I don,t Understand ????

Maybe I'm crazy, but I say it's time we take responsibility for our hobby, our love. I for one would be more than willing to send them a very polite e-mail stating my disbelief and disappointment. If you all really feel the same, do not be afraid to do so as well. Heck, maybe they'll see the error of their ways. Whether or not any one of us owns their product our love of this hobby does pay their salaries and feeds their children, maybe it's about time we let them know that to treat one of us unfairly is to disrespect all of us. We do deserve more, we put our trust in them, we shout our praises gladly and easily. Some on this site give their emotion for a company so fiercely as to condemn the feelings and opinions of people they do not even know. Yet given the chance to show their appreciation or loyalty to those that swear by their name, and what do they do, brush us off? No, not anymore, we are not sheep to be herded! We are the lifeblood of this industry, if we do not stand up and try to make a difference can you really blame them for doing anything other than trying railroad us into "new, cutting-edge technology" at prices so exorbanent that quite possibly those that we love and that love us sometimes get less. Anyways, give the e-mail address and I'd like to respond, maybe a little less dramatically, but just as strongly! What's the worst that can happen, they'll ignore me? Sounds like they're already doing that.

Evo, completely outrageous attitude by Synergistic, you would think they owed you a favor for getting gouged when you first got the cable!

Harkey info about Siltech is reassuring and shows a quality company that services its products. Siltech makes some of the highest priced cables known to man, so if they can be reasonable Synergistic is way out of line......as some have said they are defacto refusing to do custom cable work.

Nordost use (past tense) to charge next to nothing for re-terminations until they realized people could and were buying longer lengths of SPM and Quattro Fil and then having them cut and reterminated, saving hundreds. They now charge $100 each connection. So having a 3 meter SPM made into three, one meter cables will cost $400 plus tax and shipping. It use to cost about $100.

At the risk of repeating what others have perhaps already said above, I think we all understand quite clearly what's going on with cable companies. It's greed. The mark-up on some cables is in excess of 1000% (or even 3 or 4000%). The manufacturing costs of the Synergistic cable Evo mentions above is probably less than $100 for materials and labor, and if it's more it isn't much more. These cable manufactures would have us believe there is some black art to cable termination. It just isn't true. I've been terminating my own cable for years and there is nothing to it. It takes me less than half an hour to terminate a pair of interconnects. Most cable manufactures DO NOT make their own cable, but have it manufactured to meet their specs, and then terminate it with their shrink wrap, connectors etc. They would have us believe they pull their own cable. Audiophiles have been buying into this cable hype for too long and as long as there are those of us with more money than sense, or the need for the latest "status cable," then you can expect that they will keep charging these kind of prices. In the words of J. Gordon Holt, cables are nothing more than passive tone controls. Yes, they can make a small difference in the sound of your system, and yes some may sound better in your system than others, but they sure are not worth what some of us are willing to pay. And with few exceptions there is not that much new technological inovation in the cable business. My advice is to buy used on sites like this, and if you really want to avoid the high prices select those cables that are a little dated and not the most in demand. Then take the money you have saved a buy something that can really change the sound of your system....like a new pair of speakers....or a preamp. And if you've never done so, take off the cover of your amp or preamp and have a look at all the parts and workmanship that go into a good design. Then ask yourself how this silly six foot pair of speaker cable, or one meter length of interconnect could possibly be worth what Synergistic and others like them charge for a bit of metal and plastic.

Tswhitsel, that was a beautiful essay. I think and hope you are right. If so, it solves alot of problems for me. I have printed this out and pinned it up near my computer. Any time I am tempted from now on, to venture forth on another 'cablequest', I shall read your essay a few times over. Soon, if I am lucky, I won't even make an attempt, your essay will have me so well trained. If this works, I am not sure I can ever repay you. My gratitude will be enormous. Just imagine the savings in the first 6 months alone. . .

Thanks, your friend forever.
Chris