Best speaker cables around £200-300

[bigmoose]

Dear enthusiats,

This is for my first "serious" stereo so please be gentle! :wave:

I just just got my first real stereo after saving for quite a few years:

- Linn Majik DSM

- Tannoy DC8

- Something Solid XF stands

The choice of the above system was pretty easy as each component I tried had their own "personnality", and I just went for the one that suited me best. Now I need to make the choice for the speaker cables and I'm really scratching my head on what to look for. Since I added my speaker stands, I seem to have added focus but lost on bass depth. I hope to regain some through the speaker cables.

My dear dealer lend me few sets of cables but, I believe on purpose, didn't tell me which models they are so that I can make an unbiaised choice. I believe those are:

- Chord Epic

- Audioquest Type 4

- Audioquest Rocket 44

- Atlas Hyper 3.0

At the moment, I'm quite fond of the Audioquest Rocket 44 because they offer deeper bass, which seem to add a good degree of presence and drama to the music. The bass seems the less controlled of the lot, but I'm not sure if it isn't because there is more of it.

I wasn't particulalry impressed by the Atlas because they provide the least bass IMHO. The sound seemed the most focused and controlled of the lot though.

The Chord appeared to be in the middle of the 2 above, with good controlled bass but not as deep as the Audioquests.

Finally, I haven't directly compared to the Type 4, as I believe they can't be as good as the Rocket 44 (Well the Rocket are an upgrade, sooooo).

I'm really hesitating between the Audioquest Rocket 44 and the Chord Epic, and I fear I might be mistaking the fact there is more bass for it being less controlled.

Does anyone have an opinion on that? What else should I look for when I compare the cables? Deciding the components has been such a long journey, I don't want to make a mistake on the last step! :wall:

Many thanks!

 

[the record spot]

No need to spend £200-300 on speaker cable (IMO). I have 10m of Audioquest Type IV at home. I replaced it with some 400-strand copper cable and that's a difference of £10/m against about £20 for the whole 6m of multistrand (and I'd have been able to get it cheaper online than going into Maplins). Quality is excellent and stacks up comfortably against the Type IV.

 

[BenLaw]

No need to spend £200-300 on speaker cable (IMO). I have 10m of Audioquest Type IV at home. I replaced it with some 400-strand copper cable and that's a difference of £10/m against about £20 for the whole 6m of multistrand (and I'd have been able to get it cheaper online than going into Maplins). Quality is excellent and stacks up comfortably against the Type IV.

+1.

What you describe is probably just a tightening up of the bass by using proper stands and you would be best to give it a few weeks and see whether you get used to it / start to like it. If you still have concerns, playing with the stand filling and positioning is almost certainly a better course than spending big on speaker cable (IMHO).

 

[FennerMachine]

If you can tell that much difference between cables then maybe a cable will fix your issue.

As has been said though changing speaker positioning and stand fillings will make a difference.

Worth taking your time and getting used to how your system sounds one way then moving things a bit until you get it right. Also try something like RS said and get some inexpensive multi-strand cable. Cheap enough to try and keep as spare if you end up get something else but might save you £200.00 or so.

 

[the record spot]

Exactly; I tried 322-strand a couple of years ago, and it was fine. 10m for £5.50 delivered. That's a pint and some crisps these days I think! It's about as low risk a tweak as you can get - there's hardly anything to lose in trying it out.

 

[BronC]

In my experience speaker cables can make a diiference.

I arranged a session with one of my local stores to listen to all of the Tellorium Q range. You could tell there were differences. In fact my favourite was the 2nd most expensive one but even the cheapest (blue) sounded great.

I then managed to get a home demo arranged between the one I liked best (Tellorium Green) and another top class 5* cable - Chord Signature. That was a revelation. The differences were stark.

