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Thread: Good cable makes?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Mar 2009

    Location: Sheffield, UK

    Posts: 1,307
    I'm Dave.

    Default Good cable makes?

    Hi,

    I'm looking at getting some new speaker cables and interconnects and I was wondering what makes people on here had good results with?

    Currently I like the look of NVA, Atlas, Supra and the Sterling Black Mamba I've seen mentioned in various threads.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Fishtoft, Lincolnshire

    Posts: 394
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    We still have the money back offer on the black mambas, if you buy and don't like them just send them back for a full refund.
    All the best,
    Dave.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Yes, Dave's Black Mambas are superb - I can vouch for those, as I can these from Mark Grant, which I use myself:

    http://markgrantcables.co.uk/

    With cables, always go for 'no-nonsense' high quality copper stranded (or silver if you can afford it) with good connectors, such as that used in professional studios, which is exactly the stuff Dave or Mark sells.

    There is no need for anything overly 'exotic' - you're just wasting money and funding someone's marketing budget.

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  4. #4
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    Yes, Dave's Black Mambas are superb - I can vouch for those, as I can these from Mark Grant, which I use myself:

    http://markgrantcables.co.uk/

    With cables, always go for 'no-nonsense' high quality copper stranded (or silver if you can afford it) with good connectors, such as that used in professional studios, which is exactly the stuff Dave or Mark sells.

    There is no need for anything overly 'exotic' - you're just wasting money and funding someone's marketing budget.

    Marco.
    I think that the cables you list for trying are a good selection.....however unlike Marco I don't believe that the highlighted text is the case with the cables you name IMHO.

    Find a friendly dealer who stocks these, and try some of these cables in your set up. Ideally try these first and then the Black Mambas.....this will give you a very good idea of what works best in your set up. Like all things in audio it is always the idea to try before you buy, just to make sure you are happy with the result.

    You should by what I have read and that I do trust Marco's ears about Dave's cables (Black Mamba)....you should avail of Dave's generous try and return scheme. Maybe NVA do the same....I must say that I don't know.

    I for one favour ATLAS cables in my own set up and I like the consistency of materials in the individual ranges....no RS catalogue cable use here. All Atlas cables are designed by them and manufacturing while not done by Atlas in Scotland (final assembly is) the cables are made for and to Atlas designs.



    Regards D S D L
    Regards Neil

  5. #5
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Yep, I take your point Neil. Atlas are good cables - I've used them with great success in the past.

    It's just that experience tells me since that Mark Grant cables, for example, do everything that Atlas cables or any cables from 'known badge' manufacturers do at a fraction of the price! I'm currently using his £30 Belden-type interconnects, which replaced some £800 Transparent Reference, and I didn't do that for the good of my health

    However, as with anything in hi-fi, 'suck it and see'

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  6. #6
    Join Date: Mar 2009

    Location: Sheffield, UK

    Posts: 1,307
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    Thanks for the replies.

    I forgot to mention Mark Grant, he's definitely on my list.
    The reason I've chosen these makes so far is because they make their own cables or use pro cable in the case of Mark, I like the companies philosophy and their design decisions make sense to me without having ridiculous marketing nonsense.

    NVA do offer a money back promise and a trade in scheme for old cables so that's very appealing but they are quite expensive compared to some of the others.

    Dave, is the money back offer on the Black Mambas also available on custom lengths as I'll need 4m lengths?

    Thanks.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: A Strangely Isolated Place in Suffolk with Far Away Trains Passing By...

    Posts: 14,535
    I'm David.

    Default

    Atlas cables are pretty good as a breed as I remember, but I must advise that they exist purely due to a group of retailers buying in bulk (Mountain Snow, IIRC) and making shedloads of profit on each one they sell.

    I found Soundstable on eBay very helpful and he uses decent wires and connectors. What isn't in his shop can be made up to order and when I pleaded poverty and asked for some pro-patch mic cable to go with the neutric phono plugs I ordered, he added 3m and charged me a very nominal amount extra (bearing in mind he has to buy 100m drums at around 70p per metre). great service I think and the wire sounds good as a turntable to amp wire as well....
    Tear down these walls; Cut the ties that held me
    Crying out at the top of my voice; Tell me now if you can hear me

  8. #8
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Cricklewood

    Posts: 9,074
    I'm ILOB.

    Default

    I think the main thing is to get either good quality silver or copper; either will do. I use pure silver myself The black Mambas might a good cable to try out with the refund option you cannot really go wrong
    Loves anything from Pain of Salvation to Jeff Buckley to Django to Sarasate to Surinder Sandhu to Shawn Lane to Nick Drake to Rush to Beth Hart to Kate Bush to Rodrigo Y Gabriela to The Hellecasters to Dark Sanctury to Ben Harper to Karicus to Dream Theater to Zero Hour to Al DiMeola to Larry Carlton to Derek Trucks to Govt Mule to?

    Humour: One of the few things worth taking seriously

  9. #9
    Join Date: Mar 2009

    Location: Sheffield, UK

    Posts: 1,307
    I'm Dave.

    Default

    Thanks for the help everyone. I've been offered some NVA speaker cables by another forum member so I've decided to give them a try. I'll let you know what I think when I get them next month. I'm also going to get an NVA interconnect to go between my DAC and amp to keep the cables the same make. I think I'll try either the Sound Pipe or Super Sound Pipe version.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by DSJR View Post
    Atlas cables are pretty good as a breed as I remember, but I must advise that they exist purely due to a group of retailers buying in bulk (Mountain Snow, IIRC) and making shedloads of profit on each one they sell.
    I was going to let this pass but not now.

    Frankly how a company may or may not have come into existence is not particularly important its how the cables sound in ones set up. The early Atlas cables may be as you say (I can't comment on this ), but Atlas now, today are no such thing they are designed and made (not bought in RS catalogue or other wise sourced cables). Final assembly is done in Scotland. All cables in Atlas range are made from similar materials not a mix and match approach taken by other well known companies. So in my case the Marvos cables are all made from the same cable material through out which is why they have an excellent coherent sound. First time I have ever bought into the single brand cable idea....first time I have ever heard it work because the materials are identical....not so elsewhere.

    Profit margins are an evil in this world and cable margins can be high in many cases but again this is to my mind not an issue if the cable performs well in a set up, suits the set up and is thus worth the money...if it doesn't it isn't but may be in an other application.

    Your cable choice suits you fair enough but I feel your comments in regard to Atlas are somewhat hostile and uncalled for, as was a comment you made about Ken Ishatwata of Marantz a while ago. And yes I do know John Carrack, but my defense of Atlas is based on the cables being quality and not down to me knowing him.


    D S D L
    Last edited by Spectral Morn; 15-04-2009 at 16:25.
    Regards Neil

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