How much to spend on speaker cables

[@digggerrjones7345]

Einstein's least expensive amp is $10k, the Allegras run $7800, Ares is $1150, and Node 2 $600. Figure in the interconnects and speaker cable and Erik has well over $20K invested. *Hardly* a "starter system"!!

[@gotham61]

I think the Bluesound Node is the only component on the list he’s ever heard of.

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@RWmHII Actually my first car was about a tenth of the price of this guy's stereo.

[@missingremote4388]

My last. Are cost that much And I'm still driving it 🙃

[@purplehazeffc]

@@RWmHII My 1st system was a Vector Research receiver, Audio Research CD Player & B&W V201 bookshelf speakers. All up I think was $1500 Aussie

[@mikeeygauthier2959]

If the source is wrong, everything else will be wrong!

[@alferro3149]

"It's like Disneyland" is not really a compliment in Europe 🤣🤣😭

[@aakar88]

I have many times upgraded the "starter" cables that come with equipment ( interconnects and speaker) with "mid range" upgrades and very satisfying results. However upgrading to high end ultra expensive cables the resulting improvements are minimal @ best, even then I doubt if I could identify the high grade cables in a blindfold test

[@jpatrickmoore5158]

It's called the law of diminishing return.

[@aakar88]

@@jpatrickmoore5158 For sure!!

[@DH10459]

The wire gauge of the cable is important. 18 and 16 AWG are not worth considering. 14 or 12 AWG stranded twisted pair is best with spade lugs on the cables. And yes, copper of course.

[@spacemissing]

I have never perceived any problem with cheap generic speaker wire or even --- horrors! --- lamp cord. If you think that's wrong, well, I think paying hundreds of dollars for a few feet of AQ or similar wire is wrong.

[@stephenshoihet2590]

I remember a study quite a few years ago where they tested many kinds of speaker cables and found that lamp cord did as well as anything.

[@thomassampson7625]

Read up on the psychology of blind testing too. People make mistakes when under "pressure".

[@jordanlewis3790]

@@thomassampson7625 how do they make "mistakes" if they dont know which one is "right"

[@thomassampson7625]

@@jordanlewis3790 because they are asked to make choice in a short period of time...they guess. My friends had no idea what cable was what and they could clearly hear differences. The rest of your system has to have enough resolution to sort out differences.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Great advice. I think also at the entry level, diy is a viable option. Lamp cord doesn't cut it. But there are lot's of diy recipes that can build decent cables for just a few dollars. Braiding twisted pair copper cables removed from ethernet cable can be good. Braid 3, then take three of those and braid them etc until you have 24 strands. Connect all the white for - and all the colored for + and you have a great cable for under $50. You'll invest a few hours and hands may get sore but the results will be very good.

[@ianhaylock7409]

I use three Ethernet cables per speaker. Just used heat shrink to keep the three cables together, none of that hand braiding. They sound fine. Ethernet cables are already braided in their sleeves, so I don't see what people think they're gaining by hand braiding them.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

@@ianhaylock7409 It is fine. I do the same in my livingroom system.

[@JodyM2]

I bought a pair of Kimber Cables Blue & Black 30 Years ago for $4.40 a foot, They Still Work Perfectly Great Investment!

[@stephenstevens6573]

Wow!! A voice of reason from Paul! Not telling this young man to spend exorbitant money on cabling. I'm impressed. Thank you Paul.

[@hugobloemers4425]

He is still telling you to buy his buddy's cables ;)

[@gotham61]

I don’t think Paul had any idea that this is a $15k setup, which he called a “starter system.” I’m guessing that the only component he recognized was the relatively cheap Bluesound Node streamer.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@hugobloemers4425 can you recommend a hearing aid for me as I didn't hear him say that?

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@2ridiculous41 No, but I can recommend you to watch the video again and use your perception.

[@montynorth3009]

The variability of the separates of your hi-fi chain can clearly be heard and make a difference. The same cannot be said about speaker cables, despite the claims made. We are talking about copper conductors and their resistance,and those conditions can be simply met off the roll.

[@bretthibbs6083]

I've used speaker wire for over 25 years and recently a few years ago I had to change them all out due to corrosion but I've never spent over 30 bucks for wire and I use 16 gauge wire but my system isn't high end either I have a pioneer integrated amp with about 50 watts per channel and a pioneer cd player and a realistic eq and everything is about 30 plus years old and it still works and heck even my surround sound system used 16 to 14 gauge wire for the speakers for the system.

[@edwardhenderson6584]

I also used the same 16 Guage wire bi-wire for 40 years with a modest set. The cost was 60 dollars 40 years ago the same wire would be about 200 today. When I updated my system I gave the wire to a friend who used the wire. I purchased new wire for the new system

[@craigenputtock]

Room treatment is way more important than cabling.

[@AT-wl9yq]

Not true. You can't listen to your system without cables.

[@tomastoth3839]

​@@AT-wl9yq you can, from mobile phone or tablet, TV (internal speaker), radio, etc. 😊

[@flaken9940]

I use Home Depot 12 ga. Romex wrapped in light foil and then two strands of cotton twine. I then dip the whole thing in Flex-Seal, Approx $10.00 per 10 ft speaker wire. Sounds killer! Wider soundstage and unequaled tonal qualities with no EMF or RF interference. (Just kidding, I use Blue jeans cables) LOL

[@jjinglenuts]

Analog /XLR Interconnects, amp to speakers, internal speakers wiring all are Oyaide OCC copper I'm happy with the sound.

