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"Budget" cable advice, please

Hi,

I'm piecing together the first refresh of my audio system in over 20 years! :-)

I've purchased a pair of Totem Arros and a Music Hall CD 25.2 CD player. I'll also be running a refurbished SOTA Sapphire and a PS Audio Elite Plus integrated amp. The only speaker cables I have right now are Monster Cable Powerline 2's that I used to bi-wire my old Vandersteen 2C's in the late 1980's.

I need best-bang-for-the-buck interconnect, power cord (for the CD) and speaker cable recommendations. I can't break the bank on cables, but want to get a marked improvement in the system.

Thanks for any and all suggestions!
rebbi
palerider
46 posts
 
DIY.

Min.12-13 awg solid core speakercables, biwire if possible. 9-10 or thicker gives real bass-power!
The copper sounds dull the first hour(s), but opens vup and dissapears.

Powercables in min.12-13agw solid also outperforms anything else.
nonoise's avatar
nonoise
10,883 posts
 
Try RS Cables Silver ICs and Clear Day Audio speaker cables.
$220 for the both and I'm quite happy with the results.
mijs
9 posts
 
AQ King Cobras are very good. I've owned AQ Coral CQs (very spatial but a bit bright) and AQ Diamondbacks (solid all-round cable) but for around $100 you can buy used King Cobras. They transport a bigger soundstage and a lot of well-defined bass. Easy on the ears, too.
sleeplespsycho
1 posts
 
You should read this by Roger Russell (Director of Acoustic Research at McIntosh Laboratory, Inc. and the originator of McIntosh Loudspeakers)

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

You'll find out what others had already know but can't accept.
devilboy
1,176 posts
 
I love this topic. An OUTSTANDING value in audio cables is DNM. I replaced about $9,000 worth of cable in my system (Kimber Select, Nordost, Purist), with $700 worth of DNM cable and didn't look back. As amazing as that is, it's still not the biggest "bang for you buck" that I can recommend. Yes, there is one that's better. It's a tad more expensive, but BLOWS AWAY the DNM cables. THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE UPGRADE I'VE MADE TO MY SYSTEM. Check it out on "Virtual System".
D.
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