2. cables
  3. 190838-139277

Can hi-end cables benefit less expensive electronics?

Some time ago, there was a guy on a Polish hi-end forum claiming that in his case it was better to buy some hi-end power chord than investing in a more expensive CD player. Has anybody had an experience where they invested in an expensive cable and felt the investment justified without upgrading the unit utilising the cable? Overall, would there possibly be any point in buying some expensive cable to feed electronics nearly the cost of the cable itself? I'm currently using a KT88 amplifier with a Metronome CD8 (which is also used as DAC) plus Metronome DSS as the streamer (transport only). Speakers: Franco Serblin Accords. In my case, an upgrade in electronics would involve spending at least USD 15,000 to make it sensible. But I can also spend much less and buy a Transparent XL Digital cable to replace my DIY cable that I currently use, at a much smaller expense. Is a high-end digital cable in some cases able to make it a worthwhile investment in a setup which is not top hi-end? I can afford the Transparent XL digital cable, but not necessarily any upgrade to the electronics I own. Has anybody experienced an improvement with an expensive cable even if the rest of the system would rather call for a less expensive one? When I wrote to Transparent about it, they said I should get advice from my dealer. Cable naysayers please do not comment. Also I'm not looking for cheaper alternatives to the Transparent XL. Just fancying buying a cable that many people say is an excellent cable. Of course, I do not expect the same improvement with this cable as with a full DCS Vivaldi setup, but am I likely to get an improvement, considering that the system is balanced and nothing really bothers me in it? Or should I absolutely get a cheaper cable because the more expensive one is bound to make things worse? 

serblinfan

Showing 2 responses by megabyte

megabyte
100 posts
 

It seems to me, since most of the issues higher end cables claim to address are ostensibly minimized and handled better by the design, tech, build quality etc. of more expensive, higher end equipment, cables will affect higher end systems less than less well made (cheaper) systems. 

megabyte
100 posts
 

It seems to me that a power cord can only benefit an amplifier in 2 ways. It can be thick enough gauge to properly transfer your AC power to the amp. And it can be shielded so other sensitive cables near or touching it aren’t being interfered with. And that’s fine. I fully admit this to be true. The problem I have is, all this can be easily done for $100 or less. Let’s be fancy and say why not go all out and spend $500, maybe $1000 for a truly great one. So what exactly is the $20-$50,000 power cord doing that can’t be done for $500, or even $150? Electricity and wires isn’t super complicated. We’ve just about nailed it at this point. And, this is NOT a cord transmitting perhaps more delicate analog signals that are in the signal path where you could at least think, just maybe the sound can be affected. It’s a simple power cable that’s outside the signal path. It’s doable for $100, they can totally nail it in every possible way for 500, including the same top grade connectors the insanely priced ones use. So explain the $25,000 power cord please.

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