Looking for A good cheap set audio cables to hook up my SACD player.

I am also looking for cable raps, to keep install clean..

Not sure what your definition of cheap is, but....

I use 3 sets of stereo cables from Acoustic Research. They're the blue-jacketed cables you get at BB if you don't let yourself get talked into Monster at twice the price. I have no complaints about their quality.

All depends on what you consider "cheap", but I've been very happy withBlue Jeans Cable (http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/6channel/index.htm) 6 channel offering. It's high quality, but a 3' run is $95 in their recommended run. They offer a stiffer version for $80.25. You can add their "Techflex" wrapping, which is a sleeve over ~80% of the cable run to keep them together, for another $3 which aesthetically is well worth it. They are color coded for all 6 connects which is a plus.

If you want real cheap, just grab 3 pairs of red/white stereo cables & some wire ties. But if you want good quality, I'd look at Blue Jeans...

Look for "Acoustic Research AP-036" cables. Less than $30, and they're color coded the same as most receivers. It's actually 6 individual cables, but you'll be getting cable wraps anyway. I'm just using $4 adjustable velcro wraps that I found at Target. You could also go with AR's $50 PR-136 set, and my experience with Blue Jeans Cables (mentioned above) has been very positive.

I am using 2 sets of Acoustic Research composite audio/video cables with red, white and yellow connection identifiers. I don't recall the model number but as far as I know it works great and I already owned them.

Chris

RAM Electronic has a set of Cables that are Cheap but work Well. I have them no Complaints:


http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/sacd_cables.html



Scolll half Down the Page look for "Small Profile 6 channel cables". they are in 6-12 ft Lengths



:D

...or you could buy a 2 meter cable with silver/gold connections for hundreds of
dollars, processed in a special way to make the background of the music "black".
Or....I find the suggestions made by the other folks quite good, myself. :)
Sorry, audiophiles, I just needed a good dig errr....I mean laugh.
....now where are those mounts I bought to keep the cables off the floor....?

i was looking at those cheap RAM. ones...

Would like the blue jeans but dont want to spend that much on something that wil be used once in a while...

check out monoprice

Yeah! try monoprice less than $5.00 each!!!

Parts Express has 20" Phoenix Gold cables for $3 each in their clearance center (http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=263-400).

I am using 2 sets of Acoustic Research composite audio/video cables with red, white and yellow connection identifiers. Chris

I wouldn't recommend this. The red & white are 100 ohm audio cbles, while the yellow is 75 ohm video cable. I'm not sure how audible the difference is in real world useage, but technically you really ought to have the same impedance on all 6 cables.

Oh, and for the record, I do use (and love) Blue Jeans cables on my main system, but found the AR's to be just fine for the "spare room" system.

I The red & white are 100 ohm audio cbles, while the yellow is 75 ohm video cable. I'm not sure how audible the difference is in real world useage, but technically you really ought to have the same impedance on all 6 cables.


No, they're not. Most likely, the audio cables are somewhat close to 50 ohm, and the "video" cable is somewhat close to 75 ohm. There is ZERO real world effect for analog audio. ZERO.

If you use the red, white, and yellow set, use the yellows for the sub channel and the center channel. That way, at least your front and rear L+R cables will be the matching red and whites.

Let's look at some information from an "Electrical Engineering Training Series":

http://www.tpub.com/neets/book10/41c.htm

"LENGTH OF A TRANSMISSION LINE. A transmission line is considered to be electrically short when its physical length is short compared to a quarter-wavelength (1/4 l) of the energy it is to carry. [and a few paragraphs down] When power is applied to a very short transmission line, practically all of it reaches the load at the output end of the line. This very short transmission line is usually considered to have practically no electrical properties of its own, except for a small amount of resistance."

Now, one quarter-wavelength of an electromagnetic wave at 20 kHz (the highest audio frequency) = 0.25 * (speed of light) / 20 kHz = 3750 meters = 12,300 feet = 2.3 miles.

Therefore, if your cable length is short compared to 2.3 miles, then up to 20 kHz it "has practically no electrical properties of its own, except for a small amount of resistance", so you don't need to worry about the 75 ohm characteristic impedance of the yellow cable or the 50 ohm of the red and white cables. Characteristic impedance is a different electrical property from DC resistance, which is the only property of concern for a "short transmission line" (all your cables, when used to carry analog audio signals).

On the other hand, analog video signals lie much higher in frequency than audio. At those high video frequencies, the same (physical length) cable no longer behaves like a "short transmission line". So it is recommended to use a 75 ohm (characteristic impedance) cable for video, to match impedance of the connections.

Just bought some Acosutic Research AP-036 cables for a little over $30 shipped last night.

Can you really just use an A/V Cable? What's the difference between that and the stereo cables specifically? The "twisted" strands?

Any loss of quality if using a high quality A/V Cable with a single copper coaxial cable instead of the stereo ones?

I can get some high quality A/V Cables for really cheap right now that's why I ask.

...or you could buy a 2 meter cable with silver/gold connections for hundreds of
dollars, processed in a special way to make the background of the music "black".
Or....I find the suggestions made by the other folks quite good, myself. :)
Sorry, audiophiles, I just needed a good dig errr....I mean laugh.
....now where are those mounts I bought to keep the cables off the floor....?
Great post :D
I am always amused by the sales rep who claims his $300 'one way (the ones with arrows on them!), super bandwidth balanced, impedance matched, sub-atomic distance equalized' interconnects will give my music "more accurate tonal balance, pinpoint imaging and separation plus sheer musicality".
I'd love to sit one of those reps down in my studio, blindfold them and get them to tell me when I have their cables connected and when I have my Canare cables connected, which cost me less than 1/10th the price!!

Bottom line - good quality cables are significantly better than el-cheapo ones in durability and performance but esoteric interconnects are a total waste of money!

RAM Electronic has a set of Cables that are Cheap but work Well. I have them no Complaints:


http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/sacd_cables.html



Scolll half Down the Page look for "Small Profile 6 channel cables". they are in 6-12 ft Lengths



:D

I also vouch for RAMelectronics

I have the six-channel set from Axiom. Great build quality, great customer service, quick shipping. Oh, and they sound great too!!

Eric

I bought 3 of these for SACD playback, and 3 more to connect my amp to my pre-amp:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021803&p_id=2864&seq=1&format=2&style=

Great quality, and a bargain at 5 times the price. Unfortunately, they seem to be sold out pretty frequently.