[@themoistgreenorganic]

I did an experiment, one speaker had my Audience Ohno cable and the other speaker had Transparent Plus. I walked back and forth b/t channels and the Transparent was better sounding to my ears. Couldn't believe it, but can't deny the results. My thinking is if you're early on your audio journey, it hardly makes a difference, but once you have a highly resolving system, then yeah, cables can make a difference. (I have lots of room treatments btw).

[@steamhammer2k]

I was always sceptical about speaker cables. I replaced a pair for no other reason than i could for much better pair . The improvement was quite noticeable.

[@dougdavis8986]

Placebo effect.

[@RyanZNO]

Worlds Best Cables, made in Japan, excellent build quality. It’s $80-$120/pair depending on length. I use them in all of my systems.

[@AudioTnT]

They use Canare 4s11 or 4s11G (ofc) cable which sound great. At $3-4/ ft one can DIY for even less.

[@Evil_Peter]

I have trouble taking Audioquest seriously after seeing a test where their battery bias cables did nothing to the signal other than act like an antenna that added noise from the surroundings. That's a terrible flaw that not even the cheapest cables will have. How could a serious design team miss such a glaring problem while testing the cable?

[@geoff37s38]

The pushers of this garbage are well aware their crazy priced cables are no better than standard twin copper wire from your local Hardware Store. No measurements are ever published to back up their claims, so they cannot be prosecuted for false advertising.

[@y.k.9705]

@@geoff37s38 I remember Bose infomercials. Most people can't hear the difference and aren't looking to hear any difference in sound. But after a few lectures by Bose they started to "hear" great detale in their music. It's with everything. including politics and so on.

[@R1Zig]

Hi Paul, I was lucky to find a set of your PS Audio xStream Resolution Reference speaker cables here in South Africa. They are the best speaker cables I've ever owned and improved the sound by a significant amount. Took forever to burn in but I'm glad I was patient. The rewards are worth it.

[@octaverecordsanddsdstudios1285]

Thanks! Glad you found them. They are indeed great cables.

[@robwalker6575]

Burn them in? You serious?

[@oscardziki4543]

Hahahaahah! Burn in cables! and you obviously hear the difference. :) hilarious. glad you were patient :)

[@robwalker6575]

@@oscardziki4543 Shame on Octave Records and DSD Studios for encouraging this 'burn in'. Maybe put the cap on the snake oil and offer a little 21st century education for the naive and the easily influenced

[@R1Zig]

@@robwalker6575@Oscar Dziki Yup, PS Audio recommend 200 hours. I had done about 120 hours and was about to take them back because at that point the sound was very edgy in the mid-range. So much so that I couldn't listen anymore. Had it playing another night at low volume and the the next morning the harshness was completely gone. The cables had a few more cycles of sounding a little worse and then better again until it stabilised. I wanted to ignore burn-in but was forced to acknowledge it over the years. Anyway my subjective experience. Each to their own opinion regarding burn-in. Laugh it up all you like. I'm with Paul on burn-in.

[@sebastiantomita5956]

The XLR AudioQuest DRAGON interconect cable starts at aprox. 10K USD/m. I mean yeah, that's definitely good value for the money! 🙄

[@ThinkingBetter]

They might even cost more than US$50 to make 🤔

[@walterstorm9221]

i've made my own cables and experimented with several different "weaving" combinations, and the geometry of a cable makes a clear sonic difference! like, it's not subtle... I decided to shell out ~$400 for a pair of Kimber speaker cables, and they blew mine away. I'm not talking tone correction, etc.. the sound is so much more effortless with well designed cables.

[@rw3915]

Starter stereo…. I’d say Kimber 8 or 12 TC, which is a braided all copper spreader cable.

[@2ridiculous41]

I used to use 8TC (amongst various other Kimber Kables) and they were very good.

[@davefreeh2892]

I use a Naim Nait 5Si integrated amp to drive Zu Omen speakers. Naim publishes speaker cable specifications to compliment there engineering. I contacted AQ customer service to find out their speaker cable specs, capacitance, impedance, etc.. They responded that they don’t have specs. I purchased Linn K20 cable which met the Naim requirements. So, that makes me wonder that maybe some cables do sound better with certain amps because of compatible specs. From my digging only a couple of European companies publish specs. Maybe manufactures of amps should determine what works best and save everyone sometime.

[@makimomoo]

A well made cable is all you need. DIY with good cable. Kimber 8tc is good. 14 gauge and lower. Recently I observed my 12 gauge with transparent sheeting appeared dirty. Sourced from RS Components in the UK. Reputable supplier of electronic goods. Cleaned it but no change. I cut the sheeting to observe that the copper strands turned green. They oxidized along the entire 3 m length. That was a shocker. Poor quality of sheeting, degraded over time and reacting with copper. So, my view is quality of materials and construction.

