Cable vs. Electronics: biggest bang for the buck

Nrchy - I am surprised that you find SACD dissappointing. I have had reviewers say that "SACD is superfluous" when using my cables. CD's are good enough. With my system, I would have to agree. CD's are spectacular, particularly with my latest cable incarnations.

Also an interesting write-up from Marty of Bound for Sound in the last issue about SACD. He considers SACD "Better" than the original recording, because of "added effects", when compared to the same recording on tape, vinyl and CD. I am in no particular hurry to get SACD.

I find SACDs and especially CDs disappointing in comparision to vinyl. I have a $3500 SACD player and when I do direct comparisions with music I have on both formats the SACD falls short. CDs are fine for having something on to listen to while you're vacuuming or working around the house, but they sound so small and compressed that for actual listening they are practically unlistenable. The only time I will buy and listen to something on CD is when I want something by a particular artist but it is not available on a better medium.
For him who has ears to hear... I can sit and listen to SACDs for a longer period of time than I could CDs. Their sound is much more "real" or live sounding where redbook CDs sound too artificial. I bought the Sony SCD777 ES because I got a real good deal and for what I paid I'm not disappointed pricewise but my Sota/Rega/Benz combination sound more like live music.
I don't know what your cables are but I use Purist, Kimber KCTG and Cardas and have been happy with them. I still con't understand how cables could overcome all the design flaws of CD though. It is a bad design that has been tweaked about as much as is possible in the last twenty years so it is almost comparable with poor to moderate quality turntable now, but it will never be capable of producing what a good turntable/arm/cartrtidge can.
I'm not trying to be dogmatic but I wonder how this question is still debated. My brother-in-law Greg has a friend who is an electrical engineer who questioned the accuracy of his staements about TT vs CD so Greg had him listen to his system and then brought him to my house. The engineer was shocked to hear the quality difference. He came in convinced digital sound was better and went home muttering under his breath something about buying a turntable. This is a guy who designs and builds his own equipment for fun not some neophite who knows nothing about musical reproduction.
For him who has ears to hear...

Nrchy - I believe your experience with CD's has everything to do with the DAC's that are doing the converting and the cables that connect everything together. Given the cables that you are using, I can understand why you are having this experience. If you could hear my system, I believe you would come away thinking just the opposite. I have never heard the coherency, detail, dynamics, finesse and "liveness" that I get in any other system with other cabling playing CD's.

I am also a EE with 26 years experience, who has heard a lot of systems. I agree that vinyl can be very good, but it just does not capture the dynamics of a modern well-mixed CD recording.

Audioengr, you have made your position perfectly clear and now I understand why our discussion has rambled along for so long on the "Romex behind wall" postings.

It's a shame Nrchy has a better grasp of high end reproduction than an engineer producing product for the audio business.

Again, I wish you well in your quest to sell cable, but will likely reduce or eliminate any further responses to your posts.

Now I am REALLY confused.

My Swans will be back from MODWRIGHT in two weeks and they've been internally rewired with 20 ft of Jena labs cryo treated wire. I am still a nomad, so I am totally confused as to finding a reasonable solution for speaker wire.