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  Cable Costs Relative to System
Since making a spread sheet with my audio system prices, I have been thinking(shocked) about my total investment in cables. My total system retails at $67,000 (Digital and analog front ends included). I purchased all of it here on Audiogon so my investment is about 50%. Of that I have about 10% invested in interconnects and cables and another 10% in Power Cables (Shunyata Hydra included). That's $13,000 worth of wire. I'm starting to question whether it might be more effective to put some of this budget into acitve components. It would take forever to listen to all possible combinations, but would like to hear others experiences with relatively high end systems and cable selection. It would seem to me that the point of diminishing returns would be reached sooner with cables than with speakers and amps. Do most of you follow the 10% "rule" for cabling? How do PCs fit into this rule? Are there any super bargain cables capable of keeping up with highly resolving electronics?
Metaphysics  (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

02-14-01
  Responses (101-150 of 296)
Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

12-21-05   Jade - if it is fact then please provide the scientific proo ...   Brizonbiovizier

12-22-05   Everyone, i would like to expand on what i said do to the po ...   Duane

12-22-05   Oh, one more thing i forgot. brizonbiovizier, if you are usi ...   Duane

12-22-05   To answer the original question, in general i believe you ca ...   Mitch2

12-22-05   Filters on my speaker cables??? no no no! only on the mains ...   Brizonbiovizier

12-23-05   Come to my store, i will show you differences. my biggest cu ...   Duane

12-23-05   "anecdotal evidence is not sufficient" call dr. fl ...   Duane

12-26-05   I've found of far greater value than spending money on cable ...   Mad169

12-26-05   10% rule is way too much for something that has such little ...   Shadorne

01-02-06   Trelja. you are so on the mark here. the problem here is tha ...   Mapleleafs3

01-02-06   Well, i guess it's funny, but it's now almost a full four ye ...   Trelja

01-02-06   Yep, i love to brag. that must be my motive...   Jadem6

01-03-06   Maple - you have hit the nail entirely on the head. people j ...   Brizonbiovizier

01-03-06   Hi joe, it's a bit strange hearing some of the words coming ...   Jadem6

01-03-06   Jd, thanks for your post here. i also feel endebted to your ...   Trelja

01-07-06   Hi joe, damn you... the problem with respecting you despite ...   Jadem6

01-07-06   Just to stir the pot, i have it on good authority that the & ...   Leedistad

01-08-06   This work is being done at frequencies many orders of magnit ...   Brizonbiovizier

01-08-06: Trelja
Well, JD, I must tip my hat to you for turning this thread from one of trivial bickering to actual discussion. That's a RARE thing indeed in both Audiogon and Audio Asylum. As I alluded to above, you are a special audiophile, and we are graced by your renewed presence on this site.

Unfortunately, I have left the "scientific community" for what I feel are greener pastures from a family perspective. Though, I must say that things would have been interesting had I continued on down that path.

You brining up nanotechnology is something that really piqued memories in me. In 2000, before I completely made the leap into the field of software engineering, a group of scientists from the University of New Mexico brought me out to Albuquerque to discuss bringing me aboard a new company they had just launched. Their angle was a revolutionary process producing conductive nanomaterials such as silver, gold, platinum, palladium, etc. To be quite frank, the improvement over existing materials was on the level of orders of magnitude. I must say the prospects were fascinating.

What we soon found out was that though there was far more than tremendous interest in the products they could offer, they were seriously deficient in getting value for their hard work and creativity. The money was actually in the products produced in the next step, which is where a fair amount of my knowledge lay, and what they soon realized was a way to get them there. Over the course of the four days I was there, both sides quickly saw the potential for a most synergistic relationship.

In the end, I demurred, as I felt the risk/reward balance was not to my liking - American manufacturing being what it is today. But, I harbor serious regret today all the same - the ability to obtain a PHD in chemistry/material science and to apply what I had available to me towards audio in the long run.

In truth, of the folks I met along the way in the field, only a VERY small number were audiophiles, and my feeling is that by being in the field, and uniting folks of the type of passion and dedication such as you, JD, a lot of progress could have been made in the past five years.

Briefly, from what I have seen, I possess quite a radical view of the way things work. My two theories are amazingly simplistic, but it takes me a while to convey them to folks, no matter how small or large their scientific background is. First, material interactions are nothing more than playing with puzzles - locks and keys. Some keys fit some locks, and some don't. Not much more to know than that. Time and experience builds the understanding in a person to know what keys go with what locks. Secondly, surface area/particle size is THE most important factor once the key/lock relationship has been made. The more surface area (smaller particle size - ie. nanotechnology), the more of what I call "soldiers" (who do the work) are available.

