Audio Cables...

canthink344 · « **on:** 29 Nov 2006, 05:26 am »

Hey guys, I am getting my first "fair" stereo setup and I am realizing that I am going to need cables. I was reading some reviews on Stereophile.com about speaker wire and their pikes... I think a grand on 5 feet of cable is outrageous! What are you guys using and how’s that working for you? Btw I am going to need a set of analog RCA cables (just to jump from components) and a pair of 12' speaker cables.

Daygloworange · « **Reply #1 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 05:43 am »

Take a look at the Electra Cable that GR Research is offering. I just ordered 2 sets of IC's. Quite a few people have jumped on them and posted very positive findings.

Cheers

warnerwh · « **Reply #2 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 08:18 am »

You can make diy speaker cables and IC's that are excellent. Also you can buy cables used off of Audiogon.com. Don't spend much money as there's nothing saying a 500 dollar cable will work better in your system than a 50 dollar one. I'd start out on the low end when first starting to make a system.

If you want any help on some very nice speaker cables or IC's PM me and I'll gladly help you. It's very easy to make speaker cables. Cheers

JLM · « **Reply #3 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 11:20 am »

Cabling (interconnects, power cords, digital cable, and speaker wire) is the classic snake oil of audio.

That said, I've heard two completely different sets of $1000 speaker cabling sound quite different on the same system.

Exotic cabling is a relatively new fad in audio and I'm old school, so I wouldn't spend more that 10% of my system budget on it. (Currently I've got 5% of the total system budget dedicated to all of the cabling.) Put the serious money into quality components, a decent listening room, and a music library first.

Common sense, can't go wrong brands for all sorts of cabling are: Blue Jean, Element, and Signal. These are all reasonably priced and based on respected DIY recipes. Occasionally you'll find better retail deals, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

shep · « **Reply #4 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 12:18 pm »

let cooler heads prevail! e-bay can be a very good source since audiophiles get the itch to change cables often. I got a pair of DH labs silver matrix ic's for 35$. nice cable. also here is an address for very good single core wire that you can dress yourself for speaker wire. http://www.ahfartaudio.com/

bpape · « **Reply #5 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 12:28 pm »

OK. Since nobody else bothered to ask the question, I will.

What exactly is your system? Cabling makes a relatively small difference in the sound. Also, the ability of a system to resolve those kinds of details should determine if it's worth your time and money to invest in something better than a standard cable as suggested above (blue jeans, signal, etc.). If the system won't let you hear the differences (or you'll get better performance by spending the difference on other parts of the system) then save your money.

Bryan

canthink344 · « **Reply #6 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 09:13 pm »

Alright, i guess this is a bit embarresing... but i am gonna be running a Squeezebox 3 via analog RCA to a sony 2x100 (i know, i am on a student budget) to a pair of pirmus 360's. The audio source is derived from my laptop, wherein my libary consists of everything from mp3 to lossless compressed files to dvda. I will eventually (not this year or next) be upgrading my amp to a harmon/karden 7.1 and adding more channels from the primus series.

Note: For backround info, i am a student at Oregon State, living in Sigma Chi. So natureally my budget is somewhat limited. But I am trying to purchase equipment that i wont need to upgrade again later.

SET Man · « **Reply #7 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 09:38 pm »

Quote from: canthink344 on 29 Nov 2006, 09:13 pm

Alright, i guess this is a bit embarresing...

Hey!

First welcome to the AC

And there is nothing to be embarres about. One thing that I've learn over the years is that, when is come to audio price tag doesn't mean a thing. Believe me there are expensive systems out there that sound like crap and of cause there are low cost system out there that sound far better beyond their price tags suggested

Okay, as for the cable.... well this is a touchy subject when it come to cable. So, get ready to see hundreds of suggestions and comments on this. But I do agreed that spending lots of money on a pair of cable is a bit crazy.... but of cause if you got money and buying a $2500 set of 1m cable make you feel better than go for it.

To save money the easy way is to look for used cables but this will take time. But also there are some cable companies that some of members here already mentioned make good inexpensive cables.

And as a DIYer I can't help recommending going a DIY route and make you own cables

I got in to DIY since I was in high school because I couldn't afford to buy $$$$ audio stuff. And I still do today because I like it and I have more control. Well.... It will be cheaper. And it is easy. If you never done anything like this than it would make a good first DIY audio project.

Well, take your time shop around see that you think will work best for you. Good luck and keep us posted on your finding

Take care,
Buddy

gjclaxton@gmail.com · « **Reply #8 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 10:05 pm »

look at the thread on gregg straley cables, (realitycables.com). i use the interconnects and speaker cables and have been very pleased

gary

DARTH AUDIO · « **Reply #9 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 10:13 pm »

Check out these cables. Nice price and very good sound quality based on the review.

http://www.stereotimes.com/cable112906.shtml

Good Luck,

Gary

marvda1 · « **Reply #10 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 11:06 pm »

i second the audio art cables.
marvin

WEEZ · « **Reply #11 on:** 29 Nov 2006, 11:14 pm »

The least expensive, good quality cables would be the offerings from bluejeans cable. From the lightweight Squeezebox; I would recommend the Belden 1505F they offer. It's more flexible, so it won't make your box 'slide' around too much.

