interconnects and amps (1 Viewer)

[zangler]

ok...i am pretty close to upgrading to a rotel amp, and as a result need interconnects. here is my question...how important are they? i have been told that the audioquest dimondbacks are a good comprimise between quality and price, but they still seem pretty pricey. are cheap interconnects good enough? or should i spend the bucks for some good ones? thanks.

 

[Claude M]

Outlaw seems to have some nice quality cables for a decent price.

 

[Charles Gurganus]

I just don't see how those boutique cables are worth the money, silk baggies and all.

Anything more than Accoustic Research Pro cables is just lining someones pockets IMHO. Do not confuse the AR performance series with the professionals. The PRO's are built very well for the money.

http://www.discounts-n-deals.com/man...asp?2=1096&6=5

 

[zangler]

i hear this argument go both ways...although most say that good interconnects are worth the money...so i need to find a way to test.

 

[dan-0]

There is probably as many theories as there is members here on how to choose interconnect - 10% of component cost, as much you can afford, radio shack ('cause it won't make a difference anyway), rusty coathanger, etc...

Myself, I just try to find a good 'bank-for-the-buck' type cable.

To that end, I'm using:

Outlaw pure silver digital coax

Signalcable.com Analog Two connecters (a best buy, IMO)

and, Blue Jean Cable, six channel cable (SACD/DVD-A)

Anyways, a few more places for you to check out.

 

[zangler]

thanks for the links!

 

[Scott_N]

A good dealer will let you home audition cables. I auditioned cables from Analysis Plus, Harmonic Technology, and Tara Labs before I ended up buying Harmonic Technology Truthlink interconnects.

 

[JohnnyN]

get someone to help you try to do some blind tests... I did and the results were interesting... in the end I could reliably tell the diff between $500 interconnects and $150 and $25 ones... but the diff between 500 and 150 were so incredibly minor, that I couldn't justify them with my other midfi components, and kept the $150 ones... the diff between $500 and $25 were night and day... now that I will be soon upgrading to higher end seperates, I might have to revisit this question...

 

[Charles Gurganus]

Sure good dealers will let you demo. They stand to make a TON of money.

You can also take back radio shack gold or AR cables to most places you may buy them from.

"are cheap interconnects good enough? or should i spend the bucks for some good ones? thanks."

I am a bang for the buck guy mayself. That is why I like the AR Pro's. They are not cheaply made but you don't have to do a 2nd mortgage to buy them.

If you get them from discount and deals make sure you are getting Pro's and not performance. You can get AR performance at Best Buy but if you compare them to the Pro's you will see why the Pro's are the ones to get. I'd get radio shack golds before getting those cheap performance ones.

 

[JackS]

Look at Homegrown's pure silvers About 100 bucks assembled as I remember, or $70 if you build your own. After you make a pure silver connection, you can relax, its not going to get any better regardless of the price you may be willing to pay for some of the other exocics.

 

[Luitz]

Man this is the worst topic.To many varibles and opinions.
Heres mine
Out of the box and oem RCA's are crap including video
Once you buy a patch cord with decent wire size diameter and sheilding I think regardless you will be having a hard time hearing the difference for your money.
Heres my questions to you
This is Based on a cord under 12ft.
Does a 50 dollars toshlink over a 400 toshlink sound better in a 400 dollar dvd player with my 1000 dollar reciever? Most people dont spend that much. And lets not get into speakers and room noise.
Can you really see a diff over a decent s-vhs, component, dvi cord over a 300 dollar one. Really?
Best is to make them urself if u can work a soldering iron.
Upon looking at the outlaw they have the 30 to 100 dollar cables seems about the right dollars range

Heres what I use for Toshlink. And ends and Cord http://www.ultralinkcables.com/.

 

[zangler]

thanks for the replys...sounds like my dealer is giving me a good deal for the audioquest dimondbacks, and he will let me return them, so i will go get some radioshack ones and try to blind test to see.

