Talk 3 Speaker Cables

[synsei]

I could wax lyrical about these cables for a year and a day however I will pick out one particular thing which illustrates their prowess perfectly. If you want cymbals to sound like actual cymbals and not syncopated bursts of white noise then buy a set of these cables. No really, just buy some.... :wow:

[brian2957]

Yup use them too Dave . Totally agree . It's early days though so probably more to come :eyebrows:

[synsei]

Yup use them too Dave . Totally agree . It's early days though so probably more to come :eyebrows:

Those who reckon they can't hear the differences between various cables are either one sandwich short of a picnic or stone deaf. The Sharkwires I was using before were bloody good however the Talk 3's are in a league of their own. I think I may have found my ultimate speaker cable here, I really do. Brian, if there is more to come from these then I'm screwed as I have completely run out of superlatives to throw at them :stalks:

[brian2957]

IMO they take a bit of time to burn in Dave :sofa: . So don't be surprised if they get even better .

[Markiii]

have they changed the design? or is this the same stuff they used to sell 15 years ago?

quite stiff dark blue coated?

[synsei]

I have no idea, however it is quite stiff and the outer sheathing is green not blue ;)

[Oldpinkman]

OK - I can't do that sort of hyperbole, and I am not one sandwich short of a picnic. As a cautious and moderate cable advocate (as long as we're not talking mains), this is the best you are going to get from me. It should be read as a ringing endorsement

They are green. From Paul at Reffc. I like them and use them. I agree they are excellent, and I kept them after trying them as replacements for some very ancient, very ugly, much too long, chord flat cables from my PT days (which are now in a cupboard). I can't say they were better than the chords. Or worse. They were sufficiently not different for me not to bother switching back and forth to see if I could hear a difference. By contrast the QED 79 strand I tried temporarily was sufficiently less good for me to buy the Talk 3. The Talk 3 cost me about £70 with custom terminations and were of the highest build quality. I think they peddled the chords for a grand at the time they were given to me. I think it very unlikely I will ever bother looking for any other speaker cable. I might get another set made with bananas at both ends, since the spades are a white-knuckle ride with the Integral amp.

But they're keepers :)

[brian2957]

have they changed the design? or is this the same stuff they used to sell 15 years ago?

quite stiff dark blue coated?

Yes these are completely different from the old 3.1 cables and they sound different too.

Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2

[synsei]

All I can say to that Richard is that the Chords must be very good indeed ;)

[misterpete]

I have tried all sorts of exotica, A Zen Satori, A Zen Hologram and Kondo. I have finally settled for RFCs talk 3, superb well made cable and for the price, ridiculous value.

[Oldpinkman]

All I can say to that Richard is that the Chords must be very good indeed ;)

They bloody well should be at that price :eek:

[synsei]

They bloody well should be at that price :eek:

:lol:

[Tarzan]

I have no idea, however it is quite stiff and the outer sheathing is green not blue ;)



What are we talking about here?:D

[synsei]

What are we talking about here?:D

Dunno, but maybe I should go see a doctor... :lol:

[hifi_dave]

have they changed the design? or is this the same stuff they used to sell 15 years ago?

quite stiff dark blue coated?

The original Cable Talk had two conductors running side by side with a web of sheath between. The new Talk has two Teflon (I believe) coated conductors separated by a filament and covered in an overall sheath. Sounds a lot livelier and sweeter than the original. Great value at £3.99 per metre.

[icehockeyboy]

Are we talking the same league as TQ Black here? :)

[DSJR]

Around 1999, Cable Talk and Talk Electronics parted company, the two directors taking 50% each. Kevin Edwards had designed the various cables they used and in terms of the speaker cables, the only real change after he left was the option of fig-8 pattern (the Excel series) and the Excel 3 being white rather than the dark blue as the infamous 3.1 was. The electronic side had taken all the money and when the two parted, the cable side was rather cash-strapped, to put it politely. kevin beavered away and eventually the electronics brand seemed to come good. Cable Talk folded in 2004 or thereabouts and the cables were soon forgotten and sold off, although some were really good.

The current Talk 3 is Kevin re-introducing a heavier gauge version (it appears) of the original Theatre 2 cable, which used parallel conductors with a small spacer inside the outer jacket. The insulation seems related to the SIMFLEX of the CT 4.1 (and upwards), which is/was non reactionary (with the copper) and the copper itself is the 42 strand stuff the 3.1 and 4.1 used (2.5mm). The copper used used to be very good quality indeed and my own Excel 4 (which I bought last year on ebay) hadn't deteriorated at all, the strands being bright and shiny after 10 years on a drum...

It IS good sensible stuff, not too highly priced and should be a great general purpose cable. Any heavier duty stuff that sounds radically different should, in my opinion, be regarded with caution, as although a tiny amount of inductance is deliberately introduced with the slightly spaced construction, I shouldn't think it's enough to drastically affect audibility.

This stuff is INFINITELY superior to the 'enhanced' and 'treble hyped' Chord Romour and Odyssey stuff, which is best for livening up 2000's Spendor S6'/8/9 series and similar, which have a slight thickness of tone in some rooms... - IMO of course :)

[Gromit]

I can only echo the positive comments regarding Talk 3 - I've been using it since very soon after it was released. Peter Empson at Deco Audio let me borrow his first demo set as I needed new cables. Rather than ordering up my own new set I just bought the demo set as it was the length I needed.

