What percent of your system cost is for cables?


The thread started by A1126lin asking how much one should spend on cables caused me to do a quick estimate of what I've spent. It would be interesting to see how much we've spent for audio cables and power cables (including conditioners) relative to our total system cost.
Here's mine:
Total 12,000
Equip 8,500 70%
A-cable 1,500 13%
P-cable/cond 1,700 17%
danner
System 40K
Digital IC $700
Interconnects (1pr. 20’ & 2pr. 3’): $2800.00
Speaker Cables (2 sets – bi-wire 4’): $1800.00
Power Cables (4@ 1400.): $5600.00

Percentage doesn’t mean much when you get into stratuspheric systems. Take Boulder gear for example. I bet most if not all guys using that stuff have $-no object cabling. But as a percentage - it wouldn’t = much.

In my system it works out to around 27.5%. Some might say the cables are better than the gear, but IMHO the point is to drag every ounce of sound out of what you have… and inferior cables can make good gear sound ordinary. So, I opted for the best I could afford – purchasing all as demos or used.

One consideration you might make is to estimate how much you'd have to spend on a new component in order to achieve an improvement in sound equivalent to a good cable upgrade. More often than not cabling is the less expensive means to achieving improved sound. This IS assuming that you can demo said cabling in your system, and (to use an analagy) that you aren’t expecting to ahceive Ferrari performance out of a Miata ;>)

I believe (though others may disagree) that by purchasing “the best” nuetral cabling financially feasable one can avoid re-purchasing when it comes time to upgrade ones system.

As a last comment, someone on this site once posted the observation that "we" as a group spend copious $ in order to achieve minimaly differing results – the old diminishing returns scenario… But quite astutely this gent also pointed out that it’s often a small percentage of improvement that makes all the difference in life. He used the analgy of elite athletes - noting that physical ability between athletes can often be imeasurable (percentage-wise). Yet when it comes down to performance it is these small differences which truly separate the great from the ordinary. I’d say that I have to agree.

Cheers,
Mike
I was expecting a higher number, I am running about 11% cables, it sure feels like they cost a lot more then that! ~Tim