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7500 for USED cables? Are they joking?

I've been out of high-end audio for about 8 years, and the thing I am most struck by on my return is the apparent acceptance of power cables, interconnects and speaker cables that cost as much or more than heavy-duty high-end components.

As a now-outsider of sorts, this really looks like the Emperor's New Clothes big-time. Especially power cords, considering the Romex that delivers the A/C to the outlet isn't exactly audiophile quality.

Are people really paying $500 and up for wire? Is this foolishness of the highest order, or is this what people now believe it takes to extract the last percent or two of definition from their components?

What happened? Even buyers of what are now considered "modestly priced" cables would be laughed out of the professional audio world, so why do audiophiles think they need something better than was used to make the original recording? MOST professional recording engineers scoff at the difference between microphone cables that cost $19.95 vs. those that cost $49.95 -- most anything higher is rarely considered at all (the most expensive microphone cable might be $125 for a 20 foot run, and it's laughed at by most of the pros).

I'm not criticizing -- I'm too stunned to draw any conclusions -- I just wondered if anyone has given this much thought.

(At least I understand the home theater revolution -- thank heavens something came along to save the high end manufacturers, although it makes me chuckle to think of someone spending $30,000 to watch the Terminator. It's OK with me.)

Thank you for your consideration,

Mark Hubbard
Eureka, CA
Ag insider logo xs@2xmark_hubbard
mzn50
180 posts
 
I guess some of us fools do hear the value in certain cables and pay attention to their offerings and characteristics. And some of us are just happy with a cable.

BTW, that 1%-2%, some people thrive for it and pay dearly to get it.

I do agree there are some in the market that have gone off the deep end, I personally know a cable manufacturer that it takes him 4-6 hrs per Power cord... and I have the sound to prove it !!

All the best

Matt
ejlif's avatar
ejlif
1,243 posts
 
I don't think you should run on about cables and their ridiculous prices until you have had them in your system. How do you know that their value only represents 1-2% if you have never experienced this first hand. Sure if you are running a system with modest components then 7500.00 for cables seems foolish. The right cables can take a sytem over the top
cornfedboy
1,645 posts
 
mark: since i, myself, have only just awakened after spending these past 20 years in a coma, i quite understand your concerns. my two sons, who were but grade-schoolers as i remember them, now each earn in just a year what it took me a decade to realize! my modest tract house that my wife and i scrimped and saved for to purchase for $40,000 is now assessed for $300,000! when i replaced my beloved BMW this year, my new one cost ten times more than its predecessor! and food! don't even talk about it. please. how can anyone afford to live in these times? and, my god, look how tastes have changed! my hero, lawrence welk, is now replaced by someone named "snoop doggy dog"? playboy magazine now shows, ahem, pubic hair? i'm with you, mark. i'm sticking with zip cord. thin zip cord. the wildly expensive wire is just more, ahem, pubic hair. and i still refuse to look at it! who would care to get close enough to listen to it?!

r. vanwinkle.
sonic_genius
528 posts
 
Cables do make a difference in better systems. You can hear it. When you consider the cost of materials and labor some brands can justify the price although $7500 is a bit steep. I think <$1000 for interconnects is all you have to pay if you find a good brand. The Nordost, Siltech, and Transparent folks are laughing all the way to the bank.
ktsteamer
7 posts
 
As far as power and electricity goes, it seems that power cables and transformers, etc. outside of your home have a lot to do with the quality of electricity that ultimately is fed into your gear. If your neighborhood has older parts for wires and boxes, then there's only so much you can improve on that in my experience.
And the whole cable issue is completely outrageous. I own a pretty decent system - costing me well over 10K for the components alone. The cables/interconnects were the last thing I upgraded, from the Audioquest $40 jobbies I was using before, to the Cardas Cross/Quadlinks I'm using now. Now I've been into hi-end gear for about 15 years - and I'm not kidding when I say I can't tell the difference, except for the fact that the Cardas look a lot more elegant. A complete placebo effect if you ask me. Try this - ask a friend to hook up your system with sub $50 cables and then with $400+ cables without telling you which was which. If the cable market is correct, you should be able to unequivocally tell the difference 10 out of 10 times, which I'm sure anyone would be hard pressed to do.
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