The History Kid Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Came across this on one of the Audiophile Facebook groups: $38,000 for speaker wire. I can't believe some of the people swearing that it's worth that price - that they can tell it sounds $38,000 better. I'm trying to wrap my mind around how someone justifies the expense - regardless of how much their setup cost otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Probably just bragging rights! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coytee Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 I'd be happy to sell that all day to folks with cash to spend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted September 29, 2014 Moderators Share Posted September 29, 2014 He probably just didn't have the money to go with the better ones after buying everything else, he can always upgrade later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 If I were stupid enough to spend $38K on speaker wire, I guess I would have to justify my purchase by saying it really made a huge difference too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris A Posted September 29, 2014 Share Posted September 29, 2014 Came across this on one of the Audiophile Facebook groups: 10295799_10152804350885087_7879384510491324985_n.jpg $38,000 for speaker wire. I can't believe some of the people swearing that it's worth that price - that they can tell it sounds $38,000 better. I'm trying to wrap my mind around how someone justifies the expense - regardless of how much their setup cost otherwise. That's a much better ROI than a grow-op--and it's legal. I wonder how to get into that business... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daddy Dee Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 thanks ibiza. bummer. i thought i had caddy cables at $12K. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Chi-town Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 At most, a dollar a foot. Best regards, John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 I was thinking more along the lines of $0.80 a foot myself John! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 38K is a bit on the ridiculous side. So is .80/ft. There is a happy medium in there somewhere...... Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Personally, I don't think I've ever spent more than about $60 wiring an entire room (speaker wire)...maybe $75 if I did something stupid and cut the wires wrong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Personally, I don't think I've ever spent more than about $60 wiring an entire room (speaker wire)...maybe $75 if I did something stupid and cut the wires wrong... That's all well and good. But all speaker cables are not created equal. You can call that your "lesson for the day"...... Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 You're right, but I think if you're dropping anything over a couple hundred dollars to run speaker wire it's superficial. Either that or you have ears that are so sensitive to change - I don't envy those people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 I don't claim to have golden ears and certainly can't afford to play in the big sand box. But I can perceive differences in things that most here will poke fun at. I guess I will just have to be the "subjective whipping boy" for the site. I can take it. Shakey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 Oh no, don't take that the wrong way. I'm not faulting you for your preference, I just personally think at some point it becomes "not worth x amount of dollars of difference." I don't think that after a couple hundred any difference that you might hear is worth that amount of money. However, that being said...that's subjective to the person, and I can certainly appreciate that. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 (edited) See that's where it gets sticky. As an example, you might get 95% of the performance you are looking for (insert any sport, hobby, pastime) for XXX dollars. However, that last 5% is going to cost you dearly. Now it's up to the consumer to decide if that elusive 5% is worth the cash outlay, or if he is completely happy with the 95% he has already achieved. I have heard preamps up to 8K that didn't sound as good as mine. But I did hear one at 8K that was better than mine, but the margin was so small as to make me unwilling to spend the money for that marginal performance. Another listener would just have to have that little extra and be willing to shell out the $$ for it. So bottom line is, it's only worth what you are willing to pay. What we perceive as minute differences still exist as a difference. You would spend no more than 65.00 to wire your system. My limit is probably 500-1000 dollars for speaker cables. I once heard a power cord that cost 300.00 (mid-90s) that sounded so good that I immediately ordered one the next day for my power amp. Ten years later I heard a different power cord that made an even bigger improvement. This time the cost was 2K. I had to say no to that one. Shakey Edited October 2, 2014 by Shakeydeal 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser SET say Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Well if were going strictly by the thread title I'd say whatever you can afford and think it is I mean rediculousness is in the ear of the be (hear) holder right? My $3500 speakers have a 15ft pair of cables on them for $125.00, my $1200.00 speakers have a 20ft pair of homade $0.60 a foot OFC copper wires on them if you want to know what I personally think speakers wires are worth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigStewMan Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 Oh, they are SO worth it... "See these cables...$4,750 a foot and I got eight feet of them." Your social status busts through the ceiling and the 10 seconds that follow are filled with sighs of admiration from your guests and it spills out into the local community...for a short while--you're a hero. yeah, it's worth it. Unless you hate heroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted October 2, 2014 Share Posted October 2, 2014 This discussion brings me back to a point which I've made before- visual perception can influence auditory perception. So, the only way to evaluate cables, power cords, and so on, is to have the listener blindfolded when the test is conducted. Back in the day my colleagues and I did this all the time when someone claimed that a particular brand of speaker wire, for example, sounded better than anything else. When the listener was blindfolded they often chose something which they would have rejected instantly had they seen what they were listening to. In some cases the listener, when blindfolded, actually chose twisted pair bell wire over other types of wire! Imagine their surprise when the blindfold was removed! It's not necessary to listen over a very long period of time to form a conclusion since, during that time, other factors can add their influence (such as psychological issues, bad vs. good day at work, poor sleep the night before, etc.). Maynard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The History Kid Posted October 2, 2014 Author Share Posted October 2, 2014 The only thing I'm really picky about with speaker wire is that it's flexible, I don't want loops all over my floor and stiff wire that doesn't move to fit the environment. 16 guage is typically my go to, unless I'm bridging the crossovers (I use 14 for that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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