AVM-20 and Parasound combo...Interconnects? (1 Viewer)

[Brett DiMichele]

I never said he was wasting his money. Only he can decide
that..

The higher prices do get you a solidly built cable so I am
not even saying that it's a waste. Expensive cabling buys
you piece of mind that much is certain.

I don't think the thread is a dog pile I think we all just
shared what we think. I am sure someone will chime in with
info that can help Paul make a choice on what cabling options
will best suit his gear.

 

[Darrel McBane]

Paul,

You want a suggestion of an interconnect that will add more openness and presence to your system? Here's my suggestion.



http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...3671455&2&3&4&


I've had many cables in and out of my upgraded system over the last three or four years. I'd say that DH Lab "Air Matrix" and Harmonic Technology "Truth Link" did what your asking to my system more so than other cables. Of course my system and room and ears are different than yours. I had to change out the DH Lab because I needed a pair of 2 meter cables from my Pre/Pro to my two channel amp. And added BetterCables Silver Serpent cable in their place. I would say that the BC were a step down from the DH Lab. And I'll be replacing them at some point. BC work well on HT. But, I've lost some of the openness on the high end frequencies. I'm using the Harmonic Technology from my Sony 333ES SACD player to my Stage One Pre/Pro. And the DH Lab were to my amp.

I hope this is of some help.

 

[Brian Fitterman]

Lee, yes I am using XLR. There was no cost difference in using them. I have a very long run (5 meters) so XLR made sence to me.

BTW, volume is not the difference I heard when I compared. Believe me, the XLO's were very very bright. It got very fatiguing listening to music I know very well with them. And when I put back the Monsters, you could the detail disappear.

I did not want to spend the money, it was a matter of me hearing something and then wanting NOT to go back to my old ones (which were not cheap either)

 

[DanaA]

Paul,

I'd suggest that you check out offerings from companies like BlueJeans and Rhino. I'd also suggest that you sign up as a member of HTGuide.com and have Lex (real name = Doug) work with you on your equipment and the sound you want. With me, he recommended a less costly set of interconnects because he thought they would do a better job with my system, room, and listening tastes. This is just my opinion, but I feel his cables are, quality wise, the best I own. I bought from his Quantum line, but he also owns Catcables. Good luck in your search. At the very least, better build quality leads to longer lasting cables and, to be honest, his prices were less costly than comparable cables from Monster that I saw at Good Guys internet site. As to the question of whether you'll hear/see a difference, that seems, obviously, to be in debate here. I'm of the camp that reasonably priced cables, using quality materials and good build quality, are worth it. But, I stay away from boutique brands because I don't want to spend something like several hundred dollars on a pair of interconnects that might/might not improve my systems performance. That's the compromise I make.

 

[DannyL]

i was bored this weekend and decided to play around with cables. i had previously tried comparing interconnects from my dvd player to my preamp using the two sets of analog audio outs. i couldn't notice any difference. i tried it again yesterday and i still couldn't distinguish one cable from another. to my surprise, however, when i changed the interconnects between my preamp and amp, there were definite differences between cables. i tried a set of cables from rhinocable, audioquest, mogami(?spelling), and generic 10 cent cables. i preferred the rhinocables best then the 10 cent cables. i didn't like either the audioquest or the mogami cables. this was due in part to lower volume levels which i could measure with my SPL meter; they were about 1-2 dB softer than the other two cables. but even when volume compensated the mogami and audioquest lacked bass response and had a collapsed soundstage. i did try another set of audioquest cable and mogami cables (to exclude the possibility of a defective cables) and i had similar results. it beats the hell out of me why there were differences, but i could definitely hear them.

 

[Chu Gai]

SPL meters are notoriously inaccurate for establishing matched volume levels. if you've got a multimeter, that'd be the only realistic way you could establish that volumes were the same.

 

[Scott Oliver]

I think this quote from the top of the Tweaks forum placed by the moderators is very appropriate here:

"Note: This area of the forum has been set up to discuss/debate the use of cables, interconnects and tweaks. It has not been set up to offer an opinion that has not been asked for. If a member asks which brand of interconnect, etc. to buy this does not give anyone the right to tell them not to buy them in the first place in that same thread. If the member asks you for your opinion on whether to buy a product or not then your opinion is welcome. Posts that are made for the sole purpose of offering an opinion that was not asked for will be deleted!"

Paul, I think it will be difficult to find what you are looking for by just taking suggestions. I would try to get some cables loaned to you by your local dealer, and see if any of his stuff adds what you are looking for.
If local dealers are not a good option then perhaps you could take advantage of 30 day return policies of internet companies or mail order demo policies that dealers like Fatwyre have. Or just buy some used cables off Audiogon based upon suggestions and if they don't work out then hopefully you could sell them again for your cost.