What cables do you use?

[PalmHarbor]

I have and do use some very expensive cables from a firm in California and I have has three of them fail.
Despite the advertised warranty, I had difficulty getting them replaced. They came apart. I would never
buy them again.

[DaveLadely]

Originally Posted by PalmHarbor

I have and do use some very expensive cables from a firm in California and I have has three of them fail.
Despite the advertised warranty, I had difficulty getting them replaced. They came apart. I would never
buy them again.

Yes, I have heard of expensive cables failing, usually at the connectors. Although they may look great, nice colored covers, and have imaginative, cool sounding names, and a great marketing group, they may use cheap solder, have them made in China or elsewhere by inadequately trained technicians, and so forth, so what you are told and what you see may not, and usually doesn't in this world of profit, mean much.
How many have heard salespeople assert that a customer should allow about 15% of the total cost of the system for cables?
By what criteria other than profit for the retailer? I wonder what percentage should be for speakers? I wonder what the difference is in profits? I would love to sit in on a sales meeting on the incentives for promotion of cables and warranties to customers.

As I mentioned,most of my cables are from Blue Jeans, mostly because they cut to custom length and in colors to help me keep things tidy and aid in tracing cables, and they are local. And they are honest and quite reasonably priced, though not cheap, since they are made in the US by a small company. And they don't hype, and they don't agree with the con game designed to part audiophiles for their money. Instead of believing the hype and paying oodles for nothing but conning themselves, the money would be MUCH better spent either on their families or to improve their speakers. Speakers are not only known to be the first place to improve a system, since any improvement in speakers has a far greater effect on sound than for any other part of a sound system. And when I bi-amped (not bi-wired) my speakers years ago, encouraged by Audie Nudell and my old friend Bob Carver, it was as if I had seriously upgraded my speakers. The PA system I built in 1970 was bi-amped, the first such PA, which had about 14,000 watts and 50 speakers, rented to the Who, etc.
So, try that and see what happens!
cheers
Dave

[eberniewon]

I use Nordost speaker and IC cables. They have made a siginifcant difeerence in my ysystem

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by eberniewon

I use Nordost speaker and IC cables. They have made a siginifcant difeerence in my ysystem

I'm glad you have talked yourself into thinking so.

[eberniewon]

I was as skeptical as you seem to be about cables and there effect on a system. However once I inserted the Blue Heavens into my system ( Maggie 1.6Qrs, Odyssey Stratos Power Amp ) the difference was palpable. My ears have not lied to me. In fact my wife who has better ears than me noticed the difference from another room without knowing I had changed the cables….

[Loves2Watch]

Originally Posted by eberniewon

I was as skeptical as you seem to be about cables and there effect on a system. However once I inserted the Blue Heavens into my system ( Maggie 1.6Qrs, Odyssey Stratos Power Amp ) the difference was palpable. My ears have not lied to me. In fact my wife who has better ears than me noticed the difference from another room without knowing I had changed the cables….

I have heard this before...I have also done extensive testing (both double blind and with professional equipment) to disprove/dispel these myths.

Nothing more than smoke and mirrors or snake oil.