how much have you spent on connecting up your HT components? (1 Viewer)

[Todd Christ]

add up all your cabling, COAX, Fiber, RCAs, etc...

 

[Evan S]

Todd, here's my tally.
6 sets of RCA's for hookup to my CD/SACD player and amp from Outlaw Audio (1.8M length) = $250
1 D-75 coaxial interconnect from DH Labs = $75
1 10' biwired T-14 Silversonic speaker wire from DH Labs (Mono for center channel) = $75 (used)
1 10' Pair of biwired T-14 Silversonic speaker wire for the main L/R = $150 (used)
1 6' Gold Series S-Video cable from Radio Shack = $20
80' of Monster Cable for the surround speakers = $70
So, total? $640. My components come to about $8000, so I'm a little short of the 10% rule of thumb, but oh well.

 

[Phil A]

I never really look at the cost since I did not buy stuff all at once and once I had the hardware, the software and cables were what I worked on to have the hardware perform at its best. I know it is a lot and that is why I started making everything, including power cords. My Transparent Reference (XLR) digital interconnnect is probably one of the few things I am using at the moment that I have not made and that was $900. I have made digitial interconnects that were almost as good, but not quite, so I still use it. Since a digital interconnect is transmitting the data in analog form as well as the fact that constant impedence, velocity of propagation and of course a top quality connector to make that good electrical connection are very important, I have yet to top its performance in my system. I have a more modest bedroom system and am working on the basement and I will always try to better stuff but I would think at the end of the day that the 10% rule of thumb will be the approximate point give or take a drop. While I work on the basement I am also running things to interconnect the various systems to some degree as well since I have the tools. I have actually been in someone's house that spent about $40k on interconnects and speakers wire (using the same speakers I have Thiel 7.2s) in a music only system and while I thought it sounded excellent I personally could not justify it and would be willing to be that my stuff comes close. A friend who actually works part time in a high-end shop actually thinks mine sounds better and had me make some stuff for his system. As with any other improvement, moving up the chain costs more and typcially results in improvements much smaller than the incremental costs.

 

[Todd Christ]

whoa! 40K on connections?!?! OMG!
i'm up to about $60
but then again, just getting started: