Average Price Of Interconnects In Your Main System

How Much Did You Spend On Average For The Interconnects In Your Main System?

  • $0 - $10

    Votes: 155 31.3%
  • $10 - $35

    Votes: 132 26.7%
  • $35 - $60

    Votes: 69 13.9%
  • $60 - $100

    Votes: 40 8.1%
  • $100 - $300

    Votes: 63 12.7%
  • $300 - $600

    Votes: 15 3.0%
  • $600 - $1000

    Votes: 11 2.2%
  • $1000 and Up

    Votes: 10 2.0%

  • Total voters
    495
Done the $500 for a half meter pair of interconnects. Sold my 3 most expensive sets. Now most of my cables are homemade from bulk shielded audioquest video cables and cheap azz connectors from the hardware store (same cheap azz ones amazon sells and just like the original rat shack "high end" rca cable connectors.) Ive done so many cable comparisons from when I taped that other than differences in copper vs. silver, Im over cables. The same reason that got me interested in cables (my background in materials science) got me out as soon as I learned I cant hear jack squat of a difference bw any "reasonable" copper cable ($10-$15 or more). Proved it to myself through tons and tons of testing. It might be my ears or my system but at this point I do not see myself doing any significant upgrades to my system for a while and my ears arent gonna get any better. I think
id have to spend 10k or more on components to start to be able to hear differences in cables. And if they were copper, I still doubt Id be able to. Since I prefer copper over silver, the issue is moot. So glad Im over cables.
Have you compared all copper to a mix of silver and copper? Especially in speaker wire? I bought the last of the Auvio 12 g premium off the shelfs of the local Ratshack. I noticed an improvement over all copper 12 g...I think. I did not when went to bi-wire from one set of speaker outputs. I'm upgrading my amp/pre soon, so I was wondering.
 
I go to my local electronics recycler and spend on average $2 for killer gold playted cables, I buy lots of them and hook my buddies up for cost
 
I go to my local electronics recycler and spend on average $2 for killer gold playted cables, I buy lots of them and hook my buddies up for cost
Local electronics recycler? Where do you find those? Here it's the county recycling center on special drop off-days. What goes in doesn't come out.
 
Local electronics recycler? Where do you find those? Here it's the county recycling center on special drop off-days. What goes in doesn't come out.
In the Tucson area we have 3 electronics recycle rs , I stop by once and a while when i get off the mountain. One i go to all the time got to know the guys and will let me do some deals, they have a small retail area and internet stations for the poor. I have gotten some neat stuff prior to joining AK. $5.00 bucks for anything out back on pallets. Now that im into vintage again ill start stocking up . I got 3 crappy TT's last trip just for the cartridges one of them turned out to be a $400.00 cart . Traded a friend for some stuff. All cables .50 to 2.00 bucks lots still in packages
 

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I`ve purchased a lot of used Monster cable interconnects off FleaBay for a few bucks, they seem to be adequate for my needs. I never subscribed to those theories like "the signal KNOWS which direction it`s traveling inside the wire", and that my ears are probably not sensitive enough to detect the benefits of oxygen-free copper, etc.
 
Done the $500 for a half meter pair of interconnects. Sold my 3 most expensive sets. Now most of my cables are homemade from bulk shielded audioquest video cables and cheap azz connectors from the hardware store (same cheap azz ones amazon sells and just like the original rat shack "high end" rca cable connectors.) Ive done so many cable comparisons from when I taped that other than differences in copper vs. silver, Im over cables. The same reason that got me interested in cables (my background in materials science) got me out as soon as I learned I cant hear jack squat of a difference bw any "reasonable" copper cable ($10-$15 or more). Proved it to myself through tons and tons of testing. It might be my ears or my system but at this point I do not see myself doing any significant upgrades to my system for a while and my ears arent gonna get any better. I think
id have to spend 10k or more on components to start to be able to hear differences in cables. And if they were copper, I still doubt Id be able to. Since I prefer copper over silver, the issue is moot. So glad Im over cables.

Nicely stated analysis, after using and testing.
Glad that in the end you trusted your ears, So many trust measurements over ears..if the ears aren't pleased whats the point.
 
$89

My main rig uses all Analysis Plus Oval One interconnects.

But I'm now making my own for much less. I haven't put them into my main rig yet.
 
