View Full Version : Speaker cable recommendations
jantheman
13-03-2011, 15:20
Guys...I'm in the doghouse...SWMBO has DECIDED that our lounge needs a reorganisation. Needless to say I was happy as it was but after taking a severe battering I have moved stuff around and now find myself in need of a pair of 4m speaker cables.
Any recommendations (bearing in mind the components listed below) up to about 300 squids....
Kimber 8TC or 12TC is very good value for money and excellent sounding cable.
What about the trying Van Damme blue 6mm (http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/product/1603/van-damme-studio-grade-blue-series-speaker-cable-6mm). Before you empty your wallet on Kimber cable (good stuff btw). I am lucky enough that 2.5m does me so Sterling Black Mamba is what I use. Im sure someone somewhere must know where it is sourced (China)so you could get longer lengths.
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 16:30
Guys...I'm in the doghouse...SWMBO has DECIDED that our lounge needs a reorganisation. Needless to say I was happy as it was but after taking a severe battering I have moved stuff around and now find myself in need of a pair of 4m speaker cables.
Any recommendations (bearing in mind the components listed below) up to about 300 squids....
I just checked from e-bay if there were any Supra Sword speaker cables for sale and hey presto:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Supra-Sword-Speaker-Cable-4m-Pair-Demo-Banana-Spade-/290540649522?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item43a5927c32
I sold my 3 meter pair some time ago for £350, so the price should be OK with those for 4 meter pair. I have no connection to the seller, I just know that Supra Sword is great cable for the money.
Ali Tait
13-03-2011, 16:35
Buy this, it's excellent IMHO-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Microphonic-Audio-Loudspeaker-Speaker-Cable-2-x-4m-/110659125936?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item19c3cc42b0#ht_500wt_1156
Don't let the low price put you off.
Bought van damm of Mark Grant recently and it worked well. Good price to
Reid Malenfant
13-03-2011, 17:30
I just checked from e-bay if there were any Supra Sword speaker cables for sale and hey presto:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Supra-Sword-Speaker-Cable-4m-Pair-Demo-Banana-Spade-/290540649522?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item43a5927c32
I sold my 3 meter pair some time ago for £350, so the price should be OK with those for 4 meter pair. I have no connection to the seller, I just know that Supra Sword is great cable for the money.
That looks similar to some Supra cable i have here that is attached to a pair of NS1000M crossovers :scratch: It's as thick as hell & weighs a ton, i had no idea it was so expensive :eek:
Only ID is "Supra +" on the positive cable...
hifinutt
13-03-2011, 18:29
supra cable is brilliant
chord oddy is very good value s/h and townshend isolda is brilliant and betters the oddy
analysis plus cable betters all of them if you can find some
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 19:16
analysis plus cable betters all of them if you can find some
+1 :eyebrows:
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 19:23
That looks similar to some Supra cable i have here that is attached to a pair of NS1000M crossovers :scratch: It's as thick as hell & weighs a ton, i had no idea it was so expensive :eek:
Only ID is "Supra +" on the positive cable...
Hi Mark.
If you have Supra Combicon connectors on the speaker cables you are for a winner :). These connectors enables you to change your speaker cable termination to spades or bananas, very handy in deed.
http://www.jenving.se/sword.htm
Reid Malenfant
13-03-2011, 19:30
No nothing like that Juha :( These cables are soldered (no idea what they used - must have been a 100W gun or bigger :eyebrows:) to the connections on the inside of the Yamaha xover, thus removing the standard crap connectors.
The other end is just bare wires. No idea how old the stuff is but it looks identical to that thick grey Sword stuff you linked to :) Must be the thickest & biggest conductor area of any speaker cable i have ever seen myself.
Would almost do for an arc welder :lolsign:
Has Supra got over the crap copper and mega-stranded thickness yet? The speaker cables I had some years ago were awful...
I have the "Microphonic" reference cables (with the webbing) and its great at not seeming to get in the way of the signal overmuch. had I been buying now and didn't have to cross a fireplace, I'd go for the Van Damme.
Kimber? Do leave off - it's as capacitive as heck although the Quads won't mind it i suspect.
The NAIM A5 cable always sounded amazing with the Quads as I remember. A shame that Naim charge three times per metre as much as it *should* be sold for imo (I do remember how much this sort of stuff costs to make).
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 19:43
No nothing like that Juha :( These cables are soldered (no idea what they used - must have been a 100W gun or bigger :eyebrows:) to the connections on the inside of the Yamaha xover, thus removing the standard crap connectors.
The other end is just bare wires. No idea how old the stuff is but it looks identical to that thick grey Sword stuff you linked to :) Must be the thickest & biggest conductor area of any speaker cable i have ever seen myself.
