Which cable do you think is most important?


Let's say that you have a decent entry level high end system at $10,000 new. $3K for pre and power amp, $4k for speaker, $1.5K for CD player, and $1.5K for turntable/cartridge.

Cables to be considered are
1. speaker cables
2. IC cable for phono
3. power cable for power amp
3. IC cable for CD
4. IC cable between pre and power amp
5. power cables for the rest

I ordered them in the order of importance, IMO.
Any thought?
128x128ihcho
I'd put power cords first, interconnects next, and speaker cables last. Took me a long time to even put power cables on the list, though. I also believe in cable break-in and STRONGLY recommend a cable cooker, so I'm obviously beyond the pale :-) Dave
Ghstudio
I could not agree more with Ghstudio with working on your room. I would look at diy rock wool aboout 4" thick with an attractive open weave cloth or is you like a more professional look then try a compay like Auralex they have all types of excellent products and will even on line evaluate your room for the best fix.This is a better way with spending your money and getting a good bang for the buck then trying to evaluate the best wires for your system.
Remember your system is as good as you weekest link
I have spent a lot of money on power cables and could not realy notice the difference but between my amp & pre amp
and pre amp and player I have notice a difference then speaker cables and I use all Analysis Plus cables they are reasonable in price
1. Power cables for all unless components have battery operation. Make sure they exist and connected!
2. Speaker cables (unless you use headphones) only if connected properly
3. All amp preamp and source interconnect wires (if you use ipod docking station you won't need interconnects)

Example: my digital system consists of Alesis ML9600 CD/HDD-player/recorder and AKG K701 headphones. In this case the only important cable I have is Power cable. Para's 2 and 3 are not important.