Which Interconnects Are You Guys Using With Your Infinities?

12 gauge speaker wire from Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot, wherever performs just as well as $10,000 cables.
Yes...it's true. GASP!!!!!!!!! The Horror!!! LMAO!!!

For banana plugs, the Sewell brand plugs available on Amazon work well. $12.95 for five pair.

On another note, if you'd like to see what a $10,000 cable moron looks like, just search for Michael Fremer at Stereophile Magazine or see this video:

In fact, this idiot's head is so polluted with fantastical theory, the speaker cables in his video are $30,000. Oh yeah, he also thinks buying $5,000 120 VAC cords to plug your turntable into an electrical outlet improves the sound.


Wow, simply Wow!!!

Thanks for that video. I remember years back, skeptic James Randi challenged Michael Fremer to a double blind test to see if he could tell the difference between his extremely expensive wire and some ordinary monster wire. I think Fremer refused to do it. It was some years ago and I only read a couple of articles about the challenge, so I don't know the details.

His listening space is horrible. What a mess. I was expecting a nice listening room setup, as the room is just as important to the sound quality, but I guess the equipment is all the matters to these guys.
 
Mogami Neglex W2549 for all line level connections. For phono I also use this as well as Mogami Neglex Quad W2534 (slightly higher capacitance but better noise rejection if needed) and Pro-Ject Connect-It RCA-CC 1.23m. Infinitesimals presently very happy with Kimber Kable 4VS speaker cable over other options I have on hand here.

That said, the Infinitesimals sound to my liking with the Kimber 4VS. On my Linn speakers the Linn K-20 cable is most often preferred but Monster M1 can be used agreeably depending on amp. On the Thiel speakers I prefer Monster M1 or Monster Powerline 3.

I'd use any brand speaker wire that proves sonically beneficial for the amp/speaker combination, even if it was something generic. I've come to the conclusion it's all about resistance, capacitance, and inductance of any wire that determines the final sound, so what sounds great on one amp/speaker set-up may be surprisingly different on another, so always listen and follow your ear over pedigree! IMO, if all speaker wire were required to list its LCR specs, we'd be able to reliably predict which would be better matches for our systems. Speaker wire isn't black magic or snake oil, it's actually very valid. Some amp/speaker combinations are more sensitive to variations than others. The Infinities I use are possibly more responsive to speaker cable changes than my Thiels or Linns, at least with the amp currently in play. Ironically, change that amp and the speaker cable that worked so well may no longer be the best choice (or may be), or so I've found in my experience.
 
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Mit 330 interconnects and Mit 750 for the speakers. That was the setup lots of folks liked when they were manufactured.
 
Okay, I have to post this because of how much of a difference I have heard by getting nice interconnects. I am not trying to boast here at all, I am simply wanting to share my findings with you all so that you hopefully can experience what I have found.

Long story short, I have a friend who works for a company who can get insane discounts for Audioquest cables. Ie: 60% off. Well, I decided to get the most expensive interconnects they sold online because why the hell not? At 60% off, why not, right?

To give a little backstory, before I bought my audioquest cables, I was using Mediabridge cables that I bought on Amazon. About 10 bucks per 20 foot cable. I always thought they were good quality, seemed sturdy and well made. Well, I unplugged everything, connected my new audioquest cables, and I couldn't believe the instant difference(s). I played some Renee Olstead, Stacey Kent, Chuck Israels, and Diana Krall. The mids and highs got way cleaner, way clearer, all while becoming a little more smooth and easier to listen to. I couldnt believe it. More air was added to the highs, instruments became way more noticeable, but with no added harshness at all. Audioquest states that most harshness heard is caused by distortion through cables.

After listening to some songs with excellent vocals, i then tried some songs to test out the bass... It was just as dramatic of a difference as it was for the highs! More slam, more articulate, and more refined. I haven't tried them on my Kappa 9's yet, but on my IIb's, they even reached 4 Hz lower after replacing the cables. I used my RABOS test frequencies kit to see how low they could hit, and it reached 21hz!

