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Suggest affordable cable options

My current setup is as follows: Bowers and Wilkins CM10 s2 (speakers), Parasound A21 (amp), Cambridge Audio Azur 851D DAC/Preamp connected to the amp via balanced connectors.

I am currently using cheap Audioquest ($50) cables and have been advised by many at Agon that upgrading to better speaker wires would yield considerable results. Now, when it comes to cables I'm admittedly not so educated, so I can surely use some advise here.

I want to stay below $750 - open to both new or used. Someone at Audiogon suggested Clear Day cables which can be had for around $500 for the top option. My only concern is that B&W are already known to be a bit forward/bright, so adding silver cables, which also have a reputation to be a bit on the bright side (feel free to correct me if this assumption is just plain wrong), might not be the most prudent approach.

Unfortunately, the more I research the more I get confused. Some say that it's a waste of money, and that a wire is a wire is a wire. Others advise to stick with name brands such as Audioquest, Tara Labs, etc. While others swear by boutique but affordable options such as Clear Day cables. Usually, the reason given by this camp is that the cables are more affordable because they manufacturers don't have marketing overhead. However, I'm sure the more established companies have higher profit margins that potentially lead to bigger and better R&D.

Regardless, one thing is for sure -- I'm not in the mood to spend more than 30% of what my system is worth.
arafiq

Showing 3 responses by arafiq

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,716 posts
 
thanks tbromgard ... how would you compare these to Audioquest Rocket 88 (they are selling for around $400 used)?

A friend of mine had bought anti-cables but was not too impressed and ended up buying something else. Of course, this doesn't mean they won't work in my system.

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,716 posts
 
Thanks for the great ideas everyone. To be honest, given the variety and breadth of the advice, I’m even more confused now, ha!

Based on what I read, here’s what I took away:

1. Higher price does not necessarily equate to better performance.
2. Buying used is a better route -- and I completely agree
3. Silver wires might not cause the sound to be brighter but they won’t help in that aspect either
4. There’s no substitute to experimenting with different options - so the Cable Co. might be my best bet if that’s what I decide to do

Did some research and, based on the advise here, I’m currently leaning toward Morrow cables. Incidentally, another Agoner (didn’t contribute to this thread though) paired his Parasound A21 with Morrow cables and is very happy with the results. But the question is which price point? Morrow seems to be catering from the low hundreds to over $2000. Someone’s selling Morrow Audi SP6 for around $450 here at Audiogon.

The other option is the Acoustic Zen Santori but I can’t find pricing information on their website. It points to their dealer network. TBH, I’m leary of buying from a dealer and paying that extra markup. Also, I cannot find anything used.

Lastly, one thing that I didn’t mention before was that I’m doing most of my listening via streaming. Mac --> iTunes --> Airplay --> Apple TV --> TosLink (thinking of replacing with digital coax) --> DAC

My current thinking is that perhaps replacing the Apple TV with a better streamer (Aurelic or Bluesound Node 2) is probably a better use of my money at this point. Apple TV’s limitations (48khz sampling) are well known. Also, I’m doing a lot more Tidal nowadays and have been told that the Bluesound Node 2 kicks ass when it comes to Tidal or Spotify.

What do you guys think? Should I upgrade the streamer first or speaker cables?

arafiq's avatar
arafiq OP
1,716 posts
 
Believe it or not, ever since i posted my last message here, i've been on the road almost constantly ... either that, or working 14 hour days. ugh!!

Anyways, since most of my listening is via streaming nowadays, I've decided to address the network and source issues first. So the plan is to upgrade in the following order:
1. Better router - my current router sucks, too many wifi drops, especially when listening to Tidal
2. Better streamer - Apple TV is okay, but I'd like to give either Bluesound or Auralic a try 
3. Speaker cable - based on the suggestions here, I'm leaning heavily toward Clear Day, Morrow Audio and AZ Satori, in that order. I guess I should expect to do some experimentation before settling on the final one. Don't see any other way around it.

Again, really appreciate the responses. I just wish I had more time to listen to music. In the last two months, I've only listened twice or thrice. Not fun!!
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