Best Speaker Wires ?????

[richteer]

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

They sell for $80 and $110 respectively in 1 meter length. They perform on the order of $2000 to perhaps $2500 or more Interconnects.

Rich

I'm open to persuasion but remain sceptical. If they were that good, King Cable would be charging 10x what they currently are, and make a killing.

[Grubert]

Originally Posted by richteer

At $0.60/foot you can't go wrong. But if you think all speaker wire is the same you are very mistaken.

Indeed - the more expensive it is, the more you have to pay for it.

[rded]

Originally Posted by naturephoto1

Take a look at either of these again from Kevin in Taiwan:

http://tinyurl.com/5fc579

http://tinyurl.com/5soryw

They sell for $80 and $110 respectively in 1 meter length. They perform on the order of $2000 to perhaps $2500 or more Interconnects.

Rich

It just sounds too good to be true!!! Isn't that what Bose always says in their commercials-that their 3-2-1 system rivals systems that cost 10x more?? And we all believe that right??

[morpheus11]

Monster has some serious production issues. If you really pay attention to their connectors, many of them are the equivalent of plated plastic. Not wear ready or reliable in the long term.

True, most of their higher end cables are manufactured to better standards, but why pay that kind of cash for Monster when you could likely go with Audioquest, IXOS, or HGA and get a far superior product.

[MieDan4ever]

You could get these.

http://www.pearcable.com/sub_products_anjou_sc.htm

did I mention the price? lol

[rded]

Originally Posted by MieDan4ever

You could get these.

http://www.pearcable.com/sub_products_anjou_sc.htm

did I mention the price? lol

I am very skeptical about online products in that price range. At least if they are sold by a dealer; reputable or not, you can still sit and have a listen for yourself or even take the cables home for a demo. I wonder what their refund policy is.....??

[kefrank]

I had a frustrating experience with speaker wire from Monoprice. The insulation was not at all uniform around the copper. It was much wider along one side making it very difficult to strip without cutting into the copper strands. Most everything else I've ordered from Monoprice has been great, but I won't buy their speaker wire again.

[My_Two_Cents]

How about these?

Seriously, some of you folks have waaaaayyyy too much disposable income if you think spending hundreds/thousands of $$ on cables and/or speaker wire is going to make that big of a difference in sound quality. Don't get me wrong, I understand this is not simply another Monster vs Monoprice debate, as we are talking analog and not digital signals, but I would bet most people would never be able to tell the difference between speakers connected with $500 customer made wire versus a good 12 gauge wire you can pick-up at any number of places. My opinion, of course.

[rded]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

How about these?

Seriously, some of you folks have waaaaayyyy too much disposable income if you think spending hundreds/thousands of $$ on cables and/or speaker wire is going to make that big of a difference in sound quality. Don't get me wrong, I understand this is not simply another Monster vs Monoprice debate, as we are talking analog and not digital signals, but I would bet most people would never be able to tell the difference between speakers connected with $500 customer made wire versus a good 12 gauge wire you can pick-up at any number of places. My opinion, of course.

Did the article disclose what gear(speaker/CDP amps etc) they used? If they were just using a regular speaker and or gear say an aiwa stereo/cdp, I don't think it'll make a difference. The more sensitive and analytical(and I'm not even saying highend or audiophile level) your speaker and gear are, the more speaker wires make a difference. Remember, the speaker wires are not only passing current to the speaker but analog info/signal to them as well.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by rded

Did the article disclose what gear(speaker/CDP amps etc) they used? If they were just using a regular speaker and or gear say an aiwa stereo/cdp, I don't think it'll make a difference. The more sensitive and analytical(and I'm not even saying highend or audiophile level) your speaker and gear are, the more speaker wires make a difference. Remember, the speaker wires are not only passing current to the speaker but analog info/signal to them as well.

Not promoting coat hangers. It was more of a humorous article than anything else, but it did show that in certain situations, folks could not tell the difference. I'm all for buying quality, but there comes a point when diminishing returns kicks-in. For me, that point is somewhere around >$1 per foot for speaker wire.

[rded]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Not promoting coat hangers. It was more of a humorous article than anything else, but it did show that in certain situations, folks could not tell the difference. I'm all for buying quality, but there comes a point when diminishing returns kicks-in. For me, that point is somewhere around >$1 per foot for speaker wire.

