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The Big Boys vs. the Little Guys

Time for another cable thread. We all know who the big boys on the block are with cables: Nordost, Transparent, Monster *cough*, Cardas, Siltech, Kimber ... and others.

Then there are cables made by the "little guys" -- guys who design and hand-make their own cables ... like Randy Bear of Bear Labs, USA, and Jaap Gunter of Lieder Cables, in The Netherlands ... and I'm sure there are others ... like Granite Audio.

What do you think of the big boys vs. the little guys in terms of quality and VALUE? I know it's hard -- even a little stupid (hey, I can be like that!) to lump the large companies together and compare them against the small companies ... but I wonder if we can find a "golden thread" here and find some appropriate generalizations.

I'll weigh in with my own comments, based of course on my own experience, later ... first, I'd like to hear about your experiences. Thanks for your input!
paul_frumkin
thorty40
149 posts
 
Just replaced Nordost SPM Reference with Stage III Concepts Emperor cables, a small company out of NY that makes incredible hand made cables with an outstanding trade-up policy. Their cables must be heard to be appreciated, just look at the quality craftmanship -

www.stage3concepts.com

You just never know with cables, sometimes the more expensive and well reviewed brands are not necessarily the best for your system.

Best Regards,
Chris
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Thorty, I looked up that stage3 website. Found it *very* interesting. Wonder how their phono cables sound...
bowbow
123 posts
 
Yes, the Stage III look pretty interesting. Would love to demo them sometime. But I do not consider a product line price range of $700 to a high of $4500 for an 8 foot pair of speaker cables a cheaper alternative to Nordost.
thorty40
149 posts
 
You guys should check out the Emperor series interconnects or the Monument series. The Emperor are sooooo good for the money its unreal, the monument are better but at a cost of course :)

I cannot swing their big speaker cables but I can tell you that for the money the affordable Stage 3 cables are a tough act to follow. They are just quality, plain and simple.

Chris
psychicanimal
1,738 posts
 
Bowbow, I have been purchasing Tice interconnects. George Tice is selling them direct at a BIG discount. I purchased two-1.5m pairs for $137.50 per pair. It's a *very* good interconnect. I wish I could afford a few more pairs...
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