Frequently Asked Questions
1. A little bit about us.
YACCo. Cables is my answer to the question “why do cables cost too much?” Being a longtime audiophile, I’m beyond the “do cables make a difference debate,” but had a hard time understanding how manufacturers were arriving at prices that seemed disproportionate to the product being offered. Typically when asking, I’d receive answers like “advertising is expensive and is reflected in the price,” “exotic materials are just this costly,” “the price reflects R&D costs.” But, my favorite explanation is “expensive? These cables only cost $2500 per meter and sound as good as cables costing up to $7500 per meter, so not only are they not expensive, they’re a great value; a steal in fact.” OK, well I didn’t find those answers palatable. So, instead of being an armchair quarterback, I decided to get my feet wet and see for myself if I could start a company that would provide cables at realistic prices. After beginning my own R&D, I found that not only can I provide cables at great prices, I can provide world-beating cables at these prices. So, welcome to YACCo. Cables, take a look around and know that our prices are based on real things like labor, materials costs, and operational costs, and not on ‘what the audiophile market can bare.’
On this site, you won’t find inflated MSRPs that are permanently marked down 40%, you won’t find proprietary alloy conductors whose metal composition is top-secret, and you won’t find snake-oil methods of construction that add cost, but not much else. Instead, what you will find are cables built on solid principles, with quality materials, at prices almost any audiophile can afford.
2. Do silver cables sound bright?
Well, some do and some don’t. In our experience, stranded silver cables
tend to impart a brighter sheen to the sound, whereas solid conductors
do not. This is not a hard and fast rule, but is generally consistent
with our findings. We use virgin Teflon and solid conductors, and after
proper burn-in our cables offer a balanced sound; neither bright nor
warm.
3. Why are the XLR cables more expensive than their RCA
variants?
The XLR connectors we use are more expensive than RCAs, and the price
reflects that. In the case of the Lucky Sevens, the XLR version
additionally uses two more strands of silver than the RCA version.
4. What is your return policy?
Our truly RISK FREE return policy allows you to try our cables for 30 days, and if you don't like them, return them for a full refund including shipping costs. We'll even pay for shipping to return the cables back to us. The 30 day period begins two business days after the cables were shipped. After this 30 day period, the cables cannot be returned for any refund. Return shipment may be via any parcel service, but must be insured and cannot exceed the initial price of shipping paid. For example, if your order totaled $100 + $6.95 shipping, we will refund $106.95 and will pay no more than an additional $6.95 for return insured shipping. Additionally, all cables must be returned in original condition. This policy applies only to customers within the continental US. Those ordering from outside the US can still return their cables within the 30 day period described above, but will not receive a refund on initial shipping, or return shipping. Please contact us before shipping any returns.
5. Do you offer the option of using other connectors (such as
Eichman, Cardas)?
We do not offer other connectors as a
standard option as, in our view, the value proposition is just not
there. Some popular connectors cost well above the full price of a pair
of our cables and do not offer sound commensurate with their cost.
However, we will gladly special order custom connectors to build your
cables at your request.
6. How long does it take to receive my cables from the time I
order?
Each pair of cables is built to order and tested. As such, it takes a few days to complete an order before shipping out. The rule of thumb is that it takes about a week from ordering to shipping. We ship via USPS 2-day Priority, so once the cables are shipped, they arrive within 1-2 business days.
Don't worry; you're cables are not broken. We use a drain wire in our RCA cables to help with noise. The drain wire is soldered at one end to the RCA body, but is intentionally left unsoldered at the other end. Again, this is by design and helps your YACCo. cables provide a silent black background.
8. Since a drain wire is designed into the cables, are they directional?
Well, yes and no. The drain wire is designed so that the soldered end of the drain is connected to the source and the unsoldered end is connected to the target component (eg. CD player to pre-amp, or pre-amp to amp, etc.). However, as with everything in audio-land, some people have found that cables using a drain wire sound better in their system when connected opposite to the manner described above. And so, we like to leave this option up to the user instead of insisting that the cables only be installed in a single specific manner. Now, if you'd like to install your YACCo. cables as described above then connect the end with the YACCO. label (drain is soldered) to the source component and connect the end with model-name label (drain is unsoldered) to the target component.
9. What kind of warranty do you offer?
We offer a 3 year warranty on parts and labor. This warranty begins at the point of purchase and extends for 3 years for the original owner only. If your cables fail to perform correctly within the warranty period, we'll fix them or replace them. This coverage is limited to faulty craftsmanship or materials on our part. If, however, you accidentally dragged your Hattori Hanzō sword over your speaker cables and sliced them cleanly in half, this would not be covered under the above warranty. Regardless, we want our customers to be happy with our products and our service, so if something should go wrong with your YACCo. cables, contact us and we'll help you out. We'll only guarantee replacement or repair, however, if the fault was ours. Our policy for replacement or repair is that you pay shipping to us and we pay shipping back; this applies to international customers as well. Please email us with any warranty claims.