Lastly, my speakers have next to no sound coming from them anymore. Everyone ALWAYS told me that humming/buzzing coming from speakers was due to grounding issues, and although I do believe there is some truth to that, there is almost none now and all I have done is replace cables. I have never heard these speakers idle so quietly. I think a lot of this has to do with the Audioquest DBS system(s), which is essentially active shielding for the cables.

So, I am now a firm believer in buying nice cables. The differences were dramatic and I honestly dont think I could go back. I hope you guys get a chance to hear the difference some time, because you will be blown away... I promise.

If anyone is wondering, these are the cables I bought (they are all audioquest btw):

6' 6" Yukon (IIb EQ to Amps)
2, 2' Victoria's (Dac to preamp, preamp to IIb EQ)
5' Coffee USB A-B ( Computer to Dac)
2, NRG 2's (1 for my Dac, 1 for my preamp)

Btw, I upgraded one cable at a time and it wasn't until I upgraded all the cables that I noticed the biggest difference. Just an fyi.

Now to speaker wire.... it's only money right!? ;)
 
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For the speakers (Q2s), I'm using Schmitt Custom Audio
4x12 Gauge Reference 100 Bi-wire Speaker Cables
8' spade to spade
200 bucks for a pair.

Sounds awesome! Better than the lamp cord that Infinity recommended in the manual!

For the interconnects I'm using some various Monster RCA cables I had laying around.
Half planning to upgrade, but my rig is old SAE stuff and I can't see spending more for
cables than I did for the active components.
 
Studio system: mix of Audioquest Coral and Diamondback and Nordost Blue Heaven ICs, Audioquest Bedrock speaker cables, PS Audio power cables with RS-IIbs.

Living Room: Audioquest Diamondback and Coral ICs, Audioquest Rockefeller speaker cables, PS Audio power cables with original Modulus + Genesis G928 sub.
 
Okay, I have to post this because of how much of a difference I have heard by getting nice interconnects. I am not trying to boast here at all, I am simply wanting to share my findings with you all so that you hopefully can experience what I have found.

Long story short, I have a friend who works for a company who can get insane discounts for Audioquest cables. Ie: 60% off. Well, I decided to get the most expensive interconnects they sold online because why the hell not? At 60% off, why not, right?

To give a little backstory, before I bought my audioquest cables, I was using Mediabridge cables that I bought on Amazon. About 10 bucks per 20 foot cable. I always thought they were good quality, seemed sturdy and well made. Well, I unplugged everything, connected my new audioquest cables, and I couldn't believe the instant difference(s). I played some Renee Olstead, Stacey Kent, Chuck Israels, and Diana Krall. The mids and highs got way cleaner, way clearer, all while becoming a little more smooth and easier to listen to. I couldnt believe it. More air was added to the highs, instruments became way more noticeable, but with no added harshness at all. Audioquest states that most harshness heard is caused by distortion through cables.

After listening to some songs with excellent vocals, i then tried some songs to test out the bass... It was just as dramatic of a difference as it was for the highs! More slam, more articulate, and more refined. I haven't tried them on my Kappa 9's yet, but on my IIb's, they even reached 4 Hz lower after replacing the cables. I used my RABOS test frequencies kit to see how low they could hit, and it reached 21hz!

Lastly, my speakers have next to no sound coming from them anymore. Everyone ALWAYS told me that humming/buzzing coming from speakers was due to grounding issues, and although I do believe there is some truth to that, there is almost none now and all I have done is replace cables. I have never heard these speakers idle so quietly. I think a lot of this has to do with the Audioquest DBS system(s), which is essentially active shielding for the cables.

So, I am now a firm believer in buying nice cables. The differences were dramatic and I honestly dont think I could go back. I hope you guys get a chance to hear the difference some time, because you will be blown away... I promise.

If anyone is wondering, these are the cables I bought (they are all audioquest btw):

6' 6" Yukon (IIb EQ to Amps)
2, 2' Victoria's (Dac to preamp, preamp to IIb EQ)
5' Coffee USB A-B ( Computer to Dac)
2, NRG 2's (1 for my Dac, 1 for my preamp)

Btw, I upgraded one cable at a time and it wasn't until I upgraded all the cables that I noticed the biggest difference. Just an fyi.

