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
Baam23f
Sorry to hear that you are so far away. We would have had lots of fun. If you every travel this way the offer stands, my doors are open.
Take care,
Cable differences should be fairly easy to hear on a 30K system...unless you truly can't hear it, in which case you shouldn't be able to hear the difference between the 30K system and pair of JBL's and a reciever. Given that, I would cash in the system and get something cheaper. That said, you can have great cables for less than the mega buck stuff many of us have.....the not hearing ANY differences is a concern however. Maybe a hearing test would be a good investment. Or did you hear SOME differences but not enough to justify the price ?differences?
a difference that makes no difference is no difference.

if you hear a difference between two components, but you are indifferent to replacing one component with the other, the perceived difference is inconsequential.

it may not be a question of price justifying the difference but rather, "the difference is insignificant".

my point is that for some, an insignificant difference is no difference.
Baam23f
"Ok, cables do sound different to you, how come no one talks aout written proof and measurements? In my system expensive transparent cables were compared to off the shelves once. To me they sounded the same and measured the same."

Well, they could be identical, many audiocables do the same things wrong. But what did you meashure? Many audiophils belive in the holy frequenze-response, but without too much knowing what it really represents.
If you meashure a speakers on-axis response it only tells you the speakers total acoustic energy, not anything about the quality or dynamic contrast and so on. It might be flat, but that does not mean that it sounds good.
A waterfall will clear up a few things, but the biggest cable-differences will be seen in a pulse/step meashuring.
Try Mundorf Silver/Gold ribbon cable. An absolute bargain DIY or ready made compared to what you have paid so far. I find it interesting that people who ain't slow in the head, maki'n all that bread to afford this high end audio will spend crazy money on COPPER? Being a jeweller[English spelling] I am aware of the way even minute amounts of Gold [1%]alloyed with silver can significantly alter the molecular properties of said metal. For $13,000 I should be able to make the cable out of pure gold. Advantage would be very flexible even as solid core, no oxidization, superb malleability means it would never break, will never lose its value, superb electrical properties. Disadvantage, VERY expensive! I use Supra Ply 3.4/S bi-amped with 4 runs of cable per channel and I am a very happy chappy. I am curious to make a very high end cable and would happily give the Mundorf a try 66-49Euros/M for top silver/gold foil or 1.5mm wire with ptfe and they don't like so many others add extra digits to the purity % of their cable. What they offer is as pure as it can get in the real world.