IC's from pre-pro to amp

Audio Art does a most capable job in my likewise scenario. It'll take stepping up a good ways to realize anything significant by way of improvement over them. About $100 pair or there abouts.

MIT Shotgun S2, and then HT Magidc IIs are where I noticed significant gains over the AA cables... and they go for about $800 a set or so.

They'll do well in either audio or films.

Not kidding, try Radio Shack relatively new Auvio brand interconnects. I am currently using in place of mid and entry level Audioquest, Monster and XLO. Really well balanced and neutral sounding wires.

Not sure how cheap is cheap but look at the lowest price Kubala Sosna. Not only are they bound to be great cables for the money, they also have a unbelievable upgrade policy where I think you get like 80 to 90 % on trade up to better cables in there lineup. That is impressive. The also have a great no questions asked return policy I think. I am doing a demo now on there two top models and am so far impressed. I may have to go with the cheaper one due to price and maybe upgrade later.

Another more straight forward, read less rounded and more resolute sound, are the Goertz Micro Pearls. I use a pair myself.

Skinny little nothing cables that really perform over their heads. I paid $60-$70 for a 1.5M pr.

The only knock on them is I feel their common isn't very good, or maybe better said, their shielding can at times, with 'some' devices allow a bit of hum or other artifacts. Every place I could put them worked great but one. that might have been as a main ic on my tube gear, pre to amp... sorry, not sure.

But for the performance to price of $60-70 bucks? they're a slam dunk, clean and resolute wire that has near no shortcomings audibly. They sure suprised me.

Former Stereophile budget component, Class B? definitely worth looking into if the application isn't into a bright sounding rig already.

SignalCable.

Not sure what is "cheap", but I'd go for PNF Audio. Precision A or ICON either one will probably give you great results. Best cables I've ever found for the dollar spent.

Thanks for suggestions people...The 40-60 dollar a pr new or prev owned is what I am budgeting. Thing is with prev owned is not getting them all at once. I would have quite a bit invested as I need seven singles (or 3 pr 1 single) from processor to amp...another eight (or 4 pr) for analog out of oppo 83 to pre....it adds up quickly. I might just go all Bluejeans as I could order custom lengths and pay a flat shpng for it all. I could then afford a 'better' set of stereo rca for the 2ch outs of oppo for stereo listening.

This cabling affair can get pricey?

No kidding!

It will unlock the best your gear has to offer, however, by investing wisely on them.

If you have HDMI in your proc/receiver/pre do use that interface. That one item will save you a lot of $$$. With HDMI it takes a pretty fine cable to outperform it, think $500+ with analog RCA, a bit more for XLR.

Unless you aim to use the Oppo with two different pre/pros, there's little sense in adding another set of RCA/XLR for 2 ch playback.

I tend to use a more resolute set of ICs on sources. Thereafter one can stay with the same models, or sometimes take a step down.

I've not tried the BJ wires myself... nor the Signal Cables, and I hear/read more positive accounts of the SC wires over the BJ cables... for what ever that's worth.

Only lately and in only my HT setup, have I looked into using very affordable cables. Naturally I've been curious enough to exchange about both systems what ever wires I bring in. The info on Mr. Fritz website regarding his series III silver& copper wires is quite accurate.

Were it me, I'd simply opt to get a pr a month or so and get off the cable treadmill for a while... but as 'Bomonomics' continue to influence our buying habits, I can dig saving dough now.

If there is a trial period with BJ and I kknow there is with AA, get a set of each and see for yourself, and/or with some other makers as well. Send back those you don't like. That's the sure fire way to know what's what!

It may take a month or so to be done with it but you'll wind up buying the best for the system for now anyways.

Don't bring in more than a couple at a time though, as they take time to run in and things get confusing... for me, 2 pr at a time works.
Good luck

I actually like the Auvio cables better than BJ, FWIW.

Know...

I plan on getting a set of the Auvio's tomorrow if posible, in these parts.

I'll get back up here and relate what I think of them in a couple weeks.

Can you compare them to other cables? Like Cardas, Synergistic, AZ, MIT, or HT?

I need a pr for cable box to preamp for the music ch's.

Blindjim,

Not really. I posted a while back on Auvio wires to see if others had used them in more critical applications, but that thread died and I did not get the feedback I wanted. I just really like their sound, very musical and coherent. Would be interested to see how they compare in very high resolution systems versus wires costing many multiples. Hesitant to call them "giant killers" at this point.

I actually also have some Radio Shack "Fusion" wires that they were marketing a few years ago and love these as well. They look almost identical to the "Auvio" brand now for sale (same connectors anyway), but the Fusion cables have a ferrite plug at one end. Usually a no-no for signal wire, but I find it has little negative effect in my system. Somebody on another forum was trying to tell me that the Fusion cables are far superior to the new Auvios, but I haven't noticed the difference personally.

Good luck, please report your experience on here.

Morrow Audio MA1 interconnects are neutral and priced well.

I have used and still have a few sets of Gold Series from the Shack...sound fine to me. Been plugged and unplugged a many times and have held up fine. Removing the screw on barrel reveals a good looking contact/construction and the cable itself is pretty beefy so I suppose shielded pretty well...never had hum issues of any sort. They cost a whopping 10 bucks a set/6ft...!

Try the new version from RS. I liked the Gold series too, but somehow lost my old set.

I ended up going to my "supply box" and getting all my Shack gold series mono cables. Had a boatload from the days when I had my Nak cass deck in the loop. At least this way I know all cables are the same between procc and multich amp as well as the 7.1 analog outs of br. Sounds as good as it did perhaps a bit more spacial. I swear sometimes the rig is processing prologic llx or another dsp...but it's playing direct 2ch stereo...it's that convincing. I guess that's a good thing.

