Thank you all for the precious input. A very interesting discussion for me, and I'm humbled by the fact this is/was one of the most popular threads on Audiogon. I never expected that. If I buy an expensive digital coax (Metronome seems to favour coax), I will certainly add an honest opinion on whether this has been a change for the better, or for the worse. I'm tempted by the digital cable upgrades for two reasons, to be honest. Of course, I have some hopes of adding some sophistication to the sound of my digital setup, which doesn't really need adjustment sound-wide (and my other cables are already "hi-end" price wise and offering improvement, or at least not making things worse..). Here this stems from my belief (and intuition! ) that the digital link is really important and still not appreciated enough. The second thing... is my desire to own something special people rave about ;-) The second point might come to you as a surprising confession. I live in Poland, where money has always been an issue more than in most other places. As a student, I read about all those expensive brands people own, dreaming that one day I might also be able to afford it. Now I know the price is not indicative of quality, but I guess I still have this desire to own something I could not afford in the past, even if this defies logic... And I always wanted the best ;-) I'm currently considering Transparent Digital Link XL or Siltech Golden Eagle Double Crown, both of wich I can get at nearly half the retail price. Admittedly, it's an effect of audiophilia nervosa... I am aware of it. Somebody suggested Audioquest Carbon as a good choice - I had this cable once and it was a really good cable, but I used it only to connect my Mac to the DAC in Metronome CD8. Not sure what I'm going to opt for in the end, but I will certainly let you know. It's quite likely I will victim of my "being-poor-in the-past" dreams... I hope this is legible, because English is my only second language.
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?
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- 119 posts total
- 119 posts total