interconnects vs speaker cables vs power cords - which make the biggest difference?

@ccandte Six years late, but here’s my experience as well as first time delving into a subjective mater on audigon. here we go!

I would say based on my experience and conclusions aftermarket power cables SOMETIMES matter, whereas interconnects and speaker cables ALWAYS matter, so determine your power situation before finalizing your ranking.

Here’s the logic behind this sweeping statement.

1. I have NEVER heard a difference between aftermarket power cables and the stock cables that came with the McIntosh amp nor the McIntosh preamp/DAC in the setup in my home.

• I have auditioned 4 cables over the years on my home setup and could not hear any difference.
• A McIntosh engineer once wrote to me that said there should be no need to use anything other than the stock cable if power supply is designed and built properly. I’m not sure I would go that far. I would imagine bad power in (whether EMI, RF, or voltage issues) would cause some problems.
• Also, Judging from the experiences of our fellow Audigoners, and many other places, a power cable matters and when it does, it matters A LOT.

2. Contrary to my experience with after-market power cables, EVERY speaker cable I have auditioned made a sonic difference. Some a lot, some a little, but they all changed the quality of the sound.

3. Likewise, EVERY interconnect I have ever auditioned has made a difference. I’m not sure I could rank the impact speaker cables and interconnects though even in absolute terms much less factoring for price.

So, before you rank order, my advice is to first determine if the power cable even needs to be a criteria for your particular situation. If not, then you can focus your budget (and efforts) on the other two entirely. If the power cable does matter in your system, then fortunately you have already received a lot of great info on this subject from other posts on this thread. Let us know how you fare.

In my experience Power Cables and Digital Cables can make big differences while Interconnect and Speaker Cables make very small differences.

I'm always shocked at just how easily differences can be perceived between power and digital cables. I find decay reproduction and low-end performance can vary significantly from cable to cable.

On the other hand, I generally hear very little difference when comparing interconnects. I've tried many different RCA interconnects and always end up returning to my budget Wireworld cables because I never hear enough difference in interconnects to justify the cost.

I once took part in a blind speaker cable test. A set of very expensive speakers cables was compared to a pair of car battery jumper cables. There was no consensus in the room as to which one was preferred.

I’ll add that I’ve been working on upgrading PC with the help of the Cable Company (highly recommended). They recommended that I start with my power conditioner cable (big difference), the DAC ( clear difference, but not as big), pre, and amps (I haven’t done yet)—so down the chain.

I will also add, if you use digital, consider your inputs there. Going to a fiber system and good Ethernet cord definitely reduced glare (fiber did 90% of it for me).