Acoustic Research Master Series cables (1 Viewer)

[Bob Sheen]

I need another set of component cables, and maybe some analo cables. Does the group here think that there's really a substantial difference between the Pro and Master Series?

I've used both the ProSeries and the Masters. The Masters cable look sturdier. But, I didn't notice any real siginficant performance improvement from the Masters over the Pro Series.

Bob

 

[Bob McElfresh]

But, I didn't notice any real siginficant performance improvement from the Masters over the Pro Series.

One thing to keep in mind: your electronics have to be 'sensitive' enough before the cable could make a visible difference. Compare a 25" tube TV with component inputs to a projector that de-interlaces and projects a 100" image. The projector system is doing a lot more processing on the signal, and magnifying it. Small imperfections in the signal would be more apparent with the projector.

So how do you know if your system is 'sensitive' and could use a higher-end cable? My rule-of-thumb is that your system is 'sensitive' if it has any of the following attributes:

- Display size greater than about 40"
- Display is HDTV that processes the signal
- You are sending progressive or true HD signals

The other rule is to budget 10% of your electronics cost for the cable. Any more and you are over-buying.