All those used cables on Audigon / what's up?

Joey_V

Flash21 wrote:

But I can't resist pointing out that differs somewhat from your previous statement:

I wont buy into high priced interconnects, wire, powercords.... how's that for clarification? Good quality, fine. But I wont use interconnects to tweak my system ever. That's just me, but I can find better uses for $1000 instead of on a set of Audioquest speaker wires.

But again... that's just me.

If we're talking about $50-100 interconnects, count me in... but I thought this thread was about the mega-buck types.. and I dont roll like that.

Skynut

I kinda agree there.
I feel like they make a difference but not if they are too expensive.
I have alot of money in wires but I have alot of wires.
My interconnects are like $40.00 a pair + shipping and I have some nice power cables but they were only like $120.00 each.
I am not willing (at this time) to spend $200.00+ for a pair of ic's when I need so many to hook up my system.
Later (when I am rich) I would be willing to pay alot more just for fun.

polkatese

Skynut wrote:

I am not willing (at this time) to spend $200.00+ for a pair of ic's when I need so many to hook up my system.

Skynut, I suggest to spend your money on IC where it will make a difference. For instance, I would never thought of putting MIT Shotgun on my HT system:1) too expensive, 2) with its passive network, it would be impractical and hard to do in my setup.

I passed that point (the psychological barrier of over $200 i/cs) just recently. My new finding is: Synergy between cables: from power cord, to i/c, to speaker cables, is very critical, even more important than the individual cable itself So, from price-point perspective, it may not be as relevant as the consistency of brand-synergy within the chain.

Skynut

polkatese wrote:

Skynut, I suggest to spend your money on IC where it will make a difference. For instance, I would never thought of putting MIT Shotgun on my HT system:1) too expensive, 2) with its passive network, it would be impractical and hard to do in my setup.

I passed that point (the psychological barrier of over $200 i/cs) just recently. My new finding is: Synergy between cables: from power cord, to i/c, to speaker cables, is very critical, even more important than the individual cable itself So, from price-point perspective, it may not be as relevant as the consistency of brand-synergy within the chain.

I agree, all my cables are the same manufacturer.
I would not be interested in mixing cables in a 5.1 system. Therefore I would need to replace 12 cables plus the sub at the same time to really compare.

F1nut

Joey_V wrote:

Why? Because speakers and amps yield a MUCH larger difference in sound than wire??

Hmmmm.......could it be that you think that way because you've never tried high end cables? Bottom line is that every piece of the chain counts and that includes cables.

Joey_V

F1nut wrote:

Hmmmm.......could it be that you think that way because you've never tried high end cables? Bottom line is that every piece of the chain counts and that includes cables.

So are you saying that you would spend $1000 of your own money on a speaker wire pair instead of upgrading your amp? Lets not forget that this speaker wire pair may or may not work well "synergy-wise" with your next system, should you choose to upgrade.

All I'm saying is that cables are the last things to tweak as they yield minimal changes to the overall tone.

F1nut

I just bought new cables with a retail of $1650.00 for my shop rig, so the answer would be yes. As for "mininal changes" I would have to disagree as they can be quite defining.

pjdami

Audiogon is just a great place to buy used wire and dump it if you are not happy with it. I've spent up to $1,000 on used ICs and speaker wire from a very reputable (great reviews) company before and as hard as I tried to like it in one of my systems I could not get it to work out for me (sounded too dark) so I sold them after offering here on the flea market first.

Synergy and what you like is what matters. Everyone is going to be different and have a different "standard" to how music should sound. I have kimber wire that I use on one system with great success but hate the way it sounds on another system. Does it make it sound bad?? Well no, but the tone changes particularly in the upper frequencies. Yeah, kind of subtle, but when you get used to how your system sounds and really listen it kind of matters to some folks.

VR3

I buy cables for one reason and one reason only. (Aside from the fact Ive heard them make a difference)..

And that is because I didn't spend 3,000+ to put 50 dollars worth of cables behind my setup.

read-alot

And how can you question a guy thats got 10 thousand more posts than me and we started at the same time.

BTW the MITs are staying, everyone including the Maltese lap dog can tell a difference for the better.

Joey_V

F1nut wrote:

I just bought new cables with a retail of $1650.00 for my shop rig, so the answer would be yes. As for "mininal changes" I would have to disagree as they can be quite defining.

And this shop rig.. what is it and how much did it cost you?

If you say $2000 or less, you need to have your wallet taken away from you. If you say over $10000, then I can sort of see why you would spend that much and not flinch.

F1nut

Joey, Although I have a complete set up for the shop I'm replacing a few more pieces, so I'm not sure what the bottom line will be yet. However, that's not the point. I spend a lot of time in the shop, so naturally I want to enjoy that system and that is the point for all of us, right?

Joey_V

I understand that completely F1, it's just that I think that the cables should match the price of the system relatively. I wouldnt ever think of spending $2000 on cables on a $2000 speaker set. However, I wouldnt mind spending $100 on a $2000 set. That's just me though, you may be different.... after all, it's all in the name of enjoyment.

F1nut

I understand what you are saying. There is no rule of thumb, but some folks think that the cost of their cables should be in relation to the cost of the entire set up, not just the speakers. One thing I do know is that the better the gear, the more one is likely to realize the benefits of better cables.

madmax

Something I've found is that it is not totally related to cost. Generally the more expensive the amp and source the better it sounds with higher priced cables. However, I've had some fairly expensive amps which I could not tell any difference in what cables I use. But, I've had a few inexpensive amps where the difference is big. I think the rule of thumb is if you have the cash laying around you try what seems interesting and if it dosen't do anything for you and your system, you can always switch back to something less expensive until you change things around next time. I have found you cannot try it once and make a lifetime conclusion that it matters or not.
madmax

LuSh

Hmmm I can understand why people trade in and out cables so often. Joey_V if somebody actually explained it to you you might think differently. Cables and other tone controls are much easier trying out then say amps and speakers. Try buying and selling then shipping 4 amps over a year. It's not fun. PC, Interconnects and Speaker wire is much easier to ship. In some cases a $1000 interconnect might be as big an upgrade as $1000 spent on an amp. Keep in mind few people on Audiogon actually buy new.

Most people buy used, then upgrade and sell off their old cables. After a year or two you gradually go from using pretty entry level stuff to using pretty good stuff and only spend a couple hundred here and there. Some cables, like the current Audience Masetro speaker wire I'm using has slowed my want to upgrade my speakers.

Skynut

F1nut wrote:

I understand what you are saying. There is no rule of thumb, but some folks think that the cost of their cables should be in relation to the cost of the entire set up, not just the speakers. One thing I do know is that the better the gear, the more one is likely to realize the benefits of better cables.

I have read several different places that if you are planning to build a system from scratch that the "rule of thumb" is 10% of the total cost of the system should be considered for the wires.
This is just a starting point and I believe is intended to make people remember that wires are going to need to be purchased and are improtant.

Ferres

In my personal experience, wires do make a difference. But as prices go up, the benefit/price ratio gets lower. I settled on not spending a certain amount for cables.

I have settled on the lsi9 as my mains. I like the fact that every few upgrades I make gives more life to these speakers.

Cables have very long burn in times, safe bet is 2 weeks to find their optimum effect. So sometimes, the pay off comes a bit later with use.

Skynut

Compared to everything else in the system cables seem like an easy thing to swap out.
If you don't go overboard on price there is always the option of holding onto any cables that are worty of trying again if you change out another component.
If I spent over $200.00 on cables and did not like them they would be sold off.