Cables (in which order of importance?)

tophatjohnny
tophatjohnny Posts: 4,182
in Electronics
Ok, so this must have been covered before but I have to ask in which order of importance do you have your cables assigned? Meaning to those that have good, better and best interconnects, which piece of gear gets the good, better and best. For me, I have the power amp, a pre amp, a Cambridge Stream Magic and a cable tv box. I'm thinking the amp to the pre outs in the pre amp should get the best, the better cables should go from the pre amp to the stream magic, and the good cables to the cable box. Is that a plan?? Eventually I will have all great interconnects, but damn things are expensive??????? lol
"if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
*****************************
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Best Answers

  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    Answer ✓
    There is no hard and fast rule. What you suggest sounds reasonable, but try swapping them later and see if it gets better or worse.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    Answer ✓
    BlueFox wrote: »
    There is no hard and fast rule. What you suggest sounds reasonable, but try swapping them later and see if it gets better or worse.
    I'd agree here.

    The other thing is to think where you REALLY care about getting good quality from. I have this "feeling" your StreamMagic is where your high rez stuff starts v your cable box.

    I'd tend to think you cant clean up a dirty signal, so maybe put the best on the Stream Magic so your giving the pre-amp the BEST possible signal to work with, then your second best from pre to amp. Your worst from cable box to pre-amp because who cares "as" much about TV quality v music?

    But like bluefox said, you will have to tweak em as you can...

    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    Answer ✓
    here's food for thought. let's assume that the $1000 interconnect is better than the $500 interconnect from the same manufacturer.

    A. $1000 B. $500

    which of these combinations do you think would sound better? in which order?

    1. source: A amp/pre: B
    2. source: B amp/pre: A
    3. source: B amp/pre: B
    4. source: A amp/pre: A


    in my experience in my system I would go as written, 1, 2, 3, 4.
    this can all be negated by your source, preamp, amp, speaker cables, or speakers not being at the same quality level.
    I guess what I am trying to say is you have to look at (listen to) everything as a system.

    tough huh? but fun.
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
    Preamp: deHavilland Ultraverve 3
    Dac: Sonnet Morpheus 2, Musical Paradise mp-d2 mkIII
    Transport: Jay's Audio CDT2 mk2, Lumin U1 mini
    Speakers: Rosso Fiorentino Volterra II
    Speaker Cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Organic Audio Organic Reference 2
    Interconnects: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2, Argento Organic Reference 2, Argento Organic 2
    Power Cables: Argento Organic Reference, Synergistic Research Foundation 10 and 12 ga.
    Digital cables: Crystal Clear Magnum Opus 2 bnc, Tellurium Q aes, Silnote Audio Poseidon Signature 2 bnc
    Puritan PSM156
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  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,843
    Answer ✓
    marvda1 wrote: »
    here's food for thought. let's assume that the $1000 interconnect is better than the $500 interconnect from the same manufacturer.

    A. $1000 B. $500

    which of these combinations do you think would sound better? in which order?

    1. source: A amp/pre: B
    2. source: B amp/pre: A
    3. source: B amp/pre: B
    4. source: A amp/pre: A


    in my experience in my system I would go as written, 1, 2, 3, 4.
    this can all be negated by your source, preamp, amp, speaker cables, or speakers not being at the same quality level.
    I guess what I am trying to say is you have to look at (listen to) everything as a system.

    tough huh? but fun.

    It depends, in the end, on the sound you like. For example: I have some AQ Sky interconnects and some AQ King Cobra interconnects. The SKY ICs are much more costly than the King Cobras. The Sky ICs also produce a brighter sound than the King Cobras.

    The Sky ICs seem to my ears to introduce brightness when they are between the pre and the amps that does not occur to the same extent when the Sky ICs are between the DAC/CD player and the pre and the King Cobras are between the pre and the amps.

    Maybe just my ears, but I'm not sure cost is the determining factor. You just have to trade ICs in and out and go with what you like best as you listen.
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

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Answers

  • vmaxer
    vmaxer Posts: 5,117
    I have been advised that you should start with the source and work through the system??
    Pio Elete Pro 520
    Panamax 5400-EX
    Sunfire TGP 5
    Micro Seiki DD-40 - Lyra-Dorian and Denon DL-160
    PS Audio GCPH phono pre
    Sunfire CG 200 X 5
    Sunfire CG Sig 405 X 5
    OPPO BDP-83 SE
    SDA SRS 1.2TL Sonicaps and Mills
    Ctr CS1000p
    Sur - FX1000 x 4
    SUB - SVS PB2-Plus

    Workkout room:
    Sony Bravia XBR- 32-Inch 1080p
    Onkyo TX-DS898
    GFA 555
    Yamaha DVD-S1800BL/SACD
    Ft - SDA 1C

    Not being used:
    RTi 38's -4
    RT55i's - 2
    RT25i's -2, using other 2 in shop
    LSI 15's
    CSi40
    PSW 404
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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    This is a hard one. For me, i have had cables that made my rig sound like someone put a blanket over them. What source do you listen to the most after the amp / preamp? You can get some good sounding cables for not a lot of $. Doug, and Signal both have good cables for not a lot of $.
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • Msabot1
    Msabot1 Posts: 2,098
    Good rule of thumb....start with the source...and build out.....
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  • Msabot1
    Msabot1 Posts: 2,098
    Power cords?? I think you misunderstood...keeping the cabling uniform if possible from source to end to achieve balance...that is the goal....If you are getting amplified noise from an AC source..then you have other issues...and swapping IC's or speaker wiring isn't going to remedy that....
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    go to Signal Cable and start there. If you can tell a difference there, then continue on the cable journey. Audioquest also makes great cables, just make sure you are aware of fake cables if buying on ebay.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • tophatjohnny
    tophatjohnny Posts: 4,182
    edited September 2014
    Thanks for the great answers. With the cables I now have in place, I think I'm good. (I said "I think") lol Anyway, the 2 sets of interconnects I have and all I need for my set up are both very high quality and while I have switched them around, I can hear the difference, while between the two higher end sets, not as much, so I'm staying with the better sounding set between my pre amp and the stream magic 6 and the other from pre to amp! Both of which are real nice ropes!! I hops this puts a major fork in my but!! I feel done!!
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    DSkip wrote: »
    You never know how much noise you have until its gone.

    Very good point. Noise in most cases is blamed on something else, misunderstood. Just like those who say "they have to see it to believe it", in this case you "have to hear the absence of it to believe it".

    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
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