interconnects and cables

pmckeealaska

OK......I got lots of good suggestions as far as what company and what cables to get, so I thought I would put several of the leading companies names out here and take a tally to see which one comes out the most highly recommended. So here it goes. The most oft mentioned companies are:

BlueJean Cable
Signal Cable
Audioquest
MIT
Nordost
Straight Wire

OK.......I might go with which ever one gets the most votes, so lets here it people. In case anyone wants to know my system for voting purposes, it is as follows:

NAD T763 reciever (used as a pre-amp for 2 channel music)
Rotel RB 1080 2 channel amp
Denon DVD 2900 Universal DVD player
Polk LSi 25 speakers (will complete an all LSi HT system this spring)

Right now I'm running everything with (ouch!!) MONSTER CABLES

goingganzo

i can make you a good digital audio cable and video cables of you want just a little over the cost of the parts

F1nut

MIT, of course.

mantis

Out of your list I would try Audioquest. I have heard many good things form a friends audio video company in Arizona.

If you want my personal opnion I perfer Kimber Kable over many of the brands you have on your list and more.

Nothing wrong with Monstercable Products. They perform at the expected level that they cost. There no where near the most expensive cables on the market. I perfer Monster over Straightwire as I was in shock when I demo'd the 2 companies. I thought Straight would kill monster audio but that was so far from the truth.

Monster makes good quality cables for the average Joe who is looking for better performance over Patch cables and Ar type brands. After that you need to look elsewhere.In my opnion Straightwire is no better then companies like signal cable who uses other brand wires, put ends on them , dresses them up to look pretty and sell them at a good price.

Signal cable is worth the money as I build the same exact kind of cables for a living.I don't dress them up as pretty with the braid but they perform the same. Quality for a great price.

You gotta listen to your system and figure out what it misses and what it does really well. When you replace cables , you will hear differences in the sound good or bad. You gotta judge these differences for yourself.

Monster may work wonders in your system and suck at others. Same with any kind of wire. It never sounds the same from system to system. Characteristics seem to follow but not always the way you want.

these things are learned with experience.Not by asking online people what wire to buy. Give some wire a try. See if any of the local stores will lend you wires to demo at home or buy with the option to return.

Also talk to audio video specialists in you area on what wires would be the ideal to put in your system in what they sell. You'll be suprised in what yu may learn

Dan

Toxis

the three I'm trying to decide between right now are BetterCables, Cobalt and AViC. Worth looking into.

dragon1952

The thing I don't like about BlueJeans audio interconnects is that they all use a single conductor coaxial design. It's a 75 0hm cable great for digital or video. I just don't think it's the optimum analog design. I do have a pair and I originally bought them for audio but have swithced them to video. Great video cable. I have a pair of AudioQuest Opals and also a couple pair of Outlaw PCA's which are much better for analog audio. Can't comment on the others. The better AudioQuests can run into some bucks. The Outlaws are a great value.

PolkThug

I can make you a digital coax out of coathanger, no charge.

danger boy

i like Signal Cable 2 with bullet plug connectors. can't beat em for the price.. plus you get a discount for being a member here. Any other cables give discounts like that? hee hee hee!

cfrizz

For what it's worth, I like my Blue Jeans cable just fine. I will continue to buy them as needed.

TroyD

Monster makes good quality cables for the average Joe who is looking for better performance over Patch cables and Ar type brands

Eff Monster. AR's entry cables are every bit as good. I wouldn't use Monster cables if they were GIVEN to me.

.In my opnion Straightwire is no better then companies like signal cable who uses other brand wires, put ends on them , dresses them up to look pretty and sell them at a good price

All Straightwire? Which version? Like every other company, there are several grades....depends on what you levels you are comparing, I suppose. I have Straightwire bi-wire cables on my LSi9's and like 'em a lot.

First you say this:

these things are learned with experience.Not by asking online people what wire to buy

and then you say this:

Also talk to audio video specialists in you area on what wires would be the ideal to put in your system in what they sell. You'll be suprised in what yu may learn

Huh?

