Entry Level Interconnect Reccomendations

If you can solder then I would suggest making your own.I have bought a number of budget interconnects in the past and the sound can vary greatly. So depending on what kind of music you listen to,and what your priorities are,I think I can help you. I've made some relatively inexpensive interconnects that sound much better than the ones I bought previously. The most expensive pair I bought were on auction here several years ago.They were Audiometallurgy Ga-0's with the wbt connector upgrade. They sell for about $500 now,but I paid about $175. The cables I make sound considerably better.

I use Furutech FP126g connectors (much better than WBT IMO)that have an upocc copper pin,and copper body,not cheap brass or bronze plated. I also use Neotech Upocc solid core copper encased in teflon. This wire is used in many companies interconnects,including Audioquest,Wireworld,Harmonic Technology,Analysis Plus,to name a few. I also use Jupiter's high purity silver in a cotton or silk casing. These wires are really nice and open sounding,no "tizz"that is characteristic of silver wires encased in teflon or pvc. Anyways,if you can solder,and are willing to spend a Saturday soldering, I can tell you where to get the wires,rca connectors,solder,sleeves etc. I can make suggestions on the guages,and the combination of silver and copper,for different results. I also have some 24 awg,24k gold plated,enameled, occ copper wire that is really open and smooth sounding.

I initially wanted to save money as I could not afford buying really good cables for my whole surround sound system and bluray player,and cd player,and home theater bypass.But I was really shocked by the first cables I made. I've thought about offering a couple here on Audiogon,not so much to make a profit,but to get some satisfaction from the experience I've gained from my diy efforts. I'd love feedback from someone with a high end system who has used cables costing $600 or more,just to see how mine stack up. The cables I make cost under $160 in parts supplies,and take about 8-10 hours depending.

Just got my Belden 8402's today in 20 foot runs for Beveridges Electrostats and they are lovely! Thank you Jeff Day! As one who has been underwhelmed by many cables these sound like music to my ears.

Most cable companies believe that, not just Blue Jeans.

I've used the WireWorld Equinox 7 for three years. I'm very pleased with them. They have great tone with a very balanced neutral and dynamic presentation.

I do believe with their entry level and intermediate cables WireWorld is a good value. Great sonics and excellent build quality.

Cheers,

Scott

BJC believes that the best cables are the ones with the most impressive specs where it counts depending on the application.

Doesn't Blue Jean teach that cables do not make a difference in sound?  

If you want details, canare 61s, if you want mellow bc-1 or canare 77s.
There are other belden recipes from blujean cables or signal.  these are the best options for the money with great connectors. 

Belden 1800F (AES/EBU 110 ohm)  with RAMM Audio pure copper non-solder RCA. Connect the braid (shield) only at one end.
Studio quality not for the usual suspects.

Good luck

For anyone reading this thread who also is considering entry level interconnects, it really isn't this complicated!  

Where might I purchase Belden 8402 speaker cable, terminated, biwired, etc? (not looking for raw cable)

@heinrichmilw 

They are $295 for 1m RCA, a little out of my budget, but thanks a lot for the info. I'll keep them in mind for later.

Shunyata Venom series is really hard to beat......Bill

Thanks a lot spenrock. I already bought a pair of Cerious Technologies Graphene Extremes, which are supposed to be excellent.

Over time, I plan to experiment with more IC's, and both of those seem excellent, so I'll keep them in mind. I like the look of the silver SignalCables.

@yping 

They are $230 USD. A little out of my price range. Thanks for the link though!

<Purist Dealer disclaimer>

The Purist Vesta interconnect should be on your list to evaluate...  :-)  The most "real" sounding cables for 30+ years

The KLEI gZero1 ICs are fabulous as entry level ICs...

A couple of excellent entry level cables not mentioned earlier are:

Signal Cable: Analog One, Analog Two. They are both OFC cables that really punch way above their price point (Analog One $36+/pr, Two $49+). For your budget, IMO, they would be a must audition with your system. The price includes the RCA terminations, with the Two's having an upgrade option for an extra $40. They have a silver version for more. 
http://signalcable.com/analog_interconnects.html

Audio Art Cable: IC3 Classic $80/pr. Another OFC cable. Similar story regarding your budget, IMO, a must audition. Darren Hovsepian from DH Labs was a consultant in the design.  
http://www.audioartcable.com/Articles.asp?ID=133

Both companies are direct sales with 30-day money back trial policy.  Both offer many options on cable length. For what it's worth, I believe they are or were Stereophile recommended.

