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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
sksos
162 posts
 
I'll throw-in my 2 cents worth (maybe it's already been said, I didn't read all 135 responses up to this point!). Power cords can make or break a system IMHO. Some cords that come with your components are fine as is (i.e.: Audio Note Japan pre-amps, their KSL-SPz AC cord is fine, no need to upgrade). Most gear a great AC cord will have a very positive effect and you don't need to spend huge amounts of $$$ to get a great power cord. Example: Z-Cables made (I say made because as of several weeks ago Z-Cables closed shop do to personal health issues... and YES, Mark is doing well now) a $600 Black & Red Lighting AC cord that actually beat out most mega buck cords or at least performed as well. I've listened to dozens of power cords, they all make differences (again as a qualifier, your system has to be capable to hear all these, sometimes subtle changes, but in the end it's trial and error. You have to experiment or trust your dealer.
koegz
317 posts
 
a cable(power/speaker/inter connector) is only worth what it will bring in the after market. example if a cable lists for $1000.00 and you can get a 25% disc costing you $750.00. then when you go to sell on audiogon and you can get $550.00-$750.00 back the cable was worth the price. if you payed $900.00 for the same cable and had to sell it for $450.00 or less, not a value in my mind. and the lower you most go the lower the ultimate value. so its not the price but the % of your original investment you can recover that determines the real $ value. so if you buy $8500.00 list spraker cables for $5700.00 and a few yrs of enjoyment or dislike later, and you can recover 80 to 100% of your money paid, well you did ok. obviously the closer to the 100% the beter. thats the way i see it anyway. you should research resale value first, then consider buying.
sc4a
28 posts
 
My experience with JPS shows good bang for the buck value and superb performance.
pops
2,273 posts
 
Cables should never cost more than twice the system...
sean
6,231 posts
 
Good points Duane. I've always been a proponent of very fast, wide bandwidth electronics. I'm sure that this has influenced my cable choices too.

If i had bandwidth limited electronics that introduced audible degradation via time and phase related problems, i probably would have went with lesser cabling. The cabling wouldn't make much of an audible difference because the purity of the signal was already degraded by the electronics.

In that respect, i guess that i can understand why so many people don't hear some of the major differences in cabling that others do. That is, their gear / installation has compromised the signal so much so that the cables are no longer the weakest link. This could be why "very subtle differences" are all that they are ever able to detect. Sean
>

PS... Anyone remember what the highest linearity / widest bandwidth speaker cable was that Audioholics ( the "cables are cables" people ) tested? If you took notes, you'll remember that this wasn't a "real expensive" speaker cable either.
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