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Discussion on $8 interconnects

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Pioneered

Pioneered

Well-Known Member
Yeah, yeah, I know this has been gone over time after time, I know cause I read about all of it concerning interconnects.........well skimmed through it.
So, with my middle of the road Pioneer system and my meager pocket book I just can't bring myself to pay more for my interconnects then my system is worth (my system is as follows below in my signature).
I have and as always used the old simple skinny interconnects, cheap stuff.
But, as most, I wish to up grade to something nicer but, within my reach. I'm looking at Belkin Synapse gold plated 3 ft. interconnects for about $8 a pair, far more then what I paid for the cheapie's and heavier. I see no problem with them and I figure they've got to be better then what I'm using now.
What's your thoughts, am I making a decent choice, are they worse then what I have, will they make a difference?
Again, I don't want to spend money where I don't have to, to get the most from my system.
Thank you for your opinions and advice.

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These questions are purely subjective to the individual. I can't hear for you so even if I do or don't hear improvement using pricier connects it doesn't mean that you will or won't. You just have to boldly go where you have not been before and decide for yourself. Another question is, "Do these expensive interconnects make my rig look fat?" Also subjective - ya follow?
 
How long do the cables need to be? The more wires etc where the IC are near the more EM can cause noise. I like good quality cables but I hate to pay new prices so I look for good quality used cables......look on ebay or CL or Facebook Marketplace and yes, even thrift stores. I have found some nice Monster cables at thrift stores for almost nothing.
 
Its a PERSONAL decision, based on YOUR Budget and auditory requirements.
Some say they can't hear it, others say they can.
I have aging ears so the really esoteric wires are beyond my discernment point
Most folks will tell you, stop doing upgrades once you cannot hear a difference.

I got a pair of Mapleshade Interconnects once - seemed to sound good but felt a bit hand-crafted and flimsy in my hand.
I did not appreciate the price-point, so I sent them back (money back guarantee) and bought a pair of AntiCables instead.

Again, its a PERSONAL decision - but $8 wires don't seem too spendy.


Pioneered said:
Yeah, yeah, I know this has been gone over time after time, I know cause I read about all of it concerning interconnects.........well skimmed through it.
So, with my middle of the road Pioneer system and my meager pocket book I just can't bring myself to pay more for my interconnects then my system is worth (my system is as follows below in my signature).
I have and as always used the old simple skinny interconnects, cheap stuff.
But, as most, I wish to up grade to something nicer but, within my reach. I'm looking at Belkin Synapse gold plated 3 ft. interconnects for about $8 a pair,
far more then what I paid for the cheapie's and heavier. I see no problem with them and I figure they've got to be better then what I'm using now.
What's your thoughts, am I making a decent choice, are they worse then what I have, will they make a difference?
View attachment 1184615
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Pioneered said:
What's your thoughts, am I making a decent choice, are they worse then what I have, will they make a difference?
Again, I don't want to spend money where I don't have to, to get the most from my system.
Click to expand...
As Dave said above, no one will be able to tell you anything really. What I do is try things and really never ask for an "Opinion"

If you don't have much money look for used cables and then you can try them. Generally buying used you can resell them if you want and get your money back.
 
Discussions about interconnects can be (are) contentious.

That being said I think for a basic system like yours these would be a good choice - they look solid and reliable versus the flimsy ones.
Will you hear a difference - maybe you would but I doubt I would.

IMHO higher quality systems with superior resolution might benefit from superior cables.
But - just because cables are expensive doesn’t mean the difference is better, it might just be different.
 
JoeESP9 said:
Here we go again.
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Measure what you need. Buy a roll of quality wire. Buy the same amount of webbing and some heat shrink tubing.

Some lovely RCAs.

Then you build exactly what you need, when you need it!
 
botrytis said:
Actually, reading some Kenwood manuals, for my 700M, you want long interconnects and short speaker wires.
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What purpose would be served by long interconnects?? Also, speaker wires have to be long enough to achieve optimal separation, right?

There's another 700M on you-know-where right now. If it were local I'd be so sorely tempted as I'm in love with them.

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Pioneered said:
...I wish to up grade to something nicer but, within my reach.
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If you have a nearby Best Buy or similar (is there anything similar?), check their recycle bins just after you walk into the store. People are pitching their component video cables which make EXCELLENT audio interconnects. Many of the cable sets actually come with 5 cables bonded together, two of which are already the traditional red and white for analog. If not, I use the red and blue and save the green for coax digital or some other weird interface. Good luck with your new interconnects, whichever way you decide to go.
 