If this is not too late, hope this helps. Perhaps someone else can also benefit. 

" For XLR I go with the silver plated Neutrik's. Pretty much the top of the line in the pro world and still reasonably priced. The silver to silver contact minimizes issues going from one metal to another. "

" I read a long time ago that mixing metals had possibly deliterious effects, so if I use silver cables I try to keep silver to silver contact from end to end. "

If you want silver to silver contact, you need to use solid silver. Plating isn't good enough. It can be complicated, and here are different ways to do it. For example, if you wanted to plate silver over copper directly, you can only put an extremely thin plate on before the process stops working. Once the exposed copper is covered by silver, the process stops working electricity. The ultra thin coat of silver will not stop the signal from interacting with the underlying metal. From that point on, if you want a thicker plate of silver, you'll need to plate another metal over the copper, like nickel of rhodium first, and then plate the silver. But even then, there will be some interaction, but now with 3 metals, not 2. 

You have to also consider the costs of plating. Its probably cheaper to just buy solid silver than plate it over another metal. To do a good job, just having the list of materials on you may be enough to have you detained, or possibly arrested. 90%+ of this type of plating is sent to places like China.

There's plenty of audiophile connectors in the market that use solid silver. Furutech, WBT....

Welll, they are incredibly well made and I like having jewels hidden where I can't see them. :)  However I cannot tell you if they sound better or worse than other options.  I read a long time ago that mixing metals had possibly deliterious effects, so if I use silver cables I try to keep silver to silver contact from end to end.

https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/index.htm

My go-to for entry level cables, BJC is an excellent company too.


Good Listening


Peter

@erik_squires 

Yes, the SRCA seems great, but $46 for a set of four at the soniccraft price. That's about as much as it costs for the bulk cable. Is it worth it?

@dgarretson

Thanks for the vote of confidence!! But I must admit I splurge on silver connectors from cardas... real bastards to solder... but beautiful.

For XLR I go with the silver plated Neutrik's. Pretty much the top of the line in the pro world and still reasonably priced. The silver to silver contact minimizes issues going from one metal to another.

Try the Belkin PureAV RCA Audio Cable for $10 a pair on Amazon first.

@dgarretson 

They are marked down to $7.95 a foot right now. Insane. Paired with WBT 0144s for $25 for a set of 4. That's a pretty great deal.

@ocinn, I haven't tried the Vh.  I was thinking of buying a new tube amp and decided to first try tweaking everything from cables, to contacts, to fuses, to outlets.  I was intrigued by the Stagers construction, cost, and reviews, so i tried them.  I tend to judge audio gizmos by watching my behavior more than my thoughts.  What I thought was that they removed congestion. Instruments and voices seemed more separated.  My behavior was to never remove them or even A/B them with the previous cable. But I didn't try a bunch of cables.  Sorry I can't be more help.

I think the VH Audio would be more expensive, at any rate.  Stager makes the cables in a .75 meter length which is what I picked up.  If your system is in a vertical rack you rarely need a full meter.  The .75 length was $125.

The thing is, I'm sure you can get more sound quality out of cables, but you'll have to spend considerably more.

@fourwnds 

Sounds good. If I build the VH audio ones, I can't return them, and the resale market is limited, so I'm pretty sure I'll try the Stagers or one of those Audioquest sales first.

Thanks a lot!

ocinn, I can't help with that question, no experience. If your worried about Stager's being thin and they are, no problem with returning them. I'd love to know what your experience turns out to be whether it's Belden, Stager or something else in the end. Good luck, have fun. 

@fourwnds 

@electroslacker 

You were the people (along with others, who I couldn't tag for some reason?) who recommended the Stager Silver Solid. How do you think they would compare to another pure silver interconnect, the VH Audio DIY Silver?

Thanks!

So my suggestion is to do nothing until you replace the PFMod with the MiniDSP, which of course is an active device, and depending on model may have an output impedance of 560 ohms. Then see if your friend’s cables make a difference relative to the ones you are using.

I want to point out that when I was doing the cable testing, I was using a "Pointe Series HTX-V2" which is an active two way. I still have it and might bring it out to do an a/b with the Harrison Labs one. I've never done it before. Might play better with new cables.

Ocinn 11-25-2016
Harrison Labs PFMod crossover (soon to be replaced by MiniDSP)

I took a look at the descriptions of the Harrison Labs crossovers. Although detailed information such as a schematic doesn’t seem to be available, it is clear that the PFMod is a passive device, and one that is particularly load sensitive. For example, for the FMod the high pass corner frequency is indicated as varying from +25% relative to its nominal value for a 10K load to -15% for a 47K load. While in itself that might not have a great deal of significance it would seem to indicate that sensitivity to cable differences, such as capacitance, is likely to be both greater in degree and different in character than for most other applications. Probably including the applications and experiences upon which the suggestions made by the others have been based.