[@dank.6942]

Biggest difference I've heard was going from twisted stranded speaker wire to solid core. When it comes to all cables and interconnects, I definitely buy stuff that is of better quality than the throw-ins from the manufacturer and durability matters, but they're not expensive in the grand scheme. IMO You only need to spend whatever it takes to get to good quality connectors and all other materials, smartly designed & assembled.

[@markbrown585]

Bought a reel of lamp cord in the ‘70s, 12 gauge copper stranded. Still use it on my old jbl’s and Dynaco’s from that era. Can’t discern any difference in sound from 2000’s era Monster cables that cost a crapload.

[@philipw7058]

I agree 100 % I have tried a bunch of cable companies over my 40 years in audio and have settled on Kimber Kable every comparison tried in my system over the years

[@jpatrickmoore5158]

I once spent $600 on a single speaker cable. It was the best purchase ever... the speaker interconnect cable from Polk Audio, but it came with a free pair of SDA-1A's. You can definitely hear the difference when it is plugged in vs. when it isn't.

[@1959ludo]

I bought a pair of two way type bookshelf speakers for about 1 350 US dollars and I asked my dealer witch cables to use and he gave a pair for bi-wired speakers and I was surprised. He said connect two colors for the plus entry and you take the remaining colors for the min entry and you will be surprised. And yes I was surprised, the sound was so relaxed and detailed. The price was about 60 US Dollars for about 4 meters. Earlier when I bought a rather expensive surround system with the same dealer I asked the same question and he said be sure they will sound good and they did. Price I don’t remember but it was 16 years ago. I get always good cables that match the speakers and the amplifier with my dealer without further questions and I am sure he won’t rob me by giving to expensive cables. The brand I don’t care it’s the sound. I do know that they are made using copper. Ludo Belgium

[@hobo1452]

In 50+ years of claiming to be an audiophile, I've tried my share of speaker cables, from cheap to expensive, home made to store bought. What I finally settled on was a set of 5 meter SKW Audiophile Cables from, of all places, Amazon. Hands down, the best sounding cables I've ever owned. Also the best looking.

[@martinmullen71]

I’ve just brought a pair of these 2 1/2 meter and was astonished on the difference. I would definitely recommend them to anyone.

[@ThinkingBetter]

Yes, those are nice cables with reasonable pricing 👌

[@HausOfPain]

Cables don’t have sound bruh.

[@mattrismatt]

@@HausOfPain I wonder, have you compared silver cables to copper ones? Have you compared low-gauge wires with higher-gauge ones? How about cables with different construction techniques, shielding, and other materials implemented? I have, bruh. And I can tell you that, without a doubt, cables affect the overall sound of a system. Wise up.

[@stringbreaker87]

Love the SKW stuff, the quality, aesthetics and matching sleeves on the power, usb and speaker cables looks fantastic. Can't say that I've noticed much sonically with more expensive cables and cheaper cables, SKW seems to be at a nice middle ground while looking great.

[@harleyn3089]

There are some categories of product where the "Pro Audio" market has much better deals than the "Home Audio" market. Cables are definitely one of them. You can get Mogami quad conductor 12 gauge cables for $6 a foot, cheaper if you buy a 50 meter roll. Canare, possibly the main competitor to Mogami, is in the same ballpark. Both of those brands make great cables. In all honesty, I'm running Monoprice 12 gauge OFC cables in both of my systems and they sound absolutely fine. But if I was going to switch to something else, I would definitely look to the Pro Audio market rather than the Home Audio market.

[@user-ex9zm7bg3x]

I use Mogami with the best connectors I can find. If I ever heard high-end cables that sounded better I'd be happy to buy them!

[@BeyondResolution]

One of the best "cheap" speakercables out there is DhLabs Silversonic T-10.. i have compared that one to some insanly expensive stuff and people have sold their expensive cables and bought T10.. Another brand that should be mentioned.. Blue Jeans.. :)

[@squared80]

Lot of ignorant comments in here with confirmation biases. Anyone who spends more money on "high end" cables have lost all credibility.

[@Engineer9736]

Just any cable with a big enough diameter is fine. I'm pretty sure no one will be able to tell the difference in audio quality between a 1mm2 mains cable used as speaker cable or by fairies in the moonlight wrought gold plated speaker cable. Take something like 3mm2 copper and it's all fine. Not everything is about "getting the highest """quality""'". A speaker cable is such a 'dumb' part that it's only a matter of raw copper price.

[@kaedeschulz5422]

Simply buy Thomann the sssnake ssk 225 bk. It's pro audio cable without Marketing bullshit and just works and costs 2euros a meter. Ppl should pay more attention to room Acoustics instead.

[@Roof_Pizza]

I wonder why the speaker manufacturers routinely spend pennies on the internal wires yet customers spend hundreds or even thousands.

[@NoEgg4u]

Please provide a few examples of speaker models, and the cost that was spent on their internal wiring. Also, please provide from where you derived your information on what the speaker manufacturers spent.

[@geddylee501]

That's a good point, not knowing what cabling inside your enclosure, could be anything, I've recabled once or twice before now, using the same speaker cable as I was using, any difference? No not really lol

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@NoEgg4u Go to the GR research channel.

