I totally agree on the silver/copper depending on the application, even down to the component level. Silver sounds great in my system on speakers, preamp to amp and TT to preamp but too thin on cd player to preamp copper sounds better there.
What are you using for Cables?
- Thread starter Bigfish8
- Start date
So then CDs are brighter than vinyl, while vinyl has better bass?? :^p
I hardly came to that result by anything other than my ear. The first time I used a silver speaker cable I formed this opinion, and that cable was green to my eyes.
I hardly came to that result by anything other than my ear. The first time I used a silver speaker cable I formed this opinion, and that cable was green to my eyes.
Well, continued my testing over the weekend----"burn-in" of expensive cables ($200/m) compared to Monster pro audio mike cable and still no difference. My McIntosh just may not be sensitive to cabling choices, I guess.
I also ordered a pair of Blue Jeans LC1s for the system---no difference compared to the Monsters either. I really dislike the look of the Blue Jeans, so perhaps they will be going back. Can't they put on a nice looking sheath for a buck a foot more???
Now, i'm a bit stuck--as I do prefer the look of my expensive cables. I have Zu Libtec speaker cables that just came in, and I'll continue to try listening (after a new amp shows up). The Libtecs look great, and I hate bad looking speaker cable--as it sticks out like a sore thumb. These would replace my Audioquest Rocket 44s. Why anyone wanted to buy that HD halloween cord was beyond me.
KeithR
I also ordered a pair of Blue Jeans LC1s for the system---no difference compared to the Monsters either. I really dislike the look of the Blue Jeans, so perhaps they will be going back. Can't they put on a nice looking sheath for a buck a foot more???
Now, i'm a bit stuck--as I do prefer the look of my expensive cables. I have Zu Libtec speaker cables that just came in, and I'll continue to try listening (after a new amp shows up). The Libtecs look great, and I hate bad looking speaker cable--as it sticks out like a sore thumb. These would replace my Audioquest Rocket 44s. Why anyone wanted to buy that HD halloween cord was beyond me.
KeithR
I have both XLR and single ended Blue Jeans cables and the XLR don't look very "high end". BUT, they sound EXACTLY like the much more expensive cables they replaced. I now have BlueJeans throughout my entire system. And with the difference in price between them and the "high priced spread", I was able to afford a new Boeing 757!! 
The only really bad thing about the Blue Jeans product is that they don't have an arrow on them to tell me which way to plug them in
The only really bad thing about the Blue Jeans product is that they don't have an arrow on them to tell me which way to plug them inI use Don Palmer's Highwire cables primarily. A dual run of Highwire 700 LS speaker cables for true bi-wire. A 700 A cable as the preamp IC and a 700P cable as the phono. I also use Nordost Red Dawn v2 bi-wire as speaker cable for my ARC based system ( This cable is VERY fast) and IMHO mates well with tubes.
In the digital realm I'm using Harmonic Tech Platinum IC and Cardas Hex Golden 5c as IC from DAC to preamp. For power cables I have a custom built IVAC 18K gold unit. PS Audio power cords on the amp and preamp, Thinking of upgrading these to Shunyata's.
In the digital realm I'm using Harmonic Tech Platinum IC and Cardas Hex Golden 5c as IC from DAC to preamp. For power cables I have a custom built IVAC 18K gold unit. PS Audio power cords on the amp and preamp, Thinking of upgrading these to Shunyata's.
There's a blast from the past. Haven't seen or heard from Don in years. How's he doing?
I have both XLR and single ended Blue Jeans cables and the XLR don't look very "high end". BUT, they sound EXACTLY like the much more expensive cables they replaced. I now have BlueJeans throughout my entire system. And with the difference in price between them and the "high priced spread", I was able to afford a new Boeing 757!!
I hate when they do that. Plug, unplug, re-plug, wrong re-plug? Damn start all over again GRRRR! I mean how much does it really cost to print arrows on a cable?
Myles, I don't know much about what Don is doing these days. I do know that he and a partner started a new cable Co. which they called 'Skywire'. Same basic technology as the Highwire's from what I understand.
I really like these cables and have generally preferred them to current Cardas and Kimber cables. I think that some of the Nordost cables may be a lot quicker though,so I am going to experiment more with their line
and maybe Audience in the near future. The Highwire's are still very good cables, just not SOTA like they used to be.
I really like these cables and have generally preferred them to current Cardas and Kimber cables. I think that some of the Nordost cables may be a lot quicker though,so I am going to experiment more with their line
and maybe Audience in the near future. The Highwire's are still very good cables, just not SOTA like they used to be.
Anyone remember that cartoon series by Dick Calderhead in The Audio Critic in the 1970s? There was one called "At the CES" where it shows some hippie standing in front of his company's "Schmidlapp Zeta 9" speaker, boasting frequency response of 0.2Hz to 100KHz on a nearby placard and there's some middle-aged guy in wearing a sweater and having his hands in his pockets, walking up to the other guy and saying "Hi there! I've got a Fisher at home." When I tell you what I'm using for cables, you're probably going to all have a good laugh...
