I can also spend much less and buy a Transparent XL Digital cable to replace my DIY cable that I currently use, at a much smaller expense. Is a high-end digital cable in some cases able to make it a worthwhile investment in a setup which is not top hi-end? I can afford the Transparent XL digital cable, but not necessarily any upgrade to the electronics I own. Has anybody experienced an improvement with an expensive cable even if the rest of the system would rather call for a less expensive one? When I wrote to Transparent about it, they said I should get advice from my dealer. Cable naysayers please do not comment. Also I'm not looking for cheaper alternatives to the Transparent XL. Just fancying buying a cable that many people say is an excellent cable. Of course, I do not expect the same improvement with this cable as with a full DCS Vivaldi setup, but am I likely to get an improvement, considering that the system is balanced and nothing really bothers me in it? Or should I absolutely get a cheaper cable because the more expensive one is bound to make things worse?
I had a $500 Sony XDR-F1HD tuner that was modded by the XDRguy.com and it got rave reviews. However, it was actually the worst of my 4 tuners. The other 3 being really excellent. I decided to put an Audience Au24 SE RCA cable on the tuner. That elevated the sound to a considerable level, almost as good as my 3rd best tuner. |
I think some experimentation would be worth your time, especially if you have not tried any other cables with your system. As @soix said, a good digital cable can make a huge difference. I found this to be true, even when I was running a budget system. I am not sure I would jump straight to the Transparent, but I would try some options to confirm that your current cable is not holding you back. |
A lot of good advice already. My experience is that cable matching to your system is critical. More expensive is not always better. But IMO, cables do make substantial changes and possible improvements allowing you to get the most from your system. A couple of years ago, I upgraded my CD transport and was considering to upgrade my 30 year old DAC. Before the additional expensive purchase, I decided to invest a bit in a digital interconnect (Cardas Parsec) and a power cord (SUPRA LoRad) for the DAC. For the first time, I actually like my CD playback. I may buy a new DAC someday, but I am in no rush. I have become quite happy with my old DAC. My total cost was $300, not $4K. |
Thank you so much for such great response to my question. Of course, somebody who said, paraphrasing, how the hell one should know what I would personally experience with cable upgrades in my system that nobody knows is right. This was meant to be a general question considering people's experience in buying expensive cables for relatively cheaper electronics, and I'm grateful that you shared. Cable topics always raise controversy but I have not seen a similar discussion before, and perhaps this discussion will benefit some people using this forum in the future. I guess many people might be tempted with serious cable upgrades because it's always cheaper than upgrading electronics, so I believe this topic might be useful. I guess it is true there is no point in going over the top with cable upgrades, even if tempted by reviewers who always speak of huge differences with whatever they review (even really minor upgrades such as footers). |