So, it's NOT ok to ask our opinions, as of course, we aren't pro's but it IS ok to ask your local Tweeter salesman. :rolleyes:

Sorry, but there are some folks 'online' even in this forum that know a hell of a lot more than some of the so called pro's.

Crackpot.

I think it's good to ask different folks what they use. Many of us have gone through this by trial and error and can tell you what works and doesn't work for us. In doing so, bare in mind that A. we all hear things different and B. what I like, you may not. I also pay attention to folks (like in my case Russ G. and hoosier21) who have similar gear, like the similar gear and have similar tastes in music.

BDT

2+2

AR's entry cables are every bit as good.

And if you go to AR's Pro Series II cables, they are better than MC at about 4X the price....I did A/B with MC Reference Intercon 100 and AR Pro IIs. ARs are much better value and sound better too... I like and use knukonceptz silver coated interconnects for my main system.....$40/pr and sounds good....better than MC and AR...never tried other brands except Blue Jeans which I didn't like at all (belden coax based) and RShack.

mantis

Eff Monster. AR's entry cables are every bit as good. I wouldn't use Monster cables if they were GIVEN to me.

Thats fine. Your intitled to your opnion. No ones twisting your arm to use em. Hell I don't use em but someone may like the way they perform. I'm not the judge of that in someone elses system.

All Straightwire? Which version? Like every other company, there are several grades....depends on what you levels you are comparing, I suppose. I have Straightwire bi-wire cables on my LSi9's and like 'em a lot.

Chorus interconnect vs M550i. I perferred at that time the Monster. I was excitied to try out Straight in my system as I never had it before that time. If the Bi wires are working for yeah I see on reason not to use em. Glad to hear your digging them.

So, it's NOT ok to ask our opinions, as of course, we aren't pro's but it IS ok to ask your local Tweeter salesman.

Nothing worng with asking opnions. But little is going to be learned if no experience follows. Advice is advice. Same as mine. If it works for yeah then you gained something from it, if nothing was gained then the jesture or advise is what it is.He may very well have a few good retailers that carry different brands of wire. Tweeter only carries Monster so Monster is what they will sell. I never said just go to Tweeter and they will steer him in the right direction. This is where you act like a jerk.

Sorry, but there are some folks 'online' even in this forum that know a hell of a lot more than some of the so called pro's.

Again your sounding like a jerk once again. No reason to insult people for what they do for a living. I will agree that there are many people around here and other places that know there stuff.
But they are limited to ones or theres and there friends system. You can't match experiences. Pro's like myself are around gear and different system 50 to 70 hours a week. You learn a great deal in the field and I don't find it nessary to degrade that. You do for whatever your reasons are but in my eyes your a jerk. One of the reason you and I will never get along. I have no time for it Troy and I wish you didn't.

Crackpot.

Again a comment of a true jerk. I would use other words but jerk makes my point. I have no time for people like this.

I think it's good to ask different folks what they use. Many of us have gone through this by trial and error and can tell you what works and doesn't work for us. In doing so, bare in mind that A. we all hear things different and B. what I like, you may not. I also pay attention to folks (like in my case Russ G. and hoosier21) who have similar gear, like the similar gear and have similar tastes in music.

Finally some intelligence comes out of this awful persons fingertips. This isn't bad advise even considering the source.It speaks of experience with gear and trial and error. My points for years.It also talks about what works in THERE system which again is fine.

To end this waste of time post here on someones thead trying to learn something , maybe something else can be learned as well.
Troy seems to be a good teacher.

Dan

Toxis

Personally, I'm leaning towards Cobalt Cable right now. They seem to be very good cables from what I've been reading, and I'm very impressed with their customer service. I like bettercables but from my few questions I asked them, the guy came off as a total **** who was bothered with me asking a question. No biggie, I can buy elsewhere. Plus, Cobalt has 10% off right now. AViC has 15% off for anyone who's wondering and they definitely look like a nice cable with a very well put together website (which impresses me). Unfortunately, to many companies throw together a website that looks like an AOL project. That kind of stuff shows what kind of company you're dealing with... again, to me at least.

