What's next to upgrade?

[MarkLMorg]

If you had to choose between RCA interconnect from pre amp to amp or speaker wire, which would you do first?

 

[nathan_h]

Neither. Doesn’t matter.

Neither will change the sound unless you bought very thin gauge speaker wire like 22g, or crappy interconnects like AUDIOQUEST.

This question is like: What color paint will make my car go faster? But I don't blame you for asking. Marketing has done a great job of convincing people that it matters. I fell for it too. I have owned and used audiophile cables.

I don't any longer, and you know what? It doesn't make a difference.

What matters? Lots of other stuff. Number one good piece of advice I got was:

Get some acoustic panels instead.

Apologies if you already have a properly treated room. I mention panels because many people haven't treated their room, and yet spend much more on things that impact sound quality much less. So consider it an example of a recommendation that has a far bigger impact than cables.

 

[highfigh]

If you had to choose between RCA interconnect from pre amp to amp or speaker wire, which would you do first?

If you can't enjoy your system without worrying that it needs improvement, you're missing the point of music.

 

[MarkLMorg]

If you can't enjoy your system without worrying that it needs improvement, you're missing the point of music.

Didn't say I wasn't enjoying, just asked a question for discussion.

 

[highfigh]

Didn't say I wasn't enjoying, just asked a question for discussion.

These questions have been beaten to death with no resolution or agreement.

It never mattered until Munster Cable came along and in the commercial/industrial world, it doesn't matter, other than meeting the specs required by the Electrical Engineers who design the systems. Brands and item numbers are only for reference, not status. No EE would spec a 6' stereo interconnect that sells for seven grand and every time I have mentioned the cables with batteries to an EE, they looked at me the same way a dog looks at a TV.

 

[MarkLMorg]

These questions have been beaten to death with no resolution or agreement.

It never mattered until Munster Cable came along and in the commercial/industrial world, it doesn't matter, other than meeting the specs required by the Electrical Engineers who design the systems. Brands and item numbers are only for reference, not status. No EE would spec a 6' stereo interconnect that sells for seven grand and every time I have mentioned the cables with batteries to an EE, they looked at me the same way a dog looks at a TV.

Thanks. Enjoy the weekend.

 

[highfigh]

Thanks. Enjoy the weekend.

You too.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

These questions have been beaten to death with no resolution or agreement.

It never mattered until Munster Cable came along and in the commercial/industrial world, it doesn't matter, other than meeting the specs required by the Electrical Engineers who design the systems. Brands and item numbers are only for reference, not status. No EE would spec a 6' stereo interconnect that sells for seven grand and every time I have mentioned the cables with batteries to an EE, they looked at me the same way a dog looks at a TV.

These questions have definitely been beaten to death. By us!
My guess is that our friendly OP hasn’t been in the countless downward spiral of speaker cable threads.

 

[William Lemmerhirt]

If you had to choose between RCA interconnect from pre amp to amp or speaker wire, which would you do first?

Definitely neither lol.
As Nathan pointed out, unless you have crummy ones in the first place, you shouldn’t notice any changes.
Speaker quality/setup/room will give results.
Is there something you feel is missing? Or were you just wondering?

 

[Pogre]

So, how much were you looking to spend on cables?

 

[MarkLMorg]

These questions have definitely been beaten to death. By us!
My guess is that our friendly OP hasn’t been in the countless downward spiral of speaker cable threads.

Thanks!

 

[MarkLMorg]

Definitely neither lol.
As Nathan pointed out, unless you have crummy ones in the first place, you shouldn’t notice any changes.
Speaker quality/setup/room will give results.
Is there something you feel is missing? Or were you just wondering?

Just wondering, new to all of this. I do have adequate cables.

 

[MarkLMorg]

So, how much were you looking to spend on cables?

About $50 on RCA $200 on speaker, rough estimate.

 

[Pogre]

Just wondering, new to all of this. I do have adequate cables.

Hey, at least you're doing some homework before running out and getting snookered by a compelling sales pitch! There are so many other things you can do for improvements. Placement and positioning is so often overlooked and can have such a big impact on sq. It's worth doing a little homework and experimenting. Speakers and subs probably have the most impact. Amps receivers, dacs and cables are costly rabbit holes that don't offer much aside from emptying your wallet.

 

[MarkLMorg]

Hey, at least you're doing some homework before running out and getting snookered by a compelling sales pitch! There are so many other things you can do for improvements. Placement and positioning is so often overlooked and can have such a big impact on sq. It's worth doing a little homework and experimenting. Speakers and subs probably have the most impact. Amps receivers, dacs and cables are costly rabbit holes that don't offer much aside from emptying your wallet.

Apprecite taking the time to respond. Enjoy your day.

 

[Mikado463]

Excellent thread, 15 posts and the 'lesson learned ' !!

 

[MarkLMorg]

Looks like I have enough information. Thanks all, time to move on and enjoy what we have.

 

[Pogre]

Looks like I have enough information. Thanks all, time to move on and enjoy what we have.

There are other paths to explore if you're interested. $2-250 can buy you a MiniDSP 2x4 HD with a UMIK mic. There's a free program called REW that's compatible with that gear you can use to measure what's going on in your room, allowing you to make adjustments and really dial your system in. It was completely transformative for me. There's a pretty good learning curve, but it was fun for me and really helped me improve things.

Not sure of your interest level as far as how deep you wanna go with it, but you're here so that tells me you're at least curious to find some improvements!

What speakers/amp/subs do you have now?

 

[lovinthehd]

Yes, put that money to good use. If your cables are sufficient, they're sufficient. No magic there but plenty of bullshit vendors willing to sell you the emperor's new clothes Your room and speakers are where meaningful upgrades happen....

 

[MarkLMorg]

There are other paths to explore if you're interested. $2-250 can buy you a MiniDSP 2x4 HD with a UMIK mic. There's a free program called REW that's compatible with that gear you can use to measure what's going on in your room, allowing you to make adjustments and really dial your system in. It was completely transformative for me. There's a pretty good learning curve, but it was fun for me and really helped me improve things.

Not sure of your interest level as far as how deep you wanna go with it, but you're here so that tells me you're at least curious to find some improvements!

What speakers/amp/subs do you have now?

Thanks for the thought of the Mic and REW. Right now Parasound New Classic 2250v2 amp, B&W 683s2 speakers and an older svs sub.