I agree. I have generic white 16 Guage speaker wires for my surrounds and they work fine for HT. But there's a night and day difference between my 12guage belkin wires vs the Nordost red dawns for the fronts. Now I wouldn't recommend going out and spending $800/pair for speaker wires but if you're a true affectionado(not even an audiophile) and have the resources definitely go for it I mean if you can afford 10K speakers why short chance yourself with coathangers

[Pelican170]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

How about these?

Seriously, some of you folks have waaaaayyyy too much disposable income if you think spending hundreds/thousands of $$ on cables and/or speaker wire is going to make that big of a difference in sound quality. Don't get me wrong, I understand this is not simply another Monster vs Monoprice debate, as we are talking analog and not digital signals, but I would bet most people would never be able to tell the difference between speakers connected with $500 customer made wire versus a good 12 gauge wire you can pick-up at any number of places. My opinion, of course.

+1

[RUR]

Originally Posted by rded

Did the article disclose what gear(speaker/CDP amps etc) they used? If they were just using a regular speaker and or gear say an aiwa stereo/cdp, I don't think it'll make a difference. The more sensitive and analytical(and I'm not even saying highend or audiophile level) your speaker and gear are, the more speaker wires make a difference. Remember, the speaker wires are not only passing current to the speaker but analog info/signal to them as well.

Looks to be an Integra RDC-7 pre/pro + Anthem amp(s) + ML SL3. Not too shabby 'cept for the Integra. The poster, while articulate, indulges in a bit too much free-wheeling audiophile bashing to make him especially credible. OTOH, we are comparing to Monster wire.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...2&postcount=28 and ensuing posts

[kingofgrills]

I have XLO Electric Reference 5.0 speaker cables running the mains and center of my system, and I'm really happy with them. They are terminated with large spade connectors. If you can find them, they're well worth an audition.


http://www.xloelectric.com/contactinfo.html


Pic of them:
http://www.echohifi.com/images/product/128-large.jpg

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by rded

I agree. I have generic white 16 Guage speaker wires for my surrounds and they work fine for HT. But there's a night and day difference between my 12guage belkin wires vs the Nordost red dawns for the fronts. Now I wouldn't recommend going out and spending $800/pair for speaker wires but if you're a true affectionado(not even an audiophile) and have the resources definitely go for it I mean if you can afford 10K speakers why short chance yourself with coathangers

Well, when you put it that way....

[rded]

Originally Posted by RUR

Looks to be an Integra RDC-7 pre/pro + Anthem amp(s) + ML SL3. Not too shabby 'cept for the Integra. The poster, while articulate, indulges in a bit too much free-wheeling audiophile bashing to make him especially credible. OTOH, we are comparing to Monster wire.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums...2&postcount=28 and ensuing posts

I'm not quite sure? Is that the same guy that did the experiments with monster vs coathangers?

[rded]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Well, when you put it that way....

To each their own dude!

[richteer]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Seriously, some of you folks have waaaaayyyy too much disposable income if you think spending hundreds/thousands of $$ on cables and/or speaker wire is going to make that big of a difference in sound quality. Don't get me wrong, I understand this is not simply another Monster vs Monoprice debate, as we are talking analog and not digital signals, but I would bet most people would never be able to tell the difference between speakers connected with $500 customer made wire versus a good 12 gauge wire you can pick-up at any number of places. My opinion, of course.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course. But to dismiss cable sound quality as a myth without even trying it is a bit short-sighted if you ask me.

Of course, one must be sensible. Spending $800 on a set of Red Dawn speaker cables to hook up one's $500 pair of speakers would be nuts. But using $1/foot generic 12 gauge to hook up one's $10k speakers is also nuts.

[RUR]

Originally Posted by rded

I'm not quite sure? Is that the same guy that did the experiments with monster vs coathangers?

Yes, the Audioholics post is the source for the Consumerist article linked by Ricshoe.

[rded]

My question is this: why are we all in this forum? Is it because we have this disease that's called blurays and entertainment system etc. We are all on a quest for the best possible AV results from our gear- others are more obsessive(like me)! And for the record I do not have an obscene amount of disposable income. That what you call saving up, giving up certain things and working 2-3 jobs to support my hobbies