[@hugobloemers4425]

@@geddylee501 There is this German language audio channel and they had the following thought process. If the ideal speaker cable has zero loss and the speaker is considered a black box, you could take a cheap speaker cable hard wired to the speaker and define that as part of the speaker. By adding an expensive speaker cable, the sound should not change. But then you may as well connect the cable that belongs to the box directly to the amp, and save your self the money of the expensive cable. So the answer is to define the cheap cable as part of the speaker and thus eliminate the need for expensive cables. BTW, if you can hear a difference with the expensive cable in this set up, it means that cable is not good.

[@geddylee501]

@@hugobloemers4425 thanks for the info

[@PeresD]

With speaker cables ,if the resistance is low and the terminations are good you’re golden . At the end of the day it’s just wire.

[@NoName-rp6ww]

Before buying any hifi stuff, the most important topic is a proper room acoustics.

[@Graeme_Lastname]

Many years ago there was a 'fad' for low oxygen speaker cables. I couldn't detect any difference to any other type. What you're after is the lowest possible resistance. The amplifier needs be as "close" to the speakers as possible. Lowest possible cable resistance helps the amp dampen the speakers as well as possible. 🖖‍ 👌‍ 👍‍

[@billsmith8739]

I use Tributaries Cables. Sound great on my system!!

[@jordanlewis3790]

Its more important to minimise the length than maximise the quality/cost. Impedance and resistance and capacitance and things are always a function of length of a cable so as long as your cable has negligible impedance etc at the length you need its fine.

[@gotham61]

Wouldn’t it be that Disneyland is like St Moritz rather than the other way around?

[@rudolfglaser9664]

That was a very diplomatic answer ;)

[@geddylee501]

As little as you can get away with lol ! spending your money on decent interconnects is much more important

[@bikdav]

@geddylee501: That’s a good point. I didn’t find that cables make a real difference in sound. BUT, I do find that interconnects in particular should be of good quality from a reliability standpoint. I’ve had some of the “$5 bargain cables” go bad on me.

[@geddylee501]

@@bikdav interconnects have always had the greater sonic difference over speaker cables, I've found

[@bikdav]

@@geddylee501 That’s interesting. Again, my biggest problem was reliability.

[@zedcarr6128]

A speaker IS an electric motor and is driven by an electric current. If you use copper cable 2.5mm or above for a Hi-Fi system in your home, that is ALL you need. It doesn't have to be OFC or silver. The claims that cable has to be OFC or made out of pure silver etc. is pure nonsense. These claims ARE snake oil, and there are videos on You Tube proving this.

[@kuhrd]

At the end of the day copper wire is copper wire. Unless you are dumping an excessive amount of power down your cables due to very high power output you don't need anything too extravagant for speaker/loudspeaker wire. All copper wire produced is low oxygen and at least 99.95% pure copper regardless if it is used for power delivery or signal delivery. Most people listen to their systems at around 50 watts RMS and under and for that you could easily get by with 18AWG. For most receivers under 250 watts RMS per channel, you can get by with 16 AWG for the lengths needed for a typical home setup. If you need longer lengths or higher power step you can go up to 14 or even 12 AWG. I had a buddy running 600 watts RMS per channel on his loudspeakers and we couldn't tell any difference between 12 or even 10 AWG at very loud and very high base levels so the cable was more than sufficient to deliver the power at 25 feet per channel. You could use regular solid construction house wire but it isn't as flexible or nice to work with so the best bet is to use stranded speaker wire with higher strand counts being ideal when you need greater flexibility. The fact of the matter is, you could literally use coathanger wire, clothesline cable or fencing wire made of steel to connect your speakers and it would still work and sound just fine. It just would not be easy to work with and could oxidize more quickly. You don't need any of the fancy audiophile snakeoil for your speaker cables. Any analog interconnects between equipment, especially at low signal levels should be either shielded, balanced or both to help reduce unwanted noise from entering the preamplification stage (garbage in = garbage out) of your amplifier. You don't need gold plating or anything fancy as long at the cable carries the signal cleanly without picking up unwanted outside interference. Again, copper is copper here so the construction of the cable and it's signal ratings are what matters most to limit outside interference. Nickle and gold plating are used to prevent oxidization from forming causing the connection to go higher resistance over time.

[@SpyderTracks]

So you’re saying copper wire is the best at a scientific perspective? So best conductance, least resistance, what gauge reduces resistance to zero? So no other material like silver or titanium has better conductance like science tells us? Then of course, you’re saying there’s no need for shielding? So electromagnetic interference doesn’t exist again as science tells us? And all this is aside from the benefits that one can actually hear, I’m guessing you’ve got a pretty basic system if you can’t determine simple capacitance sound alterations? So then none of this would be relevant to you anyway?