Would almost do for an arc welder :lolsign:
Supra Sword speaker cables comes ready terminated from the factory, so you could have some other kind of Supra speaker cable, which comes from the reel. Great cables and interconnects for the money any day. I found for some time ago Analysis Plus speaker cables and interconnects second hand and could not resist :rolleyes:
http://www.jenving.se/?p=spkr_cab
Reid Malenfant
13-03-2011, 19:48
This stuff is big, it must be at least 10mm^2 per conductor :eek: I couldn't find anything like it on that link, so i guess it's getting on a bit...
jantheman
13-03-2011, 19:59
I just checked from e-bay if there were any Supra Sword speaker cables for sale and hey presto:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Supra-Sword-Speaker-Cable-4m-Pair-Demo-Banana-Spade-/290540649522?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item43a5927c32
I sold my 3 meter pair some time ago for £350, so the price should be OK with those for 4 meter pair. I have no connection to the seller, I just know that Supra Sword is great cable for the money.
Whoaaaa....480 that lot went for.......more than I was prepared to pay at the moment...:eyebrows:
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 20:10
Whoaaaa....480 that lot went for.......more than I was prepared to pay at the moment...:eyebrows:
So you got it? :)
Ali Tait
13-03-2011, 20:11
Try the stuff I linked to. If you don't like it, you're only out a tenner. What've you got to lose?
Reid Malenfant
13-03-2011, 20:14
Ok, here is a pic of this Supra cable i have here in comparison to a £1 coin...
3948
Apologies for the thread drift Ray, i'd simply like to know what this stuff is at the end of the day, if at all possible ;)
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 20:18
It is funny thing with the recession and all, but good quality hifi sells still very well and is achieving really good prices in generally on e-bay. I have noticed this especially with anything to do with turntables. Might be elsewhere as well, but TT's is what I am most interested in and keep my eye on.
jantheman
13-03-2011, 20:26
So you got it? :)
No.....not me.....
jantheman
13-03-2011, 20:31
Try the stuff I linked to. If you don't like it, you're only out a tenner. What've you got to lose?
I have tried and commented on this stuff before, personally I didnt like it, besides I found it toooooo springy. I found it impossible to lay flat......tried all sorts including pulling it over a sharp edge...
Ali Tait
13-03-2011, 20:38
Fair enough. I pulled it over a door handle and that took the spring out.
selfaddict
13-03-2011, 20:41
No.....not me.....
OK. What about this then?
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?cablspkr&1305066644&/Analysis-Plus-Silver-Oval-12ft
Regarding Supra, I don't mention it much, but their 'Trico' digital coaxial cable, which I use, is just fantastic, costing some ridiculous price like £45 for a 1m length, and outperforms 'hi-end' cables at many many times its price.
'Bargain' doesn't even begin to describe it! :)
Marco.
jantheman
14-03-2011, 08:58
Analysis Plus sounds like fun. We have a dealer here in Devon that stocks them...I'll investigate.
wee tee cee
14-03-2011, 12:36
I recently switched to tellurium cable.I got a loan of some blue and tried it,I never put my chord oddesay mk2 stuff back on.Sounded fantastic in my sons system too.Made the mistake of trying the black...ended up with 4m runs.I would never have spent this much on cable,but listen to it and decide for yourself.My son wants 2 x 3m runs for his birthday at the end of the month instead of a wa wa pedal he kept going on about.
magiccarpetride
14-03-2011, 16:57
Guys...I'm in the doghouse...SWMBO has DECIDED that our lounge needs a reorganisation. Needless to say I was happy as it was but after taking a severe battering I have moved stuff around and now find myself in need of a pair of 4m speaker cables.
Any recommendations (bearing in mind the components listed below) up to about 300 squids....
This is easy. Nordost Odin ($16,000 per meter).
Buy this, it's excellent IMHO-
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Microphonic-Audio-Loudspeaker-Speaker-Cable-2-x-4m-/110659125936?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item19c3cc42b0#ht_500wt_1156
Don't let the low price put you off.
Have brought some of this for a muck around and will report back:)
Have bought some of this for a muck around and will report back:)
Just ordered some aswell, fingers crossed the springy coiling problem can be overcome.
Ray, what was it about the Microphonics cable you did not like?:)
jantheman
15-03-2011, 07:59
Ray, what was it about the Microphonics cable you did not like?:)
Its biggest problem for me was the insulation. It's so hard and stiff :eyebrows::eyebrows: that it makes it virtually unuseable. Its a pain to strip as by the time you have cut throught the insulation you end up taking half of the conductors out along the way, there isnt a lot of copper in there, the conductors are thin to start with. Its's also like a coiled spring, in another thread I likened it to a direct decendant of Zebedee. I found it impossible to straighten, others (Ali Tait) have said they managed it but nothing really worked for me.
