Speaker cables: $3000 or $380. What do you get??

To ZD542, Yea you did come across kind of hostile....I was going to recommend Valium. Nah, I know you meant well.

Nevertheless, for those who may see me as novice, I am not. Since 1988, the year I bought a real serious high-end system. I have used Monster Reference speaker cable(wire hose girth) MIT (model # unknown; however it sounded like crap) Analysis Plus Oval 12; Acoustic Zen Hologram II; currently, Audio Art SC-5(standard NOT SE version) which is quite good, but I can hear things missing that were available with the AZ Hologram II. I sold those to prevent nuclear war on the home front, as everybody including the cat was tripping over them

I have auditioned Clear Day budget level speaker cables made by Paul Laudati and they sounded very good, but have not considered his higher priced speaker cables. I have also considered without audition: Analysis Plus Oval 9 Black; Anti-Cable's new Reference 3; Morrow's SP4; ( warned by members of a long, long break-in time) Crimson Cable( has loaners) and recently mentioned in another thread, Crystal Clear wire.

To TLs49. You are right about my old thread, and I think your(?)recommendation of going with AZ Satori or Hologram. You said it was a "no brainer", though sometimes in my audio nervosa I tend to make no brain or brain dead decisions.

I am definitely a subscriber to the school of diminishing returns. BTW, I do still have the Adagios, and only want the best cable within a budget, for this extraordinary and often overlooked speaker. Lastly, I tend to be more of an experimenter whereas other members make solid and studied choices in the selection of components, cables etc. I am happy in my madness, like Captain Ahab, chasing the white whale of perfection; but, Tls49's point "that there really is no easy path to take" is well taken Thanks to all who responded so far. I will read each reply. Jim

Sunnyjim,

Sorry again about that. Anyway, it looked from your first post like you didn't have a lot of experience. Just to sum up, the main point I was trying to make was that in the end, the final decision to buy cables (or any other component), should be made by using the skills and research that is yours. If you listen to a component and are having a hard time judging it, or you are just not sure, I say hold off. Also, there's absolutely nothing wrong with seeking the opinions of others. Its a great way to learn. Quite often, others can point things out that you may have missed or even introduce you to some new products. Balance is the key. I'm no different than most people here. I've made more costly mistakes than I can possibly remember.

Jedinite24 recommends Underwood Wally. I've dealt with him a few times over the years. I can recommend him as well. He's a great guy to deal with. Another retailer that I can't recommend highly enough is The Cable Company. I consider them to be my most valuable resource. They lend out cables and components for you to try in your system before you make a purchase.

The Clear Day Double Shotgun are excellent and no risk return policy. Oval 9 Black are quite good too. Many many good cables that are good values, just depends on system, room, and personal preference. Many brands do get better and better as you move up the line, only you can determine when to stop...

BTW, I do still have the Adagios, and only want the best cable within a budget, for this extraordinary and often overlooked speaker.

I would love to hear a reason how any other cable could create better synergy than the AZ Satori, since this is used for internal wiring. Think of this as taking 2 components, speaker and cable, then making it one, a speaker with a dedicated connection to the amp.

I am happy in my madness, like Captain Ahab, chasing the white whale of perfection

Nothing wrong with that, and anyone here that says they haven't spent time sailing those seas is lying. I just think the fishing should be in different waters, interconnects, amp, preamp, source.

Tls49's point "that there really is no easy path to take" is well taken

Let's give credit to Zd542, he actually said that. I said you have an easy path, but just have to decide to take it.

Here's my experience, without singling out preferred brands for you to try:
years ago (I mean, like around 1987 or 1988), I sat in my listening room all weekend with a pile of speaker cable and my pair of old Quads, hooked up to a good small ARC tube amp (I think then, it was probably a d-70mkii) and just listened. The cables had been loaned to me by a dealer, probably 4 or 5 different brands. I would change cables and listen; then change and listen more. At some point, I came to a conclusion about what sounded most 'right' in that system with its strengths and obvious weaknesses. (No deep bass, for one). I can't remember which cable I chose at that time or whether it was on the pricier or cheaper end of the scale. The moral was that different cables sounded different.
Fast forward many years later. Same experiment, entirely different system, different room. The changes were noticeable, not in my imagination. I chose the cable that sounded best in my system again. Wasn't necessarily the most expensive (particularly given what some of these things cost today).
Recommendation: deal with the Cable Company, or a dealer who can supply a variety of wire for you to try with the understanding that you can buy used or at a significant discount. You'll probably save money in the long run by buying the cable that sounds best over the widest variety of material on your system, assuming there are no major deficiencies in the chain. You can thus avoid the endless cable swapping/upgrading process, which will cost more in the long run.
A couple other suggestions: most cable manufacturers recommend doing the entire system using their product, even if it means cheating by using a lower rung of the product in one part of the system to save money. I found that having the same cable throughout made everything a little more consistent, given that these things tend to have a 'house sound' or signature.
What works in one system and may be the 'best' in some absolute sense may simply not work in yours to maximum effect, for the money.
A long way of saying 'synergy' but I thought it was worth the extra words.
If the system is fundamentally good, there is no reason why those cables can't hold you through various component upgrades. And, when you have the money, you can also upgrade a rung in the brand's hierarchy. (In fact, I think some manufacturers offer such 'trade-ups' giving you additional financial incentives).
Looking at it from a distance, you could add up the retail price of the cable and say it is an exercise in stupidity, but the improvements, made in the considered way I described, in my system, were worth the investment and other than upgrading the cable from the turntable to the phono stage recently for the 'best' one from that particular manufacturer, I've been extremely satisfied.