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Cable Costs Relative to System

Since making a spread sheet with my audio system prices, I have been thinking(shocked) about my total investment in cables. My total system retails at $67,000 (Digital and analog front ends included). I purchased all of it here on Audiogon so my investment is about 50%. Of that I have about 10% invested in interconnects and cables and another 10% in Power Cables (Shunyata Hydra included). That's $13,000 worth of wire. I'm starting to question whether it might be more effective to put some of this budget into acitve components. It would take forever to listen to all possible combinations, but would like to hear others experiences with relatively high end systems and cable selection. It would seem to me that the point of diminishing returns would be reached sooner with cables than with speakers and amps. Do most of you follow the 10% "rule" for cabling? How do PCs fit into this rule? Are there any super bargain cables capable of keeping up with highly resolving electronics?
metaphysics
brizonbiovizier
124 posts
 
Indeed - I have a £20K system in which I spent less than 5% on cables - all custom made. I compared with cables cost 100 times 25 times as much and there was no advantage
atexanathome
3 posts
 
Check out Arthur Salvatore's site, high-endaudio.com. He's a subjectivist who only believes in what he hears, yet he has a whole section called "The Cable Scam"
dave_b's avatar
dave_b
2,267 posts
 
Update....found some old MIT MH 750 shotgun speaker cable laying around my dealer. Upgraded speakers to Totem Winds driven by Krell 400xi second time I've bought it). Startlingly good...open, detailed, 3D soundstage beyond walls, dynamic as hell and natural sounding...relaxed! Perhaps at this level I will have to jump at the chance. Originally $1200+...still some around for $550 or less!
dgplo
76 posts
 
I think cable upgrades are important, but way overhyped. I would venture to say, besides a deeper black level and lowering the background noise floor, if you blind test most people, using different cords, plus a stock cord, that you would not notice a tremendous difference between the $150.00 cord and $1000.00 cord.

I have a friend who owns a high end audio store and he told me that cables are like the socks of the clothes world. Easy to stock, easy to sell and lots of margin.
chrfor
1 posts
 
There's no 10% rule. Cables are used to cary a signal and it should do it without loss. It is not a question of $/ft. It is not true neither that you have to spend a thousand $ on a cable to achieve that. If you buy a very expensive cable, it's only camouflage because you have poor electronics and you try to get the less poor sound from your system. I have a 10000$ system and I will never spend more than 2 to 3 hundreds on cables, even if one day I have a 60000$ system simply because I chose the right electronics.
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