Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 110
veteran
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OP
veteran
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 110 |
I've never realized that cables can go for so much. I find myself on the verge of spending upwards of 200 bucks on some speaker wire and a couple HDMI cables...Can any of you audiophiles help me out in this regard? How important are cables? Can you recommend some great bang-for-your-buck offers? Any advice would be much appreciated.
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,331 |
Monoprice.com Here are their HDMI cables. The lower the AWG number, the thicker the cable. For runs up to 10 feet, the 28 AWG would probably be fine. For anything longer, I'd look at the 24 AWG.
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2003
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As far as speaker wire goes, as long as it's the appropriate gauge, you're good to go. If you want to be sure, use 14 or 12 gauge. You can get it pretty cheap at Home Depot or eBay. Don't go for the nutty stuff--if you're anything like me in college, you kinda need to hold onto some money. Kimber is not your friend. And you won't notice a difference.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,467
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,467 |
I would highly recommend Blue Jeans Cable Speaker CableGet the Belden 5000UE (Gray jacket, 12 AWG) or BJC Twelve White (5000UE) (White jacket, 12 AWG). 40 cents a foot. The wire is very nice because it is 2 10 guage wires within another wire coating so they stay together. I attest to monoprice for everything else. You will save a TON of money with them. I'm in college too...if you want you can check out my thread here to see my dorm room set up. Good luck with your system!
M22s|VP100|QS4s|HSU STF2
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 5,236
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 5,236 |
I second the Blue Jeans recommendation. They're terrific. No frills, just good quality cable, at reasonable prices.
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,467
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,467 |
I was very impressed with them. They are not normal speaker cable.
The way they are made they are slick looking.
You can even apply audio fairy dust and they will sound like $600 speaker cables!
M22s|VP100|QS4s|HSU STF2
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 110
veteran
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OP
veteran
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 110 |
Thank you all for the advice. How important is the quality of other cables such as HDMI and optical cables? I see wide ranging prices for those cables.
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
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Cables command an enormous markup, even when you're not dealing with snake oil--which the cable industry is pretty much drowning in. This is important to bear in mind. Any cable maker who is not commanding at least a 100% markup is just cheating itself.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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Re: Cable recommendations for a college student
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Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,654
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,654 |
Drew, cables are important in that their total absence has a drastic effect on sound quality, but once competently made cables(available at very low prices)are used, there's nothing else that can be accomplished. Considering shipping charges, probably the most cost-effective source for speaker wire is to pick it up locally at Home Depot, Lowe's etc. Connecting cables are available at reasonable cost from sources such as MonoPrice, already linked, or Total Signal .
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Enjoy the music, not the equipment.
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