RCA Interconnect recommendations

There is one you might consider.
Pure silver in Teflon ultra low capacitance and reasonably priced.
Both users and reviewers have given it high marks and several reviewers,
rather than keeping the review samples, kept them and bought them for themselves: https://silversolids.com/revbuysB.html
Stager Silver Solids - 30 day unconditional satisfaction guarantee.

A couple months back I bought some real expensive cables from a well known cable company, he is a one man band and makes the cables does all that nitrogen thing breaks them in for a couple days.a one meter rca interconnect was 600$…this guy is very well known…wont mention the company dont want to get sued..lol

Did a blind test with lots of people they could not tell the difference between the $40 Blue Jean cables..

my system is Pass Labs pre and amps..Denafrips Dac and New Ontech Dac

‘Volti audio speakers they have a awesome midrange horn everything comes through..

the guy was very gracious and took them back, if you do buy expensive make sure there is a return policy

Here’s a pair of Acoustic Zen Matrix II interconnects for $300 that cost $920 new, and they should strike a nice balance as they’re very natural sounding and neither bright nor veiled. If they don’t work out for some reason you could easily sell them for little/no loss so very little risk.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650160451-acoustic-zen-matrix-reference-ii/

If you’re looking new these Ice Age interconnects use high quality copper and are cryogenically treated and are well within your budget, and I believe they offer a good trial period.
https://iceageaudio.com/ice-age-audio-store/ols/products/pure-copper-interconnects/v/PR-CPP-RCA-3-FT

Go,to Blue Cables spend $40 on interconnects and I bet you can hear the difference with 1000$ cables…

"Do you mean Quadlink or Hexlink instead?" 

I meant Quadlink!   My bad

"If so I can share first hand most of the older QL/HL 5C cables from Cardas are nowhere near what any of the next iterations past few decades of Clear, Reference, Reflection, Beyond series. Cardas periodically shares there are fake counterfeits and junk copy Hexlink out there too."

Yes, these Quadlinks are about 30 years old.  My dad bought them after he retired when he was working at a high end stereo store, so they are legit. 

"With cables, once you get to a certain point, it  Becomes the law of diminishing returns."

Totally agree.  Maybe people with great ears can continue to hear significant sound improvements up the price chain, but for me, with somewhat diminished hearing, I can't justify spending more than $200 to $300 on interconnects.  

Of all the cables I have ever tried, Hapa Aero are by and far the best I have heard. Not cheap, but absolutely 100% worth it if you can.

Hapa Aero interconnect

 

roadcykler

160 posts

01-18-2025 at 01:56am 

Of all the cables that don't make an objective difference, interconnects are those but what absolutely does make a difference is expectation bias. 
 

Wiser words have never been spoken on these forums…

@sdberman On this, I have to disagree. I’m not a cable snob and definitely believe that the law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty quickly. But comparing three interconnects that I happen to have on hand (Cardas Ultralink 5C’s, AudioQuest Red River and Graham Slee CuSat50), there are very obvious differences in them. The AudioQuest is too bright and definitely fatiguing. The Cardas is not as transparent. Right now, the Slees clearly sound best.

Do you mean Quadlink or Hexlink instead?

If so I can share first hand most of the older QL/HL 5C cables from Cardas are nowhere near what any of the next iterations past few decades of Clear, Reference, Reflection, Beyond series. Cardas periodically shares there are fake counterfeits and junk copy Hexlink out there too. Buying authenticated and serial numbered Cardas with ID cards and validation is the way to go to ensure you are not hearing something else fwiw. I’ve seen posts like this before, people send them in to Cardas for verification and certification by Cardas and you never hear back on how it turned out for them.

With cables, once you get to a certain point, it  Becomes the law of diminishing returns. The crap that used to come with tape decks, turntables or tuners was terrible!  But even going with a larger gauge Monster interconnect made a huge difference.  After that, yes there were differences, but none as dramatic as replacing those super cheap IC’s that came in the box.

I went through all that cable BS…get a set of Blue Jeans cables call it a day…spend the money on something else…flowers and chocolate for the wife or nice dog treats for your pooch…

What’s your budget?

I'm using a Graham Slee CuSat50 between my sacd player and my preamp. It sounds excellent. I bought a second CuSat50 and tried it between my amp and preamp. I didn't like it as well as my Black Cat Silverstar 88.  I'm using a Black Cat Silverstar 88 between my dac and preamp as well.  They are the best that I've tried in my system.

Last night, I ordered a Graham Slee AgSat90 cable for grins.  It adds a silver conductor and supposedly a bit of additional detail. For $200, I figure it's worth a shot. 

So easy to ignore that expectation bias works in both directions…

 Maybe something used from Morrow...

"Of all the cables that don't make an objective difference, interconnects are those but what absolutely does make a difference is expectation bias."

On this, I have to disagree.  I'm not a cable snob and definitely believe that the law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty quickly.  But comparing three interconnects that I happen to have on hand (Cardas Ultralink 5C's, AudioQuest Red River and Graham Slee CuSat50), there are very obvious differences in them.  The AudioQuest is too bright and definitely fatiguing.  The Cardas is not as transparent.  Right now, the Slees clearly sound best.  

Of all the cables that don't make an objective difference, interconnects are those but what absolutely does make a difference is expectation bias. 

The https://www.thecableco.com/ recommendation is probably your best place to start.  I have not tried their program, but I have looked at the site many times and have been impressed with the choices and prices.  I may dip my toes into some higher priced cables in the future.

Currently I have a mix of Cardas Clear, WBC, and https://sites.google.com/view/pine-tree-audio/home. Pine Tree just received a best of reward. I have found their cables to be comparable to Cardas Clear for significantly less money. 

Contact thecableco.com and take advantage of their cable lending library. Free and they can advise you on a couple different cables to try. If you can ask for John Pharo, he’s a great guy to work with.

but I can tell you I am using Cardas Golden Reference (no longer made) with my Rega/Lyra Kleos/lLinn Linto. And they have some trade ins for sale as well.

Good suggestions above - personally I use Zavfino Fusion interconnects (DAC and PS) which I think are hard to beat for the price, but I love my Acoustic Zen Hologram II speaker cables, so at some point I may try the AZ interconnects, but I dont feel like I’m missing much.

One other suggestion - I ran Acoustic Zen Silver Ref 2 from Sutherland 20/20 to preamp. I had AZ Absolute Copper from preamp to amp and it struck a perfect balance. If you already have warm sounding cables between amp and pre then O wouldn’t hesitate to try AZ Silver Ref 2 from phono to pre. But the Frey 2 I recommended earlier are overall better cables to my ears than the AZ Silver.

I used to own some Sonic Frontiers gear... I understand you quandary. It can sound pretty warm and so you have to walk the line of getting a pretty neutral interconnect. I have to agree that moving up the Cardas hierarchy will get you more transparent sound. Used, would be a good way to go. Get into the Cardas Clear or Clear Beyond lines would be your sweet spot.

Cerious Technologies

What’s your budget, and are you looking for new or used?

Good logic since both the Cardas and the SFL-1 have a "kind" presentation.  Also, the 12AT7 or CV4024 can have lost their sparkle.  Tube rolling could be worth a shot. The new phono pre may have a voice in this too.  Have fun!

If the NORDOST FREYs don't stir your drink, then consider staying with CARDAS BUT with a move up higher in the CARDAS model line ( Think CARDAS CLEAR REFLECTION or better) 

Be aware that the Ag-over-Cu NORDOST  cables can be brighter than the all-Cu CARDAS options. 

live had/have both. … it’s entirely system dependent which path you follow

Try Nordost Frey 2.