whats the very best sounding cables for realistic money

mains
geoff, are the Anti Cables very good?

mains, you tell me. Best of Show etc., etc.

http://anticables.com/reviews

After using the cable services to demo many different speaker and ic cables it became apparent that Straightwire Maestro was the best performing speaker and ic in my system.  I think cables are very system specific.

I’ve compared my shorter (.5 meter) silver SP/DIF cable to a 1 meter version and found the above claim of 1 meter digital cables not working as well to be baseless. This may be in issue in theory, but at least in my attempt at testing it by actually listening to music, it’s simply nonsense. I really tried to test this theory once I heard it existed, switched the cables between a streamer and a CD transport back and forth over days…zero, and I mean zero difference. Maybe my modest DAC has astounding re-clocking abilities or something, but still…

You could always try building your own.

I assembled my Low-Inductance braided bi-wire design based on the work I found here:
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/Low-Inductance-DIY-Speaker-Cables/

I am pleased with them for the $200 or so I have invested in two 12ft runs of bi-wire/bi-amp capable

http://i.imgur.com/oydXxGV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iZP4z0j.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1yYzYFT.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PBSX4mH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/6Ojdycn.jpg

Finished cables
http://i.imgur.com/oTpp6OI.jpg

All things being equal, white cords or cables always sound better than black or any other color. Don't believe me? Just use white electrical tape and apply to whatever cord or cable you're currently using.

Hi Mains,
These are a bit outside the price range you were looking for. Hands down best cable for the money - you might want to check them out for the next time you get an itch. Just throwing in my $0.01 
www.tonarm.ch

I was doing similar speaker research as the OP not long ago, and would like to add to something geoffkait said earlier regarding a specific speaker brand using common extension cord as speaker cable at a trade show.
Whilst doing the research, I stumbled across this site:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/whitelightning/moonshine.html
I am not affiliated with this site nor is this an endorsement of it (they don't sell stuff, so this is no veiled sales pitch).
It seemed like a low-risk proposition, so I made up a set of cables for my system - which by no means is a high-level barn burner, but it sounds pretty damned decent to me.  I found some white cord that matched the spec (which looks, really, quite nice coming off the speakers and disappearing into the rack) and I did go with bare wire at the speaker terminal.  To provide some point of reference, my system consists of:

Denon AVR-X4000 (mid-level A/V receiver)
Hafler DH220 w/full Musical Concepts ugrade for front L/R
Magenpan MMG fronts
Adcom GFA6000 for center/surrounds
Paradigm Phantom v2 surrounds, Magnepan MMG-C center
Rhythmik FG12 (Audiogon classifieds find)
Denon DCD 1500 CD player
Akai GX-280D reel-to-reel
ADC Sound Shaper SS-325X (for reel)
Monoprice 22AWG interconnects across the board

As a self-taught guitar player (40+ years) and low-grade "audiophile", I consider myself to have a relatively "trained" ear.  I get "imaging", "soundstage","airy", "bloated", "boomy", etc.  And I'll be damned if these low-cost, extension cord speaker cables didn't add to an already good-sounding system.  I got expanded soundstage dimension, depth, clarity, tightened mid-bass.......it added a sparkle and sharpness that even my wife and son noticed after about 30 seconds of listening.  Would these speaker cables add anything to a high end system?  Can't say.  But if you've got the bread to burn on thousand-dollar cables, you certainly have it to burn on something such as these DIY-ers that could give you a really, really pleasant surprise.  I know I got one, and will be hard-pressed to re-visit the "which speaker cable?" conundrum ever again.

In my friends system the speaker cables was mediocre he dumped it pretty quick maybe its great in lesser resolution systems.Im using Purist and Furutech power cords they were much better than my Stealth V14 and V12 speaker cables. Cables are largely system dependent.Well good luck with the Anti cables as in many cases you get what you pay for at least i can say that with Purist and Furutech.Good luck though.

hi Geoff,

Have you heard the Anticables ?
Are they very good ?
Thank you,

I second the SignalCable. Well made and had a positive influence on my system. They are also very reasonable.

Ebm, now I'm positive you have no idea what you're talking about. 

Anti cables are great if you like mediocre sound.

Anticables all around.

Hey there, many folks in this thread have already discussed the various reasons behind the importance of each type of cable. I’ll just throw in my 2 cents with a recommendation for the cable brand I’m presently using and slowly switching to throughout my system, Snake River Audio. The following is a review I posted elsewhere on Audiogon for the Snake River digital cable. Sorry it’s a bit long. Really excellent stuff, and a great small company to deal with; they often have cables in their used section, for half price, that have only been to one audio show and back, which would fit your price requirements nicely.

