The other thing that comes to mind is the law of diminishing returns, once you have reached the ~ 600 $ per interconnect and slightly more for speaker cables your VFM goes South big time.
With really good kit the cables sometimes do not make a huge difference IMV and as already mentioned when the cost is higher than the kit its connecting then its time to shout wolf.
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the law of diminishing returns applies EVERYWHERE.
So why do people spend $2000 for a single tube for example?
Why spent $5-$10k for a cart
Why spend 15k for a set of speakers cause the drivers are only likely worth a few hundred bucks.
Why spend 10k for an amp that has no more than a $1000 in parts contained within it? So it cant be much better than an amp worth 5k can it??
Were does the law of diminishing returns set in wrt:
Transport,
DAC,Preamp,
AMP
Speakers
Room treatments and acoustics
etc etc etc
ie How does one define when is good enough, good enough???
And it is really interesting that your experiences and mine differ like black and white.
I have consistently found that the better the 'kit' the more difference the cables make because the greater the potential of the 'kit' to produce brilliance
Such is life.
And:
"as already mentioned when the cost is higher than the kit its connecting then its time to shout wolf"
True words perhaps but in Nathans case we are talking amplification circa $15k and speakers circa $12ik sh ono, plus the rest of the front end is up to a similar standard
\So let me do my math
Speaker cables $3k
Amp+Speakers say $25k
Close enough to 10%
and if you wanna add interconnects for example then add the cost of the front end on before doing the maths again
This information is shared with Nathans Ok to do so as I felt it appropriate to put this all in some sensible perspective.
So what % do you reckon is on the right side of the diminishing returns law wrt cable cost in a system?
And how much should I realistically spend on each of the other components to get a sound quality that I will be happy with?
??
If Nathan had a couple of thousand buck Harvey Norman HiFi then i would concur with your point of view. But he deosn't.
Like a lot of us he has made sacrifices in other areas to save the $ to get to where he wanted to over a period of quite some years I am sure.
And I am sure, like a lot of us, he also looks some days at what he has invested into audio, shakes his head and walks out the room.