Add another vote to those who spent 20% of their system's MSRP on cables. A combination of HT ProSilway, AP Oval 9, Illuminations D-60, Synergistic Master Couplers and BMI Majiks account for one fifth of that spent so far. This ratio was reached almost completely by accident. Funny how the 80/20 rule creeps into so many aspects of life...
Still, while ratios of this nature are good as rules of thumb, the real proof is the end result. In this case it's the sound. Having started with old, heavily used, cheap-to-start-with cables I experienced first hand the difference decent wire can make. Being relatively new to the world of audio nervosa, the memory is still fresh and not overly embellished or diminished by the passing of time. That this perception doesn't originate from "psychoacoustic" phenomenae is borne out by the observations of learned associates (aka friends with good hearing and a knowledge of music). Without prompting they almost always picked out the differences in the sound after a cable upgrade. Mass halucinations aside, of course. Needless to say, my experience, like many of yours, has been that good cables have proved to be a worthwhile investment.
But isn't there a point of diminishing returns? Shouldn't the real question be about where to draw the line? If one spends $100K on a system should $20K really go on wire? Logically it seems that at some point on the spectrum connectors, wire, craftmanship and design don't, maybe even can't, get better. Especially by the magnitude necessary to justify the additional cost. Can $20K really buy more than $10K judiciously spent? Is there really some value there aor are the extra dollars just padding someone's bottom line?
My gut, which, lacking a great deal of experience, is all I have to go on, says at very least a lot of caution is warranted regardless of the price point because the issues are the same at the high end as at the low end. Lots of snake oil salesmen and a few purveyors of quality products providing real solutions. As the ancients wrote, "Caveat emptor." As I say, "Try not to make PT Barnum right."
Still, while ratios of this nature are good as rules of thumb, the real proof is the end result. In this case it's the sound. Having started with old, heavily used, cheap-to-start-with cables I experienced first hand the difference decent wire can make. Being relatively new to the world of audio nervosa, the memory is still fresh and not overly embellished or diminished by the passing of time. That this perception doesn't originate from "psychoacoustic" phenomenae is borne out by the observations of learned associates (aka friends with good hearing and a knowledge of music). Without prompting they almost always picked out the differences in the sound after a cable upgrade. Mass halucinations aside, of course. Needless to say, my experience, like many of yours, has been that good cables have proved to be a worthwhile investment.
But isn't there a point of diminishing returns? Shouldn't the real question be about where to draw the line? If one spends $100K on a system should $20K really go on wire? Logically it seems that at some point on the spectrum connectors, wire, craftmanship and design don't, maybe even can't, get better. Especially by the magnitude necessary to justify the additional cost. Can $20K really buy more than $10K judiciously spent? Is there really some value there aor are the extra dollars just padding someone's bottom line?
My gut, which, lacking a great deal of experience, is all I have to go on, says at very least a lot of caution is warranted regardless of the price point because the issues are the same at the high end as at the low end. Lots of snake oil salesmen and a few purveyors of quality products providing real solutions. As the ancients wrote, "Caveat emptor." As I say, "Try not to make PT Barnum right."