TroyD

A jerk I may be ( a little Dan lingo, there).....

However, the fact remains that the number of truly honest, unbiased and knowledgeable sales folks are a pretty rare breed. Not to mention that they also have a living to make so the temptation to point you to the cable with the greatest margins do exist.

IMO, the BEST and most unbiased source of knowledge and information is in forums such as this. Experience? Are you joking? George has been listening to different gear, to include wires etc before most of us were born. Look at our cable demo program. Hell, I've got AQ, MIT, Signal, Straightwire, DH Labs, Tributaries all laying around as do most of the forum and that's just THIS forum. Peruse audioasylum and some of the other forums....there are guys out there who know thier business.

Finally, I'm sick of the 'pros KNOW' attitude. I've got a friend of mine, retired MSgt who has since moved to St. Louis who works with his brother as an installer for a high-end St. Louis shop, name escapes me at the moment. According to him, they open boxes, run a few cables and that's 99% of the job. Very few of them, according to Kevin, have any real gear to speak of. They don't spend thier days 'demoing thier face off', they spend it working. They do do some high dollar installs but according to him, they are all laid out before hand. Pretty much all they do is deliver the boxes and install according to the plan laid out by the salesman and designer, as applicable. Now, I'm not saying there isn't a certain experience factor, but it's a level easily attainable by anyone and certainly shouldn't be diefied.

Bottom line, do your homework and trust your own ears.

BDT

McLoki

I like my blue jeans cables just fine. I was looking for something decent but inexpensive and they fit the bill well. I am not saying they are the be all or end all, but for the price they work well and are hard to beat.

Michael

mantis

OK so we agree on something a jerk you are but....

Troy your views and points I have no problem with . Knowledge is good no mater where you find it. Funny thing is knowledge is found in the strangest places. George and alot of other guys in here know a great deal about this hobby of ours. I'm sure he has more experience then myself. If I remember correctly he use to sell audio and video back in the day.

This whole Pro **** is old Troy. Just because there are many buttholes who work in this industry , open boxes and put thing where they are suppost to go doesn't mean all installers or Pro's in your terms are drowns. I'm sorry Troy but I have learned a great deal about our hobby since I became an Installer over 5 years ago. Wire length ohms law , Networking , programing , whole house automation , lighting control , heating control , the list goes on and on man. The way you feel about that is your opnion and I'm not going to attempt to change it. I don't have time for it.

Let me say this Troy ,
your right about your friend. I know many like that. Alot of guys get into this bussiness not saying this is true about your friend but the way you stated what and how he feels about is job is he is a box opener and doesn't get much training in his field. I have no idea who he works for but where I work we learn so much out of the field. I and many others are actually have a passion for this.I was a hobbiest before I was a PRO. Hell I got my job offered to me because the manager felt I knew as much or more then most of his staff as a customer.

I want this **** to end here and now. I would like to stop all the back and forth bashing. This dick measuring contest has become extremely old and I think it's best we stop it. You can continue what you do if you wish but I'm done with it.

I will post the way I feel is right and if you don't like it tuff ****. If I'm talking to you directly then thats a different story , I'f I'm talking to someone else then mind your own **** bussiness.

Eff off Troy I'm done with you.

TroyD

Look, Dan, far as the whole 'pro' thing goes....this is my point:

Let's say you are looking for a car. You want the best car that you can buy on your budget. Ok, who do you think that your most OBJECTIVE source of information is? A freakin' SALESMAN? Are you JOKING?

Now, you COULD ask your friends who all own cars (albeit not professional salesman, some of whom may have owned cars on a non-professional basis for decades) and all have thier own unique experiences. If you talk to folks with similar budgets, likes and dislikes they may be a valuable source of information.

