Which Cables Are of Most Importance?

System dependant. However, for me: 1. Power (by far), 2. Interconnect, 3. Speaker.

Great post, Al. I agree with your positions. I have always maintained that the speakers should be the highest priority in any system, and I agree with your comments on cables as well. I happen to agree with Robert Harley's suggestion that cables/interconnects should cost no more than 5% of a total system budget, no matter what that budget may be. IMO, all other parts of the system are far more important.

Look at cables as the artery to the system; no matter how strong you are or how smart you are without the blood pumping you are dead. The problem is there are very few, possibly less than 10 cables manufacturers that can actually evoke emotion into a system and I can totally understand why some people would believe that cables are only worth 5% of your investment into a system. A really great cable can put you in the recording studio in front of the artist and create a total emotional experience; how do you put a price on that? A great cable is an experience not just another listening session!

I agree with Musicxyz, The Crimson R.M. Music Link cables are one of those very rare cables that brings emotion into a system.

Musicxyz, you know what you're talking about. You and your friends have a lot of experience and it shows. Most people on Audiogon hop around from one cable company to another trying to solve their audio problems -- to no avail. There is always something missing -- or too much of something they don't like. A lot of the latter comes from dirty AC.

Most people have little conception of the "good -- better -- best" continuum because they haven't got enough experience. Maybe the handful of people who go to shows have a chance to audition a lot of different cables and can draw conclusions. And then there are the dedicated people like you and your friends who have years of personal experience. But for those without a deep data base of experience the best they can do is "this cable is better than that cable".

It is very difficult to get enough experience to get a really accurate picture of cables and sound parameters. You need to devote a lot of time and money to it. If you are fortunate enough to live where you can audition using people like The Cable Company to help out, then you can make headway. But for people like me who live overseas, getting enough experience is a daunting project. You have to buy and try. And sell off and buy and try again. This has taken me years.

Sound stage is one of many areas talked about by manufacturers and audiophiles. There are many shadings and gradations of what is called 3-D or holographic sound. I don't believe many people outside the audio industry have experienced enough of these gradations to be able to have an informed opinion.

Over the years I have done a lot of hopping around from one cable company to another. I have found only a few companies that get close to that emotional connection you talk about. But even the best lack one facet or another, IMHO. So I started experimenting with what I found to be the best cables -- using cables in series and in parallel. After a lot of trial and error I found what works for me. And now I would never be able to go back to using single cables. There is just no comparison. I realize this may be too expensive a route for most people to follow.

I use ASI Liveline, Bybee and Synergistic Research together in various combinations and permutations combined with various Bybee "tweaks". The results are stunning. The "aliveness" really came into my system once I started incorporating ASI Liveline cables into the mix.

Thanks for the information about HiDiamond cables. I have never heard of them before. I will look them up.