Interconnect cables, Speaker cables & Power Cords. - Page 3 - Blu-ray Forum

richteer · 05-15-2009, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

I agree completely. There has to be a reference and "your" reference system needs to be seamlessly integrated into the standard you set for yourself.

Agreed. Trouble is, I set myself very high standards!

Quote:

PS: Glad to hear the e-zine is not just a fleeting thought.

Nope; it's still under active investigation. It still may not come to fruition, but I have a feeling that something will come of it. I have already signed up two contributors, in principle at least. I need to convince myself that I can make a reasonable living out of it; I'm between jobs right now so the mag would become my day job.

Johnny Vinyl · 06-20-2009, 07:56 AM

I just ordered the Oppo DV-980H for use as my dedicated SACD player. I know it's only a budget player, but I also know it will outperform my PS3.

I want to connect this player to my Yamaha HTR-6190B using HDMI for the occasional DVD use it will see, and with Analog cables for CD/SACD. As such, I'm in the market for a set of analog cables to connect for use with my front speakers only.

Can any one of you recommend a decent set of Analog cables that I should consider?

John

Big Daddy · 06-20-2009, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

I just ordered the Oppo DV-980H for use as my dedicated SACD player. I know it's only a budget player, but I also know it will outperform my PS3.

I want to connect this player to my Yamaha HTR-6190B using HDMI for the occasional DVD use it will see, and with Analog cables for CD/SACD. As such, I'm in the market for a set of analog cables to connect for use with my front speakers only.

Can any one of you recommend a decent set of Analog cables that I should consider?

John

Don't let the low price fool you. It can outplay more expensive players. I have a Denon SACD player that I paid $800 and I also had a Pioneer Elite Player that cost me $600. The Oppo is as good or better.

Make sure the video on the Oppo is set to 1080i or 1080p so that it has enough bandwith to output SACD in 5.1. If you set the video to 480i or 480p, it will only play two-channel SACD. There is a button on the bottom left of the remote for setting the video. The player has to be in stop mode for it to work. You cannot change the setting while the player is in play mode.

For RCA cables, buy thick shielded RG59 cables with RCA connectors for less than $5. If you don't like them, send them to me.

I recently replaced some of the super expensive Audioquest cables in my system with them. They were only one meter long and too short. The sound quality is as good as ever and I have more money to spend on SACD albums. The Audioquest cables are currently in the garage collecting dust.

Johnny Vinyl · 06-20-2009, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Don't let the low price fool you. It can outplay more expensive players. I have a Denon SACD player that I paid $800 and I also had a Pioneer Elite Player that cost me $600. The Oppo is as good or better.

For RCA cables, buy 5 thick shielded RG59 cables with RCA connectors for less than $10. If you don't like them, send them to me.

I recently replaced some of the super expensive Audioquest cables in my system with them. They were only one meter long and too short. The sound quality is as good as ever and I have more money to spend on SACD albums. The Audioquest cables are currently in the garage collecting dust.

Hi BD!

I've done a lot of research on SACD players recently, although I had not intended on buying one. I soon discovered that my PS3 doesn't do DSD>Analog, which I would prefer as it offers a higher sampling rate. I also discovered that one needs a receiver to handle DSD>Analog as well, which thankfully my Yamaha HTR-6190B does. I got the general feeling that for the price, the reviews, the recommendations et al, that this was a player I just couldn't afford to be without. Hence my order placement.

I'm running some Audioquest Flatwire for my surrounds and am very happy with their performance, so I might ask if you'd consider having a discussion about the 1-meter Audioquest cables you have collecting dust.

John

naturephoto1 · 06-20-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

I just ordered the Oppo DV-980H for use as my dedicated SACD player. I know it's only a budget player, but I also know it will outperform my PS3.

I want to connect this player to my Yamaha HTR-6190B using HDMI for the occasional DVD use it will see, and with Analog cables for CD/SACD. As such, I'm in the market for a set of analog cables to connect for use with my front speakers only.

