Wire, How Much Is Enough?

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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited July 2010
    What is the first thing they teach a recruit in the French Army boot camp?

    How to make a white surrender flag out of almost anything.

    The second thing?

    How to toss anything you may have in your hands away from the body when the arms are raised in surrender so they won't fall on the toes and cause an injury. Safety first!
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,420
    edited July 2010
    Did you know that the French Foreign Legion is their most decorated combat unit? As the name implies, it is made up mostly of foreign nationals. I cannot imagine why a foreigner would want to fight and die for a country that even her own people won't fight for.
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited July 2010
    what? So you mean monoprice wires are NOT the best stuff you can buy...?

    ok, ok, apparently not!

    So if you were working with a limited budget, would you spend the money on wires, or an amp? What would make the most difference in sound quality, lets say, in a setup like mine?

    I think money spent on the amp would be more noticeable then wires, and I'll just stick to my monoprice junk for now... but what do I know.
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited July 2010
    Basic level AudioQuest will be good wires. I would invest in the amp first. In the future you might check out Signal Cable for IC's and speaker cables. In my experience the Signal Cable stuff was better sounding with my system than some of the higher level AudioQuest wire.
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited July 2010
    I use lamp cord, but for short runs mainly coat hangers :D
    Truck setup
    Alpine 9856
    Phoenix Gold RSD65CS

    For Sale
    Polk SR6500
    Polk SR5250
    Polk SR104


    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited July 2010
    I prefer Wally World jumper cables, the alligator clips are the bomb!!! Better than spades or 'nanners

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited July 2010
    dkg999 wrote: »
    Basic level AudioQuest will be good wires. I would invest in the amp first. In the future you might check out Signal Cable for IC's and speaker cables. In my experience the Signal Cable stuff was better sounding with my system than some of the higher level AudioQuest wire.

    thanks bud, I was thinking along the same lines, just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something major here...
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
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  • gimpod
    gimpod Posts: 1,793
    edited July 2010
    Personally i prefer to straighten out paper clip's (the cheap ones 10,000 for $1.50) and solder them together with acid core solder for speaker wire and IC's, They have a really neat sound :p:rolleyes::D
    “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain
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  • inspiredsports
    inspiredsports Posts: 5,501
    edited July 2010
    Lietuvis91 wrote: »
    what? So you mean monoprice wires are NOT the best stuff you can buy...?

    ok, ok, apparently not!

    So if you were working with a limited budget, would you spend the money on wires, or an amp? What would make the most difference in sound quality, lets say, in a setup like mine?

    I think money spent on the amp would be more noticeable then wires, and I'll just stick to my monoprice junk for now... but what do I know.

    At one point the OP's signature read, "You aren't done with wire and ready for upgrades and other tweaks until you are totally done with wire." so I don't think you are even allowed to buy an amp until you get your wires right. ;)
    VTL ST50 w/mods / RCA6L6GC / TlfnknECC801S
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited July 2010
    I wouldn't.
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • doctor r
    doctor r Posts: 837
    edited July 2010
    All my wires seem to have the before mentioned political leanings. I can't seem to get the right and left to get along. If I have them side by side in the same direction there is always some sort of interferance. Only when the are fully seperated and only cross at 90 degrees is there any sort of harmony and quiet. I never realized it was thier polical leanings causing the conflict. I should have known it had nothing to do with all that "physics" that everyone was trying to pawn off as truth.
    integrated w/DAC module Gryphon Diablo 300
    server Wolf Alpha 3SX
    phono pre Dynamic Sounds Associates Phono II
    turntable/tonearms Origin Live Sovereign Mk3 dual arm, Origin Live Enterprise Mk4, Origin Live Illustrious Mk3c
    cartridges Miyajima Madake, Ortofon Windfeld Ti, Ortofon
    speakers Rockport Mira II
    cables Synergistic Research Cables, Gryphon VPI XLR, Sablon 2020 USB
    rack Adona Eris 6dw
    ultrasonic cleaner Degritter
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  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited July 2010
    gim54pod wrote: »
    Personally i prefer to straighten out paper clip's (the cheap ones 10,000 for $1.50) and solder them together with acid core solder for speaker wire and IC's, They have a really neat sound :p:rolleyes::D

    Add a lightbulb or 2 in the mix for a more 'tubular' sound :p

    Preferably the GE's from Wal-mart.
    Truck setup
    Alpine 9856
    Phoenix Gold RSD65CS

    For Sale
    Polk SR6500
    Polk SR5250
    Polk SR104


    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,420
    edited July 2010
    kawizx9r wrote: »
    Add a lightbulb or 2 in the mix for a more 'tubular' sound :p

    Preferably the GE's from Wal-mart.

    Agreed 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000%

    I find the CFL bulbs just don't have quite the same output as the vintage bulbs do and they tend to create quite a mess when they pop. :D
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    Agreed 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000%

    I find the CFL bulbs just don't have quite the same output as the vintage bulbs do

    That bug's me too. I have 2 of them in a lamp, and each is rated 60W. Yet, even with both on there does not seem to be enough light for reading. It is almost false advertising. Label them 40W, or lower, not 60W. And, why aren't there any 80W or 100W CFL bulbs?
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
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    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,378
    edited July 2010
    Vintage bulbs, I like that. The Vintage filament bulbs do seem to have a warmth that you just don't get with the CFL. The CFL is often cold and adds odd coloration. Sure the vintage bulbs are less efficient but, in my opinion, you just can't beat them for output quality. Not to mention, they work much better in the Easy Bake Oven than CFL does.
    Stan

    Main 2ch:
    Polk LSi15 (DB840 upgrade), Parasound: P/LD-1100, HCA-1000A; Denon: DVD-2910, DRM-800A; Benchmark DAC1, Monster HTS3600-MKII, Grado SR-225i; Technics SL-J2, Parasound PPH-100.