Blindjim, did you try the Auvio interconnects yet?

yes.

Listening to them now... in my BR HT rig in place of the TOS link from the cable box.

I can find nothing overtly wrong with them in this application. Versus the TOS they are a touch more restrictive to volume flow, and come off as being more refined than the cheap plastic optical cable, as the Auvions aren't quite so forceful sounding.

I'll slip them into the other two rigs later today and see a bit more of their talents or shortcomings.

truth be told though... given the $19.95 price tag for six fet of RCA cabling which offers secure connectors and a flexible inobtrusive and compliant esthetic.... I doubt seriously these will wind up being taken back to the store. in fact I was thinking I could get two more sets for reintegrating my VCR, or 3rd Zone out.

I've no issues at all with these cables. My main interest will be comparijng to the Micro Pearls and Audio Art cables.

With not quite a whole week of playing time on the RS cables, they need a hour or two to get up to speed as they start off a bit muted and fuzzy... after a half hr. they tighten right up. Still more time and they open up very well... and they are quite balanced.

I doubt seriously though that I'll be exchanging out some of the more pricey wires I own for these. But as time passes and I get a run of nothing to do and think of these I might yet see how they fare aginst them. I suspect though, what will be found has been found out already, the Auvion ... Blue Jeans... DH Labs... etc., wires in the $200 & under categories are all going to be close calls as to overall performance ratings. They are all adequate. Good useable interfaces to get going with initially.

In some cases budget cabling might be the final stop for a system wiring solution. Other factors come into play then however.... like materials, shielding and termination, along with the usual suspects of electronic & electrical variables.

Like so many other's here, much time was spent on trying out this wire or that for this item or another, in order to find a better fitting interconnect. Thru all those instances and trials I found out a common thread. To a point, nearly any cable will do.... and as the prices elevate, by and large so does performance.

The problem for us all is figuring out the who's 'better' part. So we pick nits. We find something we feel is both affordable and operationally sound and we then promote it’s virtues as it relates to our own preffs and the particular application… albeit, one man’s poison is another man’s bread & butter.

I feel thus far until you get into the $500 & up MSRP range for wires per pr., things remain more confusing and clouded and there's lots of choices which will play out just fine for their owners. Those I’ve not pursued in that range was not due to the overall level of performance, but instead, due to the sort of presentation and how that aspect fitted into the presiding affair.

That should be more than evident to anyone who has gotten on & off the cable treadmill for any length of time. It's obvious to me, that is for sure. Merely look at the choices posted in this thread alone. Morrow. Signal. Audio Art. Kinber. obviously those are working for their owners now!

It's a simple matter... which difference and which cost will you choose for your own needs?

IMHO.... for $20 the Auvions are no brainers. Period.

Want more? Spend more.

When I find a < $250 set of cables which outperform anything else priced above them, I’ll happily exchange out everything I own by way of wires to get those.

PNF Audio, best I've found for the dollar spent. ICON's are killer but the Precison A's are also great, about 90% of the performance at a lower price. You'll be hard pressed to find a better cable even if you spend a LOT more money!

Thanks for the update and the comments Blindjim.

FWIW

I injected the Auvions into a step up rig.. my office system… yesterday. I used them as main ICs from Bel Canto DAC3 to Onkyo 805 reciever, which drives former flagship speakers from Phase Tech PC 10.5’s via SR Alpha Quad biwire cables. They took the place of my Goertz Micro Pearls, former Stereophile suggested cables….

Well, I’m still impressed. With the RS wires ni their new digs I was able to reconfigure some settings on my music server + JR MC 14 MP and all to the better. The resolution was improved and the apparent fuzziness I was getting in the other rig was … well, the other rig, and not the cables themselves.

Although detail did not seem immensely increased the resolution seemed to acquire more fluidity and coherence. I feel they were far more engaging than the somewhat starker sounding Pearls. One noticeable item that came to me as I listened further on was the music developed out of a darker backdrop thereby illuminating the artists and instruments better. The involvement factor appreciated severely too as I kept playing file after file of varying genres. Mostly live recordings of acoustic music, then later on some live Rock & roll. Across the gamut I feel these are as good a pick in the under $100 or so arena as any other cable I’ve since used.

It sounds weird to me to expand this much on such inexpensive interconnects, yet it also should indicate something about their performance and value quotient too.

Not cutting them in half, I suspect these RS Auvion ICs are merely coaxial RCA cables given their heft and flexibility. They feel too light to have much actual wire within them and don’t bend like they do either… feeling way more like standard coax RG 56 or 59 cabling instead.

I’m almost afraid to replace my Nirvana SX Ltd or Magic IIs with them! But I will soon… I’m a little too curious now to not. … but that will be a while as I’ve ordered another digital IC to try out first in place of my Stereovox XV2.

So if $$$$ matters…. One could do lots worse than to try out the RS Auvions for $20 per pr!

Sheesssh… I’ve paid more than that for lunch.

Thanks for the further update - but I think there is no "n" in the brand name - I think it is just "Auvio". Will be interested to hear further reviews.

Sorry... I really should 'look' more often instead of listening to the sound of the words as uttered by my software.

I'll make some effort later to recap things in a different thread/review. Suffice it to say, for those instances where a good set of cables is needed yet the application or budget doesn't permit indulgence, I've found nothing so far to make me want to throw them out. Nada!