Cable Talk Talk 4 Bi-wires - worth an upgrade?

[ESP2009]

Hi folks,

I have had the above speaker cables since 1997 if I recall correctly. Based on the kit below, is it worth me giving consideration to a different product? These were well-recommended in their day, but should I upgrade 12 years on with a bit more money in my pocket?

Thanks.

 

[Messiah]

I guess the best thing to do would be to see if a dealer will loan you some cables so you can decide for yourself. You might find a cable upgrade is certainly worth it but then again it you may not and you'll save some money

(Or it will go towards a different upgrade!)

Maybe try out the Chord Company Silverscreen...

 

[aliEnRIK]

Personally speaking id say that will be a diagonal step. The cable you have now is hardly cr*p and whilst the chord would almost certainly be a step up I wouldnt really say its worth it for what more money could bring.

Ive personally used what you have now, qed silver spiral, vdh 'tea track' (hugh leap in quality) and custom made 16 core solid silver

What im suggesting is look on ebay for something way above the chords weight

Van Den Hul for example

or BID

 

[ESP2009]

Ah, the alien guru stalks the forums with such relentless zeal, lending aid to those seeking wisdom.

My thanks also to Messiah.

Thanks, as ever, for succinct and practical advice. I am wary of simply going too far, knowing that it is possible that truly superior interconnects or speaker cables can be just as bad as bell wire, ruthlessly displaying any weaknesses in a system rather than not allowing it to perform to its true potential. Therefore, I am happy to learn that the Talk 4 cables are perfectly adequate, but that judicious use of eBay could reap benefits...

...which, indeed, it may have - just successfully bid and won a pair of 2.4m QED Silver Anniversary XT Bi-wires (unterminated) for £21 inc P&P. I still have my eyes on the vdh option, but let's just see how the QEDs perform.

 

[Anonymous]

ESP2009:
Hi folks,

I have had the above speaker cables since 1997 if I recall correctly. Based on the kit below, is it worth me giving consideration to a different product? These were well-recommended in their day, but should I upgrade 12 years on with a bit more money in my pocket?

Thanks.

I would consider plugging the Amp into its own 13A socket (rarther than the Tacima) and treating it to a decent Mains cable first. Should give a good uplift to the music.

I can recommend Kimber 4TC, have been using it for many years on various speakers/amps and it gives a balanced sound with great detail....it's not cheap though.

 

[ESP2009]

Thanks Trevor79, it does seem that I should look into the power chord side of things before trying much else.

But the Kimber speaker cables? Yikes! I doubt my system truly merits that outlay - maybe if the components were another step up the scale. However, I can always keep my eyes open for a bargain to try out.

 

[Anonymous]

Your speaker cables are fine - if they've lasted 12 years, they'll last another 12 no problem. You might want to clean the connections, though.

 

[ESP2009]

Tarquinh, that's reassuring to 'hear'. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with them, although they could do with maybe being another 0.5m longer! ;o) However, I am happy to experiment within a certain budget and am also re-considering my speaker options - the TDLs are a tad 'boomier' than I would like in their new location (too close to the corners of the room and without much space to move). I may have to look into some corner-friendly modern speakers before long - maybe £400-£500 to maintain the 'rule of thirds'.