Since I wrote the review, I have swapped out all of my power cables for Snake River ones, they replaced Cardas Golden Reference. My only other advice, besides buying just about anything Snake River, is to buy cables used. The 50% discount is not only better on the front end but makes it much less painful to sell if you decide to swap something.

Boomslang Digital Cable Review
The first time I was exposed to how much of a profound difference wire can make when well utilized in an audio system was in the early 1980’s. I traded up from the tinned lead hook-up wire that came with my speakers to some big, fat, stranded Monster cable with good connectors. Well, how about that I thought, more bass, better vocals... pretty much better everything - and all because of changing out those lousy speaker cables. I thought to myself, I wonder if changing my RCA cables would make a difference too, and lo-and-behold it did! I was hooked on the easy tweak of cable rolling.

Fast forward more than 30 years and it’s no surprise that I’ve changed cables more than a few times, particularly since my system has evolved significantly since then. Heck, I’ve even gone so far as to swap out the wiring inside of speakers and inside preamps. And guess what? It all makes a discernible difference - everything sounds like something. While not every change I have made has been for the better, most have yielded beneficial results and advanced my system’s capabilities. Companies such as Kimber, Tara and particularly Cardas have all spent time in my systems. Sometimes decades! So, yes, I tube roll, fuse swap and cable roll when I think I can better my current position and squeeze a little more out of my system.

Sorry it took me a while to get to the point, but this next part is what this review is really about... Recently, the good folks at The Cable Company loaned me three top shelf digital cables of differing designs. All three were high purity silver and handily outperformed my 12 year old copper digital cable, which had been a well reviewed Class A component in it’s day and had provided years of pleasurable listening. My cable wasn’t bad, per se, it was just that the newer designs and materials were so much better! The leader of the pack, and by a good margin, was a strikingly good looking flat cable by a small company out of Idaho, Snake River Audio ( http://snakeriveraudio.com ). All of Snake River Audio’s cables are named after various types of snakes and the cable in question was named Boomslang, after a particularly venomous tree snake. The Boomslang employs a thick multi-conductor cable that is flat but thicker than a conventional ribbon cable, presumably due to shielding. The RCA connectors were a locking design by WBT and the conductors were all high purity silver; moreover, the Boomslang was several hundred dollars cheaper than its competitors and longer, at 1.37 meters. Physical specifications aside, the cable simply sounds amazing! The Boomslangs are just musical, dare I say more analog sounding, providing a more natural leading and trailing edge to sounds and allowing for better delineation and clarity throughout. This accuracy and speed allows the listener to hear more of the micro dynamics that make a musical presentation sound more natural. Best of all, the Boomslangs do what they do without being overly bright. I fear I’m not doing adequate justice in describing how good these cables really are and what a difference they have made to my already finely tuned system. Mike Oldfield once quoted the old adage that "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" and this sure feels like that.

So, the Boomslang cables are outstanding! But, that got me thinking of how the other cables by Snake River Audio might sound in my system... Sound familiar? Unfortunately, a review of the other cables will have to wait for another time and a new fiscal year. I would like to close this review with advising anyone considering dealing with Snake River Audio that Jonny Wilson, the owner, is one of the most accommodating folks you will ever work with. His products are superb, handcrafted to a meticulous tolerance and he offers a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. I can unequivocally recommend Jonny and his fine products!

Best of luck and remember to enjoy!

Interconnects: Ernst&Engbring 3-lead shielded microphone cable with the third lead as return for the shield or ground if used for balanced connection or DIN connectors with e.g. Naim equipment. This cable is used by Neumann and Rupert Neve and is intended for professional studio use. I have made interconnects with this cable that have proved to perform much better than cables costing over 40 times more per meter and at about $1.50/m it's a steal.

Speaker Cable: Klotz 1.5mm2 professional round speaker cable. Intended for stage monitors and similar use it is rugged and sounds fantastic for it's low price of about $2/m.

These are both no-nonsens professional cables that outperform many esoteric and expensive so called High End cables at a fraction of the price.