Can any one of you recommend a decent set of Analog cables that I should consider?

John

Hi John,

I can recommend these as quite good (I use them in much of my system, though I am replacing some of them), but you or others may object to the price:

http://tinyurl.com/nptwqj

Rich

Johnny Vinyl · 06-20-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

Hi John,

I can recommend these as quite good (I use them in much of my system, though I am replacing some of them), but you or others may object to the price:

http://tinyurl.com/nptwqj

Rich

Hi Rich,

I looked at Kevin's cables and they sure do look very affordable and most likely "in-line" with the equipment I have. I have a probem though....I have never ordered anything from eBay and don't even have a PayPal account....I've always been leary of the whole eBay thing. Is there another way to get to his website and look/order direct?

John

naturephoto1 · 06-20-2009, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

Hi Rich,

I looked at Kevin's cables and they sure do look very affordable and most likely "in-line" with the equipment I have. I have a probem though....I have never ordered anything from eBay and don't even have a PayPal account....I've always been leary of the whole eBay thing. Is there another way to get to his website and look/order direct?

John

John,

I have ordered I think all of my cables directly from Kevin at this point, but I may order a few items through eBay. You can send him an e-mail and provide the item that you wish to order. But, payment would be directly to his Paypal account since he is in Taipei. He is generally pretty fast in shipping and he uses Taiwan's EMS shipping service. As far as I know, Kevin has no website though he does a lot of business. I also believe that he may do the work out of his home.

Either way, it is very easy to set up both an eBay and a Paypal account. There is no charge for them either and if need be, we (one of us) could walk you through setting up of the accounts. As to the Paypal account, you would provide bank info and credit card and/or debit card information that can be used for payment. And, when you do pay through Paypal, you can decide what ever payment means that you like. Both the eBay and the Paypal accounts are secure and I believe now that eBay may now own Paypal and they are linked.

Rich

Johnny Vinyl · 06-20-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

John,

I have ordered I think all of my cables directly from Kevin at this point, but I may order a few items through eBay. You can send him an e-mail and provide the item that you wish to order. But, payment would be directly to his Paypal account since he is in Taipei. He is generally pretty fast in shipping and he uses Taiwan's EMS shipping service. As far as I know, Kevin has no website though he does a lot of business. I also believe that he may do the work out of his home.

Either way, it is very easy to set up both an eBay and a Paypal account. There is no charge for them either and if need be, we (one of us) could walk you through setting up of the accounts. As to the Paypal account, you would provide bank info and credit card and/or debit card information that can be used for payment. And, when you do pay through Paypal, you can decide what ever payment means that you like. Both the eBay and the Paypal accounts are secure and I believe now that eBay may now own Paypal and they are linked.

Rich

Thx Rich! Let me ponder this. I'll check into this wole eBay/PayPal thing within the next few days.

John

rded · 06-20-2009, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

Thx Rich! Let me ponder this. I'll check into this wole eBay/PayPal thing within the next few days.

John

Ebay and paypal are relatively safe. I buy from ebay a lot.... If everyrthing else fails, Rich will just reimburse you

zicmubleu · 06-20-2009, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

I just ordered the Oppo DV-980H for use as my dedicated SACD player. I know it's only a budget player, but I also know it will outperform my PS3.

I want to connect this player to my Yamaha HTR-6190B using HDMI for the occasional DVD use it will see, and with Analog cables for CD/SACD. As such, I'm in the market for a set of analog cables to connect for use with my front speakers only.

Can any one of you recommend a decent set of Analog cables that I should consider?

John

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Daddy

Don't let the low price fool you. It can outplay more expensive players. I have a Denon SACD player that I paid $800 and I also had a Pioneer Elite Player that cost me $600. The Oppo is as good or better.

For RCA cables, buy thick shielded RG59 cables with RCA connectors for less than $5. If you don't like them, send them to me.

(

John - why not get an inexpensive set of RCA cables while you sort out and wait for the higher end cables to arrive and then you can give us some feedback about the differences you note with them?

