Are high price cables worth the investment???

[Lazarus Short]

There is a technique when using Monsters Laz, I get them on and off no problem

So, that technique would be...?

 

[Lazarus Short]

I gotta add this, if you spend $500 on a killer set of speaker wires, and then you open up your gear whether it be the speakers, or a old 700B wired by big bird with a glass eye, and the wiring sux. What good is the expensive wire if the rest of the system is not up to snuff?

I open all kinds of preamps, amps, tuners etc.... and the wiring in these "boxes" looks like shit. So is the few feet we use of expensive "shielded with virgins panties" or whatever else they use to make these cables, really doing anything or do we have wild imaginations?????

I know there are guys with the golden ears who claim they can tell this from that and then there are the guys I fool every time in a beer blind taste test.... I really don't believe anybody is that good. But, I do have fun doing a beer blind taste test....

Just asking (again).

Yeah, I've made the same observation. If our components were made like high-end wire, we could not afford them.

 

[R1200S]

I've read that your terminations can be a part of this equation as well as the wire you're using. I recently terminated some existing old cables due to the RCA jacks being so close together on my RL11. The cable ends were simply too big to connect without me jamming them into each other and putting strain on the preamp jacks. Besides that, some of the existing "fluted" connectors were CAST and when I tried to spread them out for a looser fit, the sections just broke off rather than bending.

I started cutting off the old RCAs and switched over to Switchcraft RCAs, model 3502ABAU. (Not sure about the AU on the end there.) They're available in standard nickel finish or gold. I went with the nickel finish. They're easy on - easy off. Fit the RL11 with room to spare and cheap to boot ! ! Around $3 a pop. There's several versions of these and pay attention to the overall diameter of your cable so it'll fit inside the jack.

http://www.switchcraft.com/productsummary.aspx?Parent=1006

Can I tell any difference in the sound? Not really. At my age I'm lucky to be hearing anything above 10K Hz to begin with. But.... the fit and functionality is MUCH better than what I had. It's just a bitch soldering those RCAs on regardless of the jacks being used ! ! !

The same article I was reading also recommended bare wire or spades for speaker wires. No "hi-mass" banana plugs. I thought I'd get some soft copper pipe fittings, cut them in half on the band saw, hammer 'em out flat and cut me some copper spades to try on my speaker wires. Figure I'll try some version of braided CAT5 for the wires. Definitely a budget job! I'll keep you posted.

 

[Northwinds]

So, that technique would be...?

Twist lightly to the right to the right as your pulling them off, same way you are supposed to put them on

 

[laatsch55]

As Laz and Just Mike have stated before, it's more the connector than the wire.

Years ago I ran some distortion tests with Ic's of varying sizes. It wasn't a very well controlled series of tests bur in general as the wire size decreased from #20 the distortion came up as signal level increased, and as wire size increased from #20 it was a mixed set of results.

Now we aren't talking about a lot of voltage here. Needing only 1.75 to drive a 700 to full rated power isn't much and the AP is capable of driving from zero to 13.5 volts with a bandwidth to 120k.
To get to any appreciable difference I had to go above that, certainly not a normally used signal level, but it did show a trend.
I notice a difference with the 60.00 per meter Tara Labs I bought from Larry years ago, enough that I don't regret the purchase. I have not at this time dissected a set, some day , when we finally have a non-working we will. I expect to find a #20 or 22 wire with decent terminations.

 

[Lazarus Short]

Twist lightly to the right to the right as your pulling them off, same way you are supposed to put them on

OK, thanks - I kinda do it that way. I've tried twisting to the left (counter clockwise), but the back part screws off.

 

[Fishoz]

Hey Dan...your head spinning yet....?

I backed off this thread only because I'm all over the place. My system has diy rca's (silver wire in Teflon), custom bi-wire (found cheap) and an assortment of interconnects cobbled over the years.

Good luck....

 

[laatsch55]

But being all over the place has its place too Dave..

 

[Fishoz]

Always learning!....

 

[Northwinds]

Dan, when you get here tomorrow, I will give you a set of the Monster PRO's to take home. Use them between the preamp and the WOPL

 

[orange]

OK, thanks - I kinda do it that way. I've tried twisting to the left (counter clockwise), but the back part screws off.

Fully molded.

 

[stuwee]

Speaker wire matters, Big Time! Depends on length of the run, what amp you have as well as speakers. I mentioned mine have special needs, YMMV...

IC's not so much IMHO.

 

[laatsch55]

I feel the opposite, IC'S more so than speaker cable, I guess that's where I've heard the most difference.....


One of Stephens favorite sayings-'--'"Really!!! Fuckin Wire???"

This coming from a guy that runs Valhalla IC'S and speaker cables......

 

[Lazarus Short]

Fully molded.

​Not all of them...

 

[Northwinds]

This coming from a guy that runs Valhalla IC'S and speaker cables......

If your going to go big, these are supposed to be the cats meow. Too bad you need $20k worth at least LOL

 

[laatsch55]

Amen....