I think some cables are just a little too expensive.

I'd just like to get the inside scoop (i.e. what really happened) as to how they arrive at this MRP.  My suspicion is that it's more the spaghetti/ceiling method than careful cost analysis.

No contradiction. Participation doesn’t get a trophy. Participation is an opportunity and sometimes in the pursuit of such the ball doesn’t bounce your way. 
Grow up.

"Sorry for your bad fortune, but you did tell the sad story twice."

Wait, are you saying that story was true?

Thanks for the link, I just purchased two!  My wife is going to hate me now.

@barts That's what they need you to believe. 

@noromance 
" As it is, we get minimal benefits for our taxes."

Considering how many countries would love to take the US down...I would say your tax benefit is far greater than minimal. Thank you.

Now back to our regularly scheduled cable melt-down....................

Countering the fairness argument with a false dichotomy that it's either all-out Mad Max libertarianism or The Gulag is disingenuous. 
As it is, we get minimal benefits for our taxes. A few crumbs like universal healthcare, removal of property taxes, and college costs in line with Europe might be a start.

🤔....

as long as people have that much money available to give away ... sorry meant spend.... there will be products like this available...  

amazing 🤦🏻

chrismini,
Sorry for your bad fortune, but you did tell the sad story twice. Forgive yourself and move on. Other people do similar things but don't get caught.

+1 noromance, some may indicate that the cables are not expensive, just that some can’t afford them. A humbling thought. 

So, let's see if I get all this.  If we all buy expensive wires to hook up our expensive stereo systems, everyone will become a billionaire.

Or, if we do not buy them, America will become a commie (I love that word from the 1950's!) dictatorship with an authoritarian leader who lies to the people and uses our armed services to keep us all doing what he or she says.  Or ELSE!

Wow!  I guess some of us has a LOT of time on our hands these days.

Well, thanks for the entertainment...oh, wires make no difference in systems unless you are still using the 22-gauge Radio Shack spools from your college dorm Advents from 1960 that the cat has chewed on.

Cheers!

Oh my, the power of cables... 

surfmuzz,

You are aware that food banks and other caritative institutions exist in the current capitalist world, too? They receive huge donations shipments of food and second hand clothing, for people to survive. They have customers in their own front yard.

This thread has disassembled even faster than usual cable threads.

Folks, plz stop communistic, socialistic and other mass fairness ideas... that is totally utopia and it’s already being proven by others bad experiences. All communists and socialists ending being saved and fed by capitalists. Maybe those ideas looks sweet and fair but reality is different. The idea to fight rich, to take everything and to share among everyone that exactly from what Soviet Union was started.... and where is Soviet Union now !?....at the end of their socialistic madness capitalistic countries was sending them huge donations shipments of food and second hand clothing, for people to survive. Such a shame. So, let’s better concentrate not one the prices, what is kind of personal aspect but on SQ pursuit. 

1 in 6 children in America are food insecure. Pretty high price for the kind of “freedom” only cronyism creates. Expensive objects like this are meant to reinforce the identity of people who are so far removed from everybody else that they need to measure their status against one another, rather than against the principles  of an ethical and spiritual life. They need ways to signal their worth to one another.

That’s the cultural function of these products.

+1

in 2005 i purchased a set of Von Schweikert VR9SE speakers, which could be bi-amped. so i used 2 stereo darTZeel NHB-108 amplifiers and used 2 sets of $33k Transparent Opus MM speaker cables.......$66k list price. i did not pay full retail, but a fair portion of that number i admit. i did trade up with some other Transparent cables to acquire the 2nd pair.

it did sound awesome. here is a review i wrote about that experience.

https://positive-feedback.com/Issue26/lavigne_vr9.htm

it’s the only ’review’ i ever wrote and i have no illusions i did a particularly good job at it. there is a good reason i stopped there,

shortly after i wrote that article, a friend in HK wanted to buy the VR9SE’s, so i sold them and one of the sets of Transparent Opus speaker cables. but it was fun to listen to that system while i had it.

and if you have never listened to the very top level of cables, you really have no idea what can be done.

my system now is much, much better than then. and i have not used really expensive speaker cables for a number of years. i am about to spend a large sum of money on a phono cable but don’t yet have it......so can’t really talk about it yet.

i don’t view expensive cables as necessary for a top level system; but i don’t have any philosophical conflict with the idea of expensive cables to reach a particular sonic goal. it’s just a tool to achieve a level of performance. if it has something unique about it to get you where you want to go, and you can afford it, then go for it.

if owning expensive cables is the goal, i can relate to the view that that is a bit much. but the world is full of vanity, and few are immune from it. so don’t get your panties in a bunch about it.

and if we have to be hair-shirt ultra politically correct here on Audiogon......really?

