Should you have matched pairs of cables?

Ignoring the debate about the quality of InterConnects (becasue the topic has been beaten to death in older posts), I still have questions which I hope will result in easy answers and not touch off any nerves.

Is it worth having matched model/type ICs for connecting components?

examples:
5 Outlaw PCAs from pre/pro to amp and 1 longer Outlaw PCA from pre/pro to Sub?
6 Monster 400MKIIs from DVD/SACD to pre/pro?
4 RadioShack gold from tape player to pre/pro?

I do not actually have any of these cables I just wanted to use them as an example. Does it make sense to match cable type/model when running along the same path so the same signal goes from A to B?

It seems that this would make sense rather than just mix up cable brands considering they were probably manufactured differently. Any evidence that this makes sense?

Thanks!

[This message has been edited by NYC-EMT (edited February 27, 2004).]

While in theory, it should not make any measurable difference, I would still prefer to have cables from the same source for any one purpose -- and if I were starting from scratch, I would definitely not mix-and-match. For one thing, it should help reduce confusion when trying to wire everything up (which gets confusing enough once you get a couple dozen different interconnects running around).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Thanks...that is what I thought.

On a seperate but hopefully related topic...How many cables does one need to connect a DVD/DVD-A/SACD/CD universal player to the 950?

I thought you would need 6 cables for 5.1 analog sound: FL, FR, SL, SR, C, and Sub but someone recently told me that you usually only need 5 cables which did not seem to make sense. Any thoughts?

You need six for DVD-A/SACD player to 950. Someone may have been referring to pre/pro to amp, which typically does only require five (since the sub needs a much longer cable).

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gonk -- Saloon Links | Pre/Pro Comparison Chart | 950 Review

Gonk's right, Six analog cables from the universal player to your 950 for SACD/DVD-A playback. But don't forget to also add one digital cable, either optical or coax depending on your player, for regular DVD watching and, possibly, regular CD playback!