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Can Highend IC improve equipment downstream??

An audiophile friend made the following argument to me:

"Stop looking for a new CD player. With a very good to excellent high-end interconnect you will not only improve the performance of the CD, but other downstream components."

I had to disagree with my friend claiming a $400 or $500 IC is not going to first, magically transform the playback sound quality of a $1000.00 CD player, or secondly, also improve the sound quality of downstream components. Improvements might be just marginal or moderate.

It strikes me that every level of CD player is designed with a set performance goal accomplished by the quality of its parts and construction. There is limit to what it can do. Obviously, a $50 IC will not bring it to peak performance like a $350 to $500 cable. And, there may even be ICs in the $250 range that may get a player close to that goal Let us assume for this issue the components can ALSO be either separates or an integrated amp

Maybe, I am wrong and my friend is right. Nevertheless, I think my friend's argument is based more on selling me on the idea than qualifying his point.

I recall seeing in a recent thread about speaker cable recommendations where a member advised the poster to.... "change speakers first before going out and dropping a $1000 plus on new speaker cables" Obviously, the member felt that speakers of the poster were the weak link in the audio chain, not the cable on electronics.

Would like to hear pros and cons on this issue. Jim
sunnyjim
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Well it all depends. Sometimes a component is an 'bottleneck' and not much 'improvement' prior to that item will be easy to hear.
Then some other similar component, same price range, can allow amazingly better sound to pass through it.
So it boils down to the individual items.
cerrot's avatar
cerrot
1,606 posts
 
I do believe the largest item that is over looked are the cables. You need to buy the best you can afford. Speaker cables can cost as mush as speakers. The wont improve any component, but they will strangle them.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
The day I pay anywhere near as much for speaker cables as for the speakers... is way way AFTERALL ofthe following occur: Hell freezes over, Jesus returns, and I win both the Mega Millions AND the PowerBall top prizes lotto in the same week.
And even then i really doubt i would spend as much for stupid speaker wires as I do for a pair of speakers.
But i guess some folks would?
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I'll come clean, I've paid a little more for speaker cables than for the speakers attached to them. That being said, most of that is because I got a HELL of a deal on the speakers (90% off list price). I've never used speaker cables with a list price more than my speakers, though some have come close. I do know some who have spent considerably more (over triple) on speaker cables than on speakers, and who swear by the results. It takes all sorts I suppose.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
I suspect one can do better in the long run by cryoing existing cables and breaking them in on a cable cooker than by replacing them. No matter how much you have in the end you would have had even more if you had started off with more.
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