High end or Local speaker wires?

High resolution two channel or multichannel music setup with the listener sitting in the sweet spot.If the listener is not deaf, all wires and interconnects will sound different.

One can always count on this one for a proper heated discussion

IMO, yes good quality cables will enrich your listening experience. But what is a good quality cable? Any cable of the proper gauge that has decent shielding & insulation. I consider the so-called "high-end" wires (Monster comes immediately to mind - costing an arm and a leg) a huge waste of money. You can find other wires that cost less than a 10th and provide the same quality.

There are so many articles and discussions around this topic on the net, and you will find ardent supporters on both sides. I can only say test it yourself and see if YOU can hear a difference.

Get a length of the "ultra-expensive" cable and similar length of regular philips speaker wire in the same gauge (I prefer 16), hook up one or two speakers to your source and play a variety of sounds. If you can hear a difference for the better, and if you consider the improvement worth the 10X cost, then go for the expensive cables. Otherwise, stay with the regular cables and spend the money you saved on something else that will add a direct tangible benefit to your setup.

FYI, I did this test about three years ago in the US with Monster speaker wire from a hi-end audio shop, regular speaker wire from Lowe's and 16-gauge electric wire from a discount shop. I can honestly say that I couldn't hear any difference in a stereo setup, nor could my wife or half a dozen friends. I returned the Monster wire and went with the speaker wire for aesthetic reasons (the electric wire was too thick and a horrible shade of orange). So, either my hearing isn't as developed as those audiophiles, or there is no difference between using an expensive or regular speaker-wire. And I believe its the later.

Cheers
Teja

Heh Monster is not high end cable. Its bargain basement cable which is sold for a high price . Try your luck with something high end like Siltech, Kimber, Transparent Audio, Usher, Audio Art, Acoustic Zen, Zu Cable, Tara Labs, DH Labs, Nordost or any other brand like that.

Please see my post above.

Yes, twisted cables increase length and resistance. But some say that the twisting cancels out the EMI/RMF noise generated due to induction. But others say that this is not needed if (a) the cable is run over only short distance or (b) if the cable is properly shielded. As you see, this is never a clear one-is-superior-to-the-other situation. I wouldn't consider this a big issue in selecting a cable for my home theater.

IMO, they don't improve SQ - or let me say that whatever improvement it gives is not noticeably better than any decent 16AWG cable. At the best you experience a placebo effect. Again, this is MY opinion based on MY experience. You do your own testing and form your own conclusion. And don't go by industry awards - that usually is a you-scratch-my-back-and-I-scratch-yours kind of relationship between the manufacturers and the industry.

One solution is to have good connectors and clean them regularly - or just use bare wire. If you decide to solder (lazy guys like me do this), there are special high-conductive solder materials (don't know if they are available in India - I soldered mine with regular solder, though) that claim to minimize the solder effects. There are tons of articles on the net on how to do a 'proper' solder between speaker wires and connectors. Google it up.

I always noticed that SQ increases dramatically when listening to my favorites and drops quickly when listening to my wife's selections

Cheers
Teja

.................. + 1 !