It was most noticable on Joni Mittchell Blue. This was almost unlistenable with the Chord. My wife came in and demanded that I switched off that screaking woman. But with the Green I thought - "this lady can actually sing". It sounded that good

I suggest that you keep looking and try the Tellorium Blue or Black and see what you think.

 

[the record spot]

Have to admit, there is something substantially wrong with - IMO - a system that makes Joni Mitchell's "Blue" album, or indeed any Joni album. I've a good few of her albums on CD and they're anything but harshly produced. Joe Gastwirt did some of her remasters, and original releases (such as Night Ride Home) are well up there in terms of recording quality IMO.

If a single speaker cable can make that much of a difference to a CD, my gut instinct is that there's something amiss in the rest of the playback chain.

 

[BronC]

Exactly the same play back chain - the only difference were the cables. Swapped them a few times - same result

 

[bigmoose]

Thanks for your replies...

I have been using Qed Qudos cables up until now - When I changed to the Audioquest or Chord, the difference was noticeable. I mean, it was not night & day like changing amp or speakers, but the difference was there.

Lately, I have switched from listening to rock to listening to jazz, tango, or instrumental tunes as those have usually a better quality of recording. Even small changes such as cables are noticeable, but just less obvious than electronics.

The comments about strand cables are very interesting. I wonder, will it give me a better sound than the Qed? I check the price and those are amazingly cheap!

 

[the record spot]

Okay. Excuse my scepticism, I have a natural aversion to the whole "night and day" thing in audio. Welcome to the forum by the way.

 

[bigmoose]

Hi Record Spot,

Funny you posted your comment about "night and day"at the same time I posted mine!

I don't believe it will make night and day difference either, but on good recordings, it is noticeable. To compare the cables, I'm listening to the same 2 tracks from Gotan Project. I know the difference isn't obvious, and I need to concentrate on every note, but I want my system to sound as good as it can be... Having spent quite a considerable amount of cash (To me anyway), I would feel it too bad to try and save money on cables now..

 

[the record spot]

Indeed, and you might not want to waste it either. Have a read...

http://www.roger-russell.com/

and from the same guy...here you go again:-

http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm#misleading

Long and the short of it, get some on demo and see what you think. I'm using £20-worth of cable all in and there's little difference from the Type-IV. I, personally, don't want to have to concentrate on every note to try and hear a difference. That's not listening to music, that's listening to gear. That's not what I buy this stuff for - but everyone is different! It's a hobby and we all enjoy it in different ways.

 

[ellisdj]

Chord Odyssey / Epic mate are good options

I have epic, have heard oddysey a lot and its very impressive - both very good odyssey is cheaper

 

[Alantiggger]

From what there is to read about speaker cables and just what differences thay may make... to suggest such monies for such seems ludicrous.

I often find that when having more than enough monies to spend , that a good charity need looking into. :type:

 

[Shanka]

Hi,

I use van damme lc ofc hifi cables £5 per metre and is as good if not better than my qed revelation which was 3x the price, would not buy expensive speaker cable again.

Money better spent elsewhere as advised above.

Good Luck

 

[oldric_naubhoff]

I wasn't particulalry impressed by the Atlas because they provide the least bass IMHO. The sound seemed the most focused and controlled of the lot though.

phew. and I thought you'd say something dreadful about Atlas. I'm using 2.0 myself . I should say I'm not too fond of bloated bass.

this Hyper 2.0 is a leftover after times when I thought it's worthwhile to experiment with cables. if I were buying cables now I'd go for generic pure copper wire of decent gauge. it's not because I think there's no difference between different cables, there are. but I came to understanding that a wire's aim is just to pass electrical impulses and not to be another electrical component in it's own right so it's pointless to treat wires like they are components. in the end what kind of cabling would you normally have in your equipment and speakers? most likely generic pure copper wire! and if your gear doesn't give you enjoyment connected with generic cables that means there's something wrong with the gear, not cables. think about it.

but, if you're convinced you want to spend more than needed on cables I'd also consider Kimber cables. they say they're good for speed and resolution.

