Audio Interconnects for Home Theater

[tmonter]

I'm starting to replace some of my junk interconnects and was wondering what I should buy for new interconnects.

I'm looking at the following:

New Digital Optical Cable

New Digital Coax Cable

2 Sets of New Analog Cable (CD Player & Television)

Possibly a new Subwoofer cable.

I've been looking at the acoustic research cables at a local audio shop, but this is one area where I have little or no knowledge.

For video I'm using a audioquest silver core component cable.

My Budget is less than $100 for now.

[Mr Peabody]

Why do you have an analog connection to the TV? That one is probably not worth upgrading. Audioquest is good, it probably is not within your budget, unless you meant $100.00 per cable. Did you notice an improvement with their video cable? Acoustic Research is entry level stuff. If you have to go that route at least use Monster. Maple Shade also puts out some decently priced cables and they will allow a 30 day trial. I have ot tried them myself. I think their website is www.mapleshaderecords.com

[Resident Loser]

...Acoustic Research is entry level stuff. If you have to go that route at least use Monster...

...and pay the markup for essentially the same level of wire?

Hands me a laff...folks p!$$ and moan 'bout Bose and their ad-based hype and markup yet think nothing of the same practice when exhibited by others...

jimHJJ(...to the OP...genereally speaking, wire is wire...what's wrong with what you are currently using?...)

[Mr Peabody]

If you are referring to AR vs Monster, I think the build quality is worth the slight difference in price alone but Monster has various levels of quality as many cable manufacturers do.

If you are referring to cables in general, you must not miss a chance to try to stir up an argument. I have spent several hundred dollars on one cable and have been very satisfied with the noticed improvement. Cables can and do make a noticeable difference. If you haven't experienced it, too bad. It still doesn't change anything. And certainly I'm not suggesting anyone go buy cables on my word, there are plenty of ways to get cables for evaluation to see if one finds the difference worth the expense. Actually, cables can make such a difference I highly recommend trying before buying. I've done some extensive comparisons of various brands of cables and my conclusion is system synergy can sometimes trump the expense of the cable for best sound.

[blackraven]

Acoustic research has a new line of higher end cables that can be bought at best buy. If your are looking at optical cable just buy a decent brand and dont spend too much. Optical cables send 0's and 1's because it is digital. So either signal is going through it or it isn't. And at short lengths of 1 meter or less optical errors are virtually non existent. Don't spend too much on interconnects as well, just buy a good middle of the road cable. There are several articles and studies on interconnects and speaker wire that dispell many common beliefs on high end cables on what they can and can't do. I posted links on these a few weeks ago but they were pulled off the forum. If you would like more info PM me.

Check the Acoustic research web site and look at their newer cables to see if your local dealer is carrying them.

[Mr Peabody]

That's odd that the links would be pulled. Were they legit, or a reputable media source?

[blackraven]

I thought so

[Resident Loser]

If you are referring to AR vs Monster, I think the build quality is worth the slight difference in price alone but Monster has various levels of quality as many cable manufacturers do.

If you are referring to cables in general, you must not miss a chance to try to stir up an argument. I have spent several hundred dollars on one cable and have been very satisfied with the noticed improvement. Cables can and do make a noticeable difference. If you haven't experienced it, too bad. It still doesn't change anything. And certainly I'm not suggesting anyone go buy cables on my word, there are plenty of ways to get cables for evaluation to see if one finds the difference worth the expense. Actually, cables can make such a difference I highly recommend trying before buying. I've done some extensive comparisons of various brands of cables and my conclusion is system synergy can sometimes trump the expense of the cable for best sound.

..I've sorta' been lurking and seeing the same ol' same ol'...it grows wearisome...I'm not the only member who has taken Monster to task for being one of the hype-iest mfrs. in the hobby...So when I see someone post a rec for their products, I scratch my head and open my trap...you just happen to be IT so don't take it personal...but...

Generally speaking, how many levels of quality are needed in, of all things, wire? Once we get past basic build quality and shielding, what is there? Maybe locking connectors or zip-o-dee-doo-da color-coordinated sheathing? Do more expensive cables and wire allow more of the frequency spectrum to be passed? If so I (and others) would like to see some hard evidence as opposed to that of the sighted anecdotal kind.

And just what is that anecdotal stuff even based on? Listening to a flawed medium, if digital?...an approximation of the original signal...and taken a step further...most software is simply a stereo (or MC) presentation of individual mono tracks, probably recorded at different times and in different places...all the sonic cues are non-existent in reality, mostly provided by studio trickery...When we get into the whole aftermarket wiring providing more "inner details" and other bits of audiophool hoo-ha, I roll my eyes and make a corresponding gutteral noise of disgust and dismay.

Even if you are only into audiophile-type recordings, wherein quality material, produced by quality performers, using minimalist recording techniques, there's still a problem...with what equipment did they mix the final product? What may have sounded correct to them may be totally skewed by your playback gear and listening environment...there is no real touchstone that allows for the myriad of outside influences that could affect sonic perception.

And since the OP seems to be somewhat concerned re: HT, it's all out the window...What difference will wiring (whose effects are minimal at best and even then only with ultra-resolving gear) have on the average, garden-variety, laser-tottin' mechanical lizards? Given a character like Chewbacca, whose voice is a synthesis of various animal grunts and wheezes, sliced and diced and put together nice, why do we even care?

jimHJJ(...closer to what reality?...)

[Mr Peabody]

I agree that Monster is not all the claim to be and their marketing is questionable. However, they sort of fill a nitch between cheezy cables and good cables. You can buy decent interconnects from companies like Audioquest and Transparent for around $75.00. In this price range Monster gets blown away.

I guess some people care about HT, that's what makes us spend money on it rather than being satisfied with a TV speaker.

