Cables: The Final Component

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.