Amplifiers and Pre-Amplifiers

[#1]

I have seen ads for speaker cables that cost $1000. Do they really make a difference?

Greg edit

Message Edited by Veep on 01-09-2008 03:18 PM

[#2]

In my opinion the radio shack speaker cables do not sound as clear as $1000 cables

[#3]

Sure, they make you sound cooler (or dumber) when you tell someone you dropped a grand on cables!

[#4 · Accepted solution]

I would say there is a substantial diminishing return on many of the peripheral parts for hooking together the components of your system. I would say for the majority of people that generic/cheap speaker wire -- so long as it is new and has not been broken or otherwise damaged -- is probably good enough.

For those of us with a more discerning ear, it is really a matter of sense and opinion. Many people I have spoken with recommend listening to different cables (or really what ever product you are evaluating) with your favorite music that has a lot of dynamic range (I tend to use Dark Side of the Moon). You can then start to make your own judgments about where on the diminishing return curve you feel the most comfortable as you weigh the cost versus the quality. I personally would never spend $1000 on speaker cables, but I often fall on the lower side of the curve and try to really find the best bang for the buck in all of the hifi equipment I buy.

Here is an interesting video on speaker cable geometry:

[#5]

I would say that the only time that $1000 speaker cables are necessary is if the components in your system justify that level of engineering to link them together.

Copper wire should not be $1000, and silver wire should not be $1000 either.  However, if the manufacturer has actually spent the time to shield the wire from RF, or to create a dialectic that actually reduces the pollutants to an electrical signal, then their more expensive cables should be considered.

Ultimately, it should always be your ears that make the final decision.  Bring in lamp cord from the hardware store and play it against the $1000 cables.  Also, depending on the resistance and impedance of your gear (and the cables), sonic differences will make themselves readily apparent when comparing wire.

Cable is the last thing to buy for a good system.  With the really expensive stuff, one is usually better served by improving something else in the signal chain (CD player, amp, pre-amp, etc) before springing for expensive cable.

[#6]

I worked for Monster Cable a few years ago and underwent training in the design of thier high end cabling. It IS better but it's all relative to the capabilities of your ears. We had a sales room that had identicle audio setups, side by side with the only difference, the cableing. Monster cable on one, radio shack **bleep**e on the other. And there was a substantial difference in dynamic range, overall gain and top end and low end frequency response. I checked the set up myself and dang if it wasn't real.

that being said, I still have regular cabling in my home system. No need for high end stuff to play my old punk cassettes through.  heh.