Need help - High-end cabling strategy

That system is right up there in terms of getting top cables to show what the can really do. Brands? Siltech of course. Also Purist, Transparent, and a couple others -- we know who the are, and who they ain't! It's a short list in any case (Definitely Purist Dominus for PCs IMO)

There is disagreement about which to implement first. I say pre to amp then speakers, then sources then PCs. Here's the "why" of this strategy: By having great pre-to-amp cables (and speaker cables) in place first, you'll be able to better determine what cable(s) work best with your different sources, since that's the place where you'll be trying the most combinations of different things, and you want to be able to make accurate comparisons, which you can't do if you leave the pre-to-amp and speaker cables to last.

PCs definitely last -- because though they do make a difference, you won't be able to hear it confidently until everything else is dialed in.

FWIW, I (and others) have found that sticking to one manufacturer throughout the system seems to work best (except maybe for PCs)

Nice to have the stuff and the means. I pretty much agree with Nsgarch, with only one or two small deviations.

I would work backwards from the speakers - speaker cables 1st, pre-amp to amp IC's next, source IC's and lastly PC's, for pretty much the same reasons that Nsgarch set out. I would do this slowly, one stage at a time, so I could fully assess the impact of the cables in your system, and what if anything appeared to need improvement.

Same brand is good if you are seeking neutrality and the brand you select provides that, or if you are seeking warmth and the brand typically provides that, but if you have problems, for what ever reason, and your looking to modify the tonal balance of your system, keep an open mind about other brands that have a reputation of changing the tonal balance to get what you need.

And, at your level don't buy 'til you listen to the cables/IC's in your system. With the resolution that your system will provide you should really be able to hear differences (I assume) that others may have glossed over or which may not have been important to them.

The other thing to remember is the old caveat that you only get what you pay for IF YOU ARE LUCKY. A big price tag doesn't guarantee you'll get what you need.

Good luck

(Pompous) Polonius :-)

Hi,

Personally I went another way around it all. I BEGAN with PC's for the most part... Putting in a good overall IC from pre to amp, not changing it at all and then I moved along from the source to pre to amp to speakers. I didn't see any real logic ... and there is no truly right or wrong way to do it actually. and let's face it, how do you know what's what until it's all hooked together with something anyhow? Ya gotta have IC's, PC's, and speaker wires at some point, or you've got a mighty expensive door stop (s). So I wouldn’t get too strung out on crazed idea of managing wires in some magic fashion that is end all or be all in scope. It’s a hobby for goodness sake.

Power cords, for me seem to make greater diffs in the sonics. More so than with IC’s. I found good PC's made even lesser priced IC’s sound OK. And naturally, better ones sounded better. You’ve a couple good IC’s already….though in the end you may do better with others… I put a better IC on the source, than on the amp…. And that seems about the standard approach. Dropping to a bit lower level in speaker cable again, or keeping the level of the pre to amp IC constant seems fairly common. Regarless the rhetoric if you look at the systems online most systems don’t have the same value of speaker cable as the ic’s… and perhaps because speaker wires are usually more costly. . . and oft times, longer. Due to config issues, and cost… I chose to do right by speaker wires last. Just got to get in where you fit in and pedal on through. Aside from wires, the BIGGEST noticeable change and likely the MOST noticeable, was in isolation devices. Simply remarkable.. were I to start over I’d start there. Isolation. Then conditioning, then PC, etc… Just ‘cause you’re a bit off the beaten path shouldn’t mean you can’t try stuff out direct from the makers… though you might have to pay for it up front, all I’ve ever dealt with have a fully refunded period for trials. Have fun.