Another Speaker Cable that sounds much better than expected is Linn K20 / Naim Naca4 at about $8/m. It is however somewhat restrictive at the upper end of the spectrum so it's best suited for use with speakers and/or amps that sound a little too "bright". It is very musical and forgiving instead of being primarily analytical and transparent but it can remove unwanted harshness from some systems making the music more pleasant to listen to even if some details are lost in the process. Filtering out the nastiness it can sometimes be the right way to go... Please remember to connect it in the correct direction with the text on the cable originating at the speaker end as intended. It makes a small but noticeable difference.

As for Power Cables it is mostly the plugs that make a significant difference. Use good quality outlets and plugs. You can remove the connector all together on your equipment by soldering the cable directly into the unit or replace them with Neutrik PowerCon connectors. I live in Europe and our 240V Shuko wall outlets are much better than the US 110V outlets. If I lived in the US I would replace that end with PowerCon as well. If you want to be able to hot-swap PowerCon use the more expensive black and yellow type rather than the cheaper blue and grey as they are not intended to be connected or disconnected when power is switched on. There are plenty of professional Power Distribution Units on the market that utilise PowerCon but you can easily build your own if you want to save a few bucks.

When it comes to SPDIF the main factor is NOT to use cables that are 1m in length! This results in jitter as reflections due to impedance mismatching arrives just when the next bit is to be detected. Use either very short cables, 75cm cables or cables at least 1.5m but NEVER 1m cables! 1m 75ohm coax cables are intended for video, not audio, and should be avoided under all circumstances. 

I’m a solid core fan (lots of AQ items) and simply out of curiosity I bought an inexpensive (the MOST inexpensive they make, the MA1…2 tiny wires) Morrow Audio IC during a sale thing a couple of months ago. After a long break-in it’s seems like such a great sounding cable that I recently bought 2 more (actually bought one more but they were giving away a freebie with any new cable). Weirdly, Morrow has their own thing where they use the same small silver coated copper solid core in everything…basically more or less of it, and it works.

Read this read this article:

http://www.tempoelectric.com/cables.htm

Click on their sister company:

DIY instructions are still available on our sister site, The Vinyl Tourist ... it is linked on their website.  

This is is what I did and it also hit on what others are posting!  If you like DIY you can build a set of cable & wires that will blow your mind and the competition out of the water.  $-$$$$ that depends on you! 

Mine have out done everything my hi-fi dealer has and we are not talking the box store dealers either.  Kimber doesn't hold a candle to them, just for some reference.  Yes, I am talking all of them.  There are so many combos that work and some work better with certain pairings.  Personally I found that silver works great, especially with digital, gold and silver work really well in RCA interconnects (turntable) and for the money Copper and silver is flat out wow.  

The article is a great read! 

Have a look at jeffsplace.me blog. You'll find some interesting informations on the Duelund DCA series cables.
I bought them as many other people do. I don't  think I will ever look back. They are made for speakkers and interconnect, no power cables.

I am happy with the cables I made using 12 gauge silver wire and teflon tubing as an insulator.  You can google 'How to make your own silver audio cables'.  

I am happy with the cables I made using 12 gauge silver wire and teflon tubing as an insulator.  You can google 'How to make your own silver audio cables'.  

One more for Clear Day cables. Have tried WireWorld, Audioquest, Nordost, and Tellurium Q in the $1,500-$2,000 range, and none bested the Clear Day Double Shotgun at $450.  Using his XLR interconnects as well. 30 day money back guarantee, so you have nothing to loose by trying them. Super nice guy as well.  

Clarity cables. Little,more than your budget but a great all around performer

Expensive cables fix fabricated problems.  Even cable manufactures do not and cannot scientifically explain what their cables are designed to do.  They make over designed, visually attractive cables that perform no audio or acoustic function beyond that provided by inexpensive wire of the appropriate impedance and length.  Nothing new here.

Wireworld cables are very good. Replaced my Anti Cables in a Jolida 1701 Magnepan MMG setup. Arcam rDAC. More info and less harsh. Their USB cable no better than Walmart cable. Upgrading USB is a waste.

Krux Kable Interlaced Braid 3D Copper 12 Gauge Speaker Wire. 

http://www.knukonceptz.com/home-theater/speaker-wire/krux-speaker-wire/

Used Wireworld Eclipse (reg., silver or gold, any generation. 

@jriggy  Thanks. I will pm you for more info. Do not want to wander off, for the thread's sake.

Lowes hardware store,  this is good cable for realistic money!, get the 10awg speaker's cable's 😂🤣😃

@david_ten, I have some Seven+, an older Eight+ or two I'd like to upgrade at some point and a Digital American. would also like to try a High Power for the amp, which might have a bit deeper bass over the Seven+ but they are close in performance to each other, from what I've read. 