Here's what ya do. Next time you got see your doctor, steal some blank prescriptions from him and write yourself for schedule II controlled substances. You know: :morphine, dilaudid, fentnyl, Xanax,Adderall. Party your ass off while listening to Pink Floyd or Smashing Pumpkins. Sooner or later, if you don't OD, you'll get caught. Pay a big time defense attorney $12,000 and at least stay out of jail. But you'll lose your job because nobody wants to work with a junkie. The only marketable skill you have and there's only one telephone company. Sell all your records and gear as you can't sleep under a turntable or eat records. And that is how it's done.
The end.

Where is the contradiction? What is the lie?

"And the premise that ANYONE would ALLOW an individual to make whatever amount of money is offensive."

It might even be a criminal offense when an individual is making money, In most of the countries, it is a duty of some government institution.

Simple reality, if they didn’t sell them, they wouldn’t make them. And the premise that ANYONE would ALLOW an individual to make whatever amount of money is offensive. 

A friend just bought me a $99 DAC and I am really thrilled to have this thing. I used to have a fantastic system but ran afoul with the law and bye-bye big system. Losing all that didn't cause me to stop being an audiophile. Man I caught the bug in 1975. One thing I have to remind myself it's not about the equipment. It's about the music.

https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/map-the-meal-gap/2016/2016-map-the-meal-...

1 in 6 children in America are food insecure. Pretty high price for the kind of “freedom” only cronyism creates. Expensive objects like this are meant to reinforce the identity of people who are so far removed from everybody else that they need to measure their status against one another, rather than against the principles  of an ethical and spiritual life. They need ways to signal their worth to one another. That’s the cultural function of these products. 

Everyone loves a conscientious communist. 
Well at least oxy morons do.
Foolish wisdom.

Agree with ebm. Purist cables are great. If you have the coin, spend it anyway you want. You can’t spend from the grave. I’d love to listen to a 7 figure system, then buy it used for 5 figures. 

Psag 

A free society or democracy creates opportunity for the people that live under it. We are ALL ALLOWED to participate. Within any society, life is not always fair. Some people don’t get it....they just continue to complain about it, and want someone else to “make up” for it or pay for their own shortcomings.

But..... I agree with MIT as well. 

I use MIT, and I’m very happy with networked cables.  Would love to try equivalently priced Transparent cables.  Unlike MIT, they are optimized at the factory to work with specific components.  If the components change, the cables can be sent back to the factory for adjustment at no additional expense.
I have mixed feelings about the word ‘allow’.  In the old days, people strove to get ahead so they could afford such ‘prizes’, and this was not generally looked down upon.  Things have changed.

I have also listened to many AudioQuest cables and they have a slightly dark sound. May be a good fit. Look up the CV8. Not very expensive and good quality. 
As I have stated here previously, I prefer and use Nordost. TYR2 and Frey2 are both extremely good. The Heimdall is also very good and less expensive. 
Kimber is also a good cable

Me too!
cdamiller5
I find Nordost cables to be generally very good

It would be helpful if everyone posting would leave their opinions regarding how much people spend. 
If one wants to spend a lot on cables and they hear a difference then they can. If they don’t they don’t. 
This is not a site for politics and the elites or whatever that even is. Some people spend it when they don’t have it and some people don’t spend it and have a lot of it. 
Stick to audio advice not your opinion on your perceived ills of the world. Many thanks!

I find Nordost cables to be generally very good

Bananas are optional. Is there a surcharge for them?

The shortest length is 8 feet. They do not mention custom lengths.

I would be surprised if they sold many. Some years back, Transparent was considered top of the heap, but I think the whole "network" thing is a bit out of fashion these days. It seems to have fallen out of favor with the audience who spends that kind of money on cables.

There is something seriously obscene about such products. Enough to turn many would be audiophile people off imo. 
Products designed strictly for the upper elite have no room in my system, whether I could afford them or not. I wouldn't feel right about it, just me. My whole system cost half the price of that speaker cable and I am so proud of its sound. This is too crazy for simple guys like me. Let's see if there are other discussions on here that don't cater to billionaires lol.

Folks are free to spend their money as they choose but for me, there better be a brick of gold in that pouch thing.