In fairness, I cant really comment on sound as I only bought some for my aging mini system upstairs which isn't the ultimate in HiFi.
jantheman
15-03-2011, 17:56
Whats your thoughts on Audioquest???
Ali Tait
15-03-2011, 18:46
If you pull it on the outside of the coil under tension round a doorhandle or similar I found it straightens out nicely. The insulation is quite hard though.
Its biggest problem for me was the insulation. It's so hard and stiff :eyebrows::eyebrows: that it makes it virtually unuseable. Its a pain to strip as by the time you have cut throught the insulation you end up taking half of the conductors out along the way, there isnt a lot of copper in there, the conductors are thin to start with. Its's also like a coiled spring, in another thread I likened it to a direct decendant of Zebedee. I found it impossible to straighten, others (Ali Tait) have said they managed it but nothing really worked for me.
In fairness, I cant really comment on sound as I only bought some for my aging mini system upstairs which isn't the ultimate in HiFi.
Oh dear, really looking forward to terminating this now...........:(
Ali Tait
15-03-2011, 20:39
Proper wire strippers will strip it with no problem.
My order for 10 Metres of the Microphonics Audio Cable arrived at work this morning and so thought I would post my initial impressions.
First off this stuff is MUCH thinner than I expected and looks more like a super annuated bell wire than what I would expect decent quality speaker cable to look like. As Ray and Ali have said the outer insulation is VERY stiff and appears to me as if it was designed to be used with cable clips. It can be staightened but getting it to lay perfectly flat looks like it could be a challenge, though this may not be too much of an issue for me as most of my run is behind furniture. I would also agree with Ray that the cable does not contain a huge amount in the way of copper conductors which again is probably not what you would expect.
Given the above it is hard to see where the sonic benefits would come from but then I dont pretend to understand cables and will leave the final verdict to my ears.
jantheman
16-03-2011, 13:39
I await your impressions once you have it connected, if indeed you do manage it......:lolsign:
Ali Tait
16-03-2011, 13:49
I must admit I've never understood this mania for big thick speaker cables. The Microphonic Audio stuff looks to me to have a conductor size of about 1mm square. This will carry approx 10 amps.
I did try some 6mm stuff just to see, but I thought it was crap. Ok in the treble, but bass was truly awful.
I think a lot of how a cable sounds is down to the dielectic used, and in this case it is polypropelene, which is well liked in capacitors, so why not in a speaker cable?
I think this stuff is as good as anything else I've tried in my system, which given the price makes it a bargain.
I would agree. I hate most fat speaker cables, because more often than not in my experience they tends to sound as they look - plump and PHAT! ;)
It's not always the case, but often is.
I've no idea how the Microphonics Audio Cable sounds, as I haven't used it, but it's gotta be worth a go at that price!
It'll be interesting to hear what Rich thinks when he tries it :)
Marco.
HighFidelityGuy
16-03-2011, 18:19
I'm trying the Microphonic Audio cable at the moment.
My first impression was the cable was much thinner than I expected but everything looks thin after you've used Black Mamba. It is very springy and tricky to work with but then again it's much ligher and easier to bend than Black Mamba. From a sound quality point of view, in the few days I've been using it so far I've found it to offer a similar performance to Black Mamba in all areas other than high frequencies. The Microphonic seems to give a more up front and bright presentation. In my system this isn't working too well as it's causing some harshness and sibilance. That's with solid state amps, so valve users may find the cable acts differently. Seen as I've only used the cable a few days it may settle down after further use.
Overall the Microphonic cable offers excellent value for money providing you're ok with it not being terminated and perhaps if your system needs livening up a bit.
I think I'm going to try some Supra Ply 3.4S next as it looks interesting.
Recieved my Microphonics cable(M) and first impression are of quite a thin wire and very springy- termination time, ( bare wire) and be Jesus the dielectric could survive a bomb blast, anyway with sharp scissors, l cut down the middle- good job l got to the Gym:), and with PROPER wire cutters, got the dieelectric off, plugged them in to the Mini-T/Harbeths and on appearance alone was not expecting much to be honest, but blow me down these sound rather good! Smooth rounded, dynamic,musical and very smooth,they have a relaxed tone, seperation, 3D, depth are all superb, for £10 and you can be arsed to do the terminations, these are amazing VFM- l like VFM! Footnote: Nearly every cable l put in my system sounds pretty good due to the Harbeths being unfussy about equipment etc, and the Ms are not as good as my current speaker cables which are about 30 times more expensive, but there is not a lot in it, these really are a bargain- we have never had it so good:) Will report back again when they have broken in, as the sound has changed a little in the 2 odd hours l have had them:mental:
Sounds good, Andy! I may try 'em...
