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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
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I guess I mean $500 a pair personal limit like Trelja. Hey Bob_Bundus: Mike Vansevers is another Pro-Audio guy who once thought cables and power conditioners were a bid joke; but now he is no longer into Pro-Audio and is now in the Cable and Power Conditioner business.
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
I guess I can recommend the Siltech ST-18 G3 intereconnects which list for $200 for 0.5 meter and then $25 per additional 0.25 meter ($300 for 1.0 meter). They are outstanding. Also check out on eBay "MAS" cables made and sold by Stu Wein in Pennsylvania. I bought his "Black" model silver interconnects for $50 and they were better than the $150 Van den Hul D102MkIII Hybrids. He is sending me his best "Grey" silver interconects for $80/pair which he claims will compare with $400 interconnects. I believe him based on the performance of the Black. He will sell direct outside of eBay if you contact him.
perfectimage
406 posts
 
I agree that cables are the marked up more then any other product. I also think that they are one of the best bangs for the buck and should be considered as a component. Good cables are a must.
jcbtubes
400 posts
 
Metaphysics- I've done some of the comparisons that you asked about with the Coincident IC vs Nordost Quattro fil vs Kimber Select Silver vs KCAG vs FMS Nexus. All are excelent cables, but the Coincident and the Kimber Select Silver came out on top. They are quite different in their respective signatures, but in my system, preferrable to the others. I hope to compare these with FIM Gold IC in the future, but a relocation has temporarily curtailed my audio endeavors/spending. Ugh.
sdcampbell
2,136 posts
 
I almost always agree with the comments submitted by Trelja, and we are again in complete agreement. Unless you guys that are spending thousands of dollars on wire have entirely different hearing than me and my wife(I've been an audiophile for 40 years, and she has the most acute hearing of anyone I have ever known), or your listening environment is subject to lots of RF and other interference, you need to rethink your spending patterns. If you want to make a significant difference in the listening quality of your system, I suggest you focus on the room. Improvements to the acoustics of the listening area are often THE most signficant. You might think about acquiring a digital room conditioning preamp, such as the TacT, or have architectural changes made to the listening room. Just my two cents worth.
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