SignalCable. Expertly hand-assembled, sensible proven designs, reasonably priced (buy direct), great customer service. What more do you need?

geoff,

you are funny and intelligent with a wealth of knowledge its great when you add your 5 cents even if your having a go at me sometimes, thank you for your honesty and passion after years of hifi you can go mad, but to me you sound quite sane (ish) meant as a compliment

@jriggy Which Triode Wire Labs PCs did you go with? Thanks.

Mains, you owe it to yourself to try Teo Audio Game Changer interconnects.

He offers a very generous money-back guarantee, so if you don't like them,  the most you'll be out is the cost of the postage.

You owe it to yourself to look up Triode Wire Labs (TWL). Best sounding, reasonable priced power cables I've heard. I went through a few brands at double and higher the price. TWL won for my system. Ill never use another. Pete's SC's and IC's are great, too, and there is definitely a synergy there going all TWL but there are so many out there, you can go whatever direction you'd like...but going all TWL for power makes for a quiet, organic, full bodies sound. The option to have certain cables for high power, digital and other makes for great system matching, as well. 

If you can find them, AR (Acoustic Research) Pro Series II high-purity, oxygen-free copper, multi-stranded conductors. No longer made can be found on the internet (sometimes), and should be very inexpensive.

mr_hosehead
189 posts
07-05-2017 9:10pm
It feels like I’ve replied with the following maybe once or twice a year for the past decade. This approach should fit your budget and is usually good for a laugh. And you can always look this up and see for yourself...

Way, way back when I’d stumbled onto some references to speakers being displayed by Quad at a HiFi show near London and the real kicker to the whole thing was that the Quad guy had gone down the road to the local Home Depot equivalent, bought some orange outdoor extension cord (I think that article said it was Black & Decker wire), and Quad was displaying their speakers at that show with the extension cord being used as their speaker wire. Apparently no one noticed for days...

>>>>>That’s not really that weird since the Quad power supply requires a power cord as opposed to a speaker cable. So it’s not as if the extension cords are speaker wires per se. When I had Quads I replaced the stock speaker cords with homemade cords made out of Kimber Cable speaker cable. But to your point that nobody noticed, I agree. Crowds move through the rooms at HiFi shows like cattle through a slaughterhouse. They are too exhausted to notice much.

thanks again everyone,

i sat up last night reading all your comments and thinking deeply regarding this magical cable i now believe that is out there somewhere,
then bingo i put all your comments into one and i have come up with there is not no magical cable. What we have is 100s of choices from again as many manufacturers, i seem to point this out that choice is often baffling in our hobbies (life) ie cars watches hifi etc. People seem to have there favorites they stick with like myself but then that feeling of is the grass greener starts then BANG the bug bites.

The answer has been answered in all the above, it is simply there is no answer, there are just again options on budgets. Many different companies building cables to sell at different price points, the majority now are all genuine contenders which is why it is getting harder to choose,

I do not blame the none believers as pointed out by the Quad demo in one reply above.

I believe self satisfaction, a sound frame of mind is paramount in our quest, after all we are all seeking the very best from our investments and yes the cost of ones system should be a starting point on what to spend ie the above idea of 100k system = 10k on cables sounds realistic to me but to others 10k on cables is mind blowing and mad.

I would like to keep this discussion going until maybe Jesus does walk the earth again or BANG that cable or no cable is made,

This subject of cables is great with various answers for various reasons and everybody is just adding to the confusion without realizing
in truth there is not one answer ,

I believe pick a manufacturer you like the ideas of, go threw the range and keep what sounds the best for budget and piece of mind, make sure if the better range was better then go for it or sit and wait for it until funds permit, hopefully you have not picked a manufacturer that is changing models every 5 mins,do it in sections ie hear the loom then buy it in sections knowing the end results will be worth it,

Hay start down Maplins or your local DIY shop grab a nice budget copper or silver cable and try and better it from the experts,

Thanks again  PS is anyone using Curios Tech or Anti cables if so could you describe there improvements over the other cable brands available thank you

In a midrange investment....first....make sure power conditioning is on point.....AKA....Core2power. Outstanding results for minimum investment...Under 2k...total investment with enough power on tap to power an entire 15A circuit. If that is already there, the 'extension cord works in a pinch', I've done it. If you want the liquid sound of a state of the art cable, check out the best of the best IMHO....are, entry level Cardas, Audioquest, Morrow Audio, and Kimber cable. Not cheap, but very good. Morrow tends to be a little more aggressively priced. That kind of investment will get you well into an entire MA-4-5, Sp5 solution that will yield great results in many systems including my rig. I have heard Wywires , and Synergistic research products in some pretty nice affordable rigs too. The world is your oyster here, most important thing, do not use a cable to correct deficiencies in sound....they allow more detail and open soundstage as your investment becomes larger. Your budget should yield great results even with some of the 'affordable' offerings of some larger companies. Each cable choice will cause your system to change subtle character.....ie...more laid back, more lush midrange, and darker blacker back round. Make sure your power is as clean as you can get it to get the most out of your cable investment.