Now, let's say you go see a pro. Go to the Ford dealership, you think he's going to recommend a Chevy that might be a better fit for you? It's the same freakin' principle.

I'm not knocking what you do, Dan. Frankly, I don't care. What does irk me is the notion that somehow audio salesman are above market forces. They are salesman. Not saying they are all bad but they aren't this merry group of philanthropists only concerned about making sure everyone has the ideal gear. Those that I've run accross that DO fit this bill generally deal in a level of gear that few around here could afford. If this doesn't apply to you, hey, AWESOME, but the fact is you would be the EXCEPTION rather than the rule. ESPECIALLY at Tweeter. They have families to feed too. I'm saying that non-pro's are probably a BETTER (in many cases) source of info than a salesman.

I'm also not saying that installers are 'drones' (correct spelling). Kevin and his brother, Mike, are both VERY intelligent people as I am sure you are. However, it's a job, not unlike anyone else's.

I don't care to continue a dick measuring contest either, however, if you spew forth a bunch of crap, I will call you out on it as I would anyone else and you've been peddling this particular pantload for a LONG time.

That's all I'm saying.

I thought that you had been an installer for longer than five years?

BDT

TroyD

Wow, when Dan is pissed he doesn't sound so much like a fortune cookie.

Guess that whole Zen thing went MIA for a few minutes.

BDT

Willow

right now I'm using AR pro II and enjoy them very much, they beat what came with the gear and are better sounding than AR reg cables.....I have yet to listen to anything more expensive so I can't comment and if I did I wouldn't know what I was saying.

dragon1952

You know......no matter what forum, cable discussions always seem to bring out the best in us. Things like harmony, agreement, love.....ahhhh the love......just basking in the warm glow!

pmckeealaska

Wow!! I didn't realize my original question would raise so many peoples hackles! I was simply trying to get some opinions on which cables and interconnects to switch to from Monster, and then it became a big pissing match. Sorry about that. Just feel lucky you guys arent here in Fairbanks right now.......it was
-53 below zero when I woke up this morning.

Which brings me to a secondary point that I should have mentioned in my original post. Since Fairbanks Alaska is definately an "end of the road" kind of town, there is really noone in town thatt sells really good quality cable and so there is no way for me to test any products without buying first. Thats why I was asking what I was asking, since I'm probably going to have to but more or less blind. Thanks again and in the words of the great prophet Rodney King "can't we all just get along?"

F1nut

Ah, there is a way for you to try cables for next to nothing, check out http://www.fatwyre.com/ You can "rent" cables from them.

cfrizz

How about boxing up the cables that everyone has been testing out here on the board and sending them up to him? He can check them out, see if there is anything that strikes his fancyand then he can return them.

This way he gets some exposure to good cables and has a better idea what he likes and wants to get.

Just a thought.

Cathy

TroyD

Originally posted by pmckeealaska
Wow!! I didn't realize my original question would raise so many peoples hackles! I was simply trying to get some opinions on which cables and interconnects to switch to from Monster, and then it became a big pissing match. Sorry about that. Just feel lucky you guys arent here in Fairbanks right now.......it was
-53 below zero when I woke up this morning.

Which brings me to a secondary point that I should have mentioned in my original post. Since Fairbanks Alaska is definately an "end of the road" kind of town, there is really noone in town thatt sells really good quality cable and so there is no way for me to test any products without buying first. Thats why I was asking what I was asking, since I'm probably going to have to but more or less blind. Thanks again and in the words of the great prophet Rodney King "can't we all just get along?"

Really, my hackles are just fine. I just vehemently reject Dan's line of thought that the average audio enthusiast couldn't possibly know what we are talking about and that the average A/V salesman/installer is some sort of cosmic guru. I believe that the level of knowledge of the average A/V salesman isn't that high nor is it remotely objective. In contrast, an enthusiast will be able to give you an opinion that isn't based on the desire to sell you something which leads me to believe that the great unwashed may have a better level of objectivity.

