Power cable.
SPEAKER CABLE OR INTERCONNECT
I am planning to upgrade my speaker cable and interconnect to the HIJIRI cables but budget is a constraint I can do one cable at a time.
So my friends which cable should be my first purchase the speaker cable or the interconnect.
Thanks
60 responses Add your response
@gkelly +1 then Mad Scientist Graphene Oxide then iso devices under everything > interconnects/digital I/Os> speaker cables |
+1 @zlone Helpful to know what interconnects/cables you’re using now, but in general I’d start with the interconnect closest to your source unless your speaker cables are worse/lower quality than your interconnects. |
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I suggest you build speaker cables yourself using Cat 8 Ethernet Cables I’m 75, tried many speaker cables over the years, myself and my friends. They sound great, cost comparatively next to nothing, and there are advantages to having quality removable connectors. most are 26 awg (x8 = 17awg), I use 24 awg (x8 = 15 awg). cat 8, 24 awg x 8 = 15 awg pure copper, S/FTP S/FTP: SHIELDED WITH FOILED TWISTED PAIRS Similar to F/FTP, the individual twisted pairs are wrapped in a foil tape before being wrapped in an overall flexible yet mechanically strong braid screen. The additional foil on the twisted pairs helps to reduce crosstalk from adjacent pairs and other cables. The braid provides better grounding. ............................................. I use two different colors, wrap them around each other, tape every 3 lf ; add expanding banana or spade connectors. easy each end to know +/- add a bit of length to allow for wrapping them, leave slack both ends, extra length costs next to nothing compared to expensive cables. cut them after you make them, add connectors, done! |
carlsbad2"15awg is not big enough for speaker cables imho." well, we tend to go overboard these days, here’s a wire chart from the roger russell speaker wire document. depends on both length and impedance.
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I tested Inakustic, Tchernov, and Hijiri and a couple of others. I ended up with Hijiri and they are a great cable. I would go with speaker cables first. I have since upgraded to QSA Ultimatum Infinity Speaker cables and they are in another stratosphere in price but well worth it if you can afford them Hijiri is awesome and I use the RCA interconnects and power cords on my Aries Cerat System . |
I have longish speaker cable requirements caused by amp placement necessities, and I've used various brands of cables over the years...recently decided to try the recently upgraded Kimber 8PR that gets to 10awg at the posts...a GREAT and relatively inexpensive cable. Seriously...500 bucks or something for 14' or so? |
Another vote for speaker cables first. Got these Kinki Studio Earth Speaker Cables and will keep. HIJIRI great for sure despite a full loom costing as much as some cars.
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Cable interaction is for sure real , Thats why cables off floor electricity,magnetic fields, No Ac cable Ever on any interconnect,or speaker cable And if AC cable are near each other alway run at a X Across and i keep separate with speaker foam so thsy never touch Having owned a Audio store my techs taught me many Things regarding magnetic fields,and noise it can be measured and heard Also depending on your cables quality in shielding. |
@jasbirnandra - Hijiri Cables are among the very finest cables available. But I would suggest you ask about them on the Hijiri thread. The guys on there can provide some guidance as to which model or combination might suit you the best. But to your question: Speaker or Interconnect first?
