Best Budget RCA cables

Soundsilver-Trilogy II, these interconnects at one hundred dollar mark are a good investment. Stewart’s auctions are not as frequent as they use to be, try member lookup for soundsilver and see if he has upcoming auction or a pair for sale.

Another set of interconnects that are reference quality for budget price would be Belden 8402’s. DIY or have assembled and burn-in by Gene at Take Five Audio.

I’d recommend 2 cables from van den Hul in your price-range: the D300 and the D102MkII hybrid or MkIII hybrid.

And yes (gasp!) the Monster M550 series is a very good value available on the cheap on ebay. Don’t succumb to the negative hype: let your ears be the judge.

Hi guys!!

In case you are interested in an update, and for posterity, here is my journey with some budget cables.

I purchased 2 new RCA cables:

First: Audioquest Evergreen 6ft:  I replaced 3ft Kabledirekts, I didn't notice much difference at first, but after going back and forth a lot, I noticed slight improvements, the audioquests sounded much smoother, especially at high volumes.

Then, I took the cables downstairs to my other system and put them in place of 6ft Kabledirekts in my second system - no difference.  Multiple back and forth - I could literally notice nothing.

Second: I ordered Signal Cable - Analog Two 3ft long "Smooth highs, liquid Mids, Real Bass Extension!" Or so they say.  I put these in my first system - in place of the Audioquest cables - and they were noticably harsher and mudded at the top.  It was immediately apparent.  I brought them downstairs and tried them in place of the 6ft Kabledirekts, same result.  My wife immediately said, "these sound bad".  They made me want to turn down the volume immediately.

So, what's up with that?  So many folks love the Signal Cables!  I know the package says they require 50 hours of break-in, but, well, breaking in cables sounds ridiculous, and I don't want to waste 50 hours of my life listening to those harsh sounds.

And also - it seems like, from my sample size of 4, 6ft cables sound much better than 3ft cables.  I thought shorter would be better!  Any thoughts?

Defy disbelief and allow a week for all cables to settle and try again.

Dave

Do try to let them break in. I have noticed the need to let cables and fuses settle in, break in, whatever..

Not sure about the length thing. I have heard that a slightly longer cable can be better, but only for digital. I believe it was USB. Not sure why it would matter for analog. Same cables, different lengths? Or are the different lengths also different cables?