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Thread: Speaker cable survey - does cable matter????

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Sussex

    Posts: 324
    I'm Simon.

    Default Speaker cable survey - does cable matter????

    I wonder if anyone would like to take part in a survey based on people's experiences to ascertain if people think audiophile quality speaker cables do make a difference in 2 channel systems, not necessarily expensive types, and if there is a correlation of more expensive audiophile speaker cables being used in premium audiophile systems, as opposed to those that aren't considered such systems. These terms could be subject to definition later, following results.

    I'm doing a survey for another forum and am very interested if anyone can help me.

    This could cast a bit more balance on the speaker cable debate for the benefit of those who are new to hi fi and also cast balance to those that do already have good hi fi and are wondering about upgrades and usefulness of speaker wire upgrades. It would be regardless of studies or measurements or technicalities. That is, do people think just using their own ears if they make a difference. i.e. a survey of views.

    If you want to help please could you say what the price and type of the amp / pre amps and power amps are, the same for speakers. Let me just know the make by a message and I'll look up prices if you want to keep matters a bit private (or message me). Also, the type of speaker wires used (make and type) and their price and if other cables used (make and price too). Also for each cable if it's made a positive difference over the last or other cables and why. If amps or speakers have changed then that would be useful to know too if it's changed the benefit of the cables.

    Questions are;

    - amplifier make,type, and original retail price if known (all components pre,power, integrated, plus power supplies etc)
    - speaker make, type and original retail price if known
    - cable 1 : brand, make, price per meter from new if known. Length of cables. If no other cables tried just state reasons here (e.g. either not thought to try, cables don't matter etc etc)
    - cable 2 : as above in cable 1, did it sound better and why?/why not?,
    - cable 3 : as above in cable 2, repeat as necessary

    Many thanks in advance for any help and hope you can take part.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,853
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    I use monoblock power amps located immediately behind each speaker (Quad ESL 57).

    The power amps used are variously:

    Mark Levinson ML-2
    Quad 405-2 (heavily modified, and 'monoblocked')
    Quad 510

    and for a short period of time, Quad 50E.

    The speaker cables are thus < 1m in length and sometimes as short as 15cm. Cables tried have been:

    QED 79 strand
    Van Damme 4mm2
    Van Damme 6mm2
    Fisual 'Hollywood Dark Twist Screened Speaker Cable'

    and 10A lighting flex.

    I can't say I've noticed any difference or improvement between them.

    Sorry for the lack of a positive contribution to your survey.
    Last edited by Barry; 09-03-2017 at 12:54. Reason: Added detail
    Barry

  3. #3
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Amp Krell KSA50S (£3500 new 20 odd years ago) and NVA P90Sa pre (£600)

    Speaker JM Labs 926 (about £3K)

    Cables;

    Chord Odyssey 2 (£30/ metre)

    NVA LS5 (£32.50/metre)

    Significant difference between the two cables, and not just with that speaker/amp combination, either. NVA LS5 has less midrange 'glare' and more controlled bass response.

    Hope that is of some help to you. Any man trying to quantify hi-fi cabling has my utmost admiration. Good luck, you'll need it!
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  4. #4
    Join Date: May 2009

    Location: gone away

    Posts: 4,870
    I'm joe.

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    Upstairs: Exposure pre/power amps (about £1,000 each when new, around 1998) to Harbeth P3ESR speakers (about £1,000 new in 2010). Have only ever used Exposure speaker cable in this system. The cables came FOC with the amps, it seems to sell for around £10 per metre. It's the cable Exposure recommend for use with their amps and have never felt the need to replace it.

    Downstairs: Devialet D Premier integrated amp (about £10k new, around 2013) to Spendor D7 speakers (about £3,750 new). NVA LS6 speaker cable (about £120 per metre). The NVA cable replaced Van den Hul The Wind speaker cable (about £25 per metre); the NVA cable livened up the sound considerably compared to the Van den Hul cable.

  5. #5
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

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    Cant remember what my cables were made of. Some silver plated yellow cable. Homemade twisted, took an age, lots of cable, costa fortune, into homemade speakers that took ages and took several years off my life
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
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    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

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  6. #6
    montesquieu Guest

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    So long as they are thick enough and not too long it makes no difference. 2,5mm or 4mm Van Damme cheapies, decent terminations or bare wire, is as much as you need. I'm currently using some cloth covered Western Electric thick-strand copper but mainly because it looks nice I think I bought a length off ebay yonks ago for maybe £50?

    I remember spending a bomb on Transparent cables ... they were too short for one configuration I wanted to try so swapped in the above Van Damme ... no audible difference. Learned a lesson that day but it took a year or two for the audiophilia nervosa to fully subside. Nowadays, spend the money on components is my philosophy.A properly designed amp into a properly designed speaker crossover shouldn't have its sound changed by 2-3m of wire. If it does then I would wager there's something wrong with the design of one or the other.

    A certain company's solid state amps will of course famously blow up if you use the wrong wire but in my view that's more down to the amp design than the cable involved.

    Gear - assorted valve amps into assorted Tannoys.

  7. #7
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

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    Should probably also mention that when using Lk100 amp and Celestion A2 speakers swapped Cable Talk 3 for Chord Odyssey 2 and heard no difference. became a cable sceptic immediately.

    however since then I have swapped speaker cables with different kit and heard quite obvious changes, changes a civilian would hear with no prompting.

    Conclusion; They can make a difference in the right situation, it has nothing to do with amplifiers not being designed properly. Whatever is going on it is more complex than that.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Sep 2014

    Location: brighton uk.

    Posts: 4,737
    I'm jamie.

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    im using van damme hifi cable its very good but i deeply miss my NVA LS5.
    My System
    John Wood KT88 Amp.
    Paradise Phono Stage
    Sony TTS-8000 Turntable.
    PMAT-1010 MK6 Tonearm.
    Ortofon Cadenza Bronze
    Sony X555ES Cd Player
    Yamaha NS1000m Speakers

  9. #9
    Join Date: May 2011

    Location: Torquay

    Posts: 2,719
    I'm Craig.

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    Let's not confuse Cable talk 3 and Talk cable 3.
    Different makes aren't they?
    Bluesound Node 2i
    Audio Analogue Pucinni SE
    B&W DM607 s2
    Chord Shawline X speaker cable
    Klotz ic’s

  10. #10
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    Quote Originally Posted by icehockeyboy View Post
    Let's not confuse Cable talk 3 and Talk cable 3.
    Different makes aren't they?
    Same designer, different company.

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