Cables for a high-school newbie

Speaker cables: Make them from Home Depot 14 gauge outdoor extension cord (it's orange with a longitudinal black stripe). No, I'm not kidding. A 50-foot cable should cost you less than $20. There's a very positive review in The Absolute Sound, April/May 2004.

Interconnects: Go to www.starlink-dss.com and scroll down to the Petra component video cables that say they were "formerly Music Boy." You get 3 six-foot cables (component video cables, remember) for under ten bucks. Or get the same cables as "component digital cables" for under 5 bucks. Again, I'm not kidding.

I've replaced $500+ cables with this stuff and find it extremely musical and involving. The Home Depot speaker cables simply demolished some $1200 wires in a friend's system. If you reterminate the ICs with better connectors, they sound even better. Do a search here and on Audio Asylum under "HD-14" and "Petra" or "Music Boy" to learn more. Good luck, Dave

I wouldn't call the Absolute Sound review of the extension cord "very positive," but cables are not going to change your set-up as much as a new receiver/integrated amp. If your budget allows for $400 towards an amplifier of some sort it may be worth looking at an NAD, Cambridge Audio, Rotel, etc. Then you can use an extension cord for wire. Or go to a local hi-fi shop and get installation 14/2 for $0.50/ft. It is OFC, CL-3 rated, and usually the same ugly orange color as an extension cord.

Good luck!

Sorry, Bignerd, if you didn't think that review was very positive, I honestly can't believe you read it. Dave

I second Albert's suggestion. I had my little sister get some cables from Blue Jeans. Canare terminals are very decent for the money and when professionally terminated real sweet.

For "taming" the tweeter I suggest you look at what you feed the tweeter instead. My first suggestion would be to use a deep-treated cryogenic outlet for the system (Albert sells some treated at NASA). Second would be a little ONEAC 3 amp isolation transformer for the CD player (around $15-20 used in eBay). Third would be some good isolation cones for the CD player. Since you have metal domes I'd go for something like DH Labs cones, which don't tend to ring in the very high frequencies.

Check this out:

Power conditioning and cryo treatment

Fourth, don't let anyone look down on your Onkyo. Get some contact cleaner and use it as is.

With psychic power and primal intensity,

Agree with other........Signal Cable!!!! Frank is great!!!!!