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I have B&W htm1 center,cdm-nt9 front, cdm-nt 7 rear. Adcom 7500 (5 by 150) amp and Adcom pre amp. Mids and highs are harsh from mid volume on up. Could this be due to cheap rca cables? ( I have Radio Shack's best!) Front and center speaker cables are big....the size of car battery cables. The wires inside look to be about 14 guage. I paid about 5.00 per ft.....not sure what brand. Rear speaker cable is Monster 14 guage. Front speaker cables are about 8 ft long....rears are about 25 ft. Music source is usually Comcast Cable digital music channels or 250.00 Denon CD player. So, is it cheap rca's, cheap speaker cables, all of the above, or none of the above? There are ton of cables with a 5 channel system and I do not want to spend a lot of $$$ and not hear the difference. If new rca/speaker cable is the answer, what would you recommend?
Also, I have seen power cables discussed here. Is that the power cable from the amp to the wall outlet? Am I to beleive that matters too?
I asked these questions at my local high end store and was told I need new cables. Another said I need a new amp, possibly Rotel, and went on to say that beyond Radio Shack sheilded rca cable I would not see much improvement. I am forever the sceptic when talking with commissioned salespeople! I would like to know what people who play with sound systems for the love of it would have to say. Your comments are greatly appreciated.
John
baffled
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,650 posts
 
What's your room like?

Kal
krell_man
827 posts
 
If a store told you that you need new cables, they have to be right! Tell them to prove it, to give you some demos to take home and try. If they won't do that (they can get your credit card number for security) they're jerks that you may not be able to trust.
nrchy's avatar
nrchy
2,124 posts
 
I have had rotel amps and have looked seriously at Adcom, and I don't know that there is much difference between the two within the line. Cables can make a big difference, but I would look at the source first. Cable merely transmit signal. Some do it better than others, but if you have harshness like you mention, it's more likely to be the Denon. Sorry!
Better cables might tame some of the harshness that is introduced by the cables, but better cables could sound even more harsh if the issue is the Denon. Borrow a CDP from a friend and see how much difference it makes. Less expensive gear is built around compromises, the ones you hear might be part of the design inadequecies of your gear, or the cables. It's difficult to point out the source of the problem without actually swapping things in and out.
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