2. cables
  3. 1068822826

Interconnects:Dazed and Confused

I am fairly new to the high end audio world. I am switching from an integrated amp to separates, so I am in the market for new interconnects. I have been reading reviews by professionals, and cable threads on audiogon and audio asylum.
I would appreciate some comments from those more experienced than I.
I read reviews and comments about IC’s that cost under $900 made by Shunyata, Luminous, TG Audio and others and people rave about them. I then read about IC’s that cost between $3,000-$10,000 made by Nordost, Jena Labs and others and people rave about them.
I have not had the pleasure of auditioning a $5,000 IC. I am wondering if the people who rave about the less expensive IC’s got a chance to try several of the high price models would they be willing to go back to their lower priced cables if cost were no object; or would they hear such a difference that they could never go back?
I know everything is system dependent, but I guess I am wondering if a $500 interconnect could be just as satisfying as a $5,000 one. Does a great review for a $500 IC mean for this money this is great or does it mean I don’t want a Jena Labs Pathfinder ($6,000) this is it as far as sound is concerned?
Thanks for your thoughts
graub
rcrump
427 posts
 
Yo Sonic Genius! TG is not a direct company and never has been and I don't even have a website, but do have about 25 dealers scattered around.......I do have another company, CTC Builders, that sells a very expensive preamp on a custom order basis.....

Back to interconnects lots of good ones out there, but quite a few have serious flaws as well......Just try them until you find something you like and no rush on this at all as interconnects make much less difference than speaker wire and power cords......
dalekroberts
24 posts
 
If your separates are new you'll want to make sure they are thoroughly burned in before you evaluate ICs. This usually takes more than 100 hours. Depending on usage, it can takes months. Of course leaving your system on continuously will shorten the time frame considerably.
sonic_genius
528 posts
 
Sorry Bob. Your prices are so good I forgot about that. :)
rcrump
427 posts
 
No problem whatsoever Sonic Genius! I don't advertise which essentially cuts my pricing in half from those that advertise. I built up my dealer base over twenty years and most manufacturers don't have time for that and either go with a web retailer, like Cable Company, Galen Carol or others, or go direct......I like little retailers who normally specialize in tubes and analog and offer decent advice and service. Set-up is so important and advice over the internet is normally flawed that it takes a decent retailer spending time getting things right at the customer's house to get the most out of a system. Guess I'm old fashioned, but like to see my retailers do more than sell boxes.....
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
Bob's right. It's a challenge to help customers over the internet. You never know what level of sound quality they are really at. They may be at level 5 and you are at level 10. Or you both may be at level 10... Sending out demo units helps.

It would be great to have some hard metrics for comparison, like for instance the clock alarm sequence in Dark Side of the Moon. With my system, I can tell how large the room was that the clocks were in and which clock is mounted on which of the three walls of the room. Most people are shocked when I say this. I have not found a customer that has this type of resolution yet.
More to discover