vandec54 Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Thank you in advance for your time and responses. I am looking to replace all of my wiring in my system. Please take a look at what I have and offer some suggestions of kinds and brands I could use. Right now I just have basic (thin) yellow, red, and white wire with a Monster brand optical cable and Monster Brand sub woofer cable. Thanks. Klipsch RF3-II's (mains) Klipsch RC3-II (center) Klipsch KSW-12 (sub) MTX 1240 (Rears) ***Working on getting rid of****** Toshiba SD3750 (DVD) Toshiba (VCR) Yamaha RX-V520 Sharp 25 inch basic TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 There are a lot of options out there. I carry two of them - XLO and Ultralink. If you're interested in either of those companies (they are both very good cabling) then PM me. That said, I suggest you listen to the forum members before you buy. There are a lot of people here, and they've had a lot of different experiences with different brands of cabling. Let the debate begin! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 I am an open fan of a few different companies...in order of preference...signalcable.com (Frank's a really great guy and makes terrific products for reasonable $$)....elementcable.com (Anthony is alot like Frank only younger)...cobaltcable.com. (good, but a little more expensive) I'll also tell you the brands Griff reps are solid and should be considered carefully, and many board members here speak highly of bluejeancable.com. After you sort it all out, take the 30 day money back trial offers and compare a few, then keep what sounds best to you, you have to live with it....for at least 6 months until the upgrade bug gets after you and you change them all out again... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minn_male42 Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 if you have some experience with a solder iron, you can make yourself some very nice cables out of RG59 and RCA connectors.... there are several advantages.... 1. all your cables will be the exact length that you need..... no cable loops hanging off the back of your components... 2. RG59 cable (copper center with a copper braid) is rated at 75 ohms so you can use the same cable for your video connections as well as your audio cables.... this cable is also very flexible....nice to work with.... 3. low cost with very good performance..... a brand name cable like belden, west penn, commscope, or coleman runs about 20 to 25 cents a foot for 100 ft runs..... $20 to $25 will buy you plenty of cable.... the RCA connectors that i recommend are the Neutrik NYS352 or Switchcraft 3502A.... both of these connectors have the longer body style which makes it easier to work with when soldering the RG59 cable.... they will cost from about $1 to $2 each....(or less)..... i replaced all the cables in my rack (phoenix gold brand - about $500 worth) with this DIY cable... total cost less than $50 with better or equal performance to the phoenix gold cables that i replaced.... good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Leeroy Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Follow the boys' direction and put your money into the fabricators wares, not the big name cables. For the wire runs themselves I used 12ga. outdoor electrical wire that went for $18 for 100' from Menards. You could not tell the difference between it and BIG name boutique wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 I second signal cable company. It's amazing what Frank offers for the price. First and for most get rid of that optical cable immediatly. They are crap get yourself a signal digital coax cable for 34 shipped to your home. Amazing difference and steal at that price. This will be your biggest improvement right off the bat. I bet you it will be the best 34 dollars you ever spent on your system. No doubt. Then speaker wire will be the next improvement and you might as well go with signal. Get the digital first and you will being thanking me all the way to the bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 ---------------- On 2/17/2004 11:21:05 PM wheelman wrote: I second signal cable company. It's amazing what Frank offers for the price. First and for most get rid of that optical cable immediatly. They are crap get yourself a signal digital coax cable for 34 shipped to your home. Amazing difference and steal at that price. This will be your biggest improvement right off the bat. I bet you it will be the best 34 dollars you ever spent on your system. No doubt. Then speaker wire will be the next improvement and you might as well go with signal. Get the digital first and you will being thanking me all the way to the bank. ---------------- Look, if I'm crossing the line on this, please call me out, but damn, dude. $34.00 for a digital coax? How long is it? I can do Ultralink Matrix in a 2 meter for less than that - shipped to your door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Buy one and listen. You will think 34 dollars was a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Fair enough. I may just have to take you up on that. Straight head to head: Signal 1M digital coax vs. Ultralink Advanced Performance (UDC series) 1M digital coax - same price point (from me, $30.00 + $4.00 shipping anywhere in the lower 48) I'll let you know how it goes. (Either way I'll wager it sounds a hell of a lot better than some RG-6 single-strand conductor cable with phono plugs attached, as was suggested earlier in the thread...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skonopa Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/17/2004 11:56:33 PM Griffinator wrote: Fair enough. I may just have to take you up on that. Straight head to head: Signal 1M digital coax vs. Ultralink Advanced Performance (UDC series) 1M digital coax - same price point (from me, $30.00 + $4.00 shipping anywhere in the lower 48) ---------------- The cynical side of me says you would not be able to tell the difference. I got some cheap Monster in my system, and it seems to work just fine and dandy. I guess if I ever find myself in the market to get any new cabling, at least I know who to look up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/17/2004 11:56:33 PM Griffinator wrote: Fair enough. I may just have to take you up on that. Straight head to head: Signal 1M digital coax vs. Ultralink Advanced Performance (UDC series) 1M digital coax - same price point (from me, $30.00 + $4.00 shipping anywhere in the lower 48) I'll let you know how it goes. (Either way I'll wager it sounds a hell of a lot better than some RG-6 single-strand conductor cable with phono plugs attached, as was suggested earlier in the thread...) ---------------- Give