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Does law of diminishing returns apply ?
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Josefk View Drop Down
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    Posted: 16 Aug 2020 at 11:38am
Hi

As a new member returning to vinyl I have been doing bits of research as I build my system and one of the things I've been pondering is power and cables.

The tech who installed my home network and cinema system isn't one of those who thinks all cables are the same. There is a definite plus to build quality and longer runs need better cable in his view. But he did make an interesting comment that beyond a certain point you could throw increasing amounts of money at inter-connects, speaker cable etc for ever diminishing marginal gains.  Claims of improvement by manufacturer's were factually genuine but to all purposes could only ever be measured on a test bench.

It followed there was a "sweet spot" where perceptible gain and value intersect but beyond that it was either vanity or a placebo effect (if you've spent £20k on a cable it "must" be better) 

I hope this doesn't come over as controversial or provocative but the point is I am trying to understand where that "sweet spot" is , say as a % of total cost of a system what would you spend on cables & connectors ? (there's no point putting a Ferrari engine in a mini metro) 

Any thoughts on the best bang for buck 
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Fatmangolf View Drop Down
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Points: 8998 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Fatmangolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2020 at 7:34pm
I suggest starting with your budget and how much extra you'd spend for a better sound. Ask for a home trial of anything new and make sure your current items are at their best. For cables turn the amp volume down, unplug and reconnect them.

It's also worth thinking what your current gear cost and what amount you'd pay to boost its performance. Personal opinion - all of the HFC cables are very good for sound and sensibly priced. Each is a very good price comparator.
Jon

Open mind and ears whilst owning GSP Genera, Accession M, Accession MC, Elevator EXP, Solo ULDE, Proprius amps, Cusat50 cables, Lautus digital cable, Spatia cables and links, and a Majestic DAC.
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Ernie View Drop Down
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Points: 386 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ernie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Aug 2020 at 8:40pm
Stick with good engineering and you won’t go far wrong. If it sounds like nonsense it probably it. Too much pseudo-science in HiFi. Cables get used as tone controls by varying their inductance and capacitance to produce a “sound”.

Loan some from HFC and see what you think.
There are 10 kinds of people. Those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Coincidentally, I did a comparison over the weekend between my Lautus interconnect at c.£150 with  a well respected USA manufacturer's cable costing c.£400, both cables are well burnt in and with clean connectors etc. Result...the USA cable will be on eBay when they next offer a cheap selling deal. Only goes to prove that price is not always an indicator of performance...try before you buy
Derek
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I was recently given a blind test by a friend on £8000 and £30 speaker cables and I didn't notice a difference. Everyone's hearing is different of course, but for me the cheaper end of the market is perfectly sufficient :)
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lfc jon View Drop Down
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Hi Paul
They say you should spend about 10% of the total cost of your system on cables. WELL I don't agree with that as we all know most of us have more the one way of playing music ie CD, Vinyl or streaming and IMO I don't see the point of spending say £200 on a interconnect if say your CD player only cost £150 if you see what I mean. I do agree with what Ashleip said in that everyone's hearing is different, So that could make a difference. Everybody got their opinion this is just mine. But I would not go too cheap  on the cables like using bell wire for your speakers that's just not on. My advice is go for good quality cables and don't cheap out 
Reflex M, Solo (both with PSU-1) CuSat50, Lautus, Spatia & Spatia links cables. Ortofon Bronze.
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