    HT:
    Marantz SR7010, Polk: RTA11TL (RDO198-1, XO and Damping Upgrades), S4, CS250, PSW110 , Marantz UD5005, Pioneer PL-530, Panasonic TC-P42S60

    Other stuff:
    Denon: DRA-835R, AVR-888, DCD-660, DRM-700A, DRR-780; Polk: S8, Monitor 5A, 5B, TSi100, RM7, PSW10 (DXi104 upgrade); Pioneer: CT-6R; Onkyo CP-1046F; Ortofon OM5E, Marantz: PM5004, CD5004, CDR-615; Parasound C/PT-600, HCA-800ii, Sony CDP-650ESD, Technics SA 5070, B&W DM601
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  • kawizx9r
    kawizx9r Posts: 5,150
    edited July 2010
    Cryo your light bulbs!
    Truck setup
    Alpine 9856
    Phoenix Gold RSD65CS

    For Sale
    Polk SR6500
    Polk SR5250
    Polk SR104


    heiney9 wrote: »
    Any clue how to use the internet? Found it in about 10 sec.
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  • nooshinjohn
    nooshinjohn Posts: 25,420
    edited July 2010
    skrol wrote: »
    Not to mention, they work much better in the Easy Bake Oven than CFL does.

    I find coat hangers shoved into the tube socket of an Easy Bake Oven is a great way to demonstrate the power of a microwave oven. It also helps in creating that Smell-a-vision effect that works so well with 3D-TV's, making them 4D tv's.

    Any word on when Uncle Hugh is launching his DD sets?:D
    The Gear... Carver "Statement" Mono-blocks, Mcintosh C2300 Arcam AVR20, Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, Sony XBR70x850B 4k, Polk Audio Legend L800 with height modules, L400 Center Channel Polk audio AB800 "in-wall" surrounds. Marantz MM7025 stereo amp. Simaudio Moon 680d DSD

    “When once a Republic is corrupted, there is no possibility of remedying any of the growing evils but by removing the corruption and restoring its lost principles; every other correction is either useless or a new evil.”— Thomas Jefferson
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  • TECHNOKID
    TECHNOKID Posts: 4,298
    edited July 2010
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    I'm pretending to be a guru now :D, but anyway, for real . . .

    "bated" is a contraction of "abated" through loss of the unstressed first vowel (a process called aphesis); it means “reduced, lessened, lowered in force”. So bated breath refers to a state in which you almost stop breathing as a result of some strong emotion, such as terror or awe.
    You are indeed a thrue GURU :eek:
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    I remember way back in the mid '70's the powers that be spent a ton of money to extend an interstate highway around our community. They had to acquire lots of property and were criticized at the time for overkill. But . . . very quickly the community grew and grew and grew. No further expenditures were needed beyond normal maintenance, and 3+ decades later that investment in infrastructure was a stroke of genius.

    I'm sure it's not a perfect analogy, but good wires might be considered infrastructure. As most of us tend to upgrade our systems, wires considered overkill today will probably be appreciated over the years to come.
    Sure, we should all mortgage around our humble set-ups, sure will pay off some day ;)
    concealer404 wrote: »
    Cables and wire are both magic. Magic is expensive. Sell the house, buy cable, and PROFIT.
    The power of magic always been a good seller. Oh holy mistic cables and wires, I believe and I worship you :D
    kawizx9r wrote: »
    Goodluck with the sale!
    Nah, he is in Ben's turf :eek: Take the woodieGURU away from the cable holy grail :(
    Keiko wrote: »
    Don't kiss & tell, please.
    Shoot some Pie, you won't feel left out :p
    zombie boy 2000 wrote: »
    I always thought the cable naysayers were Libertarians. Guess I learned something new today.
    Nah, I'm not libertarian, I'm CANADIAN!!
    DARE TO SOAR:
    “Your attitude, almost always determine your altitude in life” ;)
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited July 2010
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    At one point the OP's signature read, "You aren't done with wire and ready for upgrades and other tweaks until you are totally done with wire." so I don't think you are even allowed to buy an amp until you get your wires right. ;)

    There's a novel idea; buy really nice high end cables and build your system around them.:rolleyes:
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited July 2010
    inspiredsports wrote: »
    I set my Shotgun S2's to the far left once and they started taking sound quality from my turntable and giving it my CD Player! ;)

    Hahaha!!! Now that right there is funny, I don't care who you are!
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  • JPSmario
    JPSmario Posts: 142
    edited July 2010
    nooshinjohn wrote: »
    i find coat hangers shoved into the tube socket of an easy bake oven is a great way to demonstrate the power of a microwave oven. It also helps in creating that smell-a-vision effect that works so well with 3d-tv's, making them 4d tv's.:d

    rotflmao
    Dual 1229/Grado Gold/Rotel RCD1070/RC995/RB980BX/Pioneer 7100/Denon DRM710/Monster HTS3600MKII/PolkAudio SDA2B/TL's
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