This is beautiful stuff. PVC jacket, clearly color-coded, 65 strands of #26 copper, and very flexible and easy to work with. And it's the best deal on the internet.
I bought mine here:
http://www.therfc.com/zipcord.htm
Joel Knoblock W3RFC
The R.F. Connection
213 N. Frederick Ave. #11WWW
Gaithersburg, MD. 20877 USA
Order Line 800.783.2666 All major credit cards taken
Fax Line 301.869.3680
#8 RED/BLACK ZIP CORD
$.77/FT
$18.00/25' stranded #8 AWG (65/26 bare copper) red/black zip cord with a tough PVC jacket; great for mobile installations and bench hook-ups. Rated at 40 amps.
Because, what it boils down to is damping, which requires current delivering ability to buck the back-EMF from the speaker coils as they coast. A woofer becomes an electric generator when it's coasting back to resting center position. This induced reverse current into the output stage. On big systems, this can amount to tens of amperes. If the cable is unable to carry the current, the woofer will be underdamped and the frequency response will rise at speaker resonance, not to mention the speaker will ring a bit and not follow transients as accurately.
When I upgraded from 14awg twisted pair that I'd made up at work in 1979, to this, there was a slight decrease in bass, or at least it seemed that way. I think what happened was some overhang was tamed. Booming bass can sound loud, but it's a departure from the signal that's driving the speaker.
Current carrying capacity is the #1 target goal for speaker wire. Unless you're running thousands of feet of wire, capacitance and other issues are negligable. A good way to test the cable is to use a dual channel oscilloscope, probing both ends of the cable, with channel B on the 'scope inverted and sum both inputs. What you see left over is the difference, or what the cable lost.
Oh and.. for interconnects, I am using Monoprice cables. Excellent quality and very inexpensive.
This is beautiful stuff. PVC jacket, clearly color-coded, 65 strands of #26 copper, and very flexible and easy to work with. And it's the best deal on the internet.
I bought mine here:
http://www.therfc.com/zipcord.htm
Joel Knoblock W3RFC
The R.F. Connection
213 N. Frederick Ave. #11WWW
Gaithersburg, MD. 20877 USA
Order Line 800.783.2666 All major credit cards taken
Fax Line 301.869.3680
#8 RED/BLACK ZIP CORD
$.77/FT
$18.00/25' stranded #8 AWG (65/26 bare copper) red/black zip cord with a tough PVC jacket; great for mobile installations and bench hook-ups. Rated at 40 amps.
Because, what it boils down to is damping, which requires current delivering ability to buck the back-EMF from the speaker coils as they coast. A woofer becomes an electric generator when it's coasting back to resting center position. This induced reverse current into the output stage. On big systems, this can amount to tens of amperes. If the cable is unable to carry the current, the woofer will be underdamped and the frequency response will rise at speaker resonance, not to mention the speaker will ring a bit and not follow transients as accurately.
When I upgraded from 14awg twisted pair that I'd made up at work in 1979, to this, there was a slight decrease in bass, or at least it seemed that way. I think what happened was some overhang was tamed. Booming bass can sound loud, but it's a departure from the signal that's driving the speaker.
Current carrying capacity is the #1 target goal for speaker wire. Unless you're running thousands of feet of wire, capacitance and other issues are negligable. A good way to test the cable is to use a dual channel oscilloscope, probing both ends of the cable, with channel B on the 'scope inverted and sum both inputs. What you see left over is the difference, or what the cable lost.
Oh and.. for interconnects, I am using Monoprice cables. Excellent quality and very inexpensive.
Hey Wineslob, you and your wife should go wine tasting in the foothills with us. On another note, I don't use AN cables anymore. I do love their ICS, though. My cables are winning the day. I sent Henry eight of them, and he called me right away. He couldn't control his excitement.
Myles,
Could you compare the type of sound of the MM2 versus the Cardas GR? I have owned a full set of Cardas GR, but no experience with the new Reference MM2, only with the very old Reference XL (a little "dark", by current standards, in my opinion) .
I use Siltech all over, AC, IC and speaker, just a pair of Harmonix Pro for my Reimyo DAC to be consistent with manufacturer/dealer advice - it works!
garylkoh
WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Here's a hilarious series of cartoons: (click next cartoon from the following link)
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080618
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080618
Here's a hilarious series of cartoons: (click next cartoon from the following link)
http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20080618
Of course the best are still the collection of Rodrigues cartoons called Total Harmonic Distortion. Not sure if it's in print anymore since got my copy maybe 15-20 years ago
garylkoh
WBF Technical Expert (Speakers & Audio Equipment)
Of course the best are still the collection of Rodrigues cartoons called Total Harmonic Distortion. Not sure if it's in print anymore since got my copy maybe 15-20 years ago
Here are some of them - totally hilarious!!
http://www.angelfire.com/in3/hifijohn/rod.html
They are out of print.
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