"Great RCA interconnects under $100?"

Kimber PBJ - one of the most neutral cables I have ever used.

Marco; water and jeans are a commodity. HiFi audio equipment is not; apples and oranges. Of course one can get ICs for < $100. Just like anyone can buy a watch for < $100. The question is, if taken verbatim: do GREAT cables exist for <$100. No.

Pawlowski - I'd suggest you re-read my post, as I don't think you understood it. I was not trying to compare water or jeans to IC's. I was using those examples to illustrate that people will pay more money for a given item for reasons far more complex than whether or not the item is actually "Better" than a cheaper version of it. I was addressing your original question as to why people would pay more if what they were getting weren't "better" - They'd pay more for all kinds of reasons.

Taken verbatim or not, I disagree with your blanket statement. It is an entirely relative judgment call and will vary from individual to individual. A quick search of archived discussions on this subject will reveal there are those who claim to be able to hear a difference, as well as those who cannot. For those who cannot, I'd say that great cables exist for under $100. Taken further, to those with arguably "golden ears", just look at the speaker cable shootout in TAS where they threw in a Home-Depot extension cord in the mix with much more expensive cables and discovered that the sub $50 solution did many things better than far more expensive boutique cables. I stand by my original response; it's all subjective and you should use your own system, your own room, your own music, and your own two ears.

Marco

Marco, I guess we can agree to disagree. I don't think GREAT cables exist under $100. It presupposes that MOST of the people im this hobby are stupid, gullible to marketing or inherently insecure since MOST IC cost more than $100. We can conclude then that if they are spending more than $100 that they are wasting their money since they don't HAVE to spend more thant $100 to get great cables.

I just can't accept the conclusion of your argument.

Pawlowski, I agree to disagree, so we're in agreement!

To add my own .02 cents to the specific recommendations. For my ears, in my system, I've been impressed by Signal Cables which can be had new for under $100, and on the used market Mike Sanders, Quicksilver Audio IC's (which are silver) between pre and amp, and Harmonic Tech Truthlinks between source and pre. Both may be just a bit over the 100 mark, but not by much. OK, I 'cheated'...send me packing. YMMV (as always). I'd add that cables, IC's and PC's are so system-dependent that making blanket recommendations seems a bit silly. As I've indicated, I'd disagree with a general statement that implies one is "better" than another. I'd agree with the specific statement that they can definitively affect the way the system sounds and they certainly may sound "different" from each other. "Better" is entirely up to the individual doing the listening. Someone who cannot hear any difference between a $100 IC and a $500 IC in a specific link in their system (and there may indeed not be an audible difference) may rightly consider that $100 a "great" IC . Who are any of us to tell them otherwise. That'd also make the $500 IC a "great" IC too, since it sounded the same, but at a cost of $400 more - here's where the words gullible and stupid may come to that person's mind. Of course they are certainly not "stupid, gullible, or inherently insecure", they simply cannot hear a difference and or don't believe the difference they do hear is worth the added investement. There are all too many people willing to be lead like lemmings off a cliff by others telling them what they should like, how much it should cost, whose stamp of approval to look for, blah, blah, blah. The best advice I've taken to heart in enjoying this and any other pursuit is to trust in yourself.

Of all the links in a system I'd say that cables, IC's and PC's have the most rapidly diminishing returns on investment. The markup on these items can be astounding, and for the margin of improvement you get for your investment the amount of money might be better invested in other aspects of your system. The difference between a $100 speaker, and a $2000 speaker is very likely going to be pretty profound, given a good system behind them. The difference between a "great" $100 IC and a $2000 IC is not likely going to be nearly as profound, nor are as many people going to be able to tell and or appreciate the differences made (especially at the expense of $1900).

I'd imagine that folks looking for great $100 cables are more practical people and aren't likely to put their priorities in a link which yields a very low rate of return on investment.

Like anything else, it's worth whatever someone wants to pay for it. In turn, this is just one person's opinion - I'd encourage you to form your very own, and in spite of our disagreement, I do respect yours, Pawlowski. I certainly don't share it.

Marco