Budget upgrade for a room - start with cables/interconnects?

Advice from any sales outlet about upgrading cables is coming from someone who wants to make another boat payment, as Click and Clack of radio fame might say. The greatest margin any sales outlet makes, buy far, is upgrade cables, be it power, interconnect or speaker. Even if I am wrong in my view of cables and wire, they will have only the smallest impact on what your hear. I would stear clear of that adviser and perhaps the entire shop. They are steering you to the products that they make the most money on, not what you need the most.

Shelly_D

Funny, I heard the highest profit margin for any accessory sale was the Extended Warranty. Cables are even better than that huh?

Regards
Mister Pig
 
I would agree that speaker placement is the first place to start to improve sound quality. Get the speakers properly placed, and make sure the listening area is well situated also.

Personally I would think about upgrading speakers. It's a bit hard to tell, but has that midrange suffered from a pushed in dust cap?

As far as wire goes, I wouldn't get crazy with it. I believe Ghent cables builds their offering from Canare. Blue Jeans Audio uses Belden wire. Either one of those should be sufficient with this system. Actually there is an Ebay store called Vintage Audio Labs that has some interesting offerings, but are a bit more expensive than the other two. But worth considering.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
We seem to have a rare consensus — speakers. First, raise and position them properly — let the music out! — and you'll hear a world of difference. Next, and this is a personal matter, I don't like Jamo. Heard 3 or 4 models over the years, all sounded dead to me. You can find better speakers used on CL, yard sales or GW, for under $75. Any number of brands will bring another world of difference. Then you can you can work on fine tuning (yes, that switchbox is not raising quality). Unless your cables are total crap, investing $$$ there won't be worthwhile...
 
My personnel mantra, start with some inexpensive room treatments biggest bang bar none.

IMO cable tweaks should be last. First focus on room treatments and speaker positioning.

^ This right here. +1!

Search on the listening spaces section on the forum and try to learn as much as you can about room treatment. This is by far this biggest "bang for the buck" in my opinion. Killing of first reflections and reducing peaks should be at the top of everyone's list.
 
Cables and interconnects were the last change I made in my system.

Power Cords
For my integrated amps I bought the Pangea AC-9.
For the sources I bought the Pangea AC14
There are upgrades available, but I went with the first iteration on both.
Speaker Cables
For speaker cables I bought the AudioQuest Type 8 No Frills.

Check Audio Advisor, this is where I purchased the above items, and I do like the sound of my system as it is.
 
You are starting from the wrong end of things, in my view. Any of those components could stand to be upgraded. Cable upgrades are the least of your problems, whether a dealer hand delivers them to your door or not. A few posters have said that new cables won't solve much. I would listen to them.
 
Your largest improvements would be in changing your transducers.

Transducers are the items that convert mechanical energy into electrical signals and vice versa.

i.e. phono cartridge and speakers. Electronics are notoriously linear and highly accurate.
 
Well after 50 years of being involved in this hobby, I can make a couple observations.

1) Prior to any experimentation, clean all your contact points.
2) Coming from a rigorous science background, do all testing in a double blind fashion, to remove bias.
3) Trust your ears, if the sound improvements are not obvious, they probably don't exist.
4) Remember "The Law of Diminishing Returns".

The biggest pitfall is the "price is no object" opinion. People who are wealthy, inherently assume that their hearing is better. (They are also better looking in the mirror, smarter, more successful and are much more attractive to the opposite sex) They have the cash to throw back at the marketing departments who are happy to exploit them.
 
Well after 50 years of being involved in this hobby, I can make a couple observations.

1) Prior to any experimentation, clean all your contact points.
2) Coming from a rigorous science background, do all testing in a double blind fashion, to remove bias.
3) Trust your ears, if the sound improvements are not obvious, they probably don't exist.
4) Remember "The Law of Diminishing Returns".

The biggest pitfall is the "price is no object" opinion. People who are wealthy, inherently assume that their hearing is better. (They are also better looking in the mirror, smarter, more successful and are much more attractive to the opposite sex) They have the cash to throw back at the marketing departments who are happy to exploit them.

I'm not as experienced as Mojo Warrior, I started only 49 years ago, but all these points are very well taken, especally that last sentence.

Shelly_D

BTW:

... (They are also better looking in the mirror, smarter, more successful and are much more attractive to the opposite sex)....
:rflmao::rflmao::rflmao::rflmao::thumbsup:
 
It's been said elsewhere. Cabling should be looked at as icing on the cake. It should finish off your system. All the chocolate frosting in the world won't help if the cake itself is burnt.
 
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