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How Much You Spent On Cables In Your System(s)

How Much You Spent On Cables In Your System(s)

  • £250 - £500

    Votes: 30 15.7%
  • £501 — £1,000

    Votes: 28 14.7%
  • £1,001 - £2,000

    Votes: 20 10.5%
  • £2,001 - £5,000

    Votes: 14 7.3%
  • £5,001 - £10,000

    Votes: 6 3.1%
  • > £10,000

    Votes: 7 3.7%
  • 0 - £250

    Votes: 86 45.0%

  • Total voters
    191
I'm using DIY.
I am too, £30 built-from-scratch, fat, locking interconnects from a maverick ebay seller from DAC to amp. No idea if they make any difference. Have some £10-15 Van Damme numbers from CD player to amp. They are what I would buy if I needed more. I've heard they are used by Abbey Road studios, good enough for me.
 
By cable type where I have tested same cable at different lengths - rca I found sounds better shorter though it was so close I may have imagined it, but Xlr I notice no difference on length. USB definitely better shorter. Ethernet I notice no difference. Mains cable - I have not tested different lengths of the same cable. DC cables from a PS - the manufacturers all seem to agree shorter is better but I heard no difference between 0.5m and 2.0m. Speaker cable - I couldn’t tell the difference between short or long lengths of the same cable. Optical (though you don’t get 'fancy' optical cable), no difference by length for me.

The reason longer is more expensive is due to the greater amount of materials used to manufacture it, though that is so obvious I suspect your question is facetious in the way anti-cablers think amusing.


The Lessloss cables offer good value in respect of their performance over the 'usual touted suspects' we do not sell them, however we have had all of the models through the demo suites.
You can do a lot worse for your outlay imho
 
Interesting cables you have. I love the Shunyata Alpha. I have the ef (extra flexible) version. In my systems it sounded better than the Shunyata Sigma, which was twice the price. I ended up with 5 of them as they just made both DACs and amps sound better, more so than any other mains cable I have tried. Crazy that they stopped making the Alpha ef.

I am curious about Lessloss - the manufacturer of my speakers (Boenicke) likes them very much. And they have interesting mains products. Did you compare them to others, and if so how would you describe their sound in your system?

I haven’t any experience with the Lessloss mains cables - only the digital and the rca interconnect. The digital which I use between streamer and dac seems the most ‘undigital’ that I’ve heard. The interconnect I had high hopes for between the dac and headamp but came across as too rich or dense but much better when used between phonostage and pre and ousted a Furutech cable that I had been using. Problem is - these cables, whilst having a ‘house sound’ do sound different depending on what they’re connecting. If Boenicke sound at all a little bright then Lessloss would probably be a good bet.
 
Currently, 3 sets of interconnects, two mains cables (free), and about 9 m of speaker cable. I think that lot adds up to about £200. It seems very well-made and sounds perfect. I used to dabble in all sorts of expensive cables (well quite expensive), but as my system has become steadily more valuable over the years, so the value of my cables seems to have gone the other way. I think my cables are now worth less than a 100th part of my system value. Seems fine to me.
 
All of my cables have been "purpose-bought", so to speak, but nothing expensive. For my main system, Flashback cables "Performance" RCA-to-DIN, Fisual Havannah USB cable, used Naim NACA5. For my desktop/studio system, some Klotz + Neutrik balanced cables and Tripp Lite USB cable w/ ferrite chokes.

If I spend any money, it would better be spent on upgrading components.
 
For some reason, this thread calls to mind the Bonzo's lyric:

'In September, 1937
I bought my wife a new electric iron for eight and sixpence
She's still using it everyday and it's never needed repair'

('Rockaliser Baby')
 
looking at neil I's wiki page I note he gave up 'being active' aged 75, 2 years back. I guess they must mean musically?
Although??
 
A lot of this depends on system complexity, I get the impression here that many have very simple systems. I've got two tape decks, a minidisc deck, tuner, CD transport, DAC, Streamer, turntable, phono stage, separate pre and power. That's 10 interconnects alone, 3 of which are play and record.
For fun I did try an old "freebie" interconnect between DAC and amp the other day (from back in the days of cheap 80's separates) and the difference was night and day compared to even an entry level Flashback cable for example. Genuinely shocked how "Grey" and undynamic a genuine Freebie cable sounded. Diminishing returns does kick in quickly though IMHO and it quickly becomes the case of something sounding different rather than better at the higher price ranges.
 
Cable has its function right? So I am believing different cable characteristics, related primarily to R L C parameters (seen as simple as in a speaker crossover) and not only but also with shape and materials, impact the system in different ways.
I am north in the 500-1000 bracket, as system gets more mature and a bit of vibration/room acoustics/electrical aspects are addressed it might be the time to evaluate better cables. An interconnect xlr diy tentative between pre and amp sure added intelligibility to the presentation which was what I was needing/looking for. Also it might be worth to add that also a dedicated line I guess should be considered in the system cables expenses.
 
Mostly DIY for me, in recent years Sommer from Studiospares, with Neutric connectors for speaker rewires (10 mtrs of 2 x 2.5 for the Tannoys in the loft and six mtrs six core Sommer for the actives downstairs) about 10 mtrs xlrs pre to power amps, then up to £30 to 40 on five or six premade digital connectors. About £250/300 plus many hours of making the connections and occasional grief with a dry joint.
Damm I'm getting old, add £110 for the replacement pre to power Naim cable from Witch Hat, have to confess, there was a significant imrovement to the clarity of the midrange and transients were even sharper
Is it worth it ..... not any more ...life is getting too short!
PS, must admit to giving up on freebies, many are very poor
 
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