can anyone recommended speaker cables and interconnects for budget/mid range system?

[imparanoic]

actually, gramophone/vinyl/record usually sound better than cd's, eg, at a HK$10,000, cd player system compared to gramophone/vinyl/record ( at this price there is very minimal hiss), the record player wins, i believe it's to do with analogue wave compared to digetal sampling, however, vinyl/record are inconvenient as they are delicate as well you can't change tracks.

however, new technology such as SACD, dvd audio, even bluray audio is meant to be even better than records/vinyl

i don't think it's really psycholocal, ( eg similar to placebo effect), i have test cables to people who have no knowledge of hifi, they have said there is a difference.
In uk, a store (richer sounds) even loans a set of varible price cables to test yourself with no quibble returns.

However, cables should not be purchased in balance with your system, eg, 10-15% of the value of your system, as it's pointless to go excessively

the main factor, do you have a passion for faithful music reproduction or does any sound regardless of quality suffices you.

I assume that if you satified with an all in one/mini system, then that fine, however, you will never get the scale or the intergal detail of a live concert/performance ( note, i don't mean volume) , just as a all in one home in cinema in box will never reproduce a true cinema experience ( maybe you should arrange a listening session within a decent hifi dealer or a friend with separates system with your favorite cd's/dvds)

I was once a mini system fan way many years back during the start of my uni, until i was converted by a friends who asked me to come with them for a hifi listening session (as they was purchasing a system), the mini system was passed on to my relatives shortly after purchased a decent marantz system since)

[Stoob]

Ah! the old Vinyl vs CD debate

Some gramophone related humour:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSINO6MKtco"]YouTube - GRAMMOPHONE - Rowan Atkinson - Not The Nine o'Clock News[/ame]

[Raccon]

i don't think it's really psycholocal, ( eg similar to placebo effect), i have test cables to people who have no knowledge of hifi, they have said there is a difference.
In uk, a store (richer sounds) even loans a set of varible price cables to test yourself with no quibble returns.

How were those tests carried out? Did those people know to which cable they listened to?
If you want to do this right you need to do a double-blind test. But remember, there is a reason why all cable manufacturer's shy away from such tests when being challenged.

I hope you were kidding when talking about directional cables and that a digital one can improve the bass, after all to change the data stream the cable needs to have some active component (DSP) to it, else I call bullshit.

However, cables should not be purchased in balance with your system, eg, 10-15% of the value of your system, as it's pointless to go excessively

Some sensible advise at last!

[beachball]

jgl, Jimbo, and Raccon are correct. Things like directionality, skin effect, oxygen free, difference in sound between different digital cables, effects of oxidization, etc. are all BS. The only effect of these 'high-end cables' is that snake oil peddlers get to separate people from their money.
There is no theoretical basis whatsoever for the claim that 'high-end' cables have any effect on sound quality. This has been confirmed in practice through countless double-blind tests.

If the set-up in question consists of a few decent components, there is no way that anybody should spend more than 10% of the cost of the entire system on cables - and realistically it should be considerably less.

[imparanoic]

"after all to change the data stream the cable needs to have some active component (DSP) to it"

DSP digital signal processing is like eating gm foods and believing it will improve your health, hence, why it's usually found on cheap systems as your artifically trying add an effect to improve the sound, however, it's actually the opposite, hence, why pure hifi is more about purity and faithful reproduction of music, where nothing is added or taken away

[Raccon]

DSP digital signal processing is like eating gm foods and believing it will improve your health, hence, why it's usually found on cheap systems as your artifically trying add an effect to improve the sound, however, it's actually the opposite, hence, why pure hifi is more about purity and faithful reproduction of music, where nothing is added or taken away

I agree.

I just noticed that the statement about the digital cable was made by Skyhook, not you. Sorry for the confusion.