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How many quality interconnects to I need ?

I have a separate component system- amp,pre-amp, cd player, FM tuner, turntable.

My best set of interconnects are from RS Audio that are used to connect the CD player to the pre-amp (Parasound Halo P3).

I've read so many commentaries on interconnects, some which cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Does this mean every component must be connected with such expensive wire ? Or are the highest quality interconnects placed at the source with lesser quality wires elsewhere ?

I have not read a single review of any interconnect that specifies where it was placed in the test system . Any comments ? Thanks in advance....
fredman

Showing 2 responses by sean

sean
6,231 posts
 
Audioengr: While i would basically agree with your comments, i recently did a cable shoot-out with various interconnects between my SACD 1000 and my Pre-Pro ( Sunfire Theater Grand Mk II ). One set of cables had a total capacitance of 23 pf's per run while another was over 1200 pf's per length !!! Obviously, the majority of cables made will fall somewhere between the two of these with only a few falling below the 23 pf figure.

Quite honestly, the 1200 pf cable did amazingly well in this position. I was expecting "bad things" to take place when it went into the system, but it more than held its' own against everything that i threw at it. I was more than surprised by the results and actually left them in the system as the sound is quite good with this specific combo. I would have never guessed that these would have worked well in this scenario, but.... Sean
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sean
6,231 posts
 
Psychicanimal: One has to look at source and load impedances when discussing such things as inductance and capacitance in a cable. Having said that, the electrical characteristics / load that the cable brings with it will remain constant but whether or not it is a good match with the other components it is connected to is the question.

As Audioengr stated in his earlier reply to me, some designs are more stable than others and will not have a problem with a high capacitance load. That is, so long as the total load impedance and level of reactance that it sees is within reason. If the combo isn't a relatively "benign" load, the component loading into the cable will typically display erratic frequency response and distortion characteristics. All of this can be easily viewed on a scope and / or spectrum analyzer.

As such, the trick is to find something that both measures and sounds good. The key to doing this is finding something that allows maximum power transfer ( proper impedance matching ) without allowing major signal degradation to take place. That is, unless one prefers specific sonic colourations and isn't worried about "accuracy". Some cables work "better" in certain systems because they specifically create impedance mismatches. This in turn can alter the perceived sonics of what might otherwise be a highly flawed system. While this approach is typically viewed as being a "band aid", it can make the difference between having a rig that is enjoyable and one that is unbearable. Sean
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