[lan]

So what made you choose custom cables over the monsters?

 

[Nefarion]

You must have took a good knock to the head eh? Finally came to your senses...after 7 pages of incoherent bumping and a month's time...

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by lan So what made you choose custom cables over the monsters?

Cheaper price, good quality and no magic smoke. You simply get good old cable for your IC's.

 

[Magic77]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tom M No More Monster Cable! I found the type of cable I like. My solution for good IC's is to make custom cables using either canare or belden wire.

Tom,

Good choice to make your own cables!!

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magic77 Tom, Good choice to make your own cables!!

I think so too. At least with custom made cables you have a better Idea of what you getting. Hi-end audio cable manufatures tell you all most nothing about what your getting. They most often tell you nothing more than "Thier's sound better than the others". When you build your own you get specs(even if they don't matter). You know what materials are being used. There is no magic smoke involved.

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by stereth Isn't that like asking, "What's Bose's best-selling system?"

They're not Bose but they are expensive for what you get. That's why I've turned to using homemade cables from Belden, Canare and the like.

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ebonyks Whichever one is the cheapest Seriously, nothing in the monster cable line is typically thought of being worth purchase, regardless of price range. Even radioshack cables are generally consitered superior

I think monster is why too pricey. It's not bad just pricey. That's why I turned to homemade cables. I keep repeating this fact but, I now think it's the best way to go. If you are not handy with tools, there are many companies and even individuals on this site that would make some for you. Ask around. You will have to pay for the materials. Either way you end up with cables that are very good at a low price. Try making some if you don't already.

 

[Nefarion]

With low end cables, DIY is really the way to go if you have the basic skills required. But when you get into more high end stuff, DIY cables wont be competetive. A lot of research and design goes into the good cables... A lot more than feasibly possible by your normal DIY guy (to match and be competitive).

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by Nefarion With low end cables, DIY is really the way to go if you have the basic skills required. But when you get into more high end stuff, DIY cables wont be competetive. A lot of research and design goes into the good cables... A lot more than feasibly possible by your normal DIY guy (to match and be competitive).

Hmm I don't know. Are you sure of that? Think about if you had a company that made high-end cables. Would you like the public believe that you put a lot of research into your cables? How else are you going to show that your cables are different? How are you going to justify the price of the cables you sell to people. On the other side of the scale, you have the people who buy these cables. How do they justify having spend the money they did on high-end cables? Marketing helps with both these things. So that the manufactures make lots of money and the buyer feels happy. If a person can afford pricer cables and wants them there is no harm in doing so. That person feels that the cables make a difference to the listening experiance and are now happy that they made the purchase. That's how the cazy world of audio works. It's fun, sometimes it's infuriating, but it's never boring. Thanks for your responce.

 

[Nefarion]

Do a search for the thread where Jude cut into a medium-high end cardas RCA cable to show the complexity and impressiveness of whats inside.

 

[Budgie]

Research into audio cables???? Now thats funny! There is not a single cable company white paper that I have found, (and I have read a bunch of them,) that is anything more then a thinly disguised sales pitch. They are all desperatly searching for something to give them an edge in the market.

The truth is- any decent copper is the same as any other decent copper. Same with silver. The method that is used to measure the purity (how many nines behind the 99.XXX) isn't even agreed upon, rendering the measurements usless for comparison. Do you think you can tell five 9's from six 9's copper, anyway?

Twisted, shielded, coaxial ,etc. Maybe that will make a difference! But why is one guys twist superior to anothers? Or is sombody's Teflon better then someone else's? Or somebody's coax design?
Or maybe I should clamp a piece of wood or something on the cable and claim some magic property or "electron friction reduction" or some other B.S. (You wanna buy some magic cable goo? I'll gladly sell you my special formula. Send me some money! Now avaliable- Budgie Cable Treatment! [ I'm gonna be rich!])

Try this on for size- Buy any reasonably well made cable. Clean the connectors every couple of months. Now, quit worrying about cables and go out and buy some music instead.

 

[Tom M]

Please read next post below

 

[Tom M]

Quote:

Originally posted by Budgie Research into audio cables???? Now thats funny! There is not a single cable company white paper that I have found, (and I have read a bunch of them,) that is anything more then a thinly disguised sales pitch. They are all desperatly searching for something to give them an edge in the market. The truth is- any decent copper is the same as any other decent copper. Same with silver. The method that is used to measure the purity (how many nines behind the 99.XXX) isn't even agreed upon, rendering the measurements usless for comparison. Do you think you can tell five 9's from six 9's copper, anyway? Twisted, shielded, coaxial ,etc. Maybe that will make a difference! But why is one guys twist superior to anothers? Or is sombody's Teflon better then someone else's? Or somebody's coax design? Or maybe I should clamp a piece of wood or something on the cable and claim some magic property or "electron friction reduction" or some other B.S. (You wanna buy some magic cable goo? I'll gladly sell you my special formula. Send me some money! Now avaliable- Budgie Cable Treatment! [ I'm gonna be rich!]) Try this on for size- Buy any reasonably well made cable. Clean the connectors every couple of months. Now, quit worrying about cables and go out and buy some music instead.

Budgie: I completely agree with you. Unfortunately we have to be careful about what we say so as not to start a flame war. This will only disrupt the site. People are going to believe what they want to believe and no one is going to change that. Like I mentioned in my post, if believing that so called research or high costs makes a certain cable better, than so be it. This makes people feel happy about their gear and they enjoy the music being played from it all the more. You are trying to save people from being sucked into all the manufacture marketing hype. I think it's best to just let them be. What they believe makes them feel happy and satisfied. After all, truth is stranger than fiction my friends. Enjoy the music

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Originally posted by Magic77 I never tried the M550i, but I beleive it's a step up from the 400MkII.

The M550 is supposed to be a step up from the M400MkII but I found the M400MkII to sound better than the M550i. That said, I don't use M400MkII any more. I do have a 1m pair of M950i that I still like and occasionally swap in to listen to, but generally prefer the sound of even the Outlaw PCA to the M950i, although the M950 isn't bad at all.

 

[Budgie]

I suppose your right, Tom. But I do reserve the right to point out how wrong it is to say all the cables from Monster, or any other company, all sound bad. Especially if the person saying that has not tried all the cables from that company. Thats just wrong.

After all, even Bose has made a few good products!