I’ve been making my own cables for over 12 years and I was surprised as to how much of an improvement the speaker cables made. Having the best speaker cables is essential for further cable upgrades Discerning the improvements from the introduction of a new interconnect or power cable was so much easier Regards - Steve
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I think this can be system dependent. Hopefully you can try both out first or return the one that did not perform the best over the other. That being said. Treat your room first. Way more important than those two cables. If you have done that then I am going to suggest power cables too. They say upgrade your sources first. That being said I am a huge proponent of getting your foundation covered first. Room, speakers, amp, preamp and cables for them. Once you have your foundation correct everything can sound good, just different. Like better sound stage, better detail, and last but not least tighter bass. This will help your speakers disappear more easily. I know so many people who gamble with the gear and are not always happy. I will bet you do not have your foundation and room treatments correct. First reflections, front wall between the speakers, and dial in your speaker placement. You will be amazed. If you can have something less attractive try moving blankets from Harbor Freight of drapes from Amazon. I hope this helps. |
Deciding cable change priority can be a tough one, as there are likely many variables. That said, as ArgentPur.audio for almost three years, I can report that EVERYONE who has demo'ed my speaker cables has remarked re their substantial improvements. (For that I'm grateful.) But maybe only 60% of IC changes were very noticeable...I think due to the inherent impedance mismatch contiuum among front end components. As a result, I recommend getting the amp-speaker transducer dialed in carefully first. If your amps are fine, and you've gotten the loudspeaker/room to play well, you can then decide if improving res and detail upstream via a better source component or DAC is as important as changing out ICs. I am certainly NOT going to suggest that you spring for a premium solid pure silver IC (like mine!) if you're using a low-res DAC or midrange front end. That's why a careful consult is required, knowing your complete system, speakers, room, budget, and tastes. Good luck. |
Good evening. Thought I'd share that I have Hijiri HCS or both ICs and speaker cables (not called HCS but it's the equivalent quality). I found the IC had a more profound impact than the speaker cable between my dad and my SET tube receiver from New Audio Frontiers. I tested multiple scenarios to come to that conclusion. These comparisons include all of Hijiris higher end ICs and speaker cables, the Million line, and a bunch of other cables. I'm happy to share specifics so feel free to reach out. Also. Colin King at Gestalt Audio knows these products very well and I highly recommend him and his perspective. |
I wouldn’t recommend Gestalt Audio..I bought from them and Colin gave me an in home audition with the expectation if I don’t want the product I return to with no string attached. The product had a loud buzzing incompatibility with my TT so I returned it..Not before he gave me a hard time, and then tried to charge me a restock fee and charge me for return shipping. I contested it with my CC and of course he lost, but I wouldn’t trust this dealer and have never done business with him again for a multitude of reasons. Buyer beware. |
There is no other side to the story..Im not one to post negative reviews on a dealer and I’ve been in hifi for more years than I care to share...Good on your for your positive experience. He was blatantly in the wrong and that was proven to be the case and I am sharing my experience..You wouldn’t say what you said above if I shared a positive experience, so no need to shill for your buddy. |
"I’m not one to leave negative reviews on a dealer" , but yet you did; in fact this is the 2nd time you posted this. In the 1st (Tron thread) you also simultaneously attacked grannyring with no knowledge of why he decided, or maybe needed to sell the gear he previously spoke of as keepers. Folks come on here from time to time with their side of the story which isn’t proof of anything in and of itself. It doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen as portrayed, but it also doesn’t prove that it did. So while you called him out I provided the opposite experience. Others can make their own decisions on purchasing from him. |
Yes I did, I made an exception in this case, a point that clearly went over your head..I’ve been in this hobby longer than he’s been in business and never been treated by a dealer the way he behaved. So I do it with good reason so there is a counterpoint experience to all the customers who basically are acting as reviewers for him, Grannyring being one of them. First post was deleted for whatever reason. I am sure GR reported it. Colin had an opportunity to do the right thing, he chose not to and act like a child about it and take money that wasn’t his. In my experience he can’t be trusted and I wouldn’t deal with him again. |
lol...Rationalize much? What are you the Judge and Jury? You want my credit card investigation results? Tell you what since this seems incredibly important to you, send me a PM with your information and I will gladly share whatever details I can..But you have to fess-up and tell me how much gear he put in your home for a discount so you can advertise for him like he does with other customers on here. |
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They were..I was told it was no obligation, invoice had ZERO terms on it that would suggest I’d be on the hook for these chanrges. Then the product didn’t work, then he got salty and blamed my Turntable, instead of the Geppetto manufacturer who makes the phono stage who couldn’t figure it out either, at which point I politely said I am sending it back. It wasn’t until he received it back he credited me and deducted the charges. The expectation was NEVER set, not verbally, or on the invoice. Hence why he lost the dispute. Not sure why it ever got to the point it did, but he complicated alot of other parts of the transaction as well. Too many good dealers to deal with rather than one who doesn’t have policies in place and doesn’t set expectations and ultimately alienates a customer. I ultimately took my business elsewhere, sitting in front of a $40K plus system. End of the day that business could have been his. |
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@jl35 yes i paid for the return shipping, he tried to charge me for the shipping to me and a fee, I was mistaken in what I said above. The issue surrounded the charge for shipping back and a fee which was predicated on the fact the unit did not work in my system and it was a result of the Konus design, not my Turntable.
Again, he didn't do the right thing, why should I have to pay for a unit he was unable to troubleshoot and didn't work with my system when 5 other phono stages worked flawlessly. If you sent a phono stage that didn't work with my Turntable it's on the dealer to know that, he didn't. And if he doesn't know it and can't fix it you don't charge the customer for something you're gear is the cause of. Then he sung the praises of a Tron phono as the second coming of Christ and when I listened to it is was average and bested by a Lejonklou at half the price by a large margin.
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