Bottlehead Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: grufti on July 13, 2010, 08:02:27 PM
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Cynical? Ridiculous? Disgusting? Stupid?
Quoted from www.enjoythemusic.com: "Kimber Kable, an award winning manufacturer of cables for custom home installation and high-end audiophiles, is now shipping their Select KS 6063, KS 6065 and KS 6068 cables ($4400, $8000 and $18,800 for 8 ft pair respectively)."
That is such a weird corner of the audio world.
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The subject of wire/cable is quite the hot button in many audio circles. Much the same as the breaking in of capacitors. In my experience it makes a difference. So does changing the composition of power supply and audio path caps, changing tubes, cartridges and speakers.
Prices of any of these components can be astronomical. There are 4uF Teflon coupling caps used in Bat equipment that must cost BAT $600 each.
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After many years in this business I would say that cables can sound quite different, some are better in a given system and some sound good in a lot of different systems. The decision of how much one must spend to get the best sounding cable is strictly up to the consumer, and I don't really blame the cable manufacturers in going for it. No matter how much someone may express dismay at the prices, somebody is paying those prices because they think the performance is worth it. That is all the justification a cable manufacturer needs to set his pricing. Whether or not $18K or whatever looks reasonable for the materials and labor involved, I do think guys like Ray Kimber, and Caelin Gabriel at Shunyata do use very high quality raw materials that are at the top of the price range.
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I use and recommend Kimber's VS and TC series cables. I even have tweaks for them.
I would also like to add that it was Kimber Kable that plunged me head first into this hobby.
Guess that makes me a little biased.
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Same here, I use some Kimber Cable cables. It's the $18,800 for 8 ft that I commented on.
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Same here, I use some Kimber Cable cables. It's the $18,800 for 8 ft that I commented on.
This literally made me gasp when I read it. If I had nearly $19k to spend, it wouldn't be on cables! A new instrument, maybe.....
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When I worked at a Kimber dealer in the mid 90's I remember the rep coming in with some $10,000 cables. (pretty sure it was Kimber but maybe Audioquest) Complete with aluminum briefcase and a velvet lined box...I was looking for the handcuff on the handle. But like Corndog Kimber helped me cut my teeth on the hobby, an NAD 304 some PSB Alpha's and some Kimber PBJ's....
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But like Corndog Kimber helped me cut my teeth on the hobby, an NAD 304 some PSB Alpha's and some Kimber PBJ's....
Heh, I STILL have an NAD 304! I use it to drive a pair of Klipsch KG4.2's.
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Same here, I use some Kimber Cable cables. It's the $18,800 for 8 ft that I commented on.
Yeah, I'm a tiny bit irked that I'll never get to hear those cables. I've always been intrigued by Kimber's Model 88 Black Pearl cable but that's twice as much as the new Select cables! At least with the 88 I know they spent some man-hours building it.
Unless I win the lottery I'll probably never get to try them.
That's ok. I'll probably never drive a Ferrari either.