Speaker Cables to work best with Cyrus 8XP and Monitor Audion RX8's

Hi Folks,
Been tweaking away at my system recently and have come to look at Speaker Cable this weekend.

I currently use Chord Company Rumour 2 but wonder if there is a better cable available in the 0 - £400 bracket for 2 runs of 3m that would tighten up the lower end, whilst removing a little of the "brightness" the system seems to have at times.

I am not a total convert to speaker wiring, but read so much about it on forums like this and in magazines that I wonder if it really can make the difference required so figured you guys, who have similar systems to me, would be well placed to advise.

I have read on more than a few occasions that the Rumour2 exhibits exactly the qualities I am talking about, which has got me wondering...

Stu

I'm not sure many members can be of help as we all have very different systems (from each other!). You have a classic 'What HiFi' system, and everything that they recommend IMO sounds very bright, they must have the dullest listening room in the world! The combination of Cyrus and Monitor Audio has 'bright' written all over it, and in a lively room would be a problem.

First of all I would look at your room, how lively is it, clap your hands in the middle of the room and see. If it is lively your £0-£400 will be better spent either on a different pair of speakers or some sound absorption panels.

Personally I don't think changing speaker cable is going to be the solution.

I'd second that, in the wrong room Cyrus kit driving modern MA speakers can cut through hardened steel at 20 paces, sorry :eyebrows:

I'd avoid any speaker with metal cones as all the main drivers have a very severe breakup in the mid treble which no crossover, active or passive can really remove completely. It's even been suggested that the acoustic output of the tweeter can be enough to set these 5khz or so resonances off. Even the better ones from Dynaudio have this cold and clinical quality which measurement confirms as resonances right where you don't want them. I've not heard a modern MA speaker that doesn't have a hard smeary kind of quality in the mid treble. No wonder so many ex-WHF readers go over to AVI ADM9's with their much safer and more civilised midrange based sounds...

You have Rumour, which is bright and a little bit "silver plated" in sound, as the bassier Odyssey used to be. bearing in mind the quality of the copper used, my advice would be to downgrade on price and look with open ears and heart at the Talk Audio Cable 3, or whatever it's known as these days, which sells for £4 per metre. Kevin designed all the old Cable Talk wires in the 90's and has resurrected what appears to be the old Theatre 2.1 speaker cable, tidied it up with possibly better insulation and re-launched it as part of his Talk Electronics brand. Bearing in mind the hideous prices some firms and dealers charge for something little better if better at all, I'd take a look at this cable, wean yourself off the "HiFi" presentation you're almost certainly listening to these days, and start again - IMO of course :)

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Originally Posted by DSJR

I'd avoid any speaker with metal cones as all the main drivers have a very severe breakup in the mid treble which no crossover, active or passive can really remove completely.

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This is one reason why Amphion use a maximum crossover point of 1.6Khz (1.2Khz for the Argon2s!) for their tweeters, which means that the aluminium midbass isn't handling 'mid treble' in the first place, nor issues with ringing & breakup.

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Originally Posted by Stu @ M Developments

Hi Folks,
Been tweaking away at my system recently and have come to look at Speaker Cable this weekend.

I currently use Chord Company Rumour 2 but wonder if there is a better cable available in the 0 - £400 bracket for 2 runs of 3m that would tighten up the lower end, whilst removing a little of the "brightness" the system seems to have at times.

I am not a total convert to speaker wiring, but read so much about it on forums like this and in magazines that I wonder if it really can make the difference required so figured you guys, who have similar systems to me, would be well placed to advise.

I have read on more than a few occasions that the Rumour2 exhibits exactly the qualities I am talking about, which has got me wondering...

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If your goal is to reduce brightness without changing your amp and speakers then I would buy this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AVI-S2000M...-/350584845172

Why? Because it sounds damn analogue, has dynamic, full bass and will take a 'sheen' off the sound compared to modern CD players. Not many TDA1541A S1 DACs with discrete outputs about.

Thanks guys, will take all this info on board, although some of you seem to think this system is super bright, and I dont agree at all, I am just trying to flatten off some of the very high end and accentuate the bass attack a little if possible.

A few of my friends are into high end stuff, and one in particular has two incredible systems, one mainly Naim and one mainly Musical fidelity, both with speaker systems that cost more than my whole system, and neither of us think mine is particularly bad at all compared to his, but we all agree mines a little harsh at the top, and lacking attack on the bass.

Of course its all subjective, perhaps we all actually like what you guys call bright. Would love the opportunity to hear some other high end systems like you guys have, shame we are all so damn far apart. :(

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Originally Posted by Yomanze

If your goal is to reduce brightness without changing your amp and speakers then I would buy this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AVI-S2000M...-/350584845172

Why? Because it sounds damn analogue, has dynamic, full bass and will take a 'sheen' off the sound compared to modern CD players. Not many TDA1541A S1 DACs with discrete outputs about.

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Thanks mate, sadly no good to me as I only play Flac, most of which wouldnt work through that.

Off topic though, you do have a PM about your speaker cable. LOL

Stu

Audition some other speakers, what you are describing is classic modern day Monitor Audio! Find a dealer who will let you try pairs at home. MA speakers often sound impressive in dealers dem rooms, but are lacking when you get them home. I have had this experience both with MA and Mission speakers.

BTW the good thing about MA is that as they are WHF favourites they fetch decent money secondhand.

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Originally Posted by DSJR

You have Rumour, which is bright and a little bit "silver plated" in sound, as the bassier Odyssey used to be. bearing in mind the quality of the copper used, my advice would be to downgrade on price and look with open ears and heart at the Talk Audio Cable 3, or whatever it's known as these days, which sells for £4 per metre. Kevin designed all the old Cable Talk wires in the 90's and has resurrected what appears to be the old Theatre 2.1 speaker cable, tidied it up with possibly better insulation and re-launched it as part of his Talk Electronics brand. Bearing in mind the hideous prices some firms and dealers charge for something little better if better at all, I'd take a look at this cable, wean yourself off the "HiFi" presentation you're almost certainly listening to these days, and start again - IMO of course :)

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With all due respect Dave I would advise a careful audition with the Talk 3 cable, as IN MY SYSTEM it sounded rather thin and certainly lacked bass weight and power. From what I have read from the OP's postings, he has no real concern about what we might regard as inherent "brightness" in his system, but my concern is that he stipulates greater tightness and control in the bass registers which the Talk 3 tends to over suppress in my opinion. Like I said, an audition without committing is advisable in this instance.