[@kuhrd]

@@SpyderTracks I am going to assume you didn't even read my entire comment becasue some of the statements you make are glossing over points that I made. Copper is the second most conductive metal second only to Silver. So scientificly silver would be a better conductor but conductivity isn't the only thing to consider. When you buy wire it is a tradeoff of many things but at the frequencies and power levels we are talking about, having better conductivivty than silver isn't going to gain you anything when loudspeaker wire is after the output of all amplification stages. Sure with silver you will get about 7% more conductivity than with the same size gauge of wire but we are talking about the difference of say 20AWG silver vs 18 AWG copper. For the huge cost difference of silver 20AWG wire vs 18AWG copper or even 12 AWG copper for that matter, you are far better off going to the next size gauge of wire and using copper as the resistance and the losses within the wire will be equivalent and since copper is far cheaper you cen achieve lower resistance for the same price. Silver is more ductile than copper but you can get very fine stranded copper that will meet virtually all needs for flexiblity. At speaker level signals you would need to literally place a coil of the cable over an unshielded transformer to hear any interfearence in a loudspeaker at the typical wire lengths we are talking about for a home stereo system. Any interfearence from RF is also not going to have enough power to be audible on speaker cable. Regarding analog component interconnect cables and not speaker/loudspeaker cables, especially those before any amplificaiton stage it is important for the cables to be constructed correctly to properly handle balanced line level signals and even unbalanced line level signals. For these cables and smaller power levels you have to use shielding or twisting or both as I discussed in my first comment but this is all down to cable construction and is only really relavent for low power, low level signal cables used in interconnecting components. The majority of high quality professional audio equipment is going to deal with balanced signals so having twisted pair interconect cables, usually with XLR or MiniXLR ends and as long as the cable is constructed properly, all interfearence is going to be canceled out by the amplifier input filter stage. So as long as the cables are built/constructed correctly from decent quality wire rated for the signals they are expected to carry they will perform better than the equipment that they are interconnecting. Making sure you buy a decent set of loudspeakers and quality amplifer will make virtually all of the difference where wire (esppecially speaker wire) just has to carry the current.

[@ryanmccann2539]

Blue Jeans Cable have been my go-to. Affordable and well-made.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

In Switzerland, the government pays folks living in the country to keep the villages so beautiful. Money very well spent.

[@Roof_Pizza]

And soon to be even greener if ya know what I mean.

[@salmonline]

I use Blue Jeans 10 gauge.

[@TheMikaeler]

Great that you mentioned the room setup, I assume you meant correct acoustic treatment! But when it comes to cables I ask for one thing, and one thing only; do a blind listening A/B test ten times, randomly (or not) switching the cables! It seems no audiophile people welcome such tests, and I wonder why?! ... In this case, if you decide to go ahead and do such a test with a control person not known to you, please compare any choice of speaker cables with for example simple power cord lead cables. I am sure you or anyone else can't get 100% correct answers to such a test. I'm just saying.

[@roberthaysley4245]

For excellent sound and value try Morrow Audio cables

[@tacofortgens3471]

I use them, great value,.

[@triplecanopy5364]

Amazon Basics was even rated by Audio Science Review as better than AudioQuest, but Roger Russel of McIntosh told us all this back in the late seventies and eighties. Roger Russel's site still remains, but Roger passed a few years ago. Humans can't tell the difference between coat hanger wire and expense cables. You have made enough off snake oil, Paul.

[@juliantolley2191]

I've posted on other so called audiophile sites. I worked at one if the best UK R&D companies that encouraged home project as it honed skills. My boss set out to make the best audio system possible. As part of the research we investigated so called speaker cables..... ALL a waste if money. They did the job but were all matched or exceeded by a high wire count figure of 8 cable. Nob we didn't just listen we used sig gens, spread spectrum generators and spectrum analysers. No nonsense and unable to argue with the results.....but people get seduced by 10% if the system rules etc.....set by ...oh yes...the people wanting to sell you vastly profitable cable. System tested was to reflect 300w RMS per channel.

[@marcelmolenaar5684]

I choose mathematics. OFC 2,5 and keep the wire short. To both loudspeakers same length ofcourse

[@DarkSideOfThePepper]

Cables are something I will need to do and upgrade my vintage speaker connectors to cabling as well

[@joev6049]

My entire HiFi system uses Amazon basic cables… and I did it on purpose. The sound blows everyone away when they listen and I sit satisfied knowing I didn’t fall for snake oil when it comes to wires.

[@robertj1701]

You undoubtedly have never heard a highly resolving system…

[@alcourtines4707]

When I saw the TINY wire coming off the circuit board to my RCA output jack, I laughed and thought lamp cord easily exceeds the quality of this weak link in the chain! (Pioneer SX- 626).

[@rigorhead01]

I think that's great advice. A couple hundred dollars is more than plenty unless you have all your boxes checked on your system's ability.

[@larryblake3048]

Just use 18 guage AC zip cord....good as anything else!

[@wendellgayheart9228]

I purchased dragon fly red from audio quest through crutchfield…one month after warranty was up the dragon fly stopped workin…it was replaced under warranty and the replacement went bad in one channel 4 months with the new one…I have audio quest cables also but will not purchase the dragon fly again…even though the sound was great😞

[@ronniecramer1252]

I bought a dragonfly red whenever they first were introduced and it still sounds great and works perfectly. Just sayin.

[@jigyjigy9182]

Hahaha, i 'd used lamp cord for speaker cables since 2000 till 2019. I replaced them with canare cables during Covid19 siege. I couldn't tell the difference. My friend gave his used Vermont cables and i still didn't know the difference. Thanks God, for giving me a pair of low class ears so i don't need all-non-sense fancy cables.