For a penny under 4 quid a metre it's a genuine hifi bargain. Easy, and unobtrusive to use too. :)

[hifi_dave]

Not really.

[Gromit]

Not really.

It's ideal if you have oak skirting boards - far less noticeable than white cable. :)

[clarkey555]

I could wax lyrical about these cables for a year and a day however I will pick out one particular thing which illustrates their prowess perfectly. If you want cymbals to sound like actual cymbals and not syncopated bursts of white noise then buy a set of these cables. No really, just buy some.... :wow:

hi dave would you have a link please for this cable.i am using rega Quattro flat at the moment but may well give these a go..cheers dave:cheers:

[hifi_dave]

By your Avatar, I'm guessing you have a Rega system. If so, I would suggest you stick with the Quattro.

[synsei]

hi dave would you have a link please for this cable.i am using rega Quattro flat at the moment but may well give these a go..cheers dave:cheers:

Here you go Peter ;)

http://referencefidelitycomponents.co.uk/products/speaker-cables/

[wee tee cee]

Are we talking the same league as TQ Black here? :)I have both, the TQ black sounds better in my system-more neutral and revealing.The TALK cable is great value for money but synergy wise in my set up the TQ was a clear upgrade (ten times the price mind, so it bloody should be.)!!!!

[Reffc]

I may stock it and make them up as people are already aware, but there's a good reason for that. In 20 years, I have not come across a better cable unless one is prepared to spend 10 times the money. DJSR has the make up almost spot on with his earlier post. There is a little controlled inductance which has benefits from and RFI rejection perspective, it's also low capacitance, so combine those two facts with the superb quality copper cores and low loop resistance, and it ticks all the right boxes. I use it in my own system where it ousted cable costing £22/m (that has now gone). It remains my own speaker cable of choice.

[icehockeyboy]

I may stock it and make them up as people are already aware, but there's a good reason for that. In 20 years, I have not come across a better cable unless one is prepared to spend 10 times the money. DJSR has the make up almost spot on with his earlier post. There is a little controlled inductance which has benefits from and RFI rejection perspective, it's also low capacitance, so combine those two facts with the superb quality copper cores and low loop resistance, and it ticks all the right boxes. I use it in my own system where it ousted cable costing £22/m (that has now gone). It remains my own speaker cable of choice.

Have you tried TQ Black before this decision?

[brian2957]

I was using TQ Black speaker cable and preferred the Cable Talk 3 . However , as with all things hifi this could have been a synergy thing . These are a great match for Pauls (Reffc) excellent Reference Pluto interconnects. At this price though the Cable Talk 3 is worth a punt

[Reffc]

Have you tried TQ Black before this decision?

Yes

[synsei]

I've not had the pleasure of hearing the TQ Blacks in my system (and most probably never will as they are way out of my price range) but I can say with certainty that Talk 3 cables sound exceptional in that same system ;)

[Gazjam]

Brian and I have tried many different cables in both our systems, and we kinda developed a feel for what works and what doesn't in our systems.
Been doing it a while so trust each others ears I'd say.

I use TQ Black in my system and its the best cable I've heard - in my system.
From all the others I've tried (including Rega Quattro in an all Rega system!) The Cable Talk 3 came the closest to the TQ in my view, not as good, but close, especially in the treble. To me though it didn't have the TQ "X Factor" that I'd miss.

Brian prefers the Cable Talk 3 in his system and still runs it I think.
He previously had the TQ Black.

My take is the TQ is better, but it should be at the price.
The CT3 gets close though, and for the price its a no brainer to be honest.
If I didn't already have the TQ Black I'd buy that.

Get the best connectors you can afford though, the cable is inexpensive so spend some money on proper terminations - makes a lot of difference with this cable.

[DSJR]

Back in the Rega clamshell and early '2000' days, Cable Talk 4.1, Excel4 and by inference, the current Talk 3, should be PERFECT for a Rega system. In fact, Juras and Naos speakers EASILY showed the further 'improvement' (due to heavier gauge) of the green hosepipe Concert cables in the bass especially. Sevenoaks' client's housewives wouldn't have it though 'cos it wasn't as thin as QED Micro :rolleyes: The box-shifters in many of these stores couldn't give a fugg either :( All those systems ruined with miles of QED Micro and SA cables - makes my heart bleed :steam:

[Stratmangler]

I might get another set made with bananas at both ends...

Does the state of ripeness have any effect? :D

[Macca]

Does the state of ripeness have any effect? :D

No, but you must take into account that there will be some skin effect...

[clarkey555]

Here you go Peter ;)

http://referencefidelitycomponents.co.uk/products/speaker-cables/

cheers dave much appreciated..i will try some in the new year and post a review of sorts and see if there is any improvement over the rega Quattro :dance:

[mad-moon]

I'm using a couple of pairs of cable talk monitor 3 interconnects..(assuming you're talking about cable talk 3 cables that is)and they also are quite wonderful...
I could wax lyrical about these cables for a year and a day however I will pick out one particular thing which illustrates their prowess perfectly. If you want cymbals to sound like actual cymbals and not syncopated bursts of white noise then buy a set of these cables. No really, just buy some.... :wow:

[wee tee cee]

I have found sewel dead bolts pretty good. Easy to work with and the banana bit rotates. Made up some talk cables in jumper length last night, you need to trim the insulation quite far back for the red and white wires to fit-they are good cables but the TQ black still sounds noticeably better in my set up.