Now to speaker wire.... it's only money right!? ;)

+1
I can still hear the cables getting better as they break in. I think the big "ah ha" moment was when I listened to Phil Keaggy Morning Snow. The presentation always made it sound as if the guitars were layered on top of each other, but with the new cables I could here exactly where they were sitting, how close or far from the recording mic, the recording had never sounded more real and tangible. With less distortion the speakers became so easy to listen to that I found myself listening to the badly recorded music that I usually have to save for the car speakers. The cables were definitely worth the investment.
 
+1
I can still hear the cables getting better as they break in. I think the big "ah ha" moment was when I listened to Phil Keaggy Morning Snow. The presentation always made it sound as if the guitars were layered on top of each other, but with the new cables I could here exactly where they were sitting, how close or far from the recording mic, the recording had never sounded more real and tangible. With less distortion the speakers became so easy to listen to that I found myself listening to the badly recorded music that I usually have to save for the car speakers. The cables were definitely worth the investment.
Interesting. I used to be the world's biggest skeptic when it came to this topic, but I swear I can hear the same improvement over time. I can't explain it and neither can the audiophile types I know, one of whom is a bona fide electrical engineer. However, when it comes to audio, perception is reality I guess.

Now, I still draw the line at upgrading power cables, but I do have a couple of power filters from Blue Circle that keep the power pretty clean.
 
I have some nice no-name 12 gauge stranded that a local hi-fi shop was selling back in the 80s. It's very flexible despite being super thick; as I remember, I spent about $30 for four lengths of it (probably 50 feet total?), enough to run bi-amp connections for my speakers - though the only Infinitys I currently have are full-range. I did solder the connectors to each end, though, because in my experience the mechanical connection is the only thing that makes any difference. Anyone who hears a difference in speaker cables (and can pass a blind test) I recommend cleaning or re-making the connections; that'll usually take care of it.
 
Quick Update:

I bought some Audioquest CastleRocks and there were improvements in sound quality. There was some overall warmth and smoothness added to the highs and mids as well as more articulate bass response, especially the mid bass. With that said, I DO NOT believe it is worth the price they are asking. The ONLY reason I got them was because I was able to buy them at a very reduced price. However, the upgrade in interconnects/USB is well worth the money IMHO.
 
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I recently purchased some interesting banana plugs ("Pure Copper Banana Plugs Audio Jack Connectors), on-line from Amazon for $4.07 (set of 4). These are the type that you insert the stripped wire ends, and tighten two screws on opposite sides to secure, then screw on the body. I am very pleased with these thus far...price, performance, and quality. My old Monster pin plugs were starting to snap in 1/2, and the rubber sleeves were sticky and degrading (even some odd discoloration on the internal wires propagating from the ends a bit). Also, I use Monster XP speaker wire.

Sadly, I learned that inserting pins into screw-on receptacles can cause the tiny internal screw threads to strip after tightening due to the pins only being on one side (that was a sad learning experience for me, now one of the terminals on my Yamaha MX-1 amp needs to be repaired (fortunately the amp has an alternate pair of "B" speaker terminals). Anyway, as I just finished fixing a pair of Infinity QLS-4s, I decided it was FINALLY time to try banana plugs. WOW...how easy and elegant a connecting solution. My only regret is not having made the effort sooner to move to banana plugs (like 20 years ago)...so easy, so clean, so simple. Oh well, live and learn.

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You guys must've seen those 65,000 speaker cables they bring up in audiogon all the time, on the cable bashing threads. Those are fun to read and follow.
 
I'm using Kimber 12 tc speaker wire and Audioquest water xlr's for interconnects, I'm rearranging things onto a new rack and I'll need a 16' balanced cables to go from the preamp to the amps and am thinking about buying a Morrow for that. I can't find a 16' used one.
 
I found a pair of 26' balanced water's and I purchased a 3' pair of AQ wel reference speaker cables for so cheap it'll make your head spin. Maybe there fakes idk haven't received them yet.
 
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