Straight Wire is best known for its high performance for the cost Hi-Fi audio analog and digital cables. They have a fast turn around for custom length cables and 90% of their extensive portfolio is made in the USA.
Key to Straight Wire's longevity in the cable business is a fundamental understanding of what matters most in any application - consumer audio, commercial, automobile, marine, avionics - and to be able to provide a cable with the best electrical and mechanical properties for the application including taking into account the acoustical characteristics of the location.
OEM supplier to many well known brands and with over 40 years of experience in matching cables to specific electronics and speaker brands, there are few situations where Straight Wire does not have a great sounding solution at a reasonable price.
Made-to-order, hand-built in-house, custom lengths with a choice of terminations are assembled from Straight Wire's extensive cable stock in days not weeks.
Straight Wire sticks to the tried and true because they know that having invested in expensive amplifiers, source components and loudspeakers, 90% of the sound customers are hoping for depends on having cables that take into account the complex impedance characteristics of the amplifier and speakers because if there is a mismatch, boastful cable technologies won't be that relevant. That is why different cable geometries and insulating materials vary between models in the Straight Wire range. Put another way Straight Wire aims to get good results across a broad range of products whereas other manufacturers products may be very good in some situations but not at all good in others.
Neutral is an over used word in Hi Fi audio. Saying a cable is a "filter" is perhaps not the best way to think about how cables interact with components in an audio system. If you've ended up with speakers that sound a little bright in a room with little acoustic absorption, you might want to have a cable with electrical properties so the power response of the system curtails a peaky treble. Your speakers will sound different in a modestly sized concrete basement versus a large open plan home with sheet-rocked 2x4" studs. Some cable geometries tend to expand dynamic range and others contract it while at the same time producing more depth to the sound stage. So it's just as much a a "transfer function" as a "filter" Older ears tend to prefer more mellow sounds versus the more detail craving younger ears.
Upgrading your cables is one of the least expensive paths to better sound and video. Cables that come in the box with the equipment should only be considered as temporary hook-ups. To allow your components to perform optimally allow a cable expenditure of 10%-15% of your equipment costs.
A good set of Straight Wire cables made with the right terminations, length, and sonic characteristics for your equipment will often postpone the need to upgrade speakers and electronics and is essential infrastructure for future component upgrades.
kemela has been a Straight Wire partner for over 20 years and we work closely with Straight Wire to recommend the best Straight Wire cables for your situation because a cable does not just have it's own sound, it is part of a system. The consultation process is why we list retail versus MAP prices for Straight Wire products on this website, however pricing consideration is given to loyal kemela customers and new customers wanting to upgrade their system with a complete a set of cables which in many cases you may try before you buy at home.