<Thread Drift Alert> (Sorry!)
I couldn't remember what the Harbeth Compact 7ES11's look like, so did a Google Image search - how many images of the speakers? Um, not many... How many results from AoS? - quite a few! :lol: http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=Harbeth+Compact+7ES11&hl=en&safe=off&prmd=ivnsfd&source=lnms&tbs=isch:1&ei=VgmBTc7rJtSbhQe4scWVBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1600&bih=785
<As You Were> ;)
Yesh, marvel at the sheer influential POWER of AoS!!!
I'm not smug, honest! :king:
Marco.
True, but most of the images have little to do with the speakers. And what's my 'avatar' doing there?
Nice to see Marco's record cleaner, Tabatha, has made the limelight.
Ali Tait
16-03-2011, 21:22
Told you these cables are good!
£10 for a skinflint like me l had to try:).
HighFidelityGuy
16-03-2011, 22:35
The Microphonic cable reminds me of how NVA LS5 sounded in my system and that costs about £90 per meter terminated. At £90 the LS5 is pretty good value based on the performance, quality of materials and construction. So that makes the Microphonic seem very good value. I just hope the top end tones down a bit as it burns in. Failing that it might work better with my KEL84 but that's in bits while it awaits new resistors and caps. Who knows, they may be a match made in heaven. :eyebrows:
Have to say the Microphonics is very, very smooth indeed- and musical:):cool:, anybody have any online sites for reasonably priced Banana plugs?
Ali Tait
17-03-2011, 06:42
Funny you should say Dave, I have some ls3 and I thought the same. It doesn't sound toppy in my system, but then I'm using an 8 inch fullrange driver from 200Hz up.
jantheman
17-03-2011, 08:34
Nice one Andy.....:mex:
It would appear after looking at the ebay listing that this is a different version to the one I tried. Mine had a red stripe on one conductor and looking at the Microphonics audio website, they say that this type is no longer in production.
One thing did intrigue me though...the quote...
'The cable design is based on the theory that high frequencies travel along the outside of wires and low frequencies travel through the middle of wires'.
Theory!!!!!
Ali Tait
17-03-2011, 09:59
Yes, I've found the dielectric to have a bigger influence on sound than whatever the conductor is.
HighFidelityGuy
17-03-2011, 10:12
Have to say the Microphonics is very, very smooth indeed- and musical:):cool:, anybody have any online sites for reasonably priced Banana plugs?
I used THESE (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Compass-Audio-UK/Banana-Plugs-/_i.html?_nkw=beryllium&_fsub=237827319&_sid=180710989), soldered with WBT high silver content solder. :)
Funny you should say Dave, I have some ls3 and I thought the same. It doesn't sound toppy in my system, but then I'm using an 8 inch fullrange driver from 200Hz up.
Thanks, it's good to know I didn't imagine the similarity. I found the LS5 a little toppy in my system. Perhaps it's just the way these cables interact with my amps and/or speakers. :confused:
I've often wondered how much the cable that's inside the speaker cabinets affects the results. It's usually some cheap nasty multi-stranded stuff which will no doubt have completely different electrical properties to whatever cable you use between your amp and speaker terminals.
You could say that the best thing to do is find some cable you like and then use this to re-wire the speakers internally and externally. However it could be that the standard wire inside the cabinets was altering the sound quite drastically, so a cable that sounded good between amp and speakers might sound way too bright or warm when used throughout. It's one of those Chicken before egg situations. Where do you start? :doh:
Ali Tait
17-03-2011, 11:08
I agree, my ob's are wired all the way through with this cable.
jantheman
19-03-2011, 17:53
Audioquest Rocket 44 BiWire. Brand new and less than 1/2 price. 4.5 mrtr pair. Temptation was too much to resist. Had a couple of hours with them this morning and they are waaayy better than anything I have tried. I'm well chuffed.
Thanks for the input.
Well I've spent a few days with the Microphonics cable and I am coming to the conclusion that I don't think it's for me. John (HiFidelityGuy) described it as "toppy" which is a pretty accurate description as I found this cable to be all about the mid-upper ranges. My Bolivar 125 speakers have a definite warm laid back sound to them which I love, but which may have those that prefer a more modern forward style running for cover. The achilles heel of the Bolly's is a bit of bass boom from the cheap cabinets which the Micropohics cable seemed to help with, but this was at the expense of much of the warmth that make these speakers so appealing. Another problem for me was that I noticed a definite harshness to the top end of some vocals but on the plus side I did find that overall detail was improved. I should also add that my system is quite basic and may not even be considered by some as hifi
Rotel Rcd-965BX CD Player - Hlly T-20 T Amp - Bolivar 125 2 Way Speakers.