Who cares!  65k speaker cables has nothing to do with 99.9% of the world. It doesn't matter what the 0.1% do with their money.  Probably even way less than that.  It has no bearing on what you or I purchase.  It has no effect on the prices of products that you or I pay for.  There are high end products everywhere in society.  It is not just confined to high end audio components.  Cars, wine, pets, healthcare, etc. Stop the whining and move on. Just worry about how to make your own system sing to your ears.  

hell, $65k is less than the sales tax on the systems those cables will go into...

If I was wealthy I would have an amazing system. More analog. SME, Lyra, Graham Elite, all Pass amplification, Wilson, dCS, whatever cables fit the bill, custom listening room, power gear, and yeah I got a $3,000 headphone system and yeah I envy audiophiles that can afford $65,000 speaker cables, but I make the best of what I got .

"Hey tablejocky. Are those self powered speakers. If so, yeah you could do without $65,000 cables. I've never h"eard of them. How much would a pair set you back? Or is it if you have to ask..."

chrismini-

I'm just goofing on the whole premise...
Those speaker have a list of $500,000.00
 A $65,000.00 cable set is too cheap!


Prices for audio gear are what they are. Value is in the ear of the listener with an open wallet.

I will confess - I just upgraded to Transparent Reference interconnects and speaker cables.  And I do remember years ago, prior to my first Transparent cable purchase (Super interconnects and speaker cables), thinking that this was a ridiculous amount of money for cables.  But I had listened to a complete system I was buying, and decided to go with everything I had listened to, including the expensive cables.

A year or two later, I tried the Transparent Ultras, and they were a shockingly big improvement.  So I upgraded (with full trade-in value).

This upgrade, to Transparent Reference, was because I also upgraded to Rockport Avoir IIs.  I upgraded the cables for two reasons.  First, the speaker designer (Andy Payor) recommends Transparent Reference when the Aviors are reviewed.  Also, I believe they are wired internally with Transparent.  I was trading in Transparent Ultras and got full value on the trade, or it wouldn't have been affordable.  (Full disclosure - when I listened to the Rockports, they were actually wired with Reference XL,  but that was way out of my budget.  I 'settled' for Reference.)

I really can't see ever going any further.  As expensive as the Reference cables are, they are worth it (to me) for this level of speaker.  But after the Reference level, Transparent's price curve gets really, really steep.  And the Rockports may well be my last speaker purchase.  Short of winning the lottery!

I figured we as the fading middle class were the WE. If you are not in the we, you are either a billionaire or wish you were. We as a society allow folks to amass billions while we are taxed into oblivion and the nation crumbles. My conscience won’t allow me subscribe to unfettered capitalism that enables one person have 1000 million dollars.

The more people we allow to amass wealth, the more these type of products will come to exist.

WE...who is we?...am I part of WE or you are going to classify who is WE?
ALLOW....I am supposed to ask you for permission?
AMASS....like steal?...or hard work?

what are you...some kind of a local commissar ?

Hey tablejocky. Are those self powered speakers. If so, yeah you could do without $65,000 cables. I've never heard of them. How much would a pair set you back? Or is it if you have to ask...

I passively bi-amped a pair of Nautilus 802’s and I ran Transparent Super’s to the mids and tweets and Transparent Plus to the woofers. Used 2 Pass Aleph 5 60W pure and I mean PURE class A single ended. Problem was the channel powering the woofers were doing 90% of the work. So I’d swap them out once a month. To be honest it really wasn’t worth the trouble and I’ve got 2 amps drawing 300 watts idle.(to be honest, I still don’t think bi-wiring does all that much, if anything) So yeah I used more moderately priced Transparent cables. I was really loyal to one shop and that’s what they carried. I bought a used Transparent AES/EBU for $500. My DAC and transport(Micromega) had 3 possible interfaces. So I found the cheapest coaxial, and I mean cheap. No shield and the diameter of a Q-tip. Plugged both of them in. The $500 110 ohm vs. a coax Best Buy would be embarrassed to sell. I spent 2 hours bouncing back and forth and couldn’t tell the difference! I would bet none of your guys would either. So either Micromega pulled some stunt to save money on the receivers or... I used to think there’s a lot of speaker companies. Now the audiophile world is inundated. And more than any other product we deal with, more money doesn’t mean better sound. Just my opinion.

65k there are much better cables out there for much less e.g. PURIST.

Not worthy of these speakers
https://backesmueller.de/en/products/line-serie/bm-line-100.html

They are entry level cables.