BDT

mantis

See Troy you get out of what I say to what you want out of it....twisted as I see it.

What I mean when I said what I said is the fact that anyone can give advise about cables. Re read my post and you'll find I said little can be learned here about sound.Sound is what I was talking about. You and I can run off a number of different brands and none of them may not sound as good as his monster or another brand he finds.My point is you gotta hear it for yourself.**** all the Pro and hobby ****. I didn't say people online are buttholes(except you but you do have some good experience with this hobby to share) and finding a salesman is who he should listen to, but to experience everything he can. Finding a local shop he can take some cables home and start trying **** out.

Zen I may leave out but nevertheless Here it will always be.

mantis

Read this Jerk

You gotta listen to your system and figure out what it misses and what it does really well. When you replace cables , you will hear differences in the sound good or bad. You gotta judge these differences for yourself.

Can you dig it?

Monster may work wonders in your system and suck at others. Same with any kind of wire. It never sounds the same from system to system. Characteristics seem to follow but not always the way you want.

Can you follow along???

these things are learned with experience.Not by asking online people what wire to buy. Give some wire a try. See if any of the local stores will lend you wires to demo at home or buy with the option to return.

Asking people online what to buy or anywhere is the wrong way to go with no demoing first.It's fine to say try this or that but without having that wire in your hands able to be installed in ones system it has no meaning. Also I don't see where the PRO thing comes in other then stop by a local audio video shop to see what they carry and if he can try some out. Or can't you read it correctly?

Also talk to audio video specialists in you area on what wires would be the ideal to put in your system in what they sell. You'll be suprised in what yu may learn

Just as asking someone online , a local shop could put together a level of cables that they sell as a good starting place. If they carry Audioquest , then the salesman could say "These cable may work well for yeah" of whatever level he feel is correct. don't see all this Pro **** here. When I worked for Soundex , everyone who worked there knew there ****. All of them where way into it and had a very deep passion for what they do. I assume you don't have these kinds of shops around your way. Tweeter is achain store like Circuit City. That doesn't mean we don't have a good group of people working for us. But not everyone who works for us has the same level of passion. I don't know the guys down your way but around mine , most of the guys are way into it and love it.

I also don't think Tweeter is the only or best place to buy cables. We only carry Monster so you don't have anything else to compare to. Monster is what Tweeter feels is the correct cable line to carry for what we do. You know what?? IT works just fine for most people.Theres nothing wrong with Monstercable. It's not for everyone Myself included but hell it's well made cable.

Around my way we have many different audio video shops that carry many different wire companies. I have access to just about everything. Maybe this dude does 2. Who the hell knows.

pmckeealaska

Let me makes this clear............I have NO, repeat, NO access to quality cables up here in Alaska. Alaska is the end of the road in the US. Now, in Anchorage, there are some places to get some cables, but the place is almost 400 miles south of Fairbanks. All you folks in the lower 48 don't know how good you have it. You need something, you just go out and pick it up. Not so in Alaska, if you want something, you have to order it sight (or in this case sound) unseen. It sucks, but that is the reality up here. Part of the price I pay for living in the best and most beautiful state in the union. I'm not complaining here, just stating the reality of my situation.

BTW, I really don't understand the level of hostility this thread has caused. For God's sake people, its not like we're discussing the war in Iraq or abortion.

F1nut

Ah my friend, you underestimate the passion involved with audio.

dorokusai

Pmckeealaska - I will add you to the top of the next two cable demo's that I launch this month. It will be a pair of speaker cables and interconnects.

As long as you promise to send them to the next person on the list, via the program rules, at your expense....I'll ship them to you directly.

Email me your shipping address.

pmckeealaska

I would send you my address, but I'm leaving the country for 5 weeks starting this Saturday. I'll be back on Feb. 19 and will certainly want to get in on the cable swap at that time, but I need some serious beach time right now. Winter can really suck up here.

dorokusai

Just email me when you get back.