Another cable question

[admin_exported]

Hi all - Ive just moved my system around and had to leave the existing cable in place as they were taken beneath the floor. So I went down to the only remaining hi-fi shop in Plymouth (Richer Sounds) and purchased the Cambridge Audio Ultra Bi-Wire at £4.99 / metre. Just finished connecting it all up and had to turn it off due to my ears almost bleeding from the harshness of it.

System is Arcam 7 with Arcam 8 Power amp driving Ruark Prologue 1 speakers.

Any suggestions for a decent cable?

Thanks

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Dont think ear bleed is normally the symptoms of cabling. Too dextrous with the cotton buds or room acoustics I'd say. What is your new room like?

Cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Didn't think of that....all new solid oak floor and awaiting new rug!

How far off the wall is the usual recommendation for speakers?

 

[The_Lhc]

Didn't think of that....all new solid oak floor and awaiting new rug!

Oooh, shiny!

How far off the wall is the usual recommendation for speakers?

Depends entirely on the speakers.

 

[Anonymous]

Ruark Prolouge 1's. Got them on granite plinths to avoid marking my floor!

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Sounds like a room treatment case to me. See my bio, Google or search here.

cheers

 

[Anonymous]

Just been looking at that! Need to give it some consideration me thinks

 

[Overdose]

Hi all - Ive just moved my system around and had to leave the existing cable in place as they were taken beneath the floor. So I went down to the only remaining hi-fi shop in Plymouth (Richer Sounds) and purchased the Cambridge Audio Ultra Bi-Wire at £4.99 / metre. Just finished connecting it all up and had to turn it off due to my ears almost bleeding from the harshness of it.

System is Arcam 7 with Arcam 8 Power amp driving Ruark Prologue 1 speakers.

Any suggestions for a decent cable?

Thanks

Isn't there one down Cornwall St? Having been down there for a while mind you.

There is a place in Tavistock if you don't mind the drive.

 

[paradiziac]

Hi all - Ive just moved my system around and had to leave the existing cable in place as they were taken beneath the floor. So I went down to the only remaining hi-fi shop in Plymouth (Richer Sounds) and purchased the Cambridge Audio Ultra Bi-Wire at £4.99 / metre. Just finished connecting it all up and had to turn it off due to my ears almost bleeding from the harshness of it.

System is Arcam 7 with Arcam 8 Power amp driving Ruark Prologue 1 speakers.

Any suggestions for a decent cable?

Thanks

Might well be the room acoustics/speaker positioning as folks have said.

Also worth elimminating the possibility there's something new introducing RFI into the system, like a mini wall charger (for a phone etc), computer, big TV plugged into the same socket or a wifi router next to the CD player. Easy to check this, unplug everything except the hifi and see if the problem persists.

It could also be the cables, VanDamme (studio blue or LC-OFC) could be a not-too-expensive experiment. They're decent for the money and shouldn't sound harsher than what you already had, assuming it wasn't something in a similar price range.

 

[Son_of_SJ]

So I went down to the only remaining hi-fi shop in Plymouth (Richer Sounds) and purchased the Cambridge Audio Ultra Bi-Wire at £4.99 / metre. Just finished connecting it all up and had to turn it off due to my ears almost bleeding from the harshness of it.

Any suggestions for a decent cable?

Thanks

I'm sorry to hear this, 996tt! Only 40 metres of the approximately 240 metres of speaker cable that I have in my flat are NOT Cambridge Audio Symphony 400 cable or its precedessors, cost currently £2:49 per metre from, er, Richer Sounds! And my ears are certainly not bleeding! I don't know enough about any differences in the cables' construction, but is there any reason, apart from neatness, why you bought the more expensive cable? As it happens, for exactly the same cost you could have bought double lengths of the Symphony 400 cable, in order to bi-wire your speakers.

 

[paradiziac]

A quick search tells me that, unlike the cheaper Cambridge Audio branded cable, the Ultra bi-wire is silver plated. Silver plating often causes problems of brightness/harshness.

There's a previous thread about it:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/speaker-cable-to-go-with-brio-3-101

...so basically any standard copper cable would be worth a try.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

A quick search tells me that, unlike the cheaper Cambridge Audio branded cable, the Ultra bi-wire is silver plated. Silver plating often causes problems of brightness/harshness.

There's a previous thread about it:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/speaker-cable-to-go-with-brio-3-101

...so basically any standard copper cable would be worth a try.

In a word yes but without (PLEASE) starting another cable debate, searching for the effect of cables, silver or copper, will yield acres of debate. Hence my personal opinion is irrelevant but I do know that room treatment will have a significant effect on sound whereas the effect of cables will always a matter for debate.

Cheers

 

[paradiziac]

A quick search tells me that, unlike the cheaper Cambridge Audio branded cable, the Ultra bi-wire is silver plated. Silver plating often causes problems of brightness/harshness.

There's a previous thread about it:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/speaker-cable-to-go-with-brio-3-101

...so basically any standard copper cable would be worth a try.

In a word yes but without (PLEASE) starting another cable debate, searching for the effect of cables, silver or copper, will yield acres of debate. Hence my personal opinion is irrelevant but I do know that room treatment will have a significant effect on sound whereas the effect of cables will always a matter for debate.

Cheers

You don't HAVE to post on cable threads if you don't enjoy them

...the OP asked for a cable recommendation...

Room treatment is cool too, of course...

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Enjoy them? I revel in them. Its a pity tho when posts become personal. Many folk here are very willing to 'help' when they have the information and others express opinion hopefully based on first hand experience. Me? I know nuffin'. But I have experience.

Cheers.

PS I think opinion on this occasion amounts to caution on wasting money where the problem may be elsewhere.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.

My previous cables were Cabletalk 3.1 plain copper OF but much larger core. When I purchased the Cambridge Audio I did question about the size of the cable but was lead to belive the silver was the way to go, hence the smaller diameter.

Sevenoaks in Cornwall street has long gone. I'll try and find the one in Tavistock as Im quite near to there. Thanks