Ara had a chance to speak with audio expert Kevin LaTour about speaker cables. Kevin presented the other side of the argument that says you really should spend more on your speaker wire. He explains why he believes it's worth it.

Read Show Notes

The comments on speaker cables need to be tempered with the fact that this guy's income depends upon people paying outrageous amounts on cables that have no added audio benefits. Most of the "claims" by these cable manufacturers only begin to take effect at microwave frequencies. The idea that you must pay (proportionately) more for better source electronics than speakers is another indication that this guy just wants to make more profit.

Ara,

thanks for presenting multiple viewpoints. But I have to admit I was a bit disappointed, when "He explains why he believes it's worth it" never really happened. He did say, "they're worth it, no doubt" several times, but that doesn't sound like an explanation to me. Kevin talked a lot, but didn't actually say much.

Also, his comments that picking one esoteric cable over another could be used to tune and balance out imperfections in an existing system damaged his credibility in my book. The last straw was that "$8,000 (!) speaker cables can actually be justified". How? Well when you've spent half-a-mill on your audio system, why scrimp on cables? In other words, if you have that much money to spend, why not spend it? Well, umm... Now you're talking about people in the stratosphere. They may live on this planet, but they never come down to earth.

I'd recommend sticking with your original advice. Unless you're an individual with the mentality that "it can't possibly be good if it doesn't cost a lot", you'll be a lot better off with reasonably-priced options. You can have an excellent sounding system, and still have money in your pocket for a Starbucks Grande.

- Tim