@millercarbon - I would also disagree with that assessment. There are a number of cable brands that provide bulk cable at a significant discount compared to their terminated cables, such as Furutech, Neotech, DH Labs, Kimber, Cardas, and others.
Terminating speaker cables with high quality connectors is generally very easy and saves considerable money. Power cables are also generally fairly easy and the connectors used by most brands are readily available. Interconnects are a bit more challenging because they require good soldering skills to achieve the best performance, and many audiophiles don't have this experience.
For those on a budget, or that enjoy building things, or that want to experiment with alternative cable geometries or materials, DIY is a great way to go. And many of today's popular brands started out as a DIYer's hobby project.
I've personally made all my current power cables and speaker cables by using bulk cable and high quality connectors, and I enjoyed the process as well as saved at least a couple of thousand dollars compared to buying "factory"-terminated cables.
Terminating speaker cables with high quality connectors is generally very easy and saves considerable money. Power cables are also generally fairly easy and the connectors used by most brands are readily available. Interconnects are a bit more challenging because they require good soldering skills to achieve the best performance, and many audiophiles don't have this experience.
For those on a budget, or that enjoy building things, or that want to experiment with alternative cable geometries or materials, DIY is a great way to go. And many of today's popular brands started out as a DIYer's hobby project.
I've personally made all my current power cables and speaker cables by using bulk cable and high quality connectors, and I enjoyed the process as well as saved at least a couple of thousand dollars compared to buying "factory"-terminated cables.