Got into IC's on the MIT online sale website. EXP3 for $20 and EXP2 for maybe $40 or less. The 2 was way better but it didn't play well with the Shotgun speaker cables I just had to buy because of the name and the looks. Scrounged up a Shotgun S3.3 for $399. Strange to hear the music come out much wider than the speakers and they tame the bass too so bonus, don't need all that.
 
I had an old rca cable which worked fine, but I wanted to get a newer cable just in case. Went to Best Buy and got a RocketFish rca cable. Swapped it out and immediately had worse sound, less bass. Returned the Rocketfish cables, did some more research and now have a few decent RCA cables ($50-60ea short length). Little difference I can detect between these, but major improvement from the Best Buy cable:
- Mogami Gold
- Tributaries 4A
 
Interconnects are all Blue Jeans LC-1's, about $35/pr. Got tired of the mess of multi-branded/whatever-was-laying-around cables I had before. Going to all matching cables did make a difference. Previously, I would disconnect, clean, and reconnect all RCA ends at least once a year, to keep oxidation down, and I knew what the system sounded like. I bought the entire set of LC-1's and installed them all at the same time. The difference wasn't 'night and day', but it was noticeable smoother, cleaner, and more detailed. My rig is all pretty much lower-end mid-fi, and I don't think it would be worth upgrading to more expensive interconnects. I'm pretty happy with the sound I have now.
 
Using rg59u with soldered heavy duty gold plated rca connectors my brother got in Germany in the early 80's when he was in the army.
 
On the speakers, I use lamp cord I buy at Home Depot. I solder on whatever's on sale at Amazon for banana plugs. My electrons are just not that picky. For component interconnect, I like the Whizzotech line sold on Amazon, they are rated for use as digital coax as well as an RCA interconnect and are very well shielded. My wife banished me and the stereo to the basement a long time ago and fluorescent lighting causes a hum if I don't use a well shielded cable. When she flicks on the basement light to yell at me to turn it down I don't get a hum anymore, the only irritating thing I hear is her.
 
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I go to my local electronics recycler and spend on average $2 for killer gold playted cables, I buy lots of them and hook my buddies up for cost

I did that once and one used set pulled the jack grounding caps off my amp they were so tight. Sometimes there is a reason they are in the junk pile and I no longer want to be the second guy who finds out why, so I stay away now.
 
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Mine are about $100 per pair. But that's for a 20 ft long pair of balanced interconnects, made by a Pro Audio shop from Gotham GAC-4/1 cable and Neutrik XLR connectors.
 
99% Monster Cable(newer & older models), both digital & analog, video & audio.
Average price, probably $ 30.~50. per ?
Total expenditure for interconnects from 1990, easily well over $2000.00 for just the living room`s A/V rack which includes 2 separate audio control systems.
1 for the living room`s use, & 1 for distributing audio & 5 channels/typesIMG_0316.JPG of video to 5 rooms of my house via Cat-6 with baluns
Most of you folks have it easy, this pic from 2013 shows only the rear one of 2 racks bolted together !!
OKB
 
Cables at local pawn shop.New Chinese stuff ,gold like plated,lol.About 6 to 10 a set of 2 .They actually feel heavy and fairly well built.
 
Most of mine are $200-$300 per pair, mostly Balanced XLR, except my turntable stages that are RCA

Speaker cables $300- $800 per pair.
 
Too rich for my blood !! HAHAHAHA !!
Well I have a bit less to hook up than you do, and really some of my speaker cables where perks. It doesn't make them free as I make Mc dealers throw something in if they want me to buy from them instead of the next dealer. If I buy a amp you bet I'm getting some cables to hook it up, it helps knock the 8% tax off $6000 amps.
 
Well I have a bit less to hook up than you do, and really some of my speaker cables where perks. It doesn't make them free as I make Mc dealers throw something in if they want me to buy from them instead of the next dealer. If I buy a amp you bet I'm getting some cables to hook it up, it helps knock the 8% tax off $6000 amps.
Fair enough, and a good deal for you Sir.
All I ever did was ask/request for a break on the purchases..

Like in late 2003 when I decided to replace/upgrade my 4 Crown amps to 4 Mac MC 1201`s ..
Even with a pretty good price break, that purchase was very close in price to my slicked out 2006 Mini Cooper !!
And I could drive it all over the country, if I chose !!
 
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