So my suggestion is to do nothing until you replace the PFMod with the MiniDSP, which of course is an active device, and depending on model may have an output impedance of 560 ohms. Then see if your friend’s cables make a difference relative to the ones you are using.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Cerious Technologies Graphene Extream.

another vote for Belden 8402 - very musical

Should add, save the box and MD receipt for authentication. 

I addition to them being a good fit in your system, the AQ KCs  are very well made and easily sold on the used market should one choose to make a change. 

Ok, shameless plug. I have anti-cable connects for sale on audio here at a fraction of the new price. Solid, good sounding and good value.
Beernut

Anything by, Cardas, Kimber, or Wywires is very good. I would also put Morrow audio MA-2 on your very short list. We have MA-4s and they are excellent. I have also used Audioquest, and Cardas cables with great results, although similar performance tends to be more expensive than Morrow. Quality is outstanding on all of them. It all depends on what you want your end result to be.

I have not heard all the cables recommended however I believe the AQ King Cobra's at the Music Direct sale price would be a good fit in your system and a good buy.

I agree. I think I might pick them up and sell them if I upgrade to something like the Stager Silvers.

I think Blue Jeans Cable uses Belden.  BJC builds to your order.  Good value!

They don't have it in Belden 8402 :(

I think Blue Jeans Cable uses Belden.  BJC builds to your order.  Good value!

I have not heard all the cables recommended however I believe the AQ King Cobra's at the Music Direct sale price would be a good fit in your system and a good buy.

superior to my Morrow MA3

wow, really good to know! Thanks!

Yeah, at the budget point the OP mentions, the Stager silver solids are a no brainer.  I recently picked up a pair, and they were superior to my Morrow MA3 with Eichmann silver bullet connectors, at $400.  I was quite impressed, and the Stagers are $150 for a 1 meter pair with free shipping.  

I'll be buying more of them for sure.

+1 on Belden 8402

Of the cables you list, I would get the AQ Colorado. You can also get the Columbia, Panther and Jaguar. All 4 cables are very similar in design, and with the equipment you have, you won't hear a difference between any of them. I have a few pairs of all 4 and have them in use on a daily basis. They sound just as good as some other cables I have that cost a lot more, and they are one of very few copper cables that don't have that rough/gritty sound in the high frequencies. You may not notice that now, but if you get more revealing components, you'll hear it (with other copper cables).

I compared the Stager Silver Solids to Kimber Hero and PBJ, Wireworld Equinox 7, and Decware Silver Reference.  I liked the Stagers best.    I'm using them between a DAC and a tube pre and then out of a tube pre.  The Decware cables were very similar sonically, but cost more so I did not keep them. I must be a fan of silver for RCA cables.  The others sounded less detailed and some were a little bass heavy compared to the silver cables.  That could mean the Stagers will be a little bright in a leaner system.  They do have a trial period so it wouldn't cost more than return shipping to try them.  They ship in a small envelop because of their DIY homemade nature. Easy to send them back. 

i have the Stager's and love them but that's in warmer tube system. That Belden 8402 cable suggestion seems reasonable and what I would try. There is a 1m pair terminated for way under budget and terminated professionally. In fact buy that We16ga speaker cable he has for sale as well and I'm pretty sure that combo would be great at least according to Jeff Day.

Yeah, I'm probably going to pick some of the 8402 up, and build some cables. If I don't like them in my main system, they would be right at home in my desktop system.

My system tends to lean towards the thinner/leaner side, and that's why I'm a little apprehensive about the stagers ibeing a little too bright/thin.

 +1 Stager Silver Solid.  Very clean, open sound, but you'll think they're too skinny to pass big fat bass notes. They do.

My speakers are high-passed, so sub-bass doesn't really matter. The Aural Thrills I had also had tiny silver conductors. These stagers seem really nice.

When Audioquest moved production to China and lowered prices to stay competitive they also changed cable names - Python (that had great reviews) became King Cobra, while Viper became Diamondback.  I had Viper (diamondback) and King Cobra.  Both are neutral sounding but King Cobra is more refined.  

Yeah, the King Cobra is available for super-cheap right now on a Black Friday sale at music direct. I might pick it up, as a stepping stone into a better pair.