Exciting cable for QA 2050i?

[Arsukfjorden]

Good evening Whathifi

Just bought a pair of 2050i. Great speakers, although quite polite just as whathifi's review said. That is good since that is why i bought them. I am quite sensitive to a harsh treble, so the 2050i were a safe quite and i am quite happy with them.

But still, they are quite polite, almost boring to listen to. Although i believe they propably are going to open up after some break in. Still i could use a more exciting sound, so since the cables i am currently using are some cheap 1£ cobber cables, i need some new ones.

So could anyone recommend some good cables that could give a little more spirit and excitment to the speakers. A slightly bright sounding cable should be fine with these speakers since the treble is silky smooth already.

My amp is currently a Denon 1911. While it would make more sense to change to a proper stereo amp, I just dont have that kind of money right now so cables it is.

Budget is about 5-12£ per meter

Any sugestions?

 

[nopiano]

I would suggest waiting a month in case the sound changes, either due to running in or you getting used to it.

 

[abacus]

Pro Studios (The ones that make the music you are listening to) use 2.5mm sq. OFC (Oxygen Free Copper) multi-strand cable, which is all you will need, so just but the cheapest that meets this spec.

Note; once you have met this standard, unless your cable runs are really long, no other cable (At any price) will make any difference to the sound. (It’s a myth that a lot of Hi Fi enthusiasts fall for, but studio producers, technicians & musicians don’t)

Hope this helps

Bill

 

[Arsukfjorden]

Nopiano: Well that is also the plan. I know it takes far longer than a few days to run a set of speakers in. On the other hand, i am the kind of type who tends to spend weeks or more at choosing what to buy before making a decision. So at this state I am pretty much researching which cables would suit the kind of sound i wish for.

Abacus: So you are saying that all the reviews on cables Whathifi have done is purely imagination?

 

[abacus]

Abacus: So you are saying that all the reviews on cables Whathifi have done is purely imagination?

Yes, they did a blind test once with members of the Hi Fi community and none could tell the difference no matter what cables were used, however the conclusion at the end was this test was not conclusive, however we still believe that cables make a difference.

Every blind test done proves there is no difference in the sound (One test even used coat hangers as part of the test, and still nobody could tell the difference) however some people will not accept facts.

Try the cables out via a blind test by all means, however you will hear no difference if correctly managed tests are done.

Bill

 

[CnoEvil]

My advice is to listen for yourself and make up your own mind. A great many on here are deluded enough to think its worth the effort.

 

[gurjitsidhu]

Good choice of speaker!

i have the 2050i and they are amazing for the money! They are now off since I upgraded to bowers and wilkins 684 but the 2050i were not far off them at all. BUT my 2050i took absolutely ages to burn in! I mean close to 200 hours. Before this they were far too warm and like they had a blanket over them. Wait till you have put the hours on them- 4-8 hours per day max then listen to them. I use them with silver plated Cambridge audio ultra 100 speaker cables and they sounded fab! The silver coating gives a brighter sound so they are not recommended to metal tweeters but the 2050i have silk so they are good for them.

But trust me- give them time. I was about to return mine after 80 hours then all of a sudden they just started to sound better and better. The room makes a difference too though.

 

[Rob.S.Esquire]

Ah the classic speaker cable discussion... let's not open up this can of worms.

I really like the QED original cables which are OFC copper, 2.5mm cross section. The sound was a step up over the not so cheapo cables I had before which were non brand name 14awg (2.08mm squared) with a clear jacket which I got from the hifi store where I bought the speakers. I can find no fault with the QED original as they are to me what speaker cables should be, high quality copper with a nice outer housing.

Other QED cables such as the X-TC have a 'hollow' plastic core at the centre of the cable arond which the copper is wrapped which means less copper but a higher diamater. (if you see the thinking) Many cables feature silver wrapped around the copper because silver is a better conductor expecially for the higher frequencies.

As abacus points out, studios and technicians use high diameter copper cables as these are the industry standard. However I would disagree that there is no change in sound by swtching out your cables, but I would say that it is not an improvement. Good OFC copper is the standard, that is how your amp and speakers sound. Switch the cable to a lower diameter cable and you will likely have less bass. Throw some silver in there and you have brighter treble. Neither of these is an 'improvement' in sound quality, however you may have a personal preference for one or the other. I think everyone should go for at least OFC 2.5mm copper cables as a first upgrade, then if you really do not like the sound, change everything else in your system.

I am surprised that the OP finds the sound boring as I used to have a Denon 1911 amp with my Tannoy Mercury V4 floorstanders and the sound was anything but laid back. Unless you consider being grabbed by the shoulders and violently shaken about relaxing! I found I had to have the Tannoy's almost square with no toe in in order to listen comfortably with the Denon and even then sometimes it could be too much for many genres of music.

Maybe it would be worthwhile to let the speakers settle in and then see if you need that excitement. Try toeing in the speakers a lot and playing with the position from the walls and listening position first. Then I would consider looking at your source.