Looking for the best bang for your buck cables. Currently using audio quest King Cobra. Tried AQ Sky and they sounded real good but too pricey. Thanks for any suggestions. Dave
I replaced my King Cobra's with RS Audio 6 nines silver interconnects and was suprised with the increase in everthing, i,e, everthing good. After which I replaced the RS Silver with RS and Signal palladium interconnects. I could probably reduce some noise in the turn table Amp by using a really good shielded cable. I may have a pair or two of the RS Silver interconnects that you can borrow and trial if you like. Let me know. I am not interested in selling them though. I am saving them for an SET / horn set up. Brad
Finding the "best" interconnects is going to be a trial-and-error series of experiments which tends to be never-ending for most audiophiles. There is only a "best for the synergy of your system" and your personal tastes. This will also tend to change as you change speakers and other components. Unfortunately, there is no undisputed "best" out there. You wisest bet is to purchase various cables from manufacturers that offer 30 day return policies so you don't have to take a big loss with every one you purchase. Don't think that price has a lot to do with sound quality either. Check out companies like J.W. Audio and Morrow Audio etc., which both have some reasonably priced cables that tend to give you far more bang-for-the-buck compared to the big names out there. I just replaced some famous name $700 a pair interconnects with a set that cost me less than half that amount a few months ago. It is also very helpful if you can find a fellow audiophile friend who is willing to bring over a few sets for you to try as well. Happy hunting!
Allow give you some wisdom: JW Audio. As mentioned above, I can attest to the fact that his Reference IC's, as well as his sc, are simply the best cables I have used. My past list includes the likes of Synergistic, Tara, DH Labs and Q (both really good cables), though Q was superior in the system I had then, but the JW is just by superior to all of these. I agree in different systems, one is going to experience different synergies but a good cable is a good cable. The JW is Cryo treated and cooked, and you don't pay for the fancy marketing hocus pocus that brand name companies use for the cooking treatment. Once I wired my system up with JW (for less than $500) Total mind you, I was done horsing around with cables. Mission accomplished. He has a 30 day so test my words and hold fast to what is true boss. Happy listening!
Thanks for the responses guys I agree with you Bigshutterbug but I guess I was looking for a direction to start. Not many dealers in my area. I will look ito the suggestions you guys gave me. Thanks. Has any body had any experience with Cardas lines?
Look to the companies that sell direct and offer a 30 (or 60) day money back return policy. Signal Cable, Morrow Audio, MAC (My Audio Cables), and a few others that escape me right now. I've tried Signal Cable and really like them. I prefer them to IC's I've tried from Audio Art, Tara Labs, Kimber, and Straight Wire.
That being said, my personal trend lately is to build my own cables. I just finished one that's designed like the Kimber KCTG that cost me less than $25 to make. I definitely suggest giving Signal Cable a try; I haven't been able find a way to piece together a reasonable facsimile of their cable for less than they sell them without buying enough supplies to make over 100 cables.
