2. cables
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Do you really need ultra expensive cables?

I was always told that you need to spend about 30-40% overall budget on cables to have good sounds. To some equiqment manufractures, that is not the case.

For those of you who visited McIntosh at HE 2003. What do you think about their Stereo set-up? Do you reallized that they spend less than 3% on cables? Not that they can't afford them. But their arguement was that if your equiqments are so nice, and so musical, why do you have to depends on cables to improve sounds. What do you think of that?

Thanks!
rodney01
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
On good equipment such as McIntosh cables don't make a difference(if used proper gauge).
On crappy equipment you can spend 50% on cabling with no success.
audiobugged
528 posts
 
Wish Krell, Mark Levinson would built a BOOM BOX so you wouldn't need any cables!
timo's avatar
timo
610 posts
 
Stehno:

I would include Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval in comparison to the Au24 or Valhalla.
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Clarks are comfortable shoes, but not as nice as Kenneth Cole Reaction shoes that excell in both. I personally wear Kenneth Kole Reaction but some may prefere Clarks. Same reasoning I have towards v.s. Levis and Jordache jeans with certainly personal preference to Kenneth Cole that I found nicer looking, more comfortable and even cheaper priced than Diesel that I also have already weared out (now good only for fishing:-)) acquired for $100+. Hey, I'm a city boy what'u expect? Almost identical story with my wife, a citi-girl by default.

In sence of wires I'd only care of comfort and would realy care less about looks and/or reviews where class A usually stands for nice looking and higly priced just like in fassion magazines where you see these beautiful clothes on famous actors indeed.

Well don't know how others prefere, but le'me just save nice look and reviews on the wires for nice looks on my clothes where it matters a-bit more indeed.
Isn't the same story could be told with Rolex? Timex shows the time with the same precision but...
abex
322 posts
 
Listening to my system I notice that Cables have effects like Decay of Cymbals lasting longer with certain cables than others.Vocals can sound veiled at low listening levels with certain IC's.Snap and Pop of drums are not right with others.

Things like this showup when the synergy in cables to system parts is not correct.

I wish I had the $$ to try some of the more expensive Cables,but looking for the least expensive choices I decided to try 47Labs OTA Cable and do my whole system with it.I recently had my speakers internally wired with it.

The only place I was unable to use it was as a digital cable and decided to use cryo treated Beldan between Transport and DAC.

Results have been good.The speakers are a pain to breakin though as they are Metal Drivers and the OTA takes around 200 hrs to breakin.At the 100Hr. level at present.

The best Cable I have had a chance to hear was Transparent which went for $2800 for the Speaker Cable & IC's.To much for my pocket.
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