The difference between cables could be the material the wire is made of, the way it is wound, variations in thickness, MIT and Transparent have the network technology, isolation or insulation. The improvements better cables have made in my systems are numerous, I've experienced major increase in bass and control, increase in resolution and decrease in noise were a few. In most systems adding better cables will definitely take your system up a notch. The improvement in clarity should be apparent. As far as just HT, this could be better audible dialog or improved sound effects.

You have a valid point that a person's system will have a lot to do with whether a person will notice any benefit. Although, I think even moderate systems can benefit from better than average cables. My brother has a entry level Denon receiver driving some vintage Infinity Kappa's. He was using some 10 gauge, non-terminated, Monster speaker wire, I gave him some very old Audioquest speaker cables I had around. He put those into his system in place of the Monster speaker wire and he told me it made a huge difference. My brother is not an audiophile type, and trust me, if the cables didn't do anything, he would have told me. I was surprised he noticed a difference like he described from just using a receiver.

Cables do effect the sound of your system which makes the brand of cable important, it has to have system synergy with your gear. As an example a friend of mine, a EE, made some cables for me to try. They were pure silver and he had about $300.00 in them, just in parts. These cables between my Krell integrated and CD player were the best I've ever used, even better than my Transparent XLR's. When putting them between my Audio Note DAC and Conrad Johnson preamp they sounded good but I actually preferred a $178.00 Audio Note Lexus cable. The Lexus was not a better cable, it was copper vs. silver, yet, in this application, I preferred it. So cost of the cable isn't the buying factor. I use Siltech now, which gives me the clarity of the home brew cable while providing the attributes I liked in the Lexus.

The bottomline, if one believes a better cable will help or not, the disbeliever needs to try them to be sure he isn't missing anything and to back up his skepticism, the one who believes, still needs to try different cables to be sure the change they might experience is a positive one or can be bettered for the same money.

Hi Fi playback is far from perfect, and we can never know what the original performance sounded like, unless we were there, but I'd never give it up. I've actually changed my view from trying to find the most accurate, to just finding a system that draws me into the performance and makes me happy.

[musicoverall]

[QUOTE=Resident Loser
And just what is that anecdotal stuff even based on? Listening to a flawed medium, if digital?...an approximation of the original signal...[/QUOTE]

...why do you feel digital is a flawed medium? I'm not saying I agree or disagree but one just doesn't hear this comment much anymore. Care to expound?

My apologies for hijacking. The truth is someone has either tried different cables and heard differences or not OR they refuse to try because there are no measurements to support differences. The argument feels too much like introducing one's head to a brick wall over and over and over and over and over and over....

[blackraven]

Here are 3 links discussing what audio cables can and cannot do-
www.blacksandcable.com/resources.html
[url]http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/cable.html

Also check out this link and read there take on cables, under articles about cables on bottom left of the page.
www.bluejeancable.com

[blackraven]

The last link I posted should end in htm instead of html. I think these 3 links are very interesting and raise some good questions about how we should view audio cables.

[Thomas_A]

The more interconnects (or longer) the more critical is the resistance of the -/shield not to cause audible effects.

Many free and/or cheap cables that I've been using caused hum in the system. After measurements, several of the had quite high shield resistance. See also:

http://www.jensen-transformers.com/an/an004.pdf

[Resident Loser]

...why do you feel digital is a flawed medium? I'm not saying I agree or disagree but one just doesn't hear this comment much anymore. Care to expound?...

...for the tardiness of my response (trying to cold turkey the place...didn't work)

Well, much of the early catalog left a lot to be desired when it made the transistion from analog and much of it is still out there...early players likewise...Current pop gets all the care it deserves in the recording process...with nearly no dynamic range (the material is so ho-hum, so there's not much call for it) IMO it tends to sound compressed while competing for sheer "volume" (both sales and dB-wise) in the marketplace...

Now with the advent of iPod-type/PC sources and MP3 files, trade mags like Pro Audio Review lament the "pearls before swine" aspect of High-res Pros/Low-res Listeners (Vol. 10 Issue 4)...

So while some of us may seek worthy program material, the vast bulk of it seems to fall way-short...So, when given the paucity of real data re: wiring and other tweaky-ness, some of the concerns regularly voiced in these forums seem, at best, cause only for a fool's errand...

jimHJJ(...but then again, that's just me...)

[GMichael]

Over the weekend, my DVD stopped sending sound to my receiver. After almost an hour of checking connections and settings, I pulled my $50 Monster cable and replaced it with a $17.00 Dayton Audio cable. What do you know? Now I have sound. Does it sound better? Beats the h.ll out of silence!

[BillyB]

I'm much more into 2 channel audio than home theatre so my audio hobby always pulls me into these discussions.From what I've recently learned about cables carrying digital signals they either work or they don't.Unless the run is long an inexpensive cable should suffice for HDMI,and Coaxial and Optical audio cables as they all carry a digital signal.Good quality cables can make a difference with analogue signals as they are subject to interference from power cords and other forms of interference.Better cables have better sheilding.Better analogue cables also use higher grade conductor material for the core wire that carries the signal and with very good equipment will definitely make a difference.Can you overpay for cables and get into diminishing returns,definitely.But to say that cables which are the only link between the two pieces of equipment make no difference at all defies logic.High end equipment will reward you for dropping some coins on good cables,cheap equipment generally won't.Good cables should be considered standard procedure when putting together a high quality system and while I know people are going to jump all over this post I think most serious A/V folks won't take too much exception with this.

[PeruvianSkies]

Go to RAM ELECTRONICS online...they have great prices, good build quality and you should be set. Not worth spending much more unless you are prepared to go ultra high end with everything.