DIY - Cerro 12 gauge stranded THHN. Twist conductors around each other one turn per foot. Do not terminate. Use bare copper into the amp and speaker connectors.  Get the wire from Home Depot or Lowe's.  Clean, detailed. 

IMO, beats a lot of expensive cables.

It feels like I've replied with the following maybe once or twice a year for the past decade.  This approach should fit your budget and is usually good for a laugh.  And you can always look this up and see for yourself...

Way, way back when I'd stumbled onto some references to speakers being displayed by Quad at a HiFi show near London and the real kicker to the whole thing was that the Quad guy had gone down the road to the local Home Depot equivalent, bought some orange outdoor extension cord (I think that article said it was Black & Decker wire), and Quad was displaying their speakers at that show with the extension cord being used as their speaker wire.  Apparently no one noticed for days...

The Analysis Plus Pro Power Oval power cord with Wattgate plug for less than a hundred bucks for one meter length is not chopped liver.

See the custom cable ensemble I am using on my system details page. 

soundstring!

As you have probably reaiized, there is no one correct answer. Most of us probably feel pretty strongly about the cables we use or just "the cable debate" in general. I love Silent Source cables. At this point I can't see using any others. They aren't cheap but the money one spends definitely goes towards the actual product rather than marketing. 

That being said, I went to a workshop at the RMAF a few years ago that was all about "cables". It actually wasn't promoting a particular brand or product. The workshop highlighted the impact that "like brand/type" cables can have on a system. They started with a mixed bag of good quality cables. The system sounded fine. However, when they switched out the cables for all the same brand/type the system came to life. The timing and coherence were noticeably better. It was one of the best workshops I ever attended and it has helped me ever since. Good luck on your quest!

@mains, I like your thinking ( and writing), and believe you have a good head on your shoulders. Much of what you posted is in sync with my beliefs.
As far as making a recommendation, so much is system dependent, that it is hard to make a blanket recommendation.
Could you give us a list of your components? Are you using RCA or balanced interconnects?
Thanks Bob

DH Labs is worth looking at:
http://silversonic.com/

So is Supra:
http://jenving.com/

geoffkait
5,941 posts
07-05-2017 12:58pm

" .... Mains, there is no answer to your question. If there was everybody would be doing it. This whole subject of best bang for the buck or what’s the best for the money, whatever, has been going on for 40 years. It’s pretty much been reduced to the level of a troll...."

+1

Nailed it !

Without prejudice to the former, the notion of  "realistic money" is an arbitrary, biased and entirely subjective value judgement at best.

-- in a $50,000 high-end build / resolution system, $5000 is "realistic money".... at that price/performance strata, they are all "good" with the challenge being to pick out the contender(s) from the pretenders.

-- in contrast, in a $1000 low-fi system, $100 is a good first step. There is negligible to nil  difference at that price/performance strata, so just pick one of 'em.

Geof 
i think you have been around tooooooooo loooooong, im guessing you've sold up and put im a celebrity get me out of here on??????????
On a very serious note if no cables is your tonic please pass the bottle thank you

hi geoff 
i have been off the hifi merry go round for about 5 years , my 40k loom has been around since 2005/2006,the company even longer, every system i built i took it for granted that at that price they must be the best, without trolling or whatever you call it i am not mentioning any names or products only the ones i have not heard.
when i isolated my loudspeakers the penny dropped, i was sent out some cables and bang s**t at a fraction of the price they was more revealing and musical than my good old reliable s, so i ditched the 40k cables and i am now listening to the much cheaper ones.
I was wondering if this company that has a wide range of products can produce a cable that is cheaper and beater sounding than a specialist cable manufacturer that has been around since the 1990s, then maybe with technology there is a dedicated cable company making some real magic cable products.
As i guessed its still the same out there 95% marketing 5% performance or there abouts.
Now no cables is very interesting can you please share your findings?