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View Full Version : These are a NO BRAINER IMO!



AJSki2fly
05-08-2019, 14:50
So a few weeks ago a fellow AoS'er contacted me about SUT's and he told me that he had replaced his interconnects with Belden 8402 w/ Switchcraft 3502A Audiophile High-End RCA ones. He said I should give them a try as they very very good in his opinion.

A pair arrived yesterday and this morning I decided to try them out the results are below, I will let you make you own judgements.

You can source the ones I purchased at https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Belden-8402-w-Switchcraft-3502A-Audiophile-High-End-RCA-Interconnect-Cable-Pair/122439809318?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&var=422904152920&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 if you want to give them a try.

https://i.postimg.cc/6577xD5X/Screenshot-2019-08-05-at-15-37-31.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/WpYDK2V8/Screenshot-2019-08-05-at-15-37-58.png (https://postimages.org/)

https://i.postimg.cc/4y0mh1Pq/Screenshot-2019-08-05-at-15-38-19.png (https://postimages.org/)

Wakefield Turntables
05-08-2019, 15:50
So your starting out on the "real" sound journey. welcome!

AJSki2fly
05-08-2019, 16:11
So your starting out on the "real" sound journey. welcome!

:lol:I have been pursuing "Real Sound" as you put it on and off for the past 40 years, and have taken a variety of paths some right some wrong and a few dead ends, but I think I am getting nearer to a system that satisfies my ears anyway.:)

Wakefield Turntables
05-08-2019, 19:08
Have you seen Jeff Day's work? I have a 3rd system with a full loom of Duelund and Belden cabling. I have Belden IC's bewteen my Radford pre and power amps, and into the phonostage. I have Duelund speaker cable and I have rewired my Celestion Ditton 15 speakers with Duelund cabling. It does sound good!

AJSki2fly
05-08-2019, 19:38
Have you seen Jeff Day's work? I have a 3rd system with a full loom of Duelund and Belden cabling. I have Belden IC's bewteen my Radford pre and power amps, and into the phonostage. I have Duelund speaker cable and I have rewired my Celestion Ditton 15 speakers with Duelund cabling. It does sound good!

I am not aware of Jeff Day, probably my loss? I find it very interesting that the Dueland and Belden cables produce great results and are such VFM. I have always been quite sceptical about very high priced cables and the justification of their prices. That is not to say that they may not be good or producing great results but I always thought that there could very good cables out there that were sensibly priced and gave great results.

Wakefield Turntables
05-08-2019, 19:41
Jeff loves his Belden IC's and Duelund cabling. He's produced many articles. Here's a link, fill your boots https://jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/welcome-to-jeffs-place/

karma67
05-08-2019, 19:55
im in!

karma67
05-08-2019, 20:23
although i'll wait till you score my interconnect first :D

Edward
05-08-2019, 22:03
Adrian, how long it take for the cables to arrive from Greece after you placed the order? And did the seller use a tracked service?

Cheers

jandl100
06-08-2019, 07:58
Belden 19364 is the best mains cable I have used, and I have tried quite a few!

e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mains-power-cable-Belden-19364-screened-16A-C19-silver-plated-mains-IEC-0-5mt/131994815355?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

EDIT .... make sure you get one with the IEC connector you need.
The above link is for a C19 High Current connector (needed for my Airlink balanced PSU!).

YNWaN
06-08-2019, 09:51
Having just completed going in a huge cable ‘loop’ (pun intended) and ended up using the same interconnect as when I started, I’m all out of motivation for further interconnect experimentation/revelations :(.

scotty38
06-08-2019, 09:56
Belden 19364 is the best mains cable I have used, and I have tried quite a few!

e.g. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mains-power-cable-Belden-19364-screened-16A-C19-silver-plated-mains-IEC-0-5mt/131994815355?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Just check connector type before clicking on "buy it now" though...

jandl100
06-08-2019, 10:07
Just check connector type before clicking on "buy it now" though...

Oops. Yep, get one with the IEC connector you need!! :doh:
Previous post edited accordingly.

jandl100
06-08-2019, 10:12
Having just completed going in a huge cable ‘loop’ (pun intended) and ended up using the same interconnect as when I started, I’m all out of motivation for further interconnect experimentation/revelations :(.

