Expensive Cables. Are they worth the Money?

There are some companies that disclose what brand and model of wire they are using inside a product. Be it internal connections from the inputs to stages or outputs to the speaker terminal within amps. Cables running from the crossover to drive units or othersuch.  It would be beneficial to continue those wires throughout.

Chords Rumour cable seems to be mentioned a lot being used in many upmarket Brit speakers.  The core wire in which is the same used in Chords much more expensive cables but without extensive measures of shielding to protect the signal from the hostile environments between amp end to speaker terminal. 

Although that seems counterintuitive as inside a speaker playing at volume is the most hostile of environments.

Wenger,

Personally, I think that it would be quite difficult to find forum members who had spent 30% of the total cost of their music system on cables. Do you know of any? If you are that interested you could start a thread asking the particular percentage of cables cost among us.

A current 'stretched' cable tale is on Audiogon, a guy from California (where else?) desperately looking for some Russian oligarchs willing to pay $15,000 (half price) for his one ANSUZ DTC M4 power chord.

james n posted:

wenger2015 posted:

james n posted:

Huge posted:

Well after due consideration my expensive (£23.35) cables are definitely worth it, and they're staying in my system!

Well that puts my £54 speaker cable price to shame 

James n,

What Speaker cables do you use?

Just basic Van Damme Blue Wenger. It's just very simple 2 core 2.5mm cable. I needed some longer length cables when i tried re-positioning my system a couple of years back and these were easily and cheaply available.

In the end the system stayed where it was and so did the Van Damme and i'd sort of forgotten about it until this thread popped up. I must get round to making up some new cables using Mogami 2972 cable which is recommended for my speakers. No rush though 

Finally got off my arse and ordered the Mogami so i just need to find some decent 4mm plugs (or cannibalise some spare Naim plugs) and get the old soldering iron (and the heatshrink) out. 

I've now doubled my speaker cable price 

These posh Mogamis are making my Super Lumina look cheap. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

These posh Mogamis are making my Super Lumina look cheap. 

Likewise with my Silver Diamonds

Good question Haim,

what is the percentage cost for cables in our systems???

who is willing to get the ball rolling? 

I have just got back from work so I will work mine out later and post

Interesting. If I value my speakers at £8,000, which is what I reckon they’d cost today if they were still made, the total system comes to about £35,000, of which £7,000 is wires. So that’s 20%. 

Other than a matter of passing interest I can’t see this proving much.   

Mine come out at nearly 20% too. 

This was a matter discussed 30 years ago by people with Krell, Wilson, Mark Levinson and such like equipment when Siltech and Transparent cables were relatively expensive.

At that time Naim didn't have cables, never mind expensive ones. And Julian espoused the use of (and I mis-quote) decent 15amp flexible cable and none of that fancy "Monster Cable" or "QED 79" stuff, never mind the "Ludicrous Transparent Stuff".

Then things changed when he "discovered" NACA4 and, as they say, "the rest is history"

<10% (at a rough guess)

Clearly I need more Music. And more money.

My cables come out at 1.75%!

Huge posted:

My cables come out at 1.75%!

Ah, but have you factored in your own time spent on R&D and manufacture, Huge? 

The Strat (Fender) posted:

Other than a matter of passing interest I can’t see this proving much.   

It proves absolutely bugger all. It’s intereting though. There were times when spending 20% was unheard of, and 10% come to that. As an initial cable sceptic, I have to say that I wouldn’t want to be without my SL wires, even at nearly £6,000 for the four. They just work with the DR tech so incredibly well. 

My cables must be worth at least £100.  Easily.  Have I overdone it?

Oh, but the balanced power supply and 10mm2 hawser of a dedicated radial cable probably cost about £900, installed.  Source first & all that.

On reflection, I must have overdone it.  Sorry.

FT

Foot tapper posted:

My cables must be worth at least £100.  Easily.  Have I overdone it?

Oh, but the balanced power supply and 10mm2 hawser of a dedicated radial cable probably cost about £900, installed.  Source first & all that.

On reflection, I must have overdone it.  Sorry.

FT

In my experience it's very important to include the mains set-up. Without it I find I get a very inky black silences  

This is possibly going to be controversial but I think it proves how good some systems could sound with some high quality cables........ dives for cover behind the sofa 

wenger2015 posted:

This is possibly going to be controversial but I think it proves how good some systems could sound with some high quality cables........ dives for cover behind the sofa 

Keep down Wenger, there might be incoming any moment now!

Yes, I agree.  My cables are all of an outstanding quality!  The salesman told me so.

The overall cost of my magestic system was around $8000 seventeen years ago. Even if I throw in the $400 wasted on a Nordost cable which is not in use, the total for the wires would be under 9%, even less if I factored in the LP 12 which was purchased 36 years ago and is still performing without a hitch with the rest of the gear.

Most cables look a bit boring.   Grey or black.     Mine must be better because they are red, blue and purple and came in a fancy box.

I’m fortunate not to have paid full price for any of my new boxes, it’s very handy to have a dealer that is a very good friend.... that said I’m probably just over the 20% mark for cables. 

I did originally have some cheap chord rumer Speaker cables and the standard naim interconnects but then that was before I became a believer....

I have just sold my TQ Ultra Black speaker cable as I actually like the NACA5 cable just as much, it just seems to like the Naim boxes

I've just purchased a nice digital cable to go between the CD5XS and Dac and it is lovely

Using rough equivalents and/or estimates

£17k worth of wires would be nearly 15%

lyndon

I do plan more wires but then again I plan for 3 500’s so that should bring the overall % down a tad

lyndon