Cable Costs Relative to System

First, I would like to thank Metaphysics for starting this thread, as after reading it, I realized that I had never given this subject much thought. I've always approached the audio hobby experience as a journey. I've never thought about ratios or a formula for expenditures before. An ear for the musical presentation that I'm after and common sense create the framework for items purchased. After some thought and a little quick math I found that I've got about 10% in cables as well! I admit that I grinned a little at first as it took me by surprise. To be certain, we didn't get here all at once. Good cables led to really good, and then to some great cables. I've also bought and sold some "great cables" that didn't turn out to be so "great" in our system. I'll also shamefully admit that I have a military surplus PC in my audio chain that I purchased used at a local electronic store for $8.99. Oh, I've tried to replace it, but that damn cord just keeps working its way back into my system because it brings me closer to the music. Maybe there isn't a golden ratio in all of this cable business. Perhaps we've just got a touch of the monkier in all of us. That's ok with me, as long as I'm enjoying the journey and the music.

Glad to have stared this thread. The trend that I'm seeing is that a majority of you are in the same boat as me: 10-20% spent on cables and most feel it's worth it. Unfortunately, whether it is psychology or science, I have always found that more expensive cables within a line (e.g.Nordost, Cardas, Kimber) sound better than the less expensive ones. Another point is that most of us start out with the electronics and then continually change/upgrade cables because they're the easiest to change in and out(and sell and ship). However, if we could take all of the cash and build a system from scratch using this set amount(say $75k), would cables get this large a budget?

I think cable is one of the biggest(if not THE biggest) ripoffs in audio. Yes, wire makes a difference. And often, the difference is not insignificant. But, the markup on the product is beyond astronomical. I am always pushing for the kind of cable that comes in under $500, that is as good as ANYTHING out there. Even then, these companies are making money hand over fist. Before you buy from the really overpriced companies, check out companies like Coincident, HomeGrown Audio, and Silver Audio(along with the others we see here). To my ears, they are as good as you can do for under $1500, and they are all less than $300. I think you do NOT have to spend over $500 for almost any cable to get world class performance.

Thahks, Treljia. That is the exact kind of info I was looking for in my original post. Have you (or anyone) actually compared these cables to some of the bigger brands?

I have never done a comparison; I just buy what sounds good. I did place a $500 ceiling for one cable, but this does not stop me from buying a $1000 cable used for $500 like the Nordost SPM.