[@SaturnV2000]

I use lamp cord. It's most often free. Works just as well the $4,000 6-ft cables I see advertised. The human ear is not sensitive enough to hear any difference.

[@hvskyline1368]

I typically spend 10% of my total system value on individual cables currently my system is very modest with a topping E30 dac a Cambridge audio AXR 100 and elac debut b6.2 with a Bic F12 subwoofer and I am looking at doing audioquest Y3 power cables golden gate RCAs Kimber Kable 8pr speaker cables and audioquest Cinnamon digital cables

[@IliyaOsnovikov]

I believe that "Soundsational" series of the speaker cables by Coleman Cable could be the best 'bang for the buck' solution. Especially the 4-wire models that could be set up in a so-called star-quad configuration. They are made in the US of 99.97% Oxigen Free Cooper and insulated with (foamed) polypropylene that is considered one of the best insulating materials for audio applications.

[@darthdurkelthewise320]

Kimber is a highly reputable brand. I have some of their 4pr and 8 pr. and w/other items addressed, you can’t go wrong with Kimber. If you want value for any budget and honesty stay with Kimber. I’ll leave it at that…

[@jeffdoerr2693]

AQ is overpriced for what it is. Many other cables deliver better performance at a lower cost. Cables do make a difference but diminishing returns kick in quickly - 10% of overall system cost is a good rule of thumb to invest in speaker cables and interconnects.

[@ac81017]

Have to say, I've never been to fussed makes of cables, but if I was to recommend it would SILTECH. Bang for the buck and excellent performance throughout the whole range.

[@lexicon612]

Best I've heard to date...GR Research 12TC DIY Kit. with modifications. Upgraded termination to Rhodium plating and carbon fiber Banana's. Stunning detail...in the right system ofc. I run a PS Audio stack, so I know. Intrigued with the Siltech. Good find, may have to try a pair. Thank You.

[@D1N02]

20 bucks for a ten meter roll of OFC cable :p

[@kyron42]

Just use 10 gauge electrical cable. You'll save money and be happy.

[@geddylee501]

Best comment I've read in about 2 weeks of watching this channel every day lol

[@kyron42]

@@geddylee501 thanks.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Cables do make a difference. And believe it or not power cables on the amp also makes a difference. If you can’t hear a difference, you need better speakers. This is my experience. Your mileage may vary, as they say.

[@geddylee501]

@@scottscottsdale7868 mehh, you had to spoil the go cheap idea lol leave us in our ignorant happiness please haha

[@kyron42]

@@scottscottsdale7868 it could be the position of the power cables for example if they run next to small signal cables they may have an effect.

[@nicktube3904]

Yes, I can find myself in 90% of what Paul’s says. Except the brands he mentions, I think there are better options if price/ quality is more important to you. Not saying …… they are a bad choice. I would go for Up-occ it’s the best of both worlds solid core vs litz. EDIT: don’t buy by brand. Buy what your ears like, every cable has his own sound characteristics. Yes, powercables almost as much as speakerscables.

[@snake61ful]

Each cable has its own sound". True! That's why I have several cables for different musical styles. Having only one pair of cables is not going to be satisfying. For me, cables are like an equalizer and even a DSP where I can correct acoustic anomalies in the room. I can say that I've spent more on cables than on the rest of the equipment. Even my wife notices when cables are changed. Lately I have started to like and listen to Jazz. Can you advise the best cables for this style of music?

[@nicktube3904]

@@snake61ful sorry I’m not familiar with Jazz music. If you can explain what qualities you are looking for I can give you suggestions.

[@brewt1mer]

And don’t buy the audioquest ones with the battery pack on them…

[@AT-wl9yq]

Its too late. I have a whole loom of them. They sound amazing too. What are those battery packs supposed to do anyway? Have you ever looked into it?

[@joejoejoejoejoejoe4391]

No one seems to care about how much length, damping factor of the amp/type of amp, or the Q of the speakers effect what speaker cable you want. Surely different systems ( valve/horns or 180df SS amp with 83db speakers ) will benefit from different cables.

[@jamesfarrow6752]

As Paul says, it’s worth trying different cables because like all components, it’s about system matching. I recently loaned then subsequently purchased cables from Audiomica, a less well known company based In Poland, and in my system, they are a much better match than the more expensive Chord Signature cables I had. Lesson learnt 😊

[@frankenstudio22]

Buy yourself some reputable 12awg or even 14awg OFC speaker wire from Amazon or Monoprice - you can also buy some decent banana plugs and some shrink tubing to assemble yourself - 😀 ~Thank you for the video Paul.

[@gtrguyinaz]

Many years ago, there was a company called Magnan that made some of the best cables ever. If you see them used..buy them..

[@powerguymark]

Here's the proper short answer: Aesthetics aside, buy the largest gauge, 100% copper conductors you can afford.

[@no_bull]

I am using an Australian made 🇦🇺 heavy duty, flat OFC cable with 12.5x8.5mm rectangular cross section running short distances between my Denon AVR and the loudspeakers in the living room under the carpet and some heavy duty banana plugs to the binding posts. My subwoofer cables are the Amazon basics and I am left speechless with their built quality, the system sounds great without issues at all, we don't have to spend thousands on cables to get good sound. That doesn't mean that we should buy cheap cables for peanuts either.