Greywolf00 I tried there web page but it looks like it's down. Must be fairly recent since I remember being on it recently. I have included some info below, Richard may still be available? I wanted to make a correction in that the palladium's I have are made by RScable and MAC (My Audio Cable) not by Signal. There are some reviews on the net and also some info here on AG forums. MAC has the palladiums on sale right now, you may ask for a few loaner pairs. Also I think that the Cable Company has a loaner program. They may have some Cardas cable you can sample; since you were interested in the Cardas. I have been through a few sets of different speaker cables, and I am now using Crystal Clear.I cant speak for there interconnects, but the speaker cables were a huge improvement. There is a seller (lilobit) here on Audiogon that sells the Crystal Clear, you may ask here for a couple of trial sets. lilobit sells them for much less then what you will find on the Crystal Clear web site. Please understand, I am not claiming that any of these are the best, it's just what I have used and were happy with. Please take this as positively as you can, but I was never really happy with the King Cobra's, Just my opinion now, but I think any of the cables that are addressed in the forum here will beat them pants down, especially the Cardas. I have never read a review stating a cardas was a so so cable. I once heard a breath taking system that used all Golden reference models, but how much those cables contributed to the system, who know's. Good luck. Sorry about steering you to a company that has what looks like gone out of business. Also alot of people seem to like the Clear Day speaker cables, you may check to see if or what they have for interconnects. RS Audio Cables 37 North Passaic Avenue, Suite No.1 Chatham, NJ 07928 Phone: (201) 615-4426
I have early mastercraft bi-wired with spades. Also have a Crystal Clear Mastercraft PC (bought from lilobit). On Occasion I get a little noise from my turn table source. This didnt happen untill I started using the MAC Palladium interconnects (I think probably because they are not shielded, just twisted). I may just need to move some cables around, I'm not sure, I havn't really looked into it since it only occures from time to time and very minimal. The other source equipment I have are dead quite using the RS and MAC palladiums, with volume up and no music playing. If I find that it is due to unshielded IC's I will probably be looking at Crystal Clear Master Series. I am really sold on silver or palladium, but you will find alot of opposition to using all around palladium. What can I say, I plug them in and sonics are improved considerably and continue to get better for the first ???? hours. I havn't experienced any of the trebel harshness that some do, and to top it off I have Townsend Super Tweeter's. Bare in mind that the Pre, amp's (monoblocks) CD player are tubes all PrimaLuna so I have played with some tube rolling which has tamed the sonics to my liking. Best of luck with your selection Brad
There is no definitive "best" of anything. There are way too many variables involved. The "best" you can hope for is to find something that works well in your system. You can then say it's the "best" for you until you find something you think is better !!!!
Funny Bradf's post reminds me that everything is relative to one's point of reference.
Point in case, i have been using generic Canare/Neutrik XLRs for 5 years and upgraded everything to King Cobras, and i have to say WOW, what an improvement, everything just opened up.
Clipsal, I think Crystal Cable and Crystal Clear Audio are different companies. Was it Crystal Cable you are talking about? Very cool sight that I was not aware of....thanks
Bobpaule, Your absolutly right. I am sure if someone replaced the RS or MAC palladuium with Cardas Golden reference, there would soon be more palladium cables on AG for sale. As far as best cable, well you know how that goes. I will say though that there are better value cables.
Bradf, the catch is i won an auction on ebay for 1/3 MSRP on the 7.1 2m XLR run, and got used pairs of 7.1 RCAs to make use of the fabulous AKM DAC for SACD in my refurb DVD-A1UDCI. I even had a fake King Cobra RCA pair, immediately noticed the ill fitting pins and lack of "Audioquest" logos, and coarser triple pattern on the sleeves, luckily the seller was reputable reseller with no audiophile experience, so return was painless.
Clipsal: You've go to be kidding me. The OP asked for "best bang for the buck" cables. PSC hardly seems like bang for the buck.
Greywolf00: Check out Crimson solid core cables. Replaced my Kimber Selects and Nordost Tyrs I had. Interconnects are around $300 for one meter and speaker cables are priced relative to the interconnects.
Greywolf100, I recently visited the Clearday calble web site. It in addition to speaker cables, it looks like theyare now offering a silver IC with copper Icmanns. I think there $179.00. You may want to ask for a loaner pair. i can loan you a couple of pair of RS audio, If you want to try silver IS's. One has copper Icmanns and the other has Silver Icmanns. Mac Audio has came down a heck of alot on there palladium cables. At one time they were as much as $460.00 or so. Now ther on sale for about $160.00 - $180.00. I really notived a lot of improvement on overall clairity with both the Rs and the Mac palladium cables. Between the two, the RS Palladium are the best. I believe its the Eicmann Silver connectors, but they were about twice the cost of the MAc's. If you cant get your hands on a loaner from MAC, I would be willing to pull a pair of MAC Palladiums from one of my sources and let you try them for a a week or so then you would have to send them back. The RS silvers you could keep for a little longer since I am not using the mright now. but this hs gor to be an indicator of how good I think the RS Silvers are. Instead of selling them I am hanging on to them for some distant SET, Single driver system I may or may not put together. The silver RS Audio ma give you an idea of how the Clear Day Cables would perform. Alot of performance for the dollar. By the what components did you need the IC's for. Also there is a member here on AG Rodmann99999 that you may want to look up. i work in aircraft avionics and this guys understanding of electronic principle is a couple of runs up the ladder past my understanding. Of course audio circuits and avionics circuits are much different. But he has alot of years designing audio systems for others. he has always been very helpful to me. I am sure he would be willing to help you. He has probably been around more IC's then the average audio nut. Good luck with your venture. if I think of anything else I will let you know. Contact me if you want to borrow the cables. I you havn't heard silver or palladium you may want to give it a try.