Hah - yes, I've just spent a year or so performing a similar loop, with the same start and end point as you! :doh: :lol:

YNWaN
06-08-2019, 10:25
Yep, as you said in an earlier post (I think) the Atratus 3 sounds as fresh as the first day I heard it. I would dig out the review I wrote about it if it wasn’t for the fact that you can only buy it second hand and you can’t even buy the raw cable it is made from unless one is prepared to import it.

I wonder how it would compare in Adrian’s scoring system....

scotty38
06-08-2019, 10:47
Oops. Yep, get one with the IEC connector you need!! :doh:
Previous post edited accordingly.

Haha, my original post was missing its smiley :)

AJSki2fly
06-08-2019, 17:40
Adrian, how long it take for the cables to arrive from Greece after you placed the order? And did the seller use a tracked service?

Cheers

It was within a week, I don't think it was tracked but arrived all good. They look to be pretty well made IMO.

AJSki2fly
06-08-2019, 17:42
although i'll wait till you score my interconnect first :D

Sorry I am back at work this week and will not get to the KARMA interconnects till Friday, weekend is wiped out due to a wedding to attend. If I need to I will do some more listening on Monday.:)

AJSki2fly
06-08-2019, 17:47
The fellow AoS'er who recommended them is very kindly sending me his Hagerman Frybaby on loan to burn them in, he said that it improves them even further. So if they get better it will be interesting in what way. Not something I done before with any cable so I will be interested in the result. I will of course repeat the listening tests and report back again. TTFN:)

karma67
08-08-2019, 16:02
my Belden 8402 order has arrived,i'll make a tonearm cable and a pair of interconnects up and give them a spin :)

YNWaN
08-08-2019, 20:39
OK, let me know your thoughts please?

karma67
09-08-2019, 05:23
I like it straight away, if you want to try it mark I bought mine from here,
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 163693925246

YNWaN
09-08-2019, 10:27
Blimey, I see they sell it by the every 5cm! How have you wired it up then Jamie? Presumably the two inner cores as positive and return and the braided shield connected to return at one end only?

karma67
09-08-2019, 11:11
Yep that how I wired it, it looks like a cable from the 60’s. Lol

YNWaN
09-08-2019, 11:32
I can’t bring myself to do any more cable comparisons at present - and anyway, I’ve suddenly been loaned some amps to try.....

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/markemark_2006/Assorted/9157F867-984D-49BD-8C96-53D29ED111C0_zpscnwudspa.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/markemark_2006/media/Assorted/9157F867-984D-49BD-8C96-53D29ED111C0_zpscnwudspa.jpg.html)

AJSki2fly
09-08-2019, 12:29
I like it straight away, if you want to try it mark I bought mine from here,
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 163693925246

I thought you might, I have started burning my pair in with the loaned Frybaby, I will let you know if it improves further.:)

AJSki2fly
11-08-2019, 16:54
I thought you might, I have started burning my pair in with the loaned Frybaby, I will let you know if it improves further.:)

Well I'll be b&gg**ed :doh::scratch: I came home this afternoon from the wedding I had been to yesterday in Hampshire and the Frybaby had nearly finished burning in the Belden interconnects. My best friends presented me with both vol 1 and 2 of David Bowie in Montreal recently released, so I put on the first record of Vol 1 and played both sides. My thoughts were, well this is musically good as its Bowie but the recording sounded a little muddied/cluttered to me, which can often be the case with live recordings. Then I thought OK lets put the burnt in Belden cables in and see what transpires. Well it was a bit of a shock everything sounded clearer with a more open sound stage and much less muddled and clutter, there seems to be more life and energy in the presentation now:scratch:.

So on went my a couple of my main test listening tracks, Ravi Shankar - Portrait of a Genius track 1 and it was as I thought more depth and clarity overall, there is better focus and definition of instruments with more detail, quite astonishing. I was pretty sceptical about getting much improvement but whatever the Frybaby is doing it is working for me!

10cc - Wall Street Shuffle, once again crispier, punchier great separation and detail, and the bass is so tight and detailed, just more of everything.

Eva Cassidy - Fields of Gold (original live recording), now it sounds so smooth and clear, the acoustic guitar harmonics and overtones are clearer, Eva's voice good as ever but somehow more real, I can close my eyes and imagine her standing there singing in my lounge.