BD - dang, you told me that the Pioneer DV48 was a good player, now you have upstaged it with the Oppo 980H? Of course the fact that I wouldn't be able to hear the difference doesn't matter, just want consistency!

I am using my HDMI cable for the sound, only problem with that is that I have to turn on my TV to do some initial HDCP handshake, I assume, before the sound is pushed through to the AVR. I long for the days when stereo was king and oval speakers were considered an advancement over round speakers since they could do high and lows both! Wrong thread, sorry John.

Steve

Johnny Vinyl · 06-20-2009, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zicmubleu

John - why not get an inexpensive set of RCA cables while you sort out and wait for the higher end cables to arrive and then you can give us some feedback about the differences you note with them?

BD - dang, you told me that the Pioneer DV48 was a good player, now you have upstaged it with the Oppo 980H? Of course the fact that I wouldn't be able to hear the difference doesn't matter, just want consistency!

I am using my HDMI cable for the sound, only problem with that is that I have to turn on my TV to do some initial HDCP handshake, I assume, before the sound is pushed through to the AVR. I long for the days when stereo was king and oval speakers were considered an advancement over round speakers since they could do high and lows both! Wrong thread, sorry John.

Steve

Not to worry Steve...

I have a pair of Philips that I can use for now until I decide on what better cables to get. I just want to get it hooked up this week. HDMI or Analog....as long as it works...I'll try different connections later.

John

Big Daddy · 06-21-2009, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John72953

Not to worry Steve...

I have a pair of Philips that I can use for now until I decide on what better cables to get. I just want to get it hooked up this week. HDMI or Analog....as long as it works...I'll try different connections later.

John

John,

If you are interested in silver-copper RCA cables, these are the cheapest I have ever seen:

Silver RCA cable (1 meter, $40):
http://cgi.ebay.com/KnuKonceptz-Silv...3A1%7C294%3A30

Silver RCA cable (2 meter, $50):
http://cgi.ebay.com/KnuKonceptz-Silv...3A1%7C294%3A30

Johnny Vinyl · 06-27-2009, 10:53 AM

Both recommendations from Rich and Big Daddy regarding analog cables were seriously considered. I even went so far as to reactivate so to speak my eBay account and looked into PayPal as well. I'm feeling a little more confident about trying a purchase one day.

However.....

In my excitement about the new Oppo I couldn't help but look at options available to me for immediate pickup locally. As such, and because I am already a satisfied owner of their speaker cable, I went with Audioquest Copperhead interconnects. I bought a pair for my front Totem Sttaf's and am using Philips for the rears and centre. Picked up a second set of Philips for $22 as I only had the one pair. I really wanted the Diamondbacks, but they didn't have a 1-meter pair and I didn't want to wait. So far I'm very impressed.

John

-DLS- · 07-07-2009, 09:46 PM

Has anyone heard of Straight Wire speaker cables?

I saw them at a local store that had a lot of high end gear but only these speaker cables. I looked them up but couldn't find much and of course the salesman is gonna tell me that they will make a HUGE difference. He told me they were compared to Ultralink cables on several speakers in the store and they replaced the Ultralink they used to sell for these since they sounded much better but I have no experience with Ultralink either.
The ones he was trying to see me was Straight Wire Melody 12awg Bi-wire cables(one of the lower end ones by them) marked at $100 but offered to sell me them for $60 ea for 10ft. I was really tempted to get them for my front 3 and it would finally get that question out of my head whether even a small upgrade would make a difference over my current Monoprice ones. They had some much more expensive ones costing thousands but I would never get into that.

If anyone uses, has ever used or even heard of this brand let me know if it is worth the price or even worth the upgrade. If anything it might be worth just satisfying my curiosity.

naturephoto1 · 07-07-2009, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DLS_222

Has anyone heard of Straight Wire speaker cables?