 

[John Garcia]

The current Audioquest Diamondbacks are very good interconnects. They are welded not crimped - an advantage and they are now silver instead of gold like the first generation. I also own Vipers and have had Corals and King Cobras, and I felt the Diamondbacks sounded the same as the King Cobra and almost as good as the Corals for the price, but not as good as the Vipers (discontinued). I have used the DBs for a fair amount of time on my small 2ch system as well as recently for 2ch SACD and DVD-A from my Denon 2200 and I am very pleased with them. Quite neutral overall - not harsh in the highs and clean all around. I'd call them a good value on the "mass" market.

 

[Paul S]

Go to the Audioholics website and get yourself a first rate education on cables. There are very few there that would buy esoteric cables.

 

[LanceJ]

FYI: my signature was mostly adopted for subjects such as this one.

Does anybody have a book or a website that has scientifically-sourced facts that prove $300 interconnects transmit signals better than the $25 variety? I mean this seriously and not as a smart-aleck question.

It is also believed it is possible to construct an interconnect that truly does affect the signal it is carrying: by winding the wires within in certain patterns, this can cause an attentuation affect on the higher frequencies, very much like a crossover in a loudspeaker. This can result in a "smoother" or "warmer" sound.

Unfortunately, this means details that contribute realism to one's music can also be attentuated or possibly lost altogether.

Personally, I don't want my system's interconnects or speaker wires to "contribute" anything--that's the job of the musician.

And yes, I am very aware speakers affect the sound much, much more than cables can but that is not what's under discussion right now.

I do like better interconnects (made by non-exotic manufacturers) in the $15 to $40 range because they usually include good shielding to protect against stray electrical interference (EMI) which can be a REAL problem for some systems; they grip RCA jacks better; and they simply last longer.

This proliferation of ridiculously overpriced & overbuilt audio accesssories built on extremely shaky and sometimes completely laughable theories worries me in another and much worse manner: I think they are causing some people to stay away from buying good audio/HT systems. Why? Because they don't want to get into the very time-consuming situation of auditioning cables one after another to find the "right ones" for their system (the word "synergy" usually comes up in these discussions) and ones that they can afford. Another scary example: I've seen posts here lamenting the fact they can't hook up their $170 universal hi-res player because they can't afford the extra two hundred dollars for the interconnects!!! Jeez, the good musical times they are missing out on because of what some slick marketing department has written on their website.

And I figure the creeping disease of political correctness is a factor in this too, since it's "not nice" to disagree with anyone's opinions anymore. And, that all opinions carry equal weight.

Ummm, no they don't.

If planning a meal for my fiance's parents, I would much rather consult Julia Child's website than Pizza Hut's, know what I mean?

Anyway, for people new to this discussion, do a Net search on "interconnect", "DBT" (or "double blind testing") and especially "placebo effect". No, science doesn't know everything but it does know some things.

************************************************** ********

Slightly off-topic but a great source of information that can save one much money and needless stress:

Speaker wire test by McIntosh Labs

LJ

 

[Chu Gai]

You might find this link to an older HTF post of some interest. You should be able to ask some questions of whomever you're considering buying from and make a purchasing decision that you can live with.

 

[JackS]

Lance's got it. Analog Signal Processing (ASP), who wants that? Any wire that add or subtracts anything from the source is neither wanted nor needed. Thus my opinion for using pure silver. It may not be the cheapest but, it is a long way from being expensive and the peace of mind is worth it.

 

[Clint]

Radio Shack 3-foot interconnects works just fine for my Outlaw amp/pre-amp.

 

[zangler]

went to the site...read several articles, and the conclusion seems to be high quality mid-priced cable will fit most needs. which for the price i am getting the dimondbacks for seems just right.

 

[Philip Hamm]

I recently bought a 5-channel run from Forum Sponsor Blue Jeans Cables and I'm extremely happy with them. Highly recommended, I don't think you can get better bang-for-the-buck in anything.