Alex, why not just try one under their 60 day return policy? i know it means stumping up the dosh first, but if you have a credit card..............?

icehockeyboy - i'm trying to upgrade my Cambridge Audio A5 & CD5 setup (yeah, rubbish i know, but hey my job doesn't pay me enough to get a tasty system!). Can't stump up the cash to change these separates just yet but I've been thinking about starting my Hi-fi re-vamp with some new speakers (see my other post) and maybe some interconnects & cables. What would you vouch for in terms of a decent budget (ie £50 or under) mains cable? U seem to know the answers here and i haven't got the foggiest!! Can u buy something worthwhile for this amount of cash? Like Alex, I don't wanna go crazy on something that, let's face it, isn't gonna be the most exciting piece of my hi-fi set-up!!!

An aftermarket mains cord will make a tremendous difference to the sound of your system, provided you buy the right one of course! There are many on the market than make no difference, others will make a nominal difference, some will in fact compress and degrade the sound. So which one to buy? Ignore the marketing hype and seek out those that have published genuine testimonials from other users. Best advice is either a free home trial from a dealer, or find companies that offer a full refund.

Hmmm, not sure that i totally agree with Frank re the "tremendous" difference an aftermarket mains lead will provide, maybe in his system it did, in mine?.....subtle but worthwhile......Very often RA have 2nd hand leads, which they advertise on their website, or, at the back of hifi choice mag(far better than What hi fi!!!!) youll find ads with mains leads from ,shall i say, less well known( due to less advertising probably)manufacturers, These provide mains leads that are usually as good as, if not better than RA stuff for less outlay.
You dont say what speaker cable you use? Very often using a better quality speaker cable will show greater benefits than the mains lead, as will, imo, a better interconnect. What are you currently using?
Ps, thanks for the compliment at the start of your thread!!Its not true!There are many, many more better informed than me!Im just enthusiastic about hifi, thats all.

I meant in the middle of the thread.....

Thanks Frank/icehockeyboy. Well, my cables are nothing special at all, QED originals. I bought them the same time as i got the CD5 (couple of years ago now i think). Do you think I coud do with something better? What would you guys recommend over them?

Do you mean qed original speaker cable?if so, yes, a definite improvement can be made for not a lot of cash.Having had their silver anniversary biwire for a year or so, i would advise steering clear, sure the detail in the treble is good, but at the expense of it not allowing all the bass through, id advise stuff from chord, van damme(really cheap but v. good)or cable talk.
You dont specify ic model, are they still qed? they do a fair few, so please , a little more info....

Thanks icehockeyboy, yeah sorry that wasn't clear in my post! My speaker cables are the QED originals and I forgot to mention the interconnects - they're QED's too, (Qnect). Now these are REALLY old and i didn't buy them, my mate actually donated them to me ages ago when he was upgrading his system. I'm sure there's something better out there...

Dan, The midrange 2.5mm Van Damme isn't expensive and sounds very good too. IHB, recall what I said about using the right type of mains cable? There are myriads of them on the market and all are much of a muchness so finding the 'right' one is no easy task I will admit, but do look to the smaller firms on the market that tend to give better value and more sounds for your pounds.

Thanks Frank, I've never tried equipment from Van Damme before. What kind of sound are you likely to achieve with the midrange 2.5mm cable?

Dan,you still havent specified which Qnect, there are 4........models 1 2 3 and 4!In fact theres 2 in the 4 range.......

I presume they're the Qnect 1, although I didn't but them myself... (but I'll ask my friend who kindly donated them :-) ).

Dan, The Van Damme speaker cable range is excellent value for money and compared to your QED it's a total breath of fresh air. I can't say it has any vices and will show a clean pair of heels to other fancy wrapped speaker cables costing much more. It's available from your local branch of Maplins either over the counter or you can order direct off the net.

Cheers Frank, I've a look at Van Damme's range on Maplins. They've got 1.5mm, 2.5mm, and 4mm. Do you think I'd find a significant sound difference between them?

The best sound/value is the 2.5mm size. The 4mm is a touch better but is quite a thick old thing to terminate!

Cheers for you help Frank. I think a trip down the shops is in order tomorrow!

Id suggest ic's from van den hul, maybe the bay, or the name..both v.good.

Given the cost of these things I would suggest that a seperate spur for your kit might be more cost effective. I had oer electrician put a 10mm spur in and it made a huge difference, esp to the bas depth and definition and detail retrival

Agreed. It's another significant step towards getting a better sound from your system. Equally important in my humble opinion is those lengths of cheap flex 'kettle cords' that folks also use in the belief that a 'bit of wire is a bit of wire', which it isn't. There is more to mains supply than simply electricity running through cables.

I have an Arcam 73 and recently bought a secondhand Russ Andrews Mains lead. When it arrived and I opened it, I thought "Oh My God!! What I have I just spent all that money on???" But I went and played a familiar track with ordinary mains lead and keeping all settings the same, swapped cables and..................Yes there is a difference, stereo imaging seemed more focussed and precise whilst the bass more sort of taunt.I am now buying another cable for my amp and will, money permitting buy more cables. I have also used a silencer (not Russ Andrews) and that made a big difference.