For speakers; I'd go with the Belden 12 ga. in the standard grey jacket. More than enough for your purpose- and beyond

FWIW; I'd visit a good 2-channel hi-fi shop and have a listen to a good stereo rig. And read a little bit about good 2-channel stuff. You will likely not bother with 7.1 and a bunch of cables; and instead go with a decent integrated amp and better speakers.

Welcome to the forum!

WEEZ

warnerwh · « **Reply #12 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 12:26 am »

Cables are the last thing to worry about when assembling a system. They're for fine tuning only. Much more important is your room's acoustics. This will have a dramatic effect on the sound of your system. If you have questions regarding acoustics there's an acoustics forum here.

On realtraps.com you'll find a wealth of info on room acoustics. This is as important as your speakers!

Bob Reynolds · « **Reply #13 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 12:28 am »

I second Weez's recommendation of Blue Jeans Cable: http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

I've played the cable game in the past and I'm pretty sure I convinced myself that I heard differences when I knew the cable was being changed. I'm not sure that any of them were "better" than any of the others.

miklorsmith · « **Reply #14 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 12:37 am »

My opinion is agonizing over cables is fruitless. I'm not saying they don't make a difference, but any advantages are smaller than other places you could spend the money. Once your system is 95% dialed in, it might make sense but very few systems are that close to perfect (for their owner).

Further, even cable believers will say cables vary in effectiveness from system to system. The best speaker cable on a reviewer's system may be average on yours. Pursuing audio perfection through cable tuning is SURE to be an exercise in frustration.

I'd go Blue Jeans. They are FAST to ship and will probably have them to your door quicker than getting to the stereo shop when you have time.

I think of my rig in this order: Speakers, room, amp/pre/source, cables/tweaks. Seriously, until you have the first 5 covered, sweating the cables makes no rational sense.

fredgarvin · « **Reply #15 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 01:47 am »

I'm using mostly Bluejeans myself and they do ship fast and are an official 'assembler' for Belden. Priced very well also.

canthink344 · « **Reply #16 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 03:33 am »

Hey, ok, so you guys all said DIY, and this sounds great but where do i go to get the basic wire. I may get scolded for this, but the only place that came to mind was HomeDepo (where i know they sell speaker wire by cut-it-yourself). Where else might i go?

oscar · « **Reply #17 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 03:48 am »

Check out the Siltech "The Emperor" speaker cables. I imagine you can get a 12 ft pair for only slightly over $30K.....

I don't know of any "scientifully-proven" rule of thumb but I wouldn't spend more than 30% of my budget on cables. Of course, I shouldn't be talking, I do spend too much money on cables because I expect them to last longer than my frail heart and I expect to be able to eventually afford the expensive electronic components which might do them justice (hah !).

warnerwh · « **Reply #18 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 08:51 am »

This guy has this wire and other silver plated wire with teflon insulation. This is high quality wire for cheap as it's mil spec: http://cgi.ebay.com/50-feet-14-AWG-Silver-Teflon-Wire-Red-Military-Grade_W0QQitemZ270059002644QQihZ017QQcategoryZ32833QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

For connectors I like Luminous spades that can be purchased off of Audiogon. Set of four is 10 dollars. You can get Z type bananas also off of Ebay. If you're mechanically inclined at all it's easy.

With the wire or something similar I posted above you just take the two runs and twist them with a drill. I hold the other end in a vice. You can get shorter lengths if you email the guy. You can also get different colors and other guages like 10 or 12 guage. 12 guage is more than adequate for runs under 25 feet. I'd use 10 guage if it were any longer.

To make IC's you can get premium quality wire off of Ebay also. Pm me if you want more info. This is the best wire I've ever seen for the money. The IC wire I use is silver plated with teflon insulation. The shield is also a silver plated copper braid and over that is a teflon sheath. Good RCA connectors can also be purchased off of Ebay for under 2 bucks a piece shipped.

DIY is the best way to go if money is a factor. It's also fun to do. I have made all my cables myself except for built in power cords. You also know the quality is good if you do it yourself. If you can solder IC's are fairly easy to do. Speaker cable though is pretty much a no brainer unless you are completely retarded when it comes to using the most simple tools.

JLM · « **Reply #19 on:** 30 Nov 2006, 10:44 am »

That's not a bad system at all, but I probably would have opted to spend $50 more and moved from a Sony stereo receiver to a Sony 6.1 receiver, just to be HT ready (as the Stereopile review of the Primus 360 speakers eludes to). I owned a modded SB3 for a while, very nice. Down the road you could add a Altman Attraction DAC and have an absolute world beating source. College system selection is tough as you have to deal with abuse and theft. I solved the problem by hiding most of the gear in an ancient TV cabinet, going with obscure brands, buying small (high quality) two-way speakers that I added a sub to after college, and using headphones much of the time.

For a $1200 system the DIY does come more into focus. Over the years I've run bare ended CAT5 (Category 5 communications) speaker cabling, which enjoyed a bit of a rage a couple of years ago. It comes as 4 twisted pairs of 24 gauge copper wiring, either single strand or multiple strands, and various sheathes. (BTW CAT6 is supposed to be even better.) The best I've heard was plenum rated (teflon sheath), single strand that had been cryogenically treated. I paid $20 for 20 feet of it, the regular stuff can be found at Radio Shack for pennies per foot.

Again, you could hear the difference in $$$ cables in almost any system, but IMO it would be a silly place to invest for an entry level system. Can't name them, but there are sites that sell/swap a variety of used cabling.