Need Some Advice regarding interconnects


Hey all...I need some advice regarding upgrading my interconnects at two places (1) from my solid state preamp to my tube mono blocks and (2) my turntable to preamp rca-rca. I currently use some cheapo Tara Labs but I need to upgrade...

I use Synergistic Research Alpha Sterling X2 from transport to dac and dac to preamp and Purist Audio Rev.A Digital from transport to DAC but I need to know what is a good match for my amps - preamp and turntable. My price range is around $400.00 - $600.00 on the Agon used market for each
thmicheletti
I have a pair of NBS Serpent II and 1 Von Gaylord Chinchilla power cord on the way. The Von Gaylord will be replacing a Synergistic Research AC Master Coupler on my preamp and the NBS Serpent II's will replace a WireWorld Stratus 5-2 on my SACD and a Cardas TwinLink on my DAC.

I do have a Monster HTS5000 power conditioner but Im looking at geting either a Shunyata Hydra 8 or a Richard Gray 1200. I was looking at a MIT Z-Center on A'gon and I noticed the receptacles are kind of cheap looking and was wondering how easy it would be to swap out the stock receptacles for some hospital grade type?
congrats on choosing your cables, good luck on the power cords. Do you use any conditioning?
Spending more on cables does NOT guarantee a better sound. You can try the various good cable companies...even try their top of the line silver multi-thousand dollar interconnects. You might like it, or not...but it will give you an idea what is available.
Especially by some of the crazy science forum members. If you don't want to learn anything about hi-end audio then the science forums are where you want to be. Whatever you do don't ask them what kind of system they are running.
Talk about opening a can of worms. I started to wonder if some even have systems other than the one in their car. They move together like a pack of wolves trying to find the next argument asking for visual measurements and pictures of you standing in front of your gear with a blind fold on. I think it is a way of them saying we can't afford this hobby and justifying it with ridiculous requests.
"now it's on to power cords..."

Now you've opened a can of worms! Are you gonna' start a new thread? You shall surely be pounced upon by the PC non-believers.

I use Harmonic Tech 10's and 11's PC's and Oyaide Tunami PC's throughout. I feel the Tunamis better the HT's by quite a wide margin.
Well thank you all for who wrote in their thoghts...I ended up with Von Gaylord Chinchilla's for both my monoblocks and turntable and I feel that it opened up the soundstage and at the same time quited the background noise. I think Im set for interconnects for a while now it's on to power cords...
As we all know... cables are of a personal preference.
If you are using Tara already may I suggest climbing the ladder of their cables. Once into the Reference series the benefits are far greater & you may end up preferring them to some of the other cables being listed to try.
If not experiment to the ones of your liking.
The idea that one should stay with the same brand of cable throughout their system neither constitues law nor does it guarantee one will get the kind of sound that is best or most enjoyable to their ears. It's not necessary either for one to offer a dissertation as a basis for justifying why approach A or B is desireable or preferable. Mix and match or don't mix and match---whatever "floats your boat".
I think it is important to keep all your interconnects and speaker cables in the same family. You can have one cable conflict the other and you can't really judge a cable IMO unless you match it up with like cables. You can put a very good cable on the speaker and have one of your ic's messing up its performance and or timing or any combination of things. I know a guy who went through this process and he had some mixed cables that gave him the sound he wanted but his timing and detail was off a bit. He replaced ic from source first with a new brand, result was good, then the pre to amp with same brand, the result was bad and muddied up the bass and rolled off the top. He then put the same brand from amps to speaker and wah-lah, beauty and magic once again. Some would have stopped at the pre amp when it totally screwed things up but what it was is the speaker cables were highly focused on bass and not very good at hi frequency but that ic to amps was not good on bass and very extended and bright on hi frequency, the sound of the combo was livable but timing was a issue. Once all cables were same in another line, all was good including timing. Mind you all of these cables were very good and well known cables even his mixed set that got replaced.
I think Harmonic Tech makes great cables. I use their Magic line throughout my system. Loads of detail, tons of well defined bass. Organic and musical.
try Morrow audio!

try it from the ma1...if you have money, try ma 6..

it's great stuff! you have 60 days audition days

enjoy!
Again, nothing against the Tara Labs but if I can upgrade to a better cable that will open up my system and maybe add more detail and warmth then that is what Im looking for. I dont look at the price and figure "well it's a million dollar cable so it must be the best" but I do realize that a well made and great sounding cable will cost more than the usual, but in reality it's not the costs that makes me buy a cable it's what others have said about it and that is why I posted this thread
Why do you feel you have to spend a lot of money on a cable just because your system costs 20 grand even though the 80 dollar Tara is fine?Again,just curious.This stuff is very interesting to me.
Gabriel Revelation MKIIr might be worth a try as well. I've seen them here used.
Nah, nothing against the Tara Labs but they are like $80.00 cables and Im running a $20,000 system so Im trying to keep up with my components