Do you consider cables to be a "component" of your system?


Meaning, do you think that cabling (AC/InterConnects/SpeakerWire) should be considered a component that is integral to your system?

I have probably as much money in cabling and fuses as I do in most of my components (if not more).

Please, please, PLEASE don't tell me that cables don't make a difference. I disagree and there's nothing you can say or do that will change my mind, so save it for another thread, please.

I just wondered if you had to recommend a set up to someone (who wanted a nice stereo), would you consider cabling to be essential in your build price and your recommendations? If so, would you consider the cost of the cables to be on par with the cost of a component?

 

 

128x128coralkong

Showing 1 response by retiredfarmer

I purchased  a siltech cable burn in box approximately  a year ago. I personally  believe  that has been the best purchase  in hi-fi  I have made as far as sound quality  goes. Scary how much better a cable sounds after it has been left on the machine  for a week. Even cable  that I have run for twenty years and played the system every third night of at least two hours. After that many years and that much time by common wisdom  they should have been burned in but large gains after a week on the siltech machine.  Had audio connection  build me a lowercord burn in machine  ot arrived a week ago. I have a power cord on it now I will see what happens with it as well. 

 

At times I wonder when people  say cables don't make a difference  if they are running lamp cord for speaker wire and the free interconnects that came with a cheap Sony cd player back in the day. If so it is quite easy to see the difference  in cables when a person moves up to entry level hi-fi  cables. The first couple of hundred dollars makes a huge difference.  A person  doesn't  want to go to far up the wire line with more basic  equipment  higher the wire the more reveling  it is of the sound of the component.  Many  times a reference  grade wire makes a basic  component  sound bad but  what you are hearing is the component  not the wire. That is the skill in choosing  a hi-fi  system  is understanding  what is sounding  wrong and figuring  out what to replace. The other skill needed is to be able to eat your own personal  mistakes  and make changes just because  you paid money for something  doesn't  mean that it is good or that it is a match for your system.  Taking  your loss and moving  on is hard for many audio files.. 

 

Regards