them some burn in time. About fifty hours for the signal. I don't think you were selling cables on the forum when i was in the market for a new one. If you were i would of considered one from you. But i shopped around and the build quality was top notch for the price. I thought is was the best deal for me at the time and I am really happy with mine. They almost feel like those old wire guard rails when you touch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 Griff - THIS IS NOT A FLAME!!! I think you've been doing an admirable job staying away from this type of exchange in posts given your new venture. As excited as you are about it, you must have mentioned the line crossing because you sensed it's possible some could see it like that, and I would put calling into question the price someone paid or product they bought, and then reccomending your brands as close to the line, IMO. It's okay to sell a little, hell I'm trying to sell some of my extra cables on the board right now, but listen to that little voice in your head and resist the urge to engage in that. Your diplomacy approach to products and everyone on here is one of things that makes you a great guy on this board. Many of us will end up buying product from you and encourage others, if you read my response I encouraged consideration of many brands, including yours. My two cents, forgive me in advance if I somehow misunderstood your post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 12:07:06 AM skonopa wrote: The cynical side of me says you would not be able to tell the difference. ---------------- I think it would really come down to the component selection. A jittery DVD player would mask any negative effects of the cabling, as would a mediocre DAC on the other end. Gotta choose components for this type of showdown very, very carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 12:15:32 AM wheelman wrote: Give them some burn in time. About fifty hours for the signal. I don't think you were selling cables on the forum when i was in the market for a new one. If you were i would of considered one from you. But i shopped around and the build quality was top notch for the price. I thought is was the best deal for me at the time and I am really happy with mine. They almost feel like those old wire guard rails when you touch them. ---------------- I was definitely not selling cable at that point. Hell, I just got my "forum members only" price list together today. I don't doubt that Signal is good cable. I do, however, disagree with the assertion that Ultralink fits under the "all that boutique crap" description. They make good cable at a competitive price, just like Frank does. Only reason I went to them instead of Frank was because Frank doesn't sell a Toslink, and I run into customer system installations where I need a Toslink all the time. Remember, BB doesn't sell receivers that have more than 1 digital coax, neither does Sears - and my parent company does a lot of contract installs for both of them (unfortunately ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 12:16:36 AM arthurs wrote: Griff - THIS IS NOT A FLAME!!! I think you've been doing an admirable job staying away from this type of exchange in posts given your new venture. As excited as you are about it, you must have mentioned the line crossing because you sensed it's possible some could see it like that, and I would put calling into question the price someone paid or product they bought, and then reccomending your brands as close to the line, IMO. It's okay to sell a little, hell I'm trying to sell some of my extra cables on the board right now, but listen to that little voice in your head and resist the urge to engage in that. Your diplomacy approach to products and everyone on here is one of things that makes you a great guy on this board. Many of us will end up buying product from you and encourage others, if you read my response I encouraged consideration of many brands, including yours. My two cents, forgive me in advance if I somehow misunderstood your post. ---------------- I am duly scolded, Arthur. I wasn't so much trying to sell cabling as I was surprised by the pricing on Signal, and wanted to offer a point of reference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthurs Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 not scolded, you asked for feedback....just my perception and two cents.....hopefully you know I respect you and am excited for you as I follow your new adventure....and also, don't want you pissed at me when the upgrade bug bites me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 You think 29 dollars plus shipping is expensive. I spent 25 for a radio shack coax. That 4 dollars was worth every penny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackBurner Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 You know 90% of cables are copper!! Now that we have that straight, another 90 % is 128 strand OFC. ( IC's) This stuff can be bought ( say canare GS-6 guitar cable ) for pennies per foot. Buy some decent cardas ends a bit of solder and a soldering gun and you could make 4 cables for the price of buying 1 and your getting the same thing. Buy your favorite flavour and cut the dam thing open !! You come back here and tell me what you found. Biggest difference in cables is ends and shielding, all of which means nothing unless you live in a RFI hellhole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 12:27:22 AM wheelman wrote: You think 29 dollars plus shipping is expensive. I spent 25 for a radio shack coax. That 4 dollars was worth every penny. ---------------- Yikes. I had no idea that the Schlock had decided that they were a high-end cable brand! Scary thought, isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 18, 2004 Share Posted February 18, 2004 ---------------- On 2/18/2004 12:31:35 AM BackBurner wrote: You know 90% of cables are copper!! Now that we have that straight, another 90 % is 128 strand OFC. ( IC's) This stuff can be bought ( say canare GS-6 guitar cable ) for pennies per foot. Buy some decent cardas ends a bit of solder and a soldering gun and you could make 4 cables for the price of buying 1 and your getting the same thing. Buy your favorite flavour and cut the dam thing open !! You come back here and tell me what you found. Biggest difference in cables is ends and shielding, all of which means nothing unless you live in a RFI hellhole. ---------------- Hooo boy. I'm staying out of this now. I could, blow by blow, dismantle your statement - but it'd look WAY too much like I'm just trying to schlep cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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