[@connorduke4619]

Which brand is that, EGM?

[@2ridiculous41]

@@connorduke4619 I have cabled from Osborn Loudspeakers in Victoria, which come with a LIFETIME FULL REFUND warranty. I am in Queensland.

[@connorduke4619]

@@2ridiculous41 Nice, I am repatriating to QLD in three days. I will look up Osborn.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@connorduke4619 hey, where are you moving to? I am out in the South Burnett. Osborn are great and the warranty a total insurance.

[@connorduke4619]

@@2ridiculous41 That's a nice part of the state, I'm headed for Brisbane bayside as my son likes the sea.

[@hopsonz28]

I always recommend to never spend more on cables than the component itself. spend half as much as what the component cost on cables. For instance I have a pair of Klipsch RP 8000 f’s and spent $500 on a pair of Audioquest Rockets 33 10ft. I have Schiit audios Modious DAC. Audioquest $100 golden gat rca’s. Unless you get a great deal on them.

[@fabrisony7729]

Many people say hifi cables are overpriced, but we always have to do distinctions. For sure, many brands do make expensive cables not worth at all, they sell you bad materials, no r&d products with poor performance. Other brands are expensive but give you substantial things. In my little opinion, the same and even worse apply for hifi electronics, but no one dare to call a scam a 10.000$ amplifier even if it sounds horribly. Maybe because first perception when you buy such a machine is of having bought something substantial without question (it's big, it's heavy, looks good, etc.). Finally, I agree with what Paul says here.

[@fabrisony7729]

@Douglas Blake I respectfully think yours is an oversimplified vision, underestimating the capability of human hearing. World is a complex thing and can't be explained in such a reductive way. I respect people who cannot hear differences between cables (even when hyperbolic), probably not everyone is genetically the same. There are people given the perfect pitch and people who cannot distinguish a major chord from a minor. At the same time, I can't explain continuous questioning against people who appreciate fine differences in sound, these including those given by different cables.

[@fabrisony7729]

@Douglas Blake All decent amplifiers measure flat beyond threshold of human hearing, so all amplifiers sound the same?

[@gotham61]

Guy lists the components in his approximately $15k system. Paul says “great starter system” “ I don’t think in your case i’d go more than a couple hundred bucks”.

[@kaedeschulz5422]

That's not really a starter system. Espacially considering you can get some MASSIVE ATC 3way studio monitors and an audio interface to drive them via USB from a PC which you can also use as a DSP for room correction and you can also get a BUNCH of mineral wool to make acoustic panels with.

[@johnloupis2347]

I consider a starter system as $2,500 or less.

[@jasonkillsformomy]

@@kaedeschulz5422 15k for a pair of speakers is in the realms of diminishing returns. I have a feeling that Paul is for a lack of a better word disconnected from what priced products normal people buy. He sells overpriced luxury products and probably has a much better income than a normal person.

[@gotham61]

@@jasonkillsformomy I expect that the low priced Bluesound Node streamer was the only component listed that Paul has ever heard of, so he just assumed the total cost of the system was under $ 1000. Also, I don’t think Audioquest sells any terminated speaker cable pairs for $200.

[@geddylee501]

@@johnloupis2347 yep 2500 carefully spent on used gear will yield a nice enough setup for most, I agree

[@Bassotronics]

The problem about getting a cheaper cable instead is if your speakers do not perform as expected you’ll always have in the back of your mind that you must get the most expensive one to have full performance. Especially with such a resolving system. The cheaper cable will give me severe ocd when listening to music.

[@Ineedtotakeabreak]

You seem to have issues beyond your system 😏

[@rickc661]

I use original 12 ga / ' monster' cables with the mysterious plastic tube in the center and 10 ga 'pure copper'... neither much over $1. a foot. $500. a foot , or $ 5,000. ...... I've had more than one of the $ 4. ' banana plugs' separate, the plug part seems just a press fit into the part with wire attached. very weak deign.

[@hoobsgroove]

just look for 8 or 10 gauge solid core for high frequency tweeters mid-range and 49 multi-strand for woofers

[@hoobsgroove]

@Douglas Blake no there should be no stress if you've done it properly. bend the wire properly don't buy that thick hose like stupid stuff, you can use a lighter to bend to position if it's a tight spot, and don't have the amplifier too high either not advisable.

[@grandduke2145]

This is one of the areas I do not agree with Paul. I do not believe you should do speakers first. I am a “Front End” man. If you do not capture the music in the front end, nothing that is done afterwards can improve the music. No matter how good your speakers are.

[@ccvideotech]

Why did PSAudio stop selling speakers cables?

[@transmaster]

I like KnuKonceptz Kord Kable, and anything from Blue Jeans Cable.

[@drdelewded]

Yikes, id be scared to abbreviate that first companies name on any of their products..

[@SpyderTracks]

I'm on the same journey and was recommended the sudioquest Rocket 33 which you can get for around £150 for a pair of 2metres.

[@SpyderTracks]

@Douglas Blake surely it’s down to the ears of the person listening. I heard a huge difference moving from good quality bell wire up to the audioquest. If your ears aren’t that sensitive then it’s unlikely to be worthwhile.

