20 replies to this topic

[19hZ]

I searched, I really did...

I've moved from Surround Sound back to Stereo and am revamping my system.

For your rough understanding here is an overview of what I now run
Cambridge Audio 540A amp
sources, including Denon amp (now stereo out), nothing special, soon to be replaced
new Usher S-520 speakers.

As I work in commercial AV, I have easy access to speaker cabling and I don't believe there is much to be ganed here.

i was contemplating some $10-$40 RCA cables to test with, see if they add anything to the musicality of my CD player before it is replaced. currently i use cables I've made, pretty basic stuff, but the cable and connectors themselves are of reasonable spec and quality.

So, what is out there? Other than needing max of 3m lengths, I don't think there is much I can tell you. I'd love to buy a set and discover my current connections are inferior and to want to upgrade the rest.

Cheers, B.

[unclemack]

I have a couple of these. Well made and cheap. Comes in a nice box too!

http://www.ebay.com....2#ht_571wt_1398

Cheers

M

[CP_]

It will be hard to top what you've made with that kind of budget, and the improvements to be had will really depend on the system (and hard to tell until you try it). Maybe it's worth utilising your existing connectors, and trying a better spec cable? If you budgeted around $30pm for some good quality interconnect cable this could be the way to go.

[DoggieHowser]

I understand a lot of the Pro studio guys use Belden. Seems to be good bang for the buck.

[19hZ]

Excellent, thanks all of you... Both for straight up answers and commenting on a topic that is done to death in some ways.

Those JIB look pretty (I'm guessing more glitz and glamour than real engineering), but no doubt they also look after the signal.

I've found a few threads now, Google engine seems to work better. Still hard to find current examples, lots of general discussion rather than real world examples.

Belden is normal stuff in my field, generally what we would use for a commerical install is around a dollar a meter. Shielding is practical and specs are plentiful. My soldering skills on the other hand may be a real world limitation.

SP, thanks for your honesty, if I find myself with a real budget, i'll have to try some nicer units out.

Edited by 19hZ, 12 January 2012 - 02:31 PM.

[triode12]

Try Mogami Mic cable for your interconnects.

http://www.mogamicab...gh_performance/

Canare is also good and cheap

www.canare.com

http://www.clearcables.com/about.php

[CP_]

If you're unsure of how well you've terminated them, if you want to pop around I'd be happy to reterminate using silver solder.

[firedog]

Try Mogami Mic cable for your interconnects.

http://www.mogamicab...gh_performance/

Canare is also good and cheap

www.canare.com

http://www.clearcables.com/about.php

Well made. Use belkin and other stock. Good connectors like Canare. Not expensive. Made to order. Usually ship same day. I had 2 great purchasing experiences with them.

http://bluejeanscabl...audio/index.htm

http://bluejeanscabl...audio/index.htm

The 2 addresses are the same. One allows ordering in feet and US$; the other in meters and GBP

[brumby]

I haven't bought from these people so I have no direct experience, but they have been recommended by friends of mine whose judgement I trust
Signal Cables
http://signalcable.com/index.html

[GregWormald]

At $40 a cable pair, it would be difficult to beat some pro stuff like Belden or Canare, although there may be some alternatives that you would *prefer*.

If that is what you are prepared to spend at the moment then I would spend only a small amount of time looking at/listening to cables. It is highly likely that other changes in the system will be more significant to the final music presentation.

Greg

[LogicprObe]

Just make your own with high quality cable until you win the lottery.

[holdencaulfield2007]

Just make your own with high quality cable until you win the lottery.

Purely as a matter of interest do you have any preferences or opinions on what brands of high quality cable and where it can be obtained from?

[LogicprObe]

Purely as a matter of interest do you have any preferences or opinions on what brands of high quality cable and where it can be obtained from?

I too, am a Belden fan...........Jaycar used to sell some but I don't think they do anymore.

Anyway................ http://au.element14....|S|b|8497976688

I like Van Damme too but it's getting hard to find in Australia.
http://www.van-damme.com/product.html
Very expensive though.

[davewantsmoore]

I understand a lot of the Pro studio guys use Belden. Seems to be good bang for the buck.

bluejeanscable.com (normally arrives for me in 3 days)

[Batty]

I went with the JIB cables as mentioned in post #2 I ended up with 2xoptical, 1 Digi RCA and a 0.75m RCA pair from DAC to amp.

Good quality and massive bang for buck.

No I'm not connected to the company in any way, I just like the product.

[Catherine Barkley]

I too am in the market for some basic interconnects, as well as speaker cable.

I'm considering getting Redgum ones off their eBay store. They aren't particularly pretty, but if Redgum recommend them then surely they will very work well with my Sonofa' which is Redgum's budget model. Australian made too.

http://www.ebay.com....=&_trksid=p3686

[Cafad]

I have to agree with the assessment of the Redgum IC's, excellent value for money. Even better if you buy 4 at once, I'm considering buying another batch of 4 and using them for all my audio connections.

[19hZ]

I bought some JIB's not to long ago, as they were recomended by many. Showed the product and packaging off to some of my collegues, we all had a good laugh at how much of the cost was engineering and copper, how much was packaging and shiny bits.

Work fine, cant tell the difference from the cables I made, but yet to do a L / R test.

[barelythere]

I picked up a pile of 75 cm Cambridge Audio RCA interconnects a couple of years back for very, very cheap prices. Still finding uses for them and I'm very pleased with thier performance. I think my most expensive cables were some 3 m lengths of Qed Revelation terminated speaker cable from the UK and with our strong dollar they only set me back around $200.
I've tried a number of the cheaper speaker cables from Chord and Qed and they all work well but then my ear/brain interface isn't that discerning.
One reason I like these cables is they are so strong and well built. A lot of the very cheap cables are so easily damaged or removed by furniture/careless people....