Answers
to these commonly asked questions: Why would you want to spend money
on cable when it's included for free with most audio components? What
makes some wire better than others? How much should you spend on
audio cable?
Your audio system
can only sound as good as the cables used to connect it.
Today's
knowledgeable audiophiles know how important a properly designed
audio cable is for accurate music reproduction. In fact, cables are
the critical link between components and should be selected with the
same care and attention that you would a fine amplifier, receiver,
preamplifier, CD player or speaker.
But choosing the
right cable can be confusing. There are many cable manufacturers,
each with their own story. Only a select few have a handle on cable
technology, and offer products that deliver true audiophile
performance and value for the money spent.
Conventional
cables don't cut it.
Inexpensive patch
cord and hardware variety "zip cord" limits the sound of a
good component, causing it to sound compressed, two-dimensional,
lacking in clarity, and without bass "punch". In other
words, they are unable to fully reproduce all the sound available
from today's recorded music. To get the most out of your music, we
recommend using the highest quality cable possible to connect your equipment.
It's a problem of time.
The problems that
occur in cables are electromagnetic in nature, and they are very
audible. As you send your favorite piece of music through a
connecting cable, its complex harmonic structure becomes separated,
delayed, and
smeared because of
the varying intensities of the magnetic fields that are generated.
This causes phase (time) distortion that prevent accurate music
reproduction, regardless of the quality of your audio system.
By using
sophisticated cable windings, multiple gauge construction and
advanced technology, manufacturers like Monster Cable have time
compensated their cables, minimizing the distortions caused by the
audio signal's electromagnetic fields.
Today's time
compensated cables deliver extended frequency response with
audiophile sound qualities such as depth, three-dimensionality,
imaging, and a life-like reproduction of delicate music harmonics.
Not just big wire.
Large size is not
the only criterion for cable quality. Some of today's better designs
focus on obtaining improved sound quality in a smaller cable, and at
lower cost.
Large or small,
the cable must have a high quality termination. A good connection
will use 24k gold plating for improved signal transfer. It will also
have high mechanical integrity to provide a secure contact with
sufficient mass and a large contact area for maximum signal transfer.
How much to spend.
Contrary to
popular belief, every component will benefit from a high quality
connection. For example, the smaller your amplifier is, the more you
need a quality cable-because you need every last watt. In fact, an
investment in high quality cables will extend the life of your system
and will yield better results than spending large amounts of money
upgrading components.
As a general
guideline, we recommend that 15% to 20% of a systems cost be budgeted
for the cables.
It's money well
spent and lets you get all the sound you paid for.
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