[@SpyderTracks]

@Douglas Blake so funny that people limit themselves to things that can be measured. We have no way to measure so much that audio provides, namely the emotional connection. If all you care about is measurements you're always gonna miss a huge portion of what makes audio so appealing.

[@tototronic2]

There are many audio enthusiasts who believe this simple phrase... "When I change my speaker cables, my HiFi system's sound changes." I happen to be one of those enthusiasts. Determining how much to spend on cables has everything to do with individual experiences, reliance on audio measurements, your love of Audioholic Gene, and a multitude of other factors including which HiFi cults you identify with. My recommendation for the cable curious is to audition different speaker cables on their own system and determine the best value for yourself. Buy some cables from a retailer that will let you buy them and then return the cables if you are not satisfied. Most real stereo dealers will be happy to help with this if you are upfront about what you are doing.

[@AT-wl9yq]

What does Gene have to do with it? I like Gene, but when it comes to cables, he's emotionally unstable. Common sense, science, measurements, ... all go out the window with Gene and cables.

[@davewin1792]

Gene has a video a week about how cables don't matter :) I like Gene to but come on man haha

[@ohjoy40]

Not only can hear differences in all cables I can even tell the direction of cables. I have done a number of blind tests and have never got it wrong. As you become a better listener you are more in tuned to small changes in sound which makes it easier to evaluate sonic changes in your system. Also the better the system the bigger differences you can hear. If you can’t hear differences then you either don’t have the listening skills to know what to listen for, or your system is not revealing enough to show you those differences.

[@JimLongCO]

Excellent advice thank you!

[@petekutheis3822]

Cullen is mighty fine too.

[@totalplonker824]

Well said! "Speaker cables doesn't necessarily make your speakers sound better but what they do, is provide a signal for your speakers to sound its best" 🤔 So it goes without saying... you got budget speakers, get yourself budget cables but if you got high-end speakers, then get yourself high-end cables.

[@scottscottsdale7868]

True

[@stevekempo7927]

The speakercable lie is real! Keep it cheap and you be fine.

[@carlsitler9071]

I spent $200 on 15 cables so $15 on average should do it.

[@ThinkingBetter]

The manufacturing of an excellent OFC speaker cable can be done for well under US$ 1 per feet. Then if you add connectors, you will need to spend perhaps another US$ 1 per connector. So total BOM cost for a 5 feet stereo pair of cables would be less than US$14 plus labor cost of assembling it in some Chinese factory adding another US$1 to it. Now add another US$5 in profit and the cable will cost US$20 FOB China. Then add another US$5 for logistical cost and US$974 for “audiophile branding” (profit) and you got yourself a US$999 speaker cable that comes with a pile of snake oil pseudo science sales talk. I agree with Paul except the specific brands and you can find even better deals.

[@2ridiculous41]

I am amazed with your insight and brilliance that you don't own a cable company.

[@ianhaylock7409]

@@2ridiculous41 Maybe he has scruples.

[@2ridiculous41]

@@ianhaylock7409 maybe, but je seems to know a lot about the manufacturing costs.

[@bobross6802]

I find excellent speaker cables at the thrift store

[@aaronw5399]

I have tried many different cables in my system (nice to have a good store in town) I can definitely hear differences in the product ranges and the sound signature of each product. The biggest difference going up the line is the size of the sound stage and separation of instruments. For example tried the nordost red dawn and heimdall the heimdall had a better sound stage bit is it worth the price?

[@aaronw5399]

@Douglas Blake I’ll take you up on the bet because that’s how I did it. Several friends that enjoy music but not audiophiles and there was in my system significant differences. Some were subtle some not. But I honestly believe the difference comes down to reducing RF noise and good connections

[@aaronw5399]

@Douglas Blake dude what I hear is what is important I love my music and each piece added to it would have a week minimum of trials. If that doesn’t work for your system so be it. I do have a revealing system. You can’t fake soundstage

[@louissilvani1389]

David Elrod makes great power cable

[@Trebor2024]

You really cannot compare St Moritz to Disney land! The first is an actual real place and the other is a commercial fabrication!

[@robinr5787]

Well, Switzerland is indeed based on marketing and very expensive.

[@stringbreaker87]

Well his comparison was not literal, he expressed it correctly at the end of his statement that it was perfect and surreal like something that would only exist in fantasy.

[@Gug9000]

I wrote a paper comparing peanut butter and physics.

[@johnwheat5199]

There is more time, and money wasted on speaker cable than on any other components.

[@tomthompson7400]

have you ever tried some twin and earth solid core cooker wire ,,,,,, cheap as chips , dont knock it till youve tried it is all Im saying ,,, 5$ max.

[@kyron42]

One of my ancestors came from Switzerland, near the Swiss Alps. The dairy products there are the best I've ever tasted. Absolutely amazing.

[@geddylee501]

Moooooooooo

[@davewin1792]

Swiss Miss :) Cheap imitation haha

[@shipsahoy1793]

😮Almost $3 a foot for 14 gauge speaker cable is certainly pushing it. There’s 14 gauge speaker cable out there at $0.25 a foot that’s just as good for short runs.