Cable Costs Relative to System

And to add insult to injury just when you think you've found a good combination of cables all away around a different cable, not necessarily more expensive by any means,in combination with other cables, again not necessarily more expensive, can give your system a sound you never thought possible from your system or any system in your particular listening space.I've recently had my jaw hit the foor, not from elecrecution, but from hearing what I heard when I put on two Tekline cables to my cdp and preamp, skinny little things, as well as a generic looking cable to my conditioner, replacing an expensive high end cable. Actually the three Tekline cables added to my system were of significant value and switching just three little thin cables way outdid the Synergidtic Absolute and Dream State high end expensive cables and now my system sounds like it never has before. I had given up on power cables thinking at $2500 cables and good sound I was done. With the swap of much lesser costly cables improved the sound dramatically and it was a no cost veture in fact I came out several thousands of dollars a head to use these awesome cables from Tekline. If you haven't heard about them yet you probably will. I ordered 4 of the bigger ones even thouigh they are not really necessary I'm curious. I'm pleased with my cable upgrades and even though a new cdp or preamp may have, you would think, a more dramatic improvement in sound I'm here to say in my system in the moods I've been in and maintaining a healthy diet have noticed that three power cables of relatively acceptable price points have done more in the wow factor than new cdp and preamp. The difference was/is a mind expanding experience as it shows what can be done with good imagination and workmanship.I'm extremely pleased with the sound of my system now. It's better than ever and the only thing I can blame it on is the three cables, less expensive, less well known than what I had on previously. But I mean I couldn't decribe the difference in English as it is my only language. These cables are still blowing my mind. This is not an ad for any particular componany but just a testament that the correct cables for your system, regardless of brand or hierchy in Audioland, make a dramatic improvement if one is lucky enough to find the right cables. This process for me has bveen a learning process working my way up to the point where I'm at and returning me funds in the thousands.I am pleased with my new sound and can't wait, for the sake of curiosity, what scotts big high end cables will sound like.

DIY cable is good value. 10-15% spend on DIY cable is great value :)

The correct answer depends on the following list of factors, and once you plug them into the formula you should be able to find out if you've spent too much (or too little) on your cables for the optimal sounding results.

I * D +(I/O) = T

T (%)- this is the answer, and it is very important that your budget is within +/- 0.5% (this formula works only in USD). For those rare cases where you've either spent too much or too little, please stay calm and do not panic (*refer to below for additional instructions).

I - This is a whole number which represents the number of cables used in your system.

D - Dimitri's factor. This is a critical number which is based on the extensive market research (performed by the IGOR Geneva Consortium for Profit) that takes into account exchange rate volatility (among other things that cannot be shared due to international trade secret -- patent pending) of countries where the components were manufactured. Take the price that you have paid and multiply by corresponding manufacturer number: UK = 1.0, China = 2.7, Germany = 0.7, USA = 4.0, Japan = 0.6, Others = 0.74

O - Oscillation value. If you believe that cables make a meaningful difference in your system's performance, use 1. If not, use 0 for this value. And, multiply that by percentage of the components that you purchased used (including demos). For those who only buy used equipments, divide by 0.2 if you think you usually get the best prices on your components. If not, use 0.5

I realize that I should have responded to this thread (and saved everyone their precious time to listen to music). Still, it is never too late.

*If you are either above or below the correct T%, please trade your items on Audiogon and comfirm the optimal system configuration by using the formula again.

Stik

The answer is the value of any component is only perceptible by the system owner.

That given, I can truthfully say, on my system, no 10k speaker cable was worth looking at. The cabling I have is is worth .01 the worth of my system.

MIT, Cardas, Jena, and Kimber among others failed miserably.

Obviously, I am a lucky audiophile to spend so little on wires, for a sound I love.

Imo, audiophile-grade equipment and decent source material need good cables to preserve the signal quality by adding as little distortion as possible. Unfortunately this doesn't usually doesn't come cheap, even with used cables. I find it hard to believe that anybody would claim they can't hear the difference between RadioShack wire and a decent set of cables, unless they've blown their ear drums and/or mind out...