+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 6 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 55

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

  1. #11
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    It was the old cable talk 'talk 3'. Bi wire. I still have it.
    Current Lash Up:

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

  2. #12
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Sussex

    Posts: 324
    I'm Simon.

    Default

    Thanks for all your replies.

    I don't get the arguments when people say quality cables don't matter and not necessarily expensive ones. I have bought quite expensive chord cables but only because I've gone up the range, they sound better, I had the money and thought it worth it. but they do suit my pmc 25-23s and cyrus signature gear too.

    I think it's maybe gonna be too hard to quantify but there is a few camps from people who just refer you to cheap cables, people who use maybe £30/m speaker cables on really decent systems, and people like me who have invested a fair bit in cabling. But regardless of whether I would have bought chord signature xlr interconnects I do think the epic reference speaker cable is good, as well as the epic twin I used before which is much better value.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dynamics View Post
    Thanks for all your replies.

    I don't get the arguments when people say quality cables don't matter and not necessarily expensive ones. I have bought quite expensive chord cables but only because I've gone up the range, they sound better, I had the money and thought it worth it. but they do suit my pmc 25-23s and cyrus signature gear too.

    I think it's maybe gonna be too hard to quantify but there is a few camps from people who just refer you to cheap cables, people who use maybe £30/m speaker cables on really decent systems, and people like me who have invested a fair bit in cabling. But regardless of whether I would have bought chord signature xlr interconnects I do think the epic reference speaker cable is good, as well as the epic twin I used before which is much better value.
    You're right.

    It is so dependant on what two boxes the cable is connecting, even before you consider everything else. Then there is personal taste as to the 'balance' of the sound. Sometimes changing the cable makes no difference at all, regardless of how much it cost. We may even dislike what it is doing compared to a cheaper one. The best I've been able to come up with in my own attempt to 'quantify' hi-fi, is to start with a thick cable of multi-strand copper, pure as you can get, because that 'in theory' should be optimal for all purposes.And then if that doesn't work, start experimenting.

    Life is short though and there are a lot of speaker cables to try in a near infinite combination of equipment. Who wants to do that?
    Current Lash Up:

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

  4. #14
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Sussex

    Posts: 324
    I'm Simon.

    Default

    Exactly you can't try everything but making good choices and experimenting up to a point, a good thing to do.

    I started with this talk 4 cable I bought in 1997 then when I bought my 20-23s I went to naim naca5. These are both thick copper only designs with basic pvc jackets. When I went to the chord range - firstly carnival silver screen, then epic twin, then epic reference, the sound is hugely better than just copper thick designs. I think it's the decent design and quality shielding and the silver coated copper too.

    I put the talks back on for a laugh the other day, and all the dynamics and detail is sucked out of the sound.

  5. #15
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    I've used Chord Odyssey 2 for a fair few years with all sorts of amp and speaker combinations, no complaints. Never thought about it. But with my current set up it doesn't work. Or that is, I prefer a different cable in this setup. Some may prefer it with the Chord in, but the difference is notable.

    I think £30 a metre is expensive fo speaker cable btw and I feel a bit dirty using the cable I am using now which is £32/metre, so we are probably not on the same wavelength there.
    Current Lash Up:

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

  6. #16
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Sussex

    Posts: 324
    I'm Simon.

    Default

    always common ground in hi fi though which is interesting.

    I think £30/m is expensive. I spent £150/m for chord epic reference, which is clearly very expensive and could be hard for some to justify for what it is. I just thought it was better than the much cheaper epic twin, it suited the system very well indeed, it's well screened with individual shielding for each conductor, it is probably the last speaker cable I'll buy, and therefore it is very worth it and value. I also appreciate law of diminishing returns comes in too so I'm paying more for lower performance proportionate to price. Also if I do have to sell it because I come across a cable as well performing at a lower price, that's an option too.

  7. #17
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Hmm. I've used speaker cables that cost quite a bit of money, but not thousands. I find my current cables sound better than anything I've heard before. They cost me around £100 for a five meter pair. Transparent Audio Musicord. Comparatively cheap, but amazingly well suited to my system.

    Oh. And if you want some, you may have a job tracking it down. I've been looking for more without success.
    It is impossible for anything digital to sound analogue, because it isn't analogue!

  8. #18
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,779
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Dynamics View Post
    always common ground in hi fi though which is interesting.

    .
    I think the common ground is where the answers lie. Maybe not for cables specifically but if we are asking the question 'what makes a good sound' in general.
    Current Lash Up:

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

  9. #19
    Join Date: Dec 2011

    Location: Athens

    Posts: 268
    I'm Dimitris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Macca View Post
    Life is short though and there are a lot of speaker cables to try in a near infinite combination of equipment. Who wants to do that?
    So true

    I have done some testing myself but I do not obsess about it. There are so many other options to work on with much greater effect and bang for the buck...

    I currently use industrial grade ribbon cables (pet - silver)

    I have a pair of Chord Odyssey 4 which I do not like that much. I keep them just for when I want to try a non-monoblock amp. I guess I could use plain electrical grade wire for that... I will sell them at some point.
    I also had a pair of Kimber 12TC for a while which I found acceptable but not that great for the price.
    I tried anti-cables for about a week. They left me indifferent and greatly annoyed with their non-practicality. Not to mention their price for what they are (plain magnet wire...)
    I used the 6mm clear van damme for a while, but found them terrible. I ended up giving them away.
    I briefly tested an old Audioquest Forest pair. Those were very nice. Unfortunately, they belonged to a friend and he did not want to sell them.
    I also briefly tested a pair of Yamamura millenium 4000. These had a very obvious issue at the frequency extremes. It literally felt like they were adding EQ. We literally were discussing to pass them through a scanner to see if there are any capacitors or coils in there. Lovely middle, but they seemed very opinionated. Especially for the price.
    Sources: Modified SL1200 MK2, Salas folded RIAA, Phonoclone, VSPS, Shelter 501 MK2, Modified Pioneer P6D6 as transport, Shigaclone transport, Peter Daniel NOS DAC.
    Amplification: Custom 211 Monoblocks, Electrocompaniet AW120, Audio Research VS110, Gainclone
    Loudspeakers: Tannoy Turnberry, PBN Montana EP Signature
    Cables/stands: Tempflex ribbon and Twinax cables
    Other: Promitheus Signature Passive Attenuator, Custom JFET - transformer preamp.

  10. #20
    Join Date: Feb 2017

    Location: Sussex

    Posts: 324
    I'm Simon.

    Default

    Just testing my signature

+ Reply to Thread
Page 2 of 6 FirstFirst 1234 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •