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Cable Costs Relative to System

Since making a spread sheet with my audio system prices, I have been thinking(shocked) about my total investment in cables. My total system retails at $67,000 (Digital and analog front ends included). I purchased all of it here on Audiogon so my investment is about 50%. Of that I have about 10% invested in interconnects and cables and another 10% in Power Cables (Shunyata Hydra included). That's $13,000 worth of wire. I'm starting to question whether it might be more effective to put some of this budget into acitve components. It would take forever to listen to all possible combinations, but would like to hear others experiences with relatively high end systems and cable selection. It would seem to me that the point of diminishing returns would be reached sooner with cables than with speakers and amps. Do most of you follow the 10% "rule" for cabling? How do PCs fit into this rule? Are there any super bargain cables capable of keeping up with highly resolving electronics?
metaphysics
sean
6,231 posts
 
In my opinion, most of the cables on the market can be duplicated using as good or better quality components for appr. 20% of the retail price. IF your handy at DIY and doing some careful research and shopping, you can typically make BETTER cords and cables than what most of reviewers are raving about for that month or two. Of course, it helps to have a little electronics knowledge and various tools and supplies at one's disposal in order to keep costs down. As such, i find buying "fancy cables" ( including power cords ) to be a vast waste of money in most cases. Besides that, i've found cables to be so extremely system and component dependent that spending BIG money on specific cables without first trying them in your system is quite foolish indeed. What might be "the latest & greatest" might actually make YOUR system perform noticeably poorer. This is NOT to say that i think that spending that kind of money on them is wrong for others to do, i just don't think that it is necessary in my specific situation. Besides that, it helps when you get all your supplies "wholesale". Sean
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cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
i am flabbergasted that anyone would say that the purchase of a $3,000 power cord equates with a $15,000 increase in the price of an amp upgrade. where in the world did you come up with that figure? my system is worth considerably more (at msrp) than the one put together by metaphysics and none of it was bought used. all the wire in it comprises less than 5% of the total value. adding a $3,000 power cord to a $5,000 pramp is the equivalent, in my opinion, of stuffing a corvette engine into a geo metro; it may be faster off the line but it's still a metro.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,353 posts
 
Cornfed, well put.
sean
6,231 posts
 
I think that's what they said about the Shelby Cobra : )

I agree with you wholeheartedly even though i joked about what you said. Just like anything else, something that is well designed to start with needs less "finessing" than something that was "lacking" when it left the factory. Buy better gear and go and go from there. Sean
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