Need cable advice


Ok, I have moved my system and now need longer (10 ft.) speaker cables. I am mainly a 2 channel analog guy.....2 channel rig on one side of cabinet and AVR stuff on the other. Using theater BP on my Cary integrated amp. My equipment is as follows - Cary CAI-1 integrated amp, Rogue Audio Stealth phono section, Esoteric DV-50 cdp, Thorens td-160 / SME3009/S2IMP, JM Lab Electra 926 speakers. I listen to mainly jazz, alternative and classic rock. Have been using $300-$400 cables and have been satisfied with sound but have been out of the audio loop for a long time now so don't know if i'm missing out on anything. Don't mind buying used and don't want to spend more than $500.00. I should'nt have to spend more than this in order to extract quality sound. There's a lot of snake oil out there. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
128x128freddy50

Showing 1 response by sns

As usual, lots of praise for the anti-cables. I've tried tons of cables at all price levels over the years. The anti-cables are perhaps the value king of cables, just be aware they they are not shielded. If you live in a high RFI, EMI environment they may not be best choice. This is especially true with tube equipment and speaker cable!

Beyond that cables are system dependent, any advice given may or may not work for you. I use Cardas Golden Reference throughout my system. I find them to be the chameleons of the cable industry, they don't stand out in any particular sonic category. This chameleon-like character makes them good cables to build around. Unfortunately, they are going to be around 1k in your length.

As for snake oil, don't believe that one until you try for yourself. Reference quality cables can make a difference, the problem with cables is the diminishing returns ratio is steep.