I saw them at a local store that had a lot of high end gear but only these speaker cables. I looked them up but couldn't find much and of course the salesman is gonna tell me that they will make a HUGE difference. He told me they were compared to Ultralink cables on several speakers in the store and they replaced the Ultralink they used to sell for these since they sounded much better but I have no experience with Ultralink either.
The ones he was trying to see me was Straight Wire Melody 12awg Bi-wire cables(one of the lower end ones by them) marked at $100 but offered to sell me them for $60 ea for 10ft. I was really tempted to get them for my front 3 and it would finally get that question out of my head whether even a small upgrade would make a difference over my current Monoprice ones. They had some much more expensive ones costing thousands but I would never get into that.

If anyone uses, has ever used or even heard of this brand let me know if it is worth the price or even worth the upgrade. If anything it might be worth just satisfying my curiosity.

Straight Wire is a good well known cable brand. Like many makers they have many cables in different price points.

Rich

Johnny Vinyl · 07-07-2009, 11:10 PM

I have the Ultralink Matrix2 MPT-12 connected to my fronts. They were only $87.00 for an 8ft pair and I ordered them with banana plugs on one end and spades on the other. I got them from Tabangi Electronics on Dundas, east of Dixie in Mississauga. They were a considerable improvement over the previous Transparent 12AWG cable I had.

Like Rich said, Straight Wire, as is UltraLink and Transparent are respectable cable producers and they offer various qualities. I'd love to get some better cabling, but that's not in the cards right now.

John

richteer · 07-07-2009, 11:40 PM

Further to what Rich and John have said, ask your dealer if you can return them within a reasonable period if you're not satisfied. That way you can give 'em a go while minimising your risk.

ISTR Straight Wire (the brand) being bought by another company a few years ago. Straight Wire Maestro used to be one of the fave high end cables of yesteryear, so odds are their entry level stuff is quite reasonable. Give it a try!

-DLS- · 07-08-2009, 02:27 AM

Thanks for the replies guys.. I actually went back after my original post and bought them since they will let me keep them for 30 days. I won't be able to test them out til next week since I'm in the city but I can ship them back if I don't notice a difference.
At least I'll find out whether my ears are good enough or not to notice the difference. And since it's not really high end stuff, if I do notice a difference than I can finally agree that not all speaker wires are the same since I've only used Monoprice. If not I might even keep them just cuz they look much nicer!

JasonR · 07-08-2009, 02:30 AM

Nice looking cables! Did you have a chance to demo those MAs in the city by chance? I saw you got to hear the Signatures!!! Very nice huh? If you want we can take it to PM.

-DLS- · 07-08-2009, 02:52 AM

Thanks! Actually the place I've been going to didn't have MA's - they had Paradigms B&W's, ML's Vienna Acoustic, Cerwin Vegas and Acoustic Zen speakers.. Only had time to check out the one room that had the Sigs and the 803D's. I'll probably stop by again since it's only 5 mins away from where I'm staying. The other place that have the MA's is a small shop in a house.. and they only carry Paradigm and Monitor Audio so I can actually compare them with something I'm very familiar with. It's on the other side of the city though but I do plan to stop by for sure.. still got a week. I can never do this stuff at home so why not

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06-20-2009, 07:56 AM	#42
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	I just ordered the Oppo DV-980H for use as my dedicated SACD player. I know it's only a budget player, but I also know it will outperform my PS3. I want to connect this player to my Yamaha HTR-6190B using HDMI for the occasional DVD use it will see, and with Analog cables for CD/SACD. As such, I'm in the market for a set of analog cables to connect for use with my front speakers only. Can any one of you recommend a decent set of Analog cables that I should consider? John

06-27-2009, 10:53 AM	#53
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	Both recommendations from Rich and Big Daddy regarding analog cables were seriously considered. I even went so far as to reactivate so to speak my eBay account and looked into PayPal as well. I'm feeling a little more confident about trying a purchase one day. However..... In my excitement about the new Oppo I couldn't help but look at options available to me for immediate pickup locally. As such, and because I am already a satisfied owner of their speaker cable, I went with Audioquest Copperhead interconnects. I bought a pair for my front Totem Sttaf's and am using Philips for the rears and centre. Picked up a second set of Philips for $22 as I only had the one pair. I really wanted the Diamondbacks, but they didn't have a 1-meter pair and I didn't want to wait. So far I'm very impressed. John