The above listening was done using my JBL L100's and with the KARMA cables from LFD Phono Stage to ALLNIC amp as I had left it from Friday's listening.

I have absolutely no idea what is going on here, with the Frybaby putting a current through the cables for 24 hours and then a voltage through them for 48 hours, but whatever the Frybaby is doing it is making quite an impact on the end result. So we have gone from what I described earlier, the Belden cable, as very good cable which is very good value for money to an extremely good cable!!

karma67
17-08-2019, 07:52
my switchcraft rca plugs arrived mid week so ill remove the kle's and stick them on,whilst others obsess over occ copper lol.
seriously anyone into making interconnects should try these.

Bigman80
17-08-2019, 08:30
my switchcraft rca plugs arrived mid week so ill remove the kle's and stick them on,whilst others obsess over occ copper lol.
seriously anyone into making interconnects should try these.Have they replaced your Karma cables?!

Wakefield Turntables
17-08-2019, 08:35
my switchcraft rca plugs arrived mid week so ill remove the kle's and stick them on,whilst others obsess over occ copper lol.
seriously anyone into making interconnects should try these.

Hmmmm, looks like Duelund have come up with something. https://jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/happy-duelund-tuesday/

YNWaN
17-08-2019, 08:36
I’ve used the Switchcraft RCA plugs and thought they were OK, but no more than that; I think the Neutrik Rean RCAs are better.

YNWaN
17-08-2019, 08:44
Hmmmm, looks like Duelund have come up with something. https://jeffsplace.positive-feedback.com/happy-duelund-tuesday/

HiFi Collective has had them for a while now https://www.hificollective.co.uk/rca-plugs/duelund-rca-plugs-gold.html

Wakefield Turntables
17-08-2019, 10:46
HiFi Collective has had them for a while now https://www.hificollective.co.uk/rca-plugs/duelund-rca-plugs-gold.html

Yes I've seen them. I suppose it depends on how far you want to go with these IC's. Do you want to stay within the confines of them being a great IC for a reasonably small outlay or do you go balls in and get the Duelund stuff as well? Four RCA's would be £98 not including P&P, so for me I'd need eight as I run two sets of IC's in a system dedicated to "REAL" sound, so £200+ for eight RCA's :eek:. I might be tempted into buying a set of 4 :eyebrows:.

dwhistance
17-08-2019, 11:37
I’d be very interested to hear the results if you do try the Dueland rca’s on these cables. I’ve beeen very happy with mine with Switchcraft rca’s but am always interested in ways to improve things. The only problem is the cost as I have five of these interconnects in my system!

David

YNWaN
17-08-2019, 13:15
I’m afraid I see a lot of snake oil and audio ‘fashion’ in the Duelund RCA plugs.

karma67
17-08-2019, 13:36
Have they replaced your Karma cables?!

no but they have replaced your spotfire tonearm cable, lol sorry but you did ask

Bigman80
17-08-2019, 14:06
no but they have replaced your spotfire tonearm cable, lol sorry but you did askHahahaha, classic.

Aren't you using the Karma cables in that position?

Wakefield Turntables
17-08-2019, 16:12
I’m afraid I see a lot of snake oil and audio ‘fashion’ in the Duelund RCA plugs.

I agree. I probably troll ebay for a couple of 2nd hand pair of Eichmann copper bullets or KLE plugs.

karma67
17-08-2019, 16:51
Hahahaha, classic.

Aren't you using the Karma cables in that position?

of course iam.

Bigman80
17-08-2019, 17:17
of course iam.Confused?

karma67
17-08-2019, 17:34
it doesn't take much does it.:lol:

YNWaN
17-08-2019, 22:01
I’ve just finished auditioning the Zavfino range of arm cables (well, three of them) and was sufficiently impressed to write a review/report about them....

karma67
18-08-2019, 06:18
which ones did you have and where can we read it please?

YNWaN
18-08-2019, 08:36
It was the ‘Cove’, ‘Mahone’ and ‘Highlands’ (£69.00, £119.00 and £355.00). I’m just checking the grammar etc and sorting out a couple of pics - then I’ll be posting it on my forum and, most likely, here ��

karma67
18-08-2019, 09:10
nice one ta.