Best $200 speaker cables for overall performance?

Well, I picked up a set of Goertz MI-2, and briefly evaluated them over the weekend. They replaced a set of stranded Esoteric cables that I have had for many years.

The MI-2 is definitely clearer and more coherent. I think the timbral accuracy of instruments is better. I don't notice any more or deeper bass.

But the improvement is not as much as I had hoped. The soundstage and imaging is not very good.

It seems I have some other problems in that system. I need to get some acoustical treatments, and I need to figure out if the Nak receiver has gone bad(it used to sound pretty good in the other room). I also need to see if there is a problem with the Legacy Classics. I had been assuming, if I used better cables, they should perform similarly to my Legacy Signature IIs in the other room, but maybe that is not the case. The Sig IIs throw an expansive soundstage, with much greater imaging.

Perhaps I was overestimating the contribution of speaker cables to the overall sound result. If these Legacy Classics cannot sound significantly better than this, I am going to want to try something different.

Mtrot, I think your on the right track.

Why not try some MAS Signature Hybrid? Return them for a full refund if you're not satisfied. Stu Wein, owner of Audioparts, is one of the good guys in the hobby.

MTrot,

Remember me, I'm the guy who's been trying to help you on two threads fix your systems and expressly said cables 1. will not help your system! 2. You will not get good sound out of your surround system until your buy the matching Legacy center.

2 months later are you getting to see things my way?

Forget those other "experts" who didn't know enough to realise that a 15 year old Nakamichi is going to have some serious biasing issues that cause sibilance and slurring and your amplifier likely needs an overhaul right down to cleaning the contacts on the volume control. 200 cables, oxidized volume control= bad sound

Mtrot, I'm wasn't trying to be contrary I am trying to save you MONEY and have you INVEST in areas that will make a REAL difference with both your systems. So now you know what I already knew....cables aren't that big of deal. Especially when you amplifier is out of spec.

Fact is with a Nakamichi and Legacy $1/ft Monster Cable will do the trick. get your Nak tuned up, and back to the MUSICAL bliss with $20 in cables. Can you bear to be different, can you bear to be smarter?

If you own a receiver do not waste money on expensive cables! no exceptions

I saw a Legacy Center channel on Ebay for $350...go! go ! go!

D_Edwards: I have several pieces of audio gear that are 20+ years old that still measure within spec and sound quite good. Age has little to do with actual performance so long as the unit has been used on a regular basis and hasn't been thoroughly abused and / or in a severe environment. Regular use not only keeps the caps energized, but problems related to thermal drift are also minimized. Simple rotation of the controls and flipping of the switches i.e. "normal use" also helps to keep oxidation and pitting from damaging said controls.

Other than that, my suggestion as to speaker cables were for the long term. That suggestion was also made in response to a specific question that someone had posted.

As a side note, just because someone is using "Brand X" gear today, that doesn't mean that they will be using that tomorrow or in two years. I know that the cables that i recommended can work quite well with these speakers and are capable of revealing what the electronics up-stream are capable of. Whether or not one likes what they hear with these cables in the system will depend on how pure & stable the signal is being fed into the speaker cabling and / or the end users own personal preferences.

As such, improving the signal fed into it these speaker cables will improve the performance of the system as a whole. I make mention of this as not all speaker cables are capable of revealing the differences in components, simply because the cables themselves introduce their own sonics and electrical loading characteristics into the equation. Should Mtrot ( or anyone else in this situation ) choose to upgrade their components, there would be no need to upgrade their cabling. After all, this cable has been shown to be linear to well beyond 100 KHz, offering minimal signal degradation within or anywhere near the audible passband.

Other than that, i agree that one should have "timbre matched" speakers at all points in a multi-channel system. I also think that one should have "timbre matched" amplification at all points in a multi-channel system. That's why i took the approach that i did with my multi-channel system. Sean
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