07-07-2009, 09:46 PM	#54
-DLS- Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Apr 2008 Location:CANADA Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:-	Has anyone heard of Straight Wire speaker cables? I saw them at a local store that had a lot of high end gear but only these speaker cables. I looked them up but couldn't find much and of course the salesman is gonna tell me that they will make a HUGE difference. He told me they were compared to Ultralink cables on several speakers in the store and they replaced the Ultralink they used to sell for these since they sounded much better but I have no experience with Ultralink either. The ones he was trying to see me was Straight Wire Melody 12awg Bi-wire cables(one of the lower end ones by them) marked at $100 but offered to sell me them for $60 ea for 10ft. I was really tempted to get them for my front 3 and it would finally get that question out of my head whether even a small upgrade would make a difference over my current Monoprice ones. They had some much more expensive ones costing thousands but I would never get into that. If anyone uses, has ever used or even heard of this brand let me know if it is worth the price or even worth the upgrade. If anything it might be worth just satisfying my curiosity.

07-07-2009, 11:10 PM	#56
Johnny Vinyl Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:At the crossroad of Analogue Dr & 2CH Ave Home Theater Gallery:19 Blu-ray collection:205 DVD collection:7 Blu-ray reviews:3 Trading Score:8	I have the Ultralink Matrix2 MPT-12 connected to my fronts. They were only $87.00 for an 8ft pair and I ordered them with banana plugs on one end and spades on the other. I got them from Tabangi Electronics on Dundas, east of Dixie in Mississauga. They were a considerable improvement over the previous Transparent 12AWG cable I had. Like Rich said, Straight Wire, as is UltraLink and Transparent are respectable cable producers and they offer various qualities. I'd love to get some better cabling, but that's not in the cards right now. John

07-07-2009, 11:40 PM	#57
richteer Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Kelowna, BC Trading Score:1	Further to what Rich and John have said, ask your dealer if you can return them within a reasonable period if you're not satisfied. That way you can give 'em a go while minimising your risk. ISTR Straight Wire (the brand) being bought by another company a few years ago. Straight Wire Maestro used to be one of the fave high end cables of yesteryear, so odds are their entry level stuff is quite reasonable. Give it a try!

07-08-2009, 02:27 AM	#58
-DLS- Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Apr 2008 Location:CANADA Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:-	Thanks for the replies guys.. I actually went back after my original post and bought them since they will let me keep them for 30 days. I won't be able to test them out til next week since I'm in the city but I can ship them back if I don't notice a difference. At least I'll find out whether my ears are good enough or not to notice the difference. And since it's not really high end stuff, if I do notice a difference than I can finally agree that not all speaker wires are the same since I've only used Monoprice. If not I might even keep them just cuz they look much nicer!

07-08-2009, 02:30 AM	#59
JasonR Super Moderator Top contributor Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:12	Nice looking cables! Did you have a chance to demo those MAs in the city by chance? I saw you got to hear the Signatures!!! Very nice huh? If you want we can take it to PM.

07-08-2009, 02:52 AM	#60
-DLS- Special Member Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Apr 2008 Location:CANADA Home Theater Gallery:28 Blu-ray collection:-	Thanks! Actually the place I've been going to didn't have MA's - they had Paradigms B&W's, ML's Vienna Acoustic, Cerwin Vegas and Acoustic Zen speakers.. Only had time to check out the one room that had the Sigs and the 803D's. I'll probably stop by again since it's only 5 mins away from where I'm staying. The other place that have the MA's is a small shop in a house.. and they only carry Paradigm and Monitor Audio so I can actually compare them with something I'm very familiar with. It's on the other side of the city though but I do plan to stop by for sure.. still got a week. I can never do this stuff at home so why not

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