System synergy is what dictates which cables will work best, as has been said here.
I had King Cobras and went to Kimber Heros with the WBT RCAs. Everything is better to my ears - cleaner, more focused, more open, more space between instruments, and just a better sense of being live vs recorded IMO. Funny thing is, the size of individual instruments (imaging wise) shrunk a bit. At first I thought it was a tradeoff, but after a while realized that it was more realistic. To my ears, there wasn't a single tradeoff.
I have the Heros connected between a Bryston B60 and Rega DAC. Speakers are Audio Physic Yara Evolution Bookshelves.
I think The Cable Company specializes in used cables and being able to audition them at home for lengths of time. I haven't dealt with them, so I can't vouche for them. They seem to have a great selection and I've heard several people say they have very knowledgable people answering the phones. In your shoes, I'd give them a call and see what they're all about and what they have to say.
Again, I can't personally vouche for them as I've never dealt with them. A few people I trust have dealt with them and they had nothing but good things to say about them.
Time Portal, made by David Schulte (The Upgrade Company). Time Portal replaced the Mosaics(Intuitive Design) interconnects and Audioquest Rockefellers. A huge step up in clarity, and all around sound. When I put in the first Time Portal interconnect $400, the sound quality told me I hadn't misspent my money.
Have a pair of xlr opus made by crystal clear audio. Pure silver cables but very easy on your ears. Loads of detail and extended highs. Extreme Quality.
Check them out -- I have been testing a MA4 reference interconnect I got for $250 used (balanced XLR/1m). The separation and sound stage are suberb, and the bass has snap. However, I cannot reiterate enough -- cables need to match to equipment and your ears -- try some out.
I have had the HiDiamond XLR 2 interconnects in my system for 2 days. They are simply stunning. I have never heard any other interconnects that do what the HiDiamonds do to bring the emotion and aliveness into my system -- or any other system I have ever auditioned over the years. Words cannot do justice to these interconnects -- right out of the box without break-in.
Please note I am not in the audio business and have no association with any audio company -- other than being a customer.
I have owned several brands over the years in the search for the "best": Harmonic Technologies, Tara, Synergistic, Audioquest and I have settled on Mapleshade ICs and speaker cables as the most revealing, coherent and smoothest.
I just bought the Crystal Clear Audio speaker cable. It's the Magnum Opus 6N pure silver conductor terminated with Cardas silver, plated with rhodium spades. Now this is just me but, this cable gave me better soundstage as in deeper and wider, way better clarity, more detail as in you can pin point each instrument on the stage, and not sounding bright at all as some people says it would be using 99.9999% pure silver. I have used MIT, Audioquest, Nordost , Transparent, and to my ears, CCAC are by Far the best for the bucks. Mel the owner gave me a huge discount. You should really check out their website: http://crystalclearaudio.com/
which brands of gear are you using? The AQ Sky is an excellent place to start. I personally liked Silent Source IC offered by Frank Dickens in Dallas TX. All products are made here and are hand built, no filler, no China -sourced junk. Upon thinking about power cords (PC) the absolute 'best' is Stage III Concepts offered by Brian @ Aaudio Imports- pure bliss at a cost! Keep me posted.
update on my last post..5-22-12....since my last post i have tried and bought Rick Schultz's HighFidelity interconnects...these are without a doubt , the best cables i have ever tried ..by a large margin. ( see the forum topic on his cables)..i have a pair of the CT-1U i/c..CT-1U speaker cables and will be getting his new PC this week..
High Fidelity. Even their entry level CT-1 ICs were better by far than anything I had tried over 20 years, really in a league by themselves. Excuse the cliche but these are game changers, a big step forward in music reproduction. Read the reviews. The superlatives tossed around by every reviewer reflect the experience I've had listening to them. Expensive, yes, but worth it.
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