Whether you get on with this cable will greatly depend on your system and your taste in presentation. It is cheap to buy and so may be worth a punt, however I will be returning to the the below cable which more suits my system\ears and is also a bargain:).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270289849274&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&afsrc=1
Reid Malenfant
19-03-2011, 19:55
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270289849274&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&afsrc=1
Hi Rich, that's the stuff i use ;) Very happy with the stuff, i think the same seller also sells thicker stuff as i appear to remember buying a couple of thicknesses (6mm^2 & 4mm^2) for different applications..
Agreed, it's very well priced :eyebrows:
Ah, here it is (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10m-Loud-Speaker-Cable-Oxygen-Free-OFC-6mm-762-Strand-/270370467142?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item3ef355ed46) :) & this to (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10m-Loud-Speaker-Cable-Oxygen-Free-OFC-4mm-532-Strand-/350187678868?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item5188cfec94)
Great stuff :cool:
Hi Mark, I agree the OFC cable is great cable for the money.
Before I bought the Microphonics cable I was somewhat of the opinion that speaker cables were all much of muchness it's only copper wire after all, but now I'm not so sure. Just thought I'd give the Microphonics cable a go just to see what the buzz was about, but it's not for me though it may suit others.
jantheman
20-03-2011, 09:39
Hi Mark, I agree the OFC cable is great cable for the money.
Before I bought the Microphonics cable I was somewhat of the opinion that speaker cables were all much of muchness it's only copper wire after all, but now I'm not so sure. Just thought I'd give the Microphonics cable a go just to see what the buzz was about, but it's not for me though it may suit others.
A convert to the 'cables do matter' camp?
Unfortunate that it didnt work out for you but it wasn't like you were spending 100's and you were happy to take the gamble.
Ali Tait
20-03-2011, 13:54
Well I've spent a few days with the Microphonics cable and I am coming to the conclusion that I don't think it's for me. John (HiFidelityGuy) described it as "toppy" which is a pretty accurate description as I found this cable to be all about the mid-upper ranges. My Bolivar 125 speakers have a definite warm laid back sound to them which I love, but which may have those that prefer a more modern forward style running for cover. The achilles heel of the Bolly's is a bit of bass boom from the cheap cabinets which the Micropohics cable seemed to help with, but this was at the expense of much of the warmth that make these speakers so appealing. Another problem for me was that I noticed a definite harshness to the top end of some vocals but on the plus side I did find that overall detail was improved. I should also add that my system is quite basic and may not even be considered by some as hifi
Rotel Rcd-965BX CD Player - Hlly T-20 T Amp - Bolivar 125 2 Way Speakers.
Whether you get on with this cable will greatly depend on your system and your taste in presentation. It is cheap to buy and so may be worth a punt, however I will be returning to the the below cable which more suits my system\ears and is also a bargain:).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270289849274&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&afsrc=1
Funny how these things are so system dependent isn't it? I tried a very similar cable, though of 6mm square size. Treble was ok, but I found the bass thick and slow. The Microphonics cable cleared things up no end.
Unfortunate that it didnt work out for you but it wasn't like you were spending 100's and you were happy to take the gamble.
No gripes from me all Ray, anyone who thinks the Microphonics cable may suit their system should give it a go, it's a bargain even by my standards and I'm a tight sod:lol:
Not sure I'm a convert to the 'cables do matter camp', let's just say that before I was an aetheist and now I'm agnostic.
Reid Malenfant
20-03-2011, 20:03
Funny how these things are so system dependent isn't it? I tried a very similar cable, though of 6mm square size. Treble was ok, but I found the bass thick and slow. The Microphonics cable cleared things up no end.
:eyebrows: Yes odd, but maybe not really depending on the application ;)
I'm using 6mm^2 to feed my bass & lower midrange drivers in my active system & i find the bass taught & extended. But you must remember that when i designed the speakers the response was tailored to the fact that the bass drivers would have virtually no resistance in series with them (no crossover). If i used a skinny cable it'd upset the bass response & make it more peaky at frequency extremes (30 & 100Hz) with a dip at about 55Hz ;)
Ali Tait
20-03-2011, 22:30
Would that be taut? ;)
Yes, my application is very similar, I run an active setup too, my speakers being run from a Behinger, much like yours are. :eyebrows:
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