Please Help Me Select A Cable!!!! (1 Viewer)

[Brian AM]

Once again, I am humbled by the prudency of our members. I need some help here guys. I am trying to decide on what type of mid-level analog interconnects to buy. So far, I have included in my search Outlaw, IXOS, Heartland, and Rhino. I am looking to spend around $150 for (5) 1 meter+ analog interconnects and a 1 meter+ sub interconnect. Are subwoofer interconnects actually any different from regular old analogs? or are they typically just longer with the word subwoofer silkscreened on them?
I am leaning towards Heartland because they are the least expensive at $15 apiece and appear to be on par with Rhino, as far as quality. Please give me your thoughts on any cable within my budget. Thanks

 

[Alf S]

Why not save a little $$$$ and go get some Gold Series Radio Shack cables or some AR cables from Best Buy?

Doubt you'll hear big enough difference to warrant spending $150 on some boutique style cables ordered online. (IMHO)

As for the sub cable, I think some people have made their own using coax cable with RCA ends?? I for one haven't tried it, but might be a cheap alternative.

Alfer

 

[Brian AM]

Well... I have at least $90 to spend due to the sale of some silver serpent interconnects that were too short for my new rack. I'm currently using AR wires from Best Buy....and I just can't help but think I'm losing sound from the Better Cables I had.

 

[Marvin]

Video, rather than audio, cables are recommended for the subwoofer connection and the consensus is that there's no advantage in buying anything too expensive, as long the cable connectors are tight. A $10 Radio Shack Gold cable would be fine, as would any of the Canare/Belden video or digital cables that people sell on eBay.
That would leave you more money to experiment with different audio cables. A few weeks ago someone recommended Audioquest (check www.soundcity.com). www.Accessories4less.com has good prices on AR-Pro and IXOS cables. IXOS makes a 6 in 1 cable:
http://www.ac4l.com/advscripts/detai...0&sPrice=54.99
Whether or not there's a big difference in the sound of any of these cables, uh,...do a search.

 

[Alf S]

I'm currently using AR wires from Best Buy....and I just can't help but think I'm losing sound from the Better Cables I had.

Hey if you just "think" your losing sound and can't honestly tell the difference between the AR and Silver Serps, don't fall into the marketing trap many cable companies set that makes you "think" you need their cable to have better sound. It isn't always true. Your statement almost proves that....

Sounds to me like the two cables you've owned sound the same to you, so why spend extra money on stuff you may not honestly "need"??

 

[Mark Rich]

I use the Rhino subwoofer IC and highly recomend it. Yes just about any coax or twisted pair cable design will work. The advantage of the Rhino Cable is it uses a superior cable (bare copper stranded wire and shield)with Teflon insulation which really tightens up the bass. The Canare cables that Heartland uses do not give any improvment over regular copper coax. I found the Canare/Belden (PE insulated) and Monster cables gave a boomy bass (without much pitch definition) rather than the tight bass notes I prefer for music.

 

[stephen_z]

Brian,
You're not alone...we all gotta start somewhere. I'm in the process of moving from a 15-20 yr old stereo system to a new HT system. I'm trying to remain cost conscious...no way will I spend the kind of money on cables and interconnects that you see advertised from the high-end manufacturers (3 digits plus). Something's not right when you spend more for speaker cables than you did for the speakers. I'm also looking for reasonably priced cables (

 

[Bruce Chang]

Take a look at Link Removed Doug is a great guy to work with and runs the show. If you want quality cables and great service, give catcables a try

 

[Brian AM]

Stephen--

I'm leaning towards the outlaw cables myself... They claim to be better than other copper and silver-coated copper cables out there. Heartland makes cables for $15 dollars a piece for a 1 meter...at that price I'm not sure how they're making any money....

Thanks all for the input.... Please keep your opinions coming...