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Speaker cable recommendations for Pass Labs INT-250 & Dynaudio HS

Completing my new system and have finally gotten to the cable choices. Kind of overwhelming to be honest. Have spent a fair amount of time reading various threads here but it all seems to come down to 1-match cables to your particular component choices, and/or 2-audition various options using something like the Cable Co. lending program. So I'm looking for starting recommendations given my system. Source will be Roon endpoint running into a Holo Audio May KTE DAC feeding a Pass Labs INT-250 into Dynaudio Heritage Specials. So far, from reading here, it seems these are some good options:

- Reality Cables

- Cerious Tech Graphene

- Zavfino

- Audio Envy

- Silversmith Fidelium (not crazy about ribbon cables as I have to run my SC under my living room floor for WAF.)

Can the 'experience trust' here at Audiogon make any specific recommendations given my components? Thank you!

misterwiggles113
wjob
60 posts
 

FWIW, I use Kimber 8TC with my Heritage Specials and Kimber Hero interconnects. There is a reason these are classic goto recommendations.

mrklas
441 posts
 

Listen and compare. 
 

And I would resist buying the 'best' cables and interconnects until you have the major components you like.  
 

I had Canare 4S11s and was very happy. And then I upgraded my amp and speakers- even happier. 
 

Then I experimented with interconnects and cables and they improved my experience further. But the biggest impact in money spent was definitely on the speaker upgrade and the amp not the cables.

geof3
1,122 posts
 

Budget is key? Not saying that expensive is necessarily better, but budget gets the ball rolling. FWIW, I just added Transparent Reference speaker cables to my system and found the end game. I've tried many, many others. These are the sweet spot of $$ and sonics. Just excellent.

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misterwiggles113 OP
6 posts
 

Thanks again for all the responses. To answer some of the questions asked of me:

- Budget is flex. But I value performance over cable 'jewelry'.

- My longest run is 17' to the left speaker. It's only a 5' run to the right speaker. From what I've read it I really don't need to make my SCs the same length unless I care about resale value, which I don't.

- I'm running the cables down under my LR floor and will place them is hard plastic split loom or conduit and then bring them back up directly behind each speaker.

- I don't yet have any ICs. This is a new system so I need all new cables including PCs assuming that is worth the cost. I am installing a dedicated 20a circuit for the amp.

As for sound preferences I'm seeking, I can't really say. I really don't want any coloration of sound from my cables nor does the science of it suggest this is really even possible. Opinions vary I realize. But for overall sound the Pass amp is one of the closest SS amps that gives a 'tube like' sound, so perhaps a bit on the warmer side. My DAC is generally accepted to be neutral and transparent which is one of the reasons I settled on it. Not sure if that helps.

My comment about starting with Canare 4S11 and then having doubts came from reading many posts on Audiogon, not just the posts in this thread. But I think my updated plan will be to get Canare and use that as my inexpensive baseline before auditioning 'high end' cables based on some of the suggestions here. That way I can validate whether I notice enough of an improvement over the Canare to merit the cost. Thanks again for all the comments.

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