Interconnects are typically coax cables with some capacitance to it. Put that together with the output impedance of your source and input impedance of the amp and you have a low pass filter, rolling off the highs. Mostly, any interconnect of 6 feet or less will put the roll off up above the range of human hearing and therefore tend to be inaudible.

I use the cheapest that I can get as long as it works. My last purchase was about a half dozen pairs of 3 feet and another half dozen 6 feet pairs from Parts Express on closeout. They work just fine for me.

Shelly_D
 
Pioneered said:
Yeah, yeah, I know this has been gone over time after time, I know cause I read about all of it concerning interconnects.........well skimmed through it.
So, with my middle of the road Pioneer system and my meager pocket book I just can't bring myself to pay more for my interconnects then my system is worth (my system is as follows below in my signature).
I have and as always used the old simple skinny interconnects, cheap stuff.
But, as most, I wish to up grade to something nicer but, within my reach. I'm looking at Belkin Synapse gold plated 3 ft. interconnects for about $8 a pair, far more then what I paid for the cheapie's and heavier. I see no problem with them and I figure they've got to be better then what I'm using now.
What's your thoughts, am I making a decent choice, are they worse then what I have, will they make a difference?
Again, I don't want to spend money where I don't have to, to get the most from my system.
Thank you for your opinions and advice.

View attachment 1184615
Click to expand...

For me, the first step up from free-stock to sort-of-premium was the biggest.

It was Zu Audio Mission in my case. I consider the money well spent.
 
I think that's a reasonable cable to replace 99 cent cheapies and would use them myself. If there's a diminishing returns curve, these are certainly at the bottom of that curve where you get the most bang for your buck.

Your question was not 'what's the best cable'; at worst it did include 'will I hear a difference' which is only marginally into the realm of cable thread hell. So I'm not sure why the "Not this again!" replies. Frankly it's the best and simplest cable question I've seen for awhile. Seems hard for any reasonable person to argue that an $8 cable is not made better than a 99 cent one, or on the other hand, that it's too expensive.
:beerchug:
Let us know how it turns out. :thumbsup:
 
Eh. I know some cables sound better. Mine do. But I don't know about others, and I do know price won't tell you. My worry about those you picture is that the RCA plugs look kind of fat — depending on the age of your Pioneer gear, some older gear had very closely-spaced inputs and fat RCAs may not fit.

Since you're experimenting, and it's only 8 bucks, I'd try it. Use it in your most important connection so you can really hear the improvement, if there is one. If not, no big loss. If there is, you'll want to replace all your cables — but at least you'll know what you're getting and at what cost.

In my experience, a single IC-change rarely makes a dramatic change. I got a box of truly great ICs at a thrift for nothing — I set up a computer for them and they gave me the cables in appreciation. Those cables had a great reputation, but I only used one at a time, wasn't impressed, and it just confirmed my cable cynicism.

Two years ago I decided to use them for my entire system (that thrift/gift box had five 1-meter pairs and three 2-meter pairs). Now I was really impressed, all cynicism dispelled. Well, most of it — all I really know is those cables, system-wide, were a huge improvement.
 
Pioneered said:
Yeah, yeah, I know this has been gone over time after time, I know cause I read about all of it concerning interconnects.........well skimmed through it.
So, with my middle of the road Pioneer system and my meager pocket book I just can't bring myself to pay more for my interconnects then my system is worth (my system is as follows below in my signature).
I have and as always used the old simple skinny interconnects, cheap stuff.
But, as most, I wish to up grade to something nicer but, within my reach. I'm looking at Belkin Synapse gold plated 3 ft. interconnects for about $8 a pair, far more then what I paid for the cheapie's and heavier. I see no problem with them and I figure they've got to be better then what I'm using now.
What's your thoughts, am I making a decent choice, are they worse then what I have, will they make a difference?
Again, I don't want to spend money where I don't have to, to get the most from my system.
Thank you for your opinions and advice.

View attachment 1184615
Click to expand...

I consider this a legit question. It boils down to "should I replace my cheap, crap, low-quality cables with something better?"

The answer is a resounding YES.

Will you notice a difference sonically? No.
Will the new cables be more reliable? Definitely, yes.

The cables you are currently using typically have a lesser build quality, which means reliability suffers. A better quality cable will likely have better quality components and be assembled more robustly. For example, I bought a cheap 3.5mm to RCA interconnect for less than $2 at PE. I thought it would be good for testing equipment and temporary setups. The IC works, kinda. One channel is flakey unless I play with it. Was it worth the $2? No. I should know better. The $6 ones I got from Amazon are much more robust and work flawlessly.
 
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