 

[CnoEvil]

BM, the long and the short of it is.......There is no long and short of it (IMO); but there are 3 basic groups:
1. Those that don't hear differences and refer to science/ABX tests to back up their view.
2. There are those that hear differences, but find them so slight as to not worry about, and are certainly not worth spending money on.
3. This group finds a much more noticeable difference, not only between price ranges, but brands.

FWIW. I'm in group three, and like Cardas, Audioquest, Atlas and Telurium Q.

You are doing the right thing by testing for yourself, and only you can put a value on the gain that you get from the cable....just don't spend more money than would give you a bigger upgrade by spending it somewhere else.

 

[peterpan]

Doesn't Atlas sounds flat and boring? What about Chord?

 

[matthewpiano]

I'm currently using Chord CrimsonPlus interconnect with Chord Carnival Silverscreen speaker cable and it works brilliantly in the context of my current system. It would really be worth trying something of this price alongside the more expensive options just to make sure the extra spend is worthwhile to you.

 

[CnoEvil]

Doesn't Atlas sounds flat and boring? What about Chord?

I don't know if this is aimed at me, but I'm happy to give my view.

Atlas cables go right the way from budget Element range, to the very highend solid silver Asimi range (which are some of the best cables out there). I find they are well made neutral cables, that are anything but flat (honest is more like it).

I don't get on with most Chord cables (especially the silver coated ones), which I find too bright.....again, personal preference, as many people rate them highly.

 

[bigmoose]

I agree with you, and I find there is a slight difference in cables.

I think cables are able to slighly tweak the sound of the system, but it's true I need to concentrate quite a bit. Upon casual listening, I may not hear the difference.

The cables might be expensive but considering I have just spent few grands on the electronics, few additional hundreds on the cables don't seem too much considering the gain. Also, the additional (And final) few hundreds I will spend on the cable will give me reassurance I will get the best I can get for my budget. Can't put a price on "reassurance".

After switching a few times, I think I'm going to go for the Chord, as I found the bass on the Audioquest going a bit muddy sometimes. The Chord seem the most consistent.

Just want to add: The Atlas aren't bad at all. They seem to separate each sound very well (Excuse the non-audiophile term, but I'm not sure how to explain it) but they're not the way I wanted my system to go.

 

[CnoEvil]

BTW. The Linn Majik DSM is a very good piece of kit (I have the Majik DS).....enjoy your new system.

Cno

 

[MrJmeans]

I have had the same experience although with a flat audiophile oxygen free copper cable. The 400 strand generic cable did not make any discernible difference to what my music sounded like.

I would get the Maplin stuff and spend the difference on some Velvet Underground and Wire CDs!

 

[MrJmeans]

I have had the same experience although with a flat audiophile oxygen free copper cable. The 400 strand generic cable did not make any discernible difference to what my music sounded like.

I would get the Maplin stuff and spend the difference on some Velvet Underground and Wire CDs!

 

[MUSICRAFT]

I find there is a slight difference in cables.

I think cables are able to slighly tweak the sound of the system, but it's true I need to concentrate quite a bit. Upon casual listening, I may not hear the difference.

The cables might be expensive but considering I have just spent few grands on the electronics, few additional hundreds on the cables don't seem too much considering the gain. Also, the additional (And final) few hundreds I will spend on the cable will give me reassurance I will get the best I can get for my budget. Can't put a price on "reassurance".

Hi bigmoose

I'll recommend standard 79 strand OFC or at a push 500 strand OFC speaker cables. Fwiw, i use/have used these speaker cables with Krell FPB600, ATC SIA2-150 MK2, Densen B-175 Plus, Chord Electronics SPM3005, Proac Tablette Anniversary, Monitor Audio PL200, Yamaha DSP-Z11, Gryphon Callisto 2200, Audiolab 8200X7, etc.

All the best

Rick @ Musicraft