How to allocate my cable dollars.


I have a Classe processor (SSP-800), McIntosh amps (501), and B&W speakers (802). I've been talking to my hi-end audio store about upgrading cables. My current cables are rather inexpensive generic cables. How do I allocate my dollars between, interconnects, power cables, speaker wire, and HDMI cables? On which cables should I spend the most and where the least? Where does higher dollars spent result in the most bang for the buck?
stockinv
I'll suggest keeping the generic HDMI for now. You'll find that most of the expensive HDMI's don't really change that much.

What options does your dealer offer, and what's your budget? I generally feel a system with good interconnects and power but generic speaker cables sounds better than good speaker cable with generic cable throughout the rest. You might also want to consider putting a large chunk of your budget on power filtration if you haven't already.
I recently switched between generic HDMI and a $35 Phillips HDMI and there is a world of difference, the Phillips is richer and more colorful the generic is washed out and dull. Buy a better cable and return it if you do not like it. Maybe your generic cable is better than mine.

I would at least buy lower level Morrow cable or similar (BlueJean, Signal) for your system you can get a big step up in detail etc. with better cables over generic wire.

Pangea PC have been mentioned in these pages as good Power Cables, I had good results with VenHaus DIY PC myself.

I would not spend too much time concerning yourself where to put the best cable, you will get a hundred diffent answers concerning this. Also you can search the archives as this has come up before with no definitive answer.
The 'common sense' approach is to spend about 10% of you system cost on total cost of all cables.
Agree speaker cables can wait.
Pangea AC-9 for amps (if they have IEC connectors)
Shunyata Venom for others.

a variety of low price but good quality cables are available, like Blue Jean. Or Kimber PBJ or Hero.

I second trying a power conditioner IF you value clarity, and upper frequency smoothness, and accept a little tighter bass (less boomy). A conditioner can do a lot for pic on screen too. (I would experiment with used cheaper conditioners.. look for a $100 Adcom to play around with, or a midline Monster. Not to settle for, but to see for yourself what they do. Before you spend big bucks on just one.
(I settled on two multi thousand $$$ ones I bought used... Furman REF20i and PS Audio P600)
Anyway, better to fiddle with cheaper cables and learn what they do FOR YOU than accept one persons notion of what you need...
Interconnect from the source and power cord for the preamp are very important. Then the interconnect from the preamp and power cord for the source. Then speaker cables. Then power cord for the amp. Playing with power conditioners would be the last thing to do when the system is complete.
As for the proportions, I advocate the figure of about 20% the cost of entire system not 10%. This doesn't include power conditioners.
I would focus on ICs, then speaker wire, and only then mess with power cords. IMO the dedicated lines I ran did as much or more as any power cords or condtioner. I do have upgraded PCs and a cheap conditioner but the differences were not as great as the ICs and speaker wire. Another thing is on the lower end ICs the xlrs are much cleaner than rcas IMO.
I'm more on line with 20% too. This probably doesn't include the QX4 and QB8. Only you can judge and try to it with some sort of blind comparison. The changes are typically not shocking but should be closer to natural if that makes sense.
I've been playing with cables for a while, and settled on spending about equal on interconnects and speaker cables, about half that on power cables. I guess if you work it out, that's about equal for each individual cable (since power cables are singles).

In order of impact - interconnects, power cable, speaker cable.

Total of about 20% of your system is good.

A decent HDMI cable is worth it, as others have said.