Speaker cables

[Richard Kimber]

I'm re-configuring my system (inc. Quad Elite monos and Quad ESL 2805) and need longer speaker cables (4m), but I'm not quite sure where to start. I currently have a pair of pure silver cables that are pretty good, and I have a choice of more of the same, or going more upmarket, or indeed down market. I'm quite interested in Tellurium Q cables from what has been written about them, and I assume they're pretty good from the fact that they don't seem to feature that much in the second-hand market (i.e. people appear to buy them and keep them). Alternatively, I could just go for a decent lower cost cable like Talk 3 or Van Damme, or another.

My main question is: is there anyone who has actually compared a TQ cable in a system similar to mine with a decent lower cost cable and found the latter sounded just as good (or better)?

What cables do other people with Quad systems use?

I'm not so preoccupied with 'value for money', as most of the mag reviews seem to be, but rather with finding what actually sounds best in practice.

- Richard.

[Covenant]

With a name like yours there is only one answer:
http://www.kimber.com/

[Wakefield Turntables]

Nordost cabling works really really well with Quad gear. Some people on here dont like it but I had a complete Quad77 setup and tried lots of different things before settling on Nordost SPM cabling and Valhalla interconnects.

[realysm42]

Actually, some people sold their top of the range kimber gear for tq for the improvement in sq they got, at about a fifth of price. Go figure.

Richard, I've not heard your gear but I've compared tq Ultra Black's to other cable (such as QED silver lol) and some black rhodium emperor stuff, there's a fair difference in price, but I bought the ultra Black's for a reason...

[Richard Kimber]

Actually, some people sold their top of the range kimber gear for tq for the improvement in sq they got, at about a fifth of price. Go figure.

I guess if I was related, I'd be using Kimber

Richard, I've not heard your gear but I've compared tq Ultra Black's to other cable (such as QED silver lol) and some black rhodium emperor stuff, there's a fair difference in price, but I bought the ultra Black's for a reason...

Thanks. I wondered, though, whether the ultra black was a bit 'bright' (??). I only wondered that because TQ brought out the green and explicitly said it was intended to be warmer and not bright. I'm anxious to avoid 'bright'

- Richard.

[MCRU]

I guess if I was related, I'd be using Kimber


Thanks. I wondered, though, whether the ultra black was a bit 'bright' (??). I only wondered that because TQ brought out the green and explicitly said it was intended to be warmer and not bright. I'm anxious to avoid 'bright'

- Richard.

Bright is not a word to describe the UB's Richard for certain.

[realysm42]

Demo some Richard; there's only line way to tell in your system.

My brother heard mine and got some of the blues. On hearing we agreed they blew away what he had before, again at a fraction of the price I paid!

[Richard Kimber]

Bright is not a word to describe the UB's Richard for certain.

So what is the raison d'etre of green? Is it just a cable in the TQ range at a lower price point, or is there a specific reason to choose it rather than UB?

- Richard.

[AlanS]

I'm re-configuring my system (inc. Quad Elite monos and Quad ESL 2805) and need longer speaker cables (4m), but I'm not quite sure where to start. I currently have a pair of pure silver cables that are pretty good, and I have a choice of more of the same, or going more upmarket, or indeed down market. I'm quite interested in Tellurium Q cables from what has been written about them, and I assume they're pretty good from the fact that they don't seem to feature that much in the second-hand market (i.e. people appear to buy them and keep them). Alternatively, I could just go for a decent lower cost cable like Talk 3 or Van Damme, or another.

My main question is: is there anyone who has actually compared a TQ cable in a system similar to mine with a decent lower cost cable and found the latter sounded just as good (or better)?

What cables do other people with Quad systems use?

I'm not so preoccupied with 'value for money', as most of the mag reviews seem to be, but rather with finding what actually sounds best in practice.

- Richard.

Like all the other posters I don't have a very similar system, certainly not quad and Electrostatics. I suspect from hearing a friends similar system it will be hyper sensitive to something lesser systems just don't get affected by.

I did change from Cable Talk 3 to TQ Black and at first was slighty impressed. TQ is an "impressive sound" tending to digital accuracy rather than tonal richness. I'm not good at reviewing as some seem to be but I would not buy it again and wouldn't go for product higher in the range unless you've got money burning a hole. I wouldn't recommend it either unless you like edgy thin sound which some younger digital age folk do. It's still in place because I cannot bother messing with the routing of the 4m length. My back objects. BTW I note with interest the amount of TQ speaker cable that gets sold second hand - not a good sign.

Sounding best will be a solo journey if you really must have the best and the enthusiasm of others for their products may distract you. It's a forum not a impartial consultancy so you have one TQ fanatic and one TQ Vendor giving advice on TQ.

Best of luck. Why not by a low cost well regarded product like Mogami or VanDamme and see how terrible it is to keep you going as you search for the best?

Best of luck

Edit

You queried the Green product's place in the order of things. TQ don't seem to pretend to produce HiFi soo much as sound contouring cables so the Green as it says on their web site is good at taming bright systems. None of their products are neutral just expensive tone controls and an expensive spell to be caught up in.

[realysm42]

You post on here too huh.

I'm not a fanatic; the tq ultra blacks were the best of the bunch, so I bought them.