Stop wasting $$$ on speaker cables!!!

[audiofreak7]

This is what I've been saying all along URL deleted by Management. Put your $ into your speakers. The cables are only carrying an electrical current. Silver, copper, oxygen free, braided, twisted. There is no difference. And anyone who disagrees with this website, will not want to even try ordinary zip cord because they will see that there really is no audible difference, but if you want to spend $600 on speaker cables...be my guest. Most people who spend that kind of cash are wanting to hear an improvement, so to them, after hooking them up......its an improvement.

[Dmantis]

Wire Wire Wire......

always a touchy subject no matter where you go. Over the years I have tried many different brands. I have noticed different guages made a difference. I have also noticed Silver, copper, mix of the 2 sound different.

In my audioquest to perfection, I leave myself wide open for trail and error. There would be nothing more cool then the ability to go to home depot and buy a roll of lamp cord and have my system sound as good as it does today. It would free up tons of cash to buy better speakers , sources and amps/pre's. This road has been traveled by me and I found that zip cord doesn't sound as good or better then most brands I have tried.

Your opnion is noted and well respected. Alot of guys once felt as you do. In another forum, we started a wire swap program. We all added in a pair of cables being power , speaker, interconnects of all sorts , etc and found many intresting finds. In there, there was many people who feel the way you do. After trying many different kinds of wire in there very own system, they changed there prospective about this topic.

Having the different brand wires in your home and comparing them to others in your system is the only way to really decide if buying "the better cables" is worth the money.

This however also depends on the level your system is. Zip cord will sound no different in a low end system as better wire can't improve on whats not there. But.... If your system is of a higher quality , wire can hinder it's performace if chosen poorly.

Wire isn't suppost to enhance ones system , rather support the system is getting all the signals to where they need to go without picking up any new ones on the way. This is the goal no matter what kind of wire you own.

My comments about the zip cord working well in a lower end system could also be proved wrong. With better quality cables matched to the level of the lower end system could unlock some hidden potential.... it's up to the owner to figure this out.

My goal here isn't to change your opnion. It is however to ask you to leave an open mind. Reading on the internet will maybe help or hinder your ability to reach the level of audio perfection.

Read wisely young one,

Dan

[taz13]

I just finished getting a new set of speaker cables (cattails) and have done blind listening tests with them, a set of tara labs, and a set of 14g zip cord. There are definte differences that allowed most of the listeners to identify each cable. There were also arguements about which sounded better with the zip cord losing each time. You can make many arguements about cable as well as every other piece of equipment in the chain, some valid some not so valid. Nelson Pass has an article about snake oil and wire that is pretty good reading as well. The problem with blanket statements about zip cord being as good as anything else brings on the following questions: what gauge, what material for cover, what type of terminations. Do you care about looks, do you want spades, pins or banana plugs. All these cost money. When you add up parts, labour and profit margin, you will find that most reasonable cables are not much more then if you bought a zip cord style with the same terminations. The wire is not the expensive part of the completed cable, the labour and terminations are. You want to use cheap crap on a system that you are putting a serious amount of time, money and effort into, by all means go ahead.
Just remember that plain terminations have caused more damge to amplifiers then almost anything else because of shorts caused by stripping to much wire. I have repaired quite a few that have been blown for that reason.

Put your $ into your speakers.

Great, now everyone will have expensive speakers but crap to drive them with. You should say to put your dollars where they will be the most satisfying to you. I know people who are into headphones that will say that is the only way to go. The same with people who use electrostatics, dipoles, 2ways, 3ways, active x-overs, series x-overs, active subs, ib subs, sealed subs.

And when you get to opinions on the amplification of sound, do you want some opinions on tubes, solid state, digital, 2 channel multi channel, seperates, integrated, high power, low power?

But the worst thing about your post is that you are disregarding the fact that this forum is owned and operated by CatCables an audio cable company.

[audiofreak7]

Ya....I know, thats why I posted it. To open people's eyes. No disrespect to Cat Cables. I once tested this theory. In a 2 channel system (Anthem AVM 30 & MCA50 & Paradigm S4's) I hooked up the left speaker with plain 12 gauge copper wire (39 cents/ft) and the right speaker with .....well I won't say, for respect to Cat Cables........but, a very very high end cable and just turned off each speaker with the Balance control so I could evaluate each speaker individually. I could say with confidence, that I would NEVER again spend over $100 for speaker wire (AS LONG AS ITS 12 GAUGE OR HIGHER). I mean some people spend just as much on a 10ft pair of bi-wired cables that cost say $500-$800, when that $ could be used to get better speakers where you absolutely WILL hear a difference. Just my .02

[Lex]

Well Audiofreak, actually, this thread is completely disrespectful to CAT Cables. We have clearly stated in the past that we do not as a forum subscribe to the "All wires are the same" Theory, and will not have this sort of propaganda posted here by you, or anyone else.

Buying quality wires is about more than just sound anyway. there is build quality, and insuring that wires don't touch before, during, ,or after installation. That is why your thread is such a mis-nomer.

CAT sells quality wires for an affordable price. CAT is also a sponsor of this forum, and owned by me along with this forum. So, consider yourself on notice, that this type thread will not be tollerated at HTGuide. Future occurances will be deleted under the "All wires are the same" mis-theory. Further, it is not ok to quote propagandist sites here.