Don't listen to any advice except this: Buy used cables…seriously…people compulsively dump great sounding cables all the time and used wires have to be among the best buy you can make for a hifi rig, and if it was audiophile owned it's likely pampered…no moving parts, broken in already (uh huh)…you get the picture. Sell 'em on if they suck.
Suggest affordable cable options
My current setup is as follows: Bowers and Wilkins CM10 s2 (speakers), Parasound A21 (amp), Cambridge Audio Azur 851D DAC/Preamp connected to the amp via balanced connectors.
I am currently using cheap Audioquest ($50) cables and have been advised by many at Agon that upgrading to better speaker wires would yield considerable results. Now, when it comes to cables I'm admittedly not so educated, so I can surely use some advise here.
I want to stay below $750 - open to both new or used. Someone at Audiogon suggested Clear Day cables which can be had for around $500 for the top option. My only concern is that B&W are already known to be a bit forward/bright, so adding silver cables, which also have a reputation to be a bit on the bright side (feel free to correct me if this assumption is just plain wrong), might not be the most prudent approach.
Unfortunately, the more I research the more I get confused. Some say that it's a waste of money, and that a wire is a wire is a wire. Others advise to stick with name brands such as Audioquest, Tara Labs, etc. While others swear by boutique but affordable options such as Clear Day cables. Usually, the reason given by this camp is that the cables are more affordable because they manufacturers don't have marketing overhead. However, I'm sure the more established companies have higher profit margins that potentially lead to bigger and better R&D.
Regardless, one thing is for sure -- I'm not in the mood to spend more than 30% of what my system is worth.
I am currently using cheap Audioquest ($50) cables and have been advised by many at Agon that upgrading to better speaker wires would yield considerable results. Now, when it comes to cables I'm admittedly not so educated, so I can surely use some advise here.
I want to stay below $750 - open to both new or used. Someone at Audiogon suggested Clear Day cables which can be had for around $500 for the top option. My only concern is that B&W are already known to be a bit forward/bright, so adding silver cables, which also have a reputation to be a bit on the bright side (feel free to correct me if this assumption is just plain wrong), might not be the most prudent approach.
Unfortunately, the more I research the more I get confused. Some say that it's a waste of money, and that a wire is a wire is a wire. Others advise to stick with name brands such as Audioquest, Tara Labs, etc. While others swear by boutique but affordable options such as Clear Day cables. Usually, the reason given by this camp is that the cables are more affordable because they manufacturers don't have marketing overhead. However, I'm sure the more established companies have higher profit margins that potentially lead to bigger and better R&D.
Regardless, one thing is for sure -- I'm not in the mood to spend more than 30% of what my system is worth.
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- 39 posts total
+1 to Cz's post. While there are a number of good suggestions for inexpensive cables above, the ones you have are pretty good for the system you have as well. If you want to change flavors, fine, do it as Wolf suggests buying used, but I'd stay with what you've got if you like the sound. Wires can make a difference, but not always for the better, and price does not necessarily correlate with quality. |
Try ( not necessary) to stay within the same family/general era of cables for IC, digital coax & speaker wires. A great synergy occurs with year 2000 era or so Tara Labs top of line RSC-series cables...mine are Tara Labs RSC Reference ICs, Tara Labs Decade digital coax and Tara Labs RSC Prime biwire speaker cables. Super cost-effective in that, with some waiting for them to show up on Audiogon, they cost me total of less than $600. |
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I would recommend trying some Mogami 2549 with Furutech 126(g) gold connectors from Take Five Audio (in Canada, well made cables plus our US dollar is strong with them). Get the ground lifted at one end to make them shotguned / directional. Also their Mogami 2921 speaker wire setup for single or bi wire with gold BFAs completes the setup. I use both in my system and if Mogami is good enough for the recording studios it is good enough for me. I’ve owned Mogami 2549 with many different connectors, each time I tried a better one, I noticed a difference, usually for the better. You should be able to rewire your whole system with the Mogami I recommend and use for a very reasonable price. Not affiliated with Take Five Audio. They put together a great product. I've worked hard to get where my system is now, hardly ever paying full retail and usually buying used. I think the Mogami cables fit in perfectly for sound and the same approach I've used with the assembly of my system. https://www.takefiveaudio.com/mall/shopexd.asp?id=1358 |
- 39 posts total