Cables for new amp

Mauskar

Just wanted to know what type of cables are to be used to connect and amp to an HK receiver? And can someone recommend a site? Monoprice perhaps?

thnks

Polkitup2

Assuming you're HK has pre-outs you would use RCA cables. Monoprice, signal, blue jean etc...

tonyb

Any kind of rca cable,signal,monoprice,a gazzilion choices.Make sure they are long enough.Also look at audioquest,kimber.Ben also makes decent ones and a few can be found here on the for sale thread.You will need one cable for each channel,so if it's a 2 channel amp,you need 2 cables,got it?

Mauskar

got it. thanks guys!

ben62670

What kind of speakers, and amp do you have? If you have lower end stuff (like some of the stuff I still have) you won't see as much benefit from higher quality cables. Between the amp, and the receiver is not the place to skimp on cables. Like Tony suggested for cheaper cables I like the Kimber PBJ's. You can find these on Ebay pretty cheap. Usually around $30 for a meter pair if you spend a little time hunting down a good deal. If your speakers are a little bright I suggest the AQ EncoreII's to tame the highs a little. I do also sell cables. I am not going to plug my thoughts on my own cables, but you can search for ben62670, and silver for reviews.
here is a link to what I have to offer.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55854
The ones on the bottom right are the ones I recommend for most systems. They play nice with HK's.
From the little info posted (just knowing you have an HK) its hard to recommend the best cable for your situation.

Sherardp

signalcable, Analog I or II

Mauskar

Hey ben,

My current system is:

H/K AVR 347
2 Polk RTi10's (as fronts)
Adcom GFA 555

hope that helps. Let me know

THanks

Sag

ben62670 wrote: »

What kind of speakers, and amp do you have? If you have lower end stuff (like some of the stuff I still have) you won't see as much benefit from higher quality cables. Between the amp, and the receiver is not the place to skimp on cables. Like Tony suggested for cheaper cables I like the Kimber PBJ's. You can find these on Ebay pretty cheap. Usually around $30 for a meter pair if you spend a little time hunting down a good deal. If your speakers are a little bright I suggest the AQ EncoreII's to tame the highs a little. I do also sell cables. I am not going to plug my thoughts on my own cables, but you can search for ben62670, and silver for reviews.
here is a link to what I have to offer.
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55854
The ones on the bottom right are the ones I recommend for most systems. They play nice with HK's.
From the little info posted (just knowing you have an HK) its hard to recommend the best cable for your situation.

ben62670

That cool. Worthy of nice cables. Some feel the RTI's are a little bright. The Adcom is pretty nuetral, and the HK is nice, and smooth. How would you describe the way it sounds to you now?

Mauskar

Ben-

hmmm... that is a hard question to answer since the current unit i have has issues where the volume is fading in and out. I am already in the process of getting a replacement from Harman Kardan which should take 10 days or so.

BUT, when i did audition the receiver from bestbuy, i have to say that the receiver-speaker combo produced some "vivid" sound. The sound was much more crisp than an onkyo 605 that I had previously.

Also, after some research on this forum, I heard that Denons and the RTi10's are too bright for each other, esp if your running the Rti8's. So I guess having a "neutral" amp is good.

How about audioquest cables? Are those too extreme for me? What would be a good recommendation for the sys I have- I still want to retain the crisp sound and keep it loud

Thanks for all your help!

Sag

ben62670

For now I would hold off on IC's. It sounds like you have too many new components. Let them play for a bit, and repost how they sound after a while of getting familiar with different music. Best Buy is not where you are going to be listening to your system;), and rarely does anything sound the same in your home. Luckily it usually sounds better.

Mauskar

Ben-

Let me rephrase. When i auditioned my receiver, I did so in my home- i bought it, tested them with my speakers for 2 weeks, and returned it for a refund.

Also, I dont understand. Don't I need IC's to connect the receiver to the amp? Or am i completely mistaken...

Sag

jakelm

Mauskar wrote: »

Ben-

Let me rephrase. When i auditioned my receiver, I did so in my home- i bought it, tested them with my speakers for 2 weeks, and returned it for a refund.

Also, I dont understand. Don't I need IC's to connect the receiver to the amp? Or am i completely mistaken...

Sag

So you have no cables at all right now?

ben62670

Yes you do need IC's to connect from your receiver to amp. What I was suggesting was to run regular IC's for a couple weeks to figure out what characteristics, and your taste are. Then IC's could be suggested. Also I have run a similar setup as yours except for the speakers. So I can't really suggest a good IC for you till I get a little feedback from you. Also I am hoping others will chime in that have RTI's, and have tried some different cables with your speakers. I really like the ones I build, and the Kimber PBJ's, but if you suffer from listening fatigue, or your system is too bright something like Straight Wire EncoreII's would probably be better.

Sami

Mauskar wrote: »

Monoprice perhaps?

That's where I would start, nothing wrong with those IC's. Once you get them playing and start wondering if you could benefit from different IC's, then you could always go that route. If you do, those monoprice cables haven't really hurt your wallet and you can always use them somewhere else.

Mauskar

Ah I see. Ben, I guess youre right about what your saying- I guess I should have wait and see what IC's are best after I have listened to my system for a while. So I guess I should get something nominal for now.

I heard that solid silver connectors are better, in a sense that they offer more brighter sounds and tighter bass response. Is this true?

I basically like crisp clear sound and tight bass..

Sag

ben62670

Silver gets a bad rep for being too bright, and thin sometimes. I feel 95% of this is due to people not letting their cables burn in. Silver has nearly identical attributes as copper. The electrical differences are so close its a mute point. The reason I have gone all silver is the detail, sound stage, and tight bass the IC's have given me. I have owned Several generic cables (ie rat shack, RCA, Philip's, Acoustic Research, and others),and some mid lines (StraghtWire EncoreII's, Kimber PBJ's, and others). If your system is overly bright, or fatiguing then adding silver, PBJ's, or many other solid type ultra low capacitance wires will emphasize these characteristics. Wire does not add to the sound. It is what you lose with different wires. The Straight Wire Encore II's use a star quad configuration that has 4 conductors instead of 2 which nearly doubles the capacitance. This is kinda like "putting a blanket over your speakers", and can actually help if your tweeters are too bright. BTW I have given away, or sold nearly every IC I had when I went to silver.