Lifters ForGetting Cables Off The Floor, Worth It Or Snake Oil


  •  I'm looking at some porcelain cable lifters to get some power and speaker cable up off the floor.  Does raising the cables off the floor really make a difference? It's going to be about 200 bucks for 10 of them. Thanks.  
zar
First of all, lifters absolutely work: I've lifted cables - initially with jewel boxes and edges of books, and worked up to Shunyata's 2nd generation lifters. My room is acoustically great, electricity is great, and the setup is also excellent, so I can hear the 'little things' that some scoff at, most likely because they haven't addressed completely the room, and the electricity, but it's still there to be heard. Depending on what type of music you play, you'll hear it to a clearer degree. Processed music? Won't hear that much. Mercurys, old Deccas, RCA Living Stereo and some other top labels? You should be hearing it if your system's set up right.
As to the lifters at Music Direct: they have a 60-day return policy, so this is a win-win for the person considering them. Don't listen to the conjecture of those who 'know things' yet have no experience with the actual genre in question. That's called The Blind Leading The Blind. Try it out yourself. That's called common sense.
I'm in that camp - getting cables off the floor works, and to my ears, it's fairly easy to hear the difference. I don't want to debate whether it does or doesn't. I would just like to add some observations for those who have experienced the same. After trying numerous types of "lifters" I settled on some acrylic ones. The porcelain insulators - regardless of coatings - impose a sonic signature on the system. Because they provide an overall improvement, the change they make to tonal balance may or may not benefit your system. Most of the wood risers I tried did the same - improvement, but with an added signature. The acrylics seemed to provide all of the advantages without re-tuning the system. (I have not tried the Shunyata's)
Fascinating discussions. Thanks for the comments by @tgun5  and @gbmcleod  and all others who have used them. 
I have changed my opinion on cable lifters.  You need to lift them about 5" off the floor.









































not for SQ - I just bought a vacuum robot and it needs that clearance