SME V alternative audio cable?

[sprint]

I am looking to buy a SME V and have been offered some alternative audio leads, from arm to amp.

It would be appreciated if some of you could give some advise as to if one of these alternatives (please no further suggestions or alternatives need to chose from one of these) would be better than the std SME VdH silver Hybrid 501 and if so why or would be just as well to stick to the std SME lead?

Rest of system would be Michell Orbe T/T, A.N.T. Kora ltd phono amp and Benz Mirco Glyder or Wood or Ortofon Cadenza Bronze cartridge fed to a MF Nu Vista amp and KEF 205 speakers.

I don't listen to classical music.

1. A Kimber cable
2. An Audioquest Cougar cable
3. A Cardas Neutral Ref cable

Thanks

Andy

[sq225917]

The standard SEM 501 cable is very well shielded, foil and braid and has low very capacitance and inductance, about half of what the Kimber KAG tonearm wire has. If you are considering that wire, just buy a graphic equaliser instead, the Kimber wire will roll off the treble.

The Audioquest will be no better than the VDH wire, especially as it's one of the bullshit ones with the charged dialectric. Yeh, just what you need additional voltage to be sunk via the ground plane of your phonostage. I can think of no better way to pollute that tiny signal than electrifying the screen in the cable.

The Cardas cable on the other hand is well made from selected parts, tight tolerance materials and designed by an engineer not an accountant or marketing dept.

I'd stick with the normal wire, or get the Cardas if you like how it looks and sounds. I tried loads and stuck with the standard 501 on my V, sounds lovely with my Benz LP cart and NAim Superline.

[Spectral Morn]

For my own set up I use Graham IC70 cable in RCA and XLR versions. Very dear and in both cases the cables were bought S/H but to my ear and in my set up I think the IC70 suits the SME 5 well.

Another option if your turntable allows it would be a junction box and two conventional interconnects.

I don't rate the VDH cable it comes with as it is veiled and closed in.


Regards D S D L

[Mika K]

Have heard also very positive things considering the Graham IC70 here in Finland. However also LFD copper reference and silver reference cables are really good ones and most likely will go for that route when I'm someday updating..

[Spectral Morn]

Have heard also very positive things considering the Graham IC70 here in Finland. However also LFD copper reference and silver reference cables are really good ones and most likely will go for that route when I'm someday updating..

I too have heard good things about the LFD cables. However based on photos (I have not seen or handled any in reality) they look a tad stiff. However photos can be deceptive so maybe they are flexible.

[blake]

The Jelco tonearm cables are a bargain. The only problem with them is they're too inexpensive to get much respect.

Buy one. Cryo it. Have it burned in on an Audiodharma cable cooker.

[Spectral Morn]

The Jelco tonearm cables are a bargain. The only problem with them is they're too inexpensive to get much respect.

Buy one. Cryo it. Have it burned in on an Audiodharma cable cooker.

I respectfully must disagree. The jelco cable is a major bottle neck on the performance of the Jelco arms and imho would hold the SME 5 arm back even more than the supplied VDH one.


Regards D S D L

[Pete]

I built a DIY cable with 28g twisted pair OHNO Cyro silver conductors in teflon, put into a silver plated copper braid. Sounds great on my V.

I tried out a GroverHuffman.com phono cable and it had very similar performance to what I have now. His standard ICs and speaker cables are fabulous as well, and I have populated my entire system with them.

The standard VDH SME V cable was veiled and less transparent as others have noted, not good if you have a decently resolving system, unless of course you like that sort of thing.

[blake]

I respectfully must disagree. The jelco cable is a major bottle neck on the performance of the Jelco arms and imho would hold the SME 5 arm back even more than the supplied VDH one.


Regards D S D L

Which Jelco cable? The cheapie "toss-in" that they provide with their arms occasionally or their aftermarket Mogami 2534 based tonearm cables (also rebranded and sold as the Extremephono Crimson, etc.)?

If it's the toss in, I have no experience with that one. The 2534 based Jelco that I have is grossly superior to the Van den Hul MCD 502 I have here sitting in my closet and a Cardas tonearm cable I've also used.

Cryogenically treat it and burn it in properly and the performance is really elevated (as with most cables).

[Yiangos]

Andy,i know you don't want alternatives but i strongly recommend Hovland "Music Groove 2". Holvand is no longer in business but i know this cable comes under a different brand nowdays,unfortunately can't remember which.Anyways,from the 3 cables you mention,i'd go for the Cardas and since you can purchase Cardas,if you want something "warmer" and more "lyrical" you can allways go for the cardas "Golden Gross".

[sprint]

Andy,i know you don't want alternatives but i strongly recommend Hovland "Music Groove 2". Holvand is no longer in business but i know this cable comes under a different brand nowdays,unfortunately can't remember which.Anyways,from the 3 cables you mention,i'd go for the Cardas and since you can purchase Cardas,if you want something "warmer" and more "lyrical" you can allways go for the cardas "Golden Gross".

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

[Wakefield Turntables]

My 2cents worth. Some V owners have tried silver wiring and then later gone back to copper with the complaints that it sounds too bright. If your V is properly setup then this needn't be the case. If have a V with silver wiring with teflon coating and it sounds like a completely different beast to the V I bought several years ealier.

[Pete]

My 2cents worth. Some V owners have tried silver wiring and then later gone back to copper with the complaints that it sounds too bright. If your V is properly setup then this needn't be the case. If have a V with silver wiring with teflon coating and it sounds like a completely different beast to the V I bought several years ealier.

I have silver wiring to my V, and there is no brightness issue at all.
Lots of resolution, speed and frequency extension, but natural sounding, not bright.

Now of course if the signal going through it has issues, then the silver cable will pass them through... then its time to examine the components...

I think silver can vary a lot in what it does to the sound signature. But good silver has only positives in my mind, and can reveal issues with a system elsewhere.

[Mika K]

Silver vs. copper issue is dependent of the whole system including the cartridge and the phonostage. There really is no way to make generalizations of the end result based to the wiring material as it's only a guess. And many times not even a solid one..

[DSJR]

Judging by the amateurish lashups so many well heeled audiophoools have, anything is sonically possible.

I'd have suggested the Audio Origami arm cable, but it'd be too cheap (therefore not "good enough") and not as well finished as the SME concoction, so a double no-no. The fact that it's actually rather good will go way above many people's heads methinks :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

I've got the AO stuff in my V and it sounds excellent, in fact I picked this becuase I'm a firm believer in taking advice from someone how has plenty of experience with toneram, i.e. J7, i think its one of the best upgrades I've done so far.

[DSJR]

If you can solder, the external wire is the excellent van Damme pro-patch mic cable. makes an excellent universal interconnect (possibly "better" then their other cables?) and is perfect for tonearm to amp cables, even with inexpensive Neutrik-Rean phono plugs on the far end...