I don't want to go too much further here, but what most people see in nanotechnology is the ability of having more "soldiers" available to them. And while THAT opens up things that we have always dreamed about, the real power, which most fail to see, is the key/lock applications. By being able to "dope" a material's properties in ways never before possible in this world, we can achieve the creation of a geometrically larger number of materials. The beauty being that we can do this with breathtaking savings.

As an example, a ratio of 55% Palladium/45% Silver makes the best conductors/resistors you can obtain, from a temperature coefficient of resistance point of view. The resistance varies almost not at all over a temperature curve. Further, these happen to be uniquely environmentally resistant as well. For the most part, the audio world has not been exposed to palldium, but in the limited instances it has, subjectiver results have been extraordinarily positive. The BIG downside is cost - Pd being over $1000/ounce, and silver being $9/ounce.

But, what if I could obtain the same or similar properties by using incredibly small amounts of Pd? With nanotechnology, the opportunity to make small amounts look like large amounts opens up possibilities that are breathtaking.

In the end, like any craft, it is the ART, not the science that is where the power lies. The science is always there, but it is the heart of the person who steers the ship to achievement via using what is before him, and solving problems.

Unfortunately, what some perceive as anger or bitterness coming from me stems from the proponderance of snake oil salesmen in audio. Folks who offer NOTHING which takes the craft forward in any direction, yet merely rebadge products manufactured by a third party with multithousand percent profit margins. Truly, I see this as borderline criminal. What is really at the root of my feelings is the potential for the scientific and engineering communities to produce REAL understanding, and ultimately improvement, in the products offered to audiophiles, and do so at what I consider fair costs to the end user. Unfortunately, we seem to be lacking a connection between the two fields to produce such a thing.

Trelja  (Threads | Answers | This Thread)


01-08-06   Excellent description of some extremely complicated topics p ...   Jadem6

01-16-06   Nanotech? this sounds distictly pseudo scientific to me. are ...   Brizonbiovizier

01-20-06   Wow...what alot of sh.t you guys are discussing!! ever wond ...   Dave_b

01-29-06   Jadem6. i ahve no chip and have just regret that people like ...   Mapleleafs3

01-29-06   Ok, your right. cables are a hoax, snake oil, stealing, and ...   Jadem6

01-29-06   Jadem6 your also a fool. like i said blind test. you could n ...   Mapleleafs3

01-29-06   Herhttp://www.high-endaudio.com/index_ac.html here is an i ...   Mapleleafs3

02-05-06   Lots of great points here, it's a matter of budget and upgra ...   Horsestoharleys

02-18-06   I find cabling as important as any other part of the musical ...   Mitchb

07-11-06   This tread is incredible. it has continued for five years de ...   Ojgalli

07-11-06   Well, that's maybe why the anti-cables are winning out in so ...   Muralman1

07-11-06   Ojgalli, there is a lot of science behind the claims made o ...   Shadorne

08-22-06   "if a cable makes a significant audible difference it m ...   Adhoc

08-30-06   A good cord is a good cord. they may or may not do what your ...   Mitchb

09-04-06   It is so easy to hear what a great cable or power cord can d ...   Dave_b

09-15-06   That component which makes the greatest (positive) differenc ...   Mrtennis

09-16-06   now, that's quite a generalization! it would do you good t ...   Psychicanimal

09-16-06   I'll throw-in my 2 cents worth (maybe it's already been said ...   Sksos

09-30-06   A cable(power/speaker/inter connector) is only worth what it ...   Koegz

11-12-06   My experience with jps shows good bang for the buck value an ...   Sc4a

11-12-06   Cables should never cost more than twice the system...   Pops

11-12-06   Good points duane. i've always been a proponent of very fas ...   Sean

12-02-06   No regrets at all...   Arahl

03-08-07   First of all i have to comment on your thanks to trelja and ...   Aintitgr8

03-08-07   I've got an interesting thing for you to think about, what c ...   Aintitgr8

04-03-07   Anyone who would pay $13,000 for wire just to connect his or ...   Schipo

04-04-07   I spent $3,750 on cable for my system so maybe i should only ...   Joeyboynj

04-12-07   "09-16-06: sksos i'll throw-in my 2 cents worth (maybe ...   Carl109

04-12-07   Carl109... if you consider a line cord as a type of circuit ...   Ridgestreetaudio

04-12-07   I currently have two power cords for my pre-amp. when one i ...   Joeyboynj

04-13-07   I appreciate the replies, but they still don't explain the a ...   Carl109


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