Cable Costs Relative to System

I find cabling as important as any other part of the musical chain including ones mood at the time of listening. I beleive without a doubt that good cables make a huge positive difference when used in proper synch with the rest of the system and it's cables. Good cables do not have to be expensive to be really good and sometimes a lesser cable will soound better in a particular situation but I'll say it again cables can make or break a system regardless of how much they cost. Ubnfortunately when a good cable comes around it becomes way over inflated in it's price and that is because the people who make these cables can get away with it. Especially if it's a hard design to copy or just expensive materials when bought in small quantities. I know a cable manufacturer who says he can build an Electraglide Fatman from scratch but he says he can buy it cheaper on Audiogon than it would cost him to build from scratch.

A good cord is a good cord. They may or may not do what your looking for but that just makes it a good cord which doesn't meet your tastes. There are allot of good cords that sound different but are good. In some cases a cord that is not of the same quality will work better in certain applications. There are allot of good cords , average cords, exceptional cords and down right bad cords. The trick is finding the right cords to match your tastes. Unfortunately most of the good cords are pricy but that's because the manufacturers can get away with charging what people are willing to pay. There are very good cords at reasonable prices which are good value for the dollar. Some cords sound great in one application and horrible in another. Some good cords are inexpensive and some bad cords are pricy. The difference between good and bad is a matter of opinion but I believe at a certain point good cords are good but just sound different from each other giving a variety of tuning options. Power cords do make a difference and are useful to tune your system to ones particular tastes. Those who claim cords don't make a difference have probably never truly have given cords a chance or even tried them. Regardless of the theories and scientific facts subjectively cords sound different from one another giving audiophiles another variable to be confused or enlightened about. Cords are like any other tweak. They change the sound be it for better or worse. That's my rant of the day.

And to add insult to injury just when you think you've found a good combination of cables all away around a different cable, not necessarily more expensive by any means,in combination with other cables, again not necessarily more expensive, can give your system a sound you never thought possible from your system or any system in your particular listening space.I've recently had my jaw hit the foor, not from elecrecution, but from hearing what I heard when I put on two Tekline cables to my cdp and preamp, skinny little things, as well as a generic looking cable to my conditioner, replacing an expensive high end cable. Actually the three Tekline cables added to my system were of significant value and switching just three little thin cables way outdid the Synergidtic Absolute and Dream State high end expensive cables and now my system sounds like it never has before. I had given up on power cables thinking at $2500 cables and good sound I was done. With the swap of much lesser costly cables improved the sound dramatically and it was a no cost veture in fact I came out several thousands of dollars a head to use these awesome cables from Tekline. If you haven't heard about them yet you probably will. I ordered 4 of the bigger ones even thouigh they are not really necessary I'm curious. I'm pleased with my cable upgrades and even though a new cdp or preamp may have, you would think, a more dramatic improvement in sound I'm here to say in my system in the moods I've been in and maintaining a healthy diet have noticed that three power cables of relatively acceptable price points have done more in the wow factor than new cdp and preamp. The difference was/is a mind expanding experience as it shows what can be done with good imagination and workmanship.I'm extremely pleased with the sound of my system now. It's better than ever and the only thing I can blame it on is the three cables, less expensive, less well known than what I had on previously. But I mean I couldn't decribe the difference in English as it is my only language. These cables are still blowing my mind. This is not an ad for any particular componany but just a testament that the correct cables for your system, regardless of brand or hierchy in Audioland, make a dramatic improvement if one is lucky enough to find the right cables. This process for me has bveen a learning process working my way up to the point where I'm at and returning me funds in the thousands.I am pleased with my new sound and can't wait, for the sake of curiosity, what scotts big high end cables will sound like.

After years of chasing power cables I have decided to know what's in the cables I purchase. If the cable design is a secret then I'm very leery. The last few sets of cables I have purchased work well and are a good value in parts alone. In my recent adventures I purchased cables which although pricey at least were able to be rationalized by the price of the parts alone. If a cable has $80 worth of connectors then the cable would be a bargain at $85 assuming the cable used good conductor which is not cheap.To purchase a $200 cable with $20 worth of parts is criminal but if a cable is priced more reasonably then a $500 is a good cable or at least should be if $400 of that cable is parts. Many cables are far too pricey for their actual value in parts. For me I found that there are many good cables made by smaller individuals or companies which charge a better parts to final product price ratio.I would feel more comfortable spending $500 on a cable with parts which justified the cable rather than a $200 cables which use $30 in parts and charge a 7to 1 ratio parts cost to final product cost. Good cables can be found at fair prices if one researches what they are after. Some DIY cables work with perhaps $100 worth of parts.It is important to be familiar with the sound characteristics of connectors as they can dramatically change the sound of a cable.$80 Wattgates sound better that $18 Wattgates. This is my experience.