1. Home
  2. cables
  3. 1205083016

Highest component/cable ratio?

I was just thinking about the fact that the cost of cables in my system is now a very small percentage of the total value. I have found expensive cables to offer no significant advantage in numerous tests, and am still happy with both Anti-Cables, Clear Day stuff, and White Zombie.

But these budget cables do not reside in a budget system. It currently consists of an Acoustic Solid TT, Shindo Monbrison pre, Yamamoto or Art Audio amps, and Lamhorn speakers.

I do run VH Audio Flavor 4 PCs, the most expensive cables in the system, but need only two of them.

Who else out there is using the budget cabling in a relatively high-end system? The current audiophile mentality tells me these cables should be holding the system back but they do not. Unless I can't hear.
paulfolbrecht
tvad
9,467 posts
 
Every time I try to replace my cabling with less expensive alternatives, I hear the benefits of the more expensive stuff, and up for sale goes the "bargain" cabling. I tried Speltz jumper cables once, and I did not care for them at all. I much preferred a different inexpensive jumper set, but I cannot remember the builder. I still use them on the Zero boxes.

I do like those Zero boxes, though Paul. :)

I guess I'm just HYP-MO-TYZED by the voodoo cable purveyors. Wish I could break the spell.
gsm18439
738 posts
 
The one part of my system that I cannot change is the speaker cable. My speaker cable runs through the concrete floor from one side of my living room to the other. When my house was built, I had wanted the electrician to install conduit so that the speaker cables could be exchanged, but he did not. Instead, he used Radioshack 12G speakerwire trapping it in the concrete. On the positive side, this prevents me from expensive experimenting since the the current run is 40-45' in length.
mijknarf
266 posts
 
Hey Paul, I want to hear the difference, but just plain can't. I'm an early adopter of the Volex $8 power cables and I've been using VH Audio Pulsar ICs for over 5 years now. Paul Speltz Anti Cable speaker wires are as good as any I've tried. So, I'm with you, luck I suppose to have this stuff work for me. I'm always surfing looking for that next best thing. I'd love to find a cable (any) that gets me there, but for now I'm content.
bigbucks5
183 posts
 
The money I've saved by buying relatively inexpensive interconnects and speaker cables has allowed me to buy better components/speakers...a far better way to allocate your budget.

For example, I'm using speaker cables that cost me $300 for an 8-foot pair, hooked to speakers that cost me $15K. Only an idiot would split that budget $5K/$10K for cables/speakers and expect to have something that sounds 'better'.

The same goes for my interconnects...about $100/pair (and I think that's maybe a little overboard).

Speaker cables/interconnects must have the greatest diminishing returns of any component in a system, with speakers the least.

If using zip cord allows you to buy better speakers, then I think that's the way to go.
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
03-09-08: Mijknarf
Hey Paul, I want to hear the difference, but just plain can't.


I have the opposite problem. I don't want to hear a difference, but I do.
I could certainly save a whole bunch of dough with some plain jane i/c's. I've heard 'good value' cables and cords, but I find that to acquire the best results my cables cost more than I care to admit. The law of diminishing returns certainly kicks in hard and early in audio in general.

Cheers,
John
More to discover