shoe11 Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 I'm looking to upgrade my interconnect cabling and I'm curious to know which brand others on the forum are using. I'm considering Monster M series, Audioquest or Transparent. ~shoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowooo Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 Shoe....interconnects can improve the sound of your system. How much they improve the sound is dependent on your systems components. I have tried a few interconnects and found I like the Transparent MusicLink Plus. Putting two pair of these into my system was the single biggest upgrade I have made. The MusicLink is also a great cable but the plus had a little better low frequency detail and control. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 I don't believe that a $400 cable is much better than a $40 one, but in some cases I can see reason for paying more. But I don't go all out. For speaker wire I use Monster cable For interconnects I use Acoustic Research They are relatively cheap, do a good job, and look nice. All i car about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Flynn Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 Justin, Keep an open mind. For CD I went from various 50-70 dollar patchcords and decided to go higher. The AQ Coral for $ 105 had deeper soundstage and was more clear almost immediately as the CD source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin_tx_16 Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 My mind is definately open. I do think that a good power cable makes a difference, but personally I don't think that a $1000 power cable is going to make enough difference for the cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huhuru Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 Audioquest interconnects works well with my system. Huhuru My System Klipsch KLF 20s Klipsch KLF C-7 Klipsch RS-7s Surrounds Sub SVS SV20-39Pci Receiver Yamaha RX-V800 TV Mitsubishi CS 40509 40 Tube DVD Sony S560 VCR Toshiba M-65 FM Antenna Terk Pro 50 Wish List: Yamaha RX-V3300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 Vampire Wire Silver Clad copper for 2-channel and phono and OFC copper for all the rest. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe11 Posted November 17, 2002 Author Share Posted November 17, 2002 I've posted a few times about upgrading my RF-3 to 7's, but I've decided to follow the advice I've heard from many audiophiles and upgrade my sources first. To that end I added a new Rotel RCD-1070 to my system this weekend. I had also considered, but didn't get the Rega Planet or the NAD c541. While I'm definitely not looking to spend thousands of dollars on cables, I do believe that if you are going to buy a high end cd player, you'd be foolish to pair it with cheaply made cables which could prevent your new source component from providing you the best quality sound that it can provide. Specifically the models of cables that I am considering are the Audioquest Viper, Monster M1000i, and the price equivalent Transparents. Basically 1m pair for around $200. I don't believe that these companies would manufacture nor be able to sell such high quality/expensive cables, if there wasn't truth to the argument that they do improve sound quality. I'm still very much an inexperienced audiophile when it comes to hifi gear, but from what I've heard and what I've read, the cable investment to me is worth the money. Of course the cost/performance ratio comes into play at some point for each listener. For me that's around the $200 mark. I appreciate everyone's feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowooo Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 shoe, try the musiclinks, there around 180.00 a pair. And get rid of that receiver and get some seperates! just kidding...good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strabo Posted November 17, 2002 Share Posted November 17, 2002 I'm surprised that this thread hasn't filled up yet with everyone's recommendations. I'm currently using a mix of: Zu Cable Oxyfuels for surrounds and sub. Zu Cable Warmouths for mains, and AQ Corals for phono stage. The Zu Cables can be had for fair price, new from the company on Ebay. That's where I got mine. Not bad getting a silver interconnect for $125 a pair. I don't have much experience with boutique cables, but these were a huge improvement over my cheesy generic interconnects. The bass became much more defined. I've been using them for a couple of months with no regrets. Next month I plan on switching the AQ's around to decide if I want to keep them. Have to get used to the new cart first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Shoe, I use Monster and Audio Quest. I like them both, but I think that I paid way too much for both. I hear very little difference between them. Video bandwidth is quite high; it is where expensive cable makes the biggest difference IMO. Audio benefits from good interconnects also, but much less than video IMO. Shielding can be a factor in audio; it helps keep the hum out. Toslink helps reduce hum as well, but it is much more fragile than coax. I have managed to break a toslink in the slot of a very expensive CD player. It's enough to make you cry when it happens. I try to keep audio in the digital domain all the way to my receiver. It has the newest and best DACs of all my equipment, so I avoid anlog interconnects whenever possible. The CD that I broke the toslink in had state of the art DACs ten years ago. My new receiver's DACs blow it away. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 I use the Monster 550i's. A $50 set of interconnects that have two center conductors and a braided shield. Most interconnects, even high dollar ones -- seem to be intent on using the shield itself as the return path -- which I think is retarded. If you are going to spend big money on IC's -- go with silver. http://www.rscables.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikjohn Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Anything by RECTON is a sure winner in my book!LOL EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikjohn Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Just Kidding EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 I have used AQ Corals between my CD/RCVR and as pre-outs from the 4800 to the 5200 for my Chorus IIs. I use AQ Sidewinder for my sub interconnect (10m). I have been very pleased with the AQ products. I did a brief listening session with Viper, but couldn't tell too much difference between it and the Coral. Maybe with a bit more time and effort I could, but I look for an IC that is below $200 for a 1m pair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale W Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 NBS dragon/fly 1 meter rca interconnects. $250.00 canadian plus tax for a pair. M I T terminators for component video and monstercable silver series for dvd audio. Monster cable sigma series for k-horns and monster cable M 1.5 for lascalas/ center channel/ subs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cc1091 Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 Shoe - I love my MIT speaker cables, but haven't bought any MIT interconnects yet. I am using mostly Monster M550s for interconnects, but dream of better. I would certainly put AudioQuest Corals on my list. It would be great if someone who has had some experience with these brands would try to enlighten the rest of us about the tendences of each of these different brands. I think MIT does a good job of reinforcing the bass, cleaning up the mids and highs, but sometimes I wonder if the added bass is too much for the source. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrMcGoo Posted November 18, 2002 Share Posted November 18, 2002 I am amazed that so many went with AQ Corals. They are what I use on my DVD-A. When I purchased them, there were several price increases showing on the packages. I went with the lowest price and asked for another 10% discount. They didn't even blink, they just grabbed the sale. There is big margin here, so ask for a discount, especially when you are buying other gear at the same time. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGK1958 Posted November 20, 2002 Share Posted November 20, 2002 I'm using a little of everything: Transparent ic's, MIT ic's speaker cable, S-Video cable and digital cable, RS Flat Megacable, Cat Cable subwoofer and S-Video cable, Monster M850 ic's. It's all good! HT: Klipsch Cornwalls (mains) Klipsch KLF-C7 (center) Klipsch KSP-S6 (surrounds) Klipsch KSW-300 McIntosh MC7106 McIntosh MC7104 McIntosh MX-130 McIntosh MSD4 McIntosh MVP831 McIntosh MLD7020 McIntosh MCD7007 Audio Power Wedge Ultra 116 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m00n Posted November 21, 2002 Share Posted November 21, 2002 From my receiver to my amp I have Audioquest Copperhead. I am and will always remain skeptical until I can hear first hand the difference between a $50.00 and a $100.00 set of interconnets. Plus $1.00 per foot vs $3.00 per foot speaker wire.... I mean that AVIA DVD tells it right there, they say your typical home depot wire is just as good as all the expensive stuff. Crapper thing of it is, is that I always let the guy behind the counter talk me into spending more money... Damn them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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