RatShack Fusion A/V? (1 Viewer)

[ChrisWiggles]

I noticed these cable at radio shack the other day, and I remember hearing a lot of recommendations for some solid and cheap cables going for the gold series. The new Fusion AV series looks pretty nice. Are these cables good for the money or just average? Is spending more on some custom Canare-type cables worth it over these? (FYI, I have a Marantz receiver, NAD cd player, and Paradigm mini-monitors. I run the NAD as a transport. I may upgrade to Studio 20s. Just to give you an idea of my system. I wanted to get nicer cables, but I don't know how much is "too-much" or if these Fusion cables are any good.)

Lastly, why the directional arrows and the ferrite filter gadget? What do these do?

I've spent so much time researching and understanding every other part of my audio chain to get the best, and I totally passed over even cable basics...:frowning:

 

[Andrew W]

I tried them and took them back. I found no noticeable difference between them and AR Pro interconnects at Accessories4less which were half the price. the ferrite trap and the "directional" arrows are to reduce picking up RF signals on the cable. The fusions are twisted pair with a shield. The shield is grounded at the source end of the cable so they put on the arrows. They will actually work either way. The ferrite choke is probably overkill, but allows them to charge $10 more by adding a .50 cent part to the assembly.

 

[Chu Gai]

well you'll just have to move your system into a room with oodles of emi then. however if you believe in magic or perhaps there's really an issue, you can always take a look at this link
http://www.soundstage.com/synergize/synergize051998.htm
and pick up a grab bag somewhere...maybe ebay?

 

[TimForman]

Interesting. I know that ferrite sheilds are used extensively on computer CRT monitors and laptop displays. I never thought about using them on audio equipment. I wonder if it's worth checking into.