Interconnect question

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

What interconnect cables do you think would suit my system the best ? Got some rubbish of old things at the moment !

My system is

Kef IQ5se speakers
8000cd
8000s Amp
chord carnival silver screen cables

I was looking at Chord Cobra 3 Audio Interconnect or Chord Chameleon Silver Plus Audio Interconnect as this is what HiFix recommanded to me. (They've been pretty spot on so far !)

Thanks,

Gbeer7

http://www.concept-av.co.uk/chord-chameleon-silver-plus-audio-interconnect-23-p.asp

 

[chebby]

Gbeer7:I was looking at Chord Cobra 3 Audio Interconnect or Chord Chameleon Silver Plus Audio Interconnect as this is what HiFix recommanded to me. (They've been pretty spot on so far !)

Cobra 3.

Chord themselves suggest Cobra 3 as a match for your speaker cables.

http://www.chord.co.uk/chordweb/chord_cable_matching.htm

 

[Anonymous]

Cool, thank you very much. Good read as well

This forum's great !

 

[Anonymous]

So you've got the believer's advice. Now for the non-believer's:

Normal cables don't affect the sound. Get cables that's shielded (to eliminate electrical noise), and with solid, tight fitting plugs that's properly soldered. Cables like that don't have to be expensive -- though the cheapest ones are not shielded and might have rubbish plugs.

The materials used in interconnects are cheap, and almost all cables are put together in low-cost countries. If you use a shop selling professional sound equipment instead of the hi-fi shops, you'll get high quality interconnects for what they're really worth.

 

[Anonymous]

Gbeer7:
I was looking at Chord Cobra 3 Audio Interconnect or Chord Chameleon Silver Plus Audio Interconnect as this is what HiFix recommanded to me. (They've been pretty spot on so far !)

I bought some Cobra 3's at weekend to replace cheap general electrical chain store interconnects. My system is very detailed but tends a wee bit towards brightness if I'm not careful and with the Cobras I noticed distinct softening of treble, a bit mellower for long-term listening, and I think better vocals (which seem to sit forward a bit in the presentation and before I get jumped on from a huge height I admit that maybe I'm just imagining that...who knows?) On the downside they definitely seemed to take an edge of pace out of the system, maybe with that treble being not quite so forward (or you could say it's better controlled now, depending on whether the glass is half full or half empty). So good for vocals, absolutely lovely on prog rock type stuff, for some reason great on older recordings like original Stones...but not so good on Iron Maiden and ACDC! Didn't find any difference whatsoever on directionality so far.

ÿ

 

[Gerrardasnails]

Fahnsen:
So you've got the believer's advice. Now for the non-believer's:

Normal cables don't affect the sound. Get cables that's shielded (to eliminate electrical noise), and with solid, tight fitting plugs that's properly soldered. Cables like that don't have to be expensive -- though the cheapest ones are not shielded and might have rubbish plugs.

The materials used in interconnects are cheap, and almost all cables are put together in low-cost countries. If you use a shop selling professional sound equipment instead of the hi-fi shops, you'll get high quality interconnects for what they're really worth.

I seriously disagree with nearly all of that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Athenry. Intresting post.

Listen alot to Bealtes,Bob Dylan, Early Stones, Free etc. More modern stuff like Pearl Jam is a bit heaver.

 

[Anonymous]

athenry:Gbeer7:
I was looking at Chord Cobra 3 Audio Interconnect or Chord Chameleon Silver Plus Audio Interconnect as this is what HiFix recommanded to me. (They've been pretty spot on so far !)

I bought some Cobra 3's at weekend to replace cheap general electrical chain store interconnects. My system is very detailed but tends a wee bit towards brightness if I'm not careful and with the Cobras I noticed distinct softening of treble, a bit mellower for long-term listening, and I think better vocals (which seem to sit forward a bit in the presentation and before I get jumped on from a huge height I admit that maybe I'm just imagining that...who knows?) On the downside they definitely seemed to take an edge of pace out of the system, maybe with that treble being not quite so forward (or you could say it's better controlled now, depending on whether the glass is half full or half empty). So good for vocals, absolutely lovely on prog rock type stuff, for some reason great on older recordings like original Stones...but not so good on Iron Maiden and ACDC! Didn't find any difference whatsoever on directionality so far.

ÿ

I have the same experience with the Chord Cobra 2 and would recommend going for the Crimson instead. The CSP is great but you need to decide whether you want the extra outlay. The Crimson would probably suit well.

The QED Qunex 2 is fantastic for the cash too.

 

[Anonymous]

So maybe the CHORD CRIMSON INTERCONNECT ?

 

[Anonymous]

Bit unsure now, The crimson is a starting range cable and the Cobra 3 seems a step up. Confusing stuff !

 

[Anonymous]

you could go for the atlas equator mk2 or the new merlin cable that came out. The merlin is advertised on their own website as being £35, and it sounds great.

Go for it and you won't be dissapointed.

 

[Anonymous]

I have to second the opinion on the Crimson's as I've found them to be incredible cables. Unfortunately I think cables is one area that only trying will let you know if they suit your system or not. There are many dealers that allow you to have home demos. For me the Crimson's have set the benchmark that any more expensive cable I keep must beat.

 

[Anonymous]

Gbeer7:Bit unsure now, The crimson is a starting range cable and the Cobra 3 seems a step up. Confusing stuff !

It's kind of unfair of me to judge after only a few days use and there's certainly lots of good things about the Cobra. Gut feel though - if I was buying again today, I'd maybe try the Crimson instead of the Cobra. Atlas, as mentioned by another poster, was also on my list but couldn't find any in my neck of the woods and was too impatient to wait.ÿ

 

[Anonymous]

Cobra and Crimson use the same materials (copper) - Cobra uses thicker strands. Fewer and thicker strands = better conductivity and thus better cable.

Chameleon Plus uses silver coated copper. If your system is on the bright side, then go for copper-only cables. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly recommend Chameleon Plus.

SHB (silver highbreed) is IMHO better than Chameleon and much cheaper as its a guy that makes them locally. He has sent me cross-sections of his cables (as I was very curious) and I can attest these are not plain and cheap cables.

 

[Anonymous]

Gbeer7:

What interconnect cables do you think would suit my system the best ? Got some rubbish of old things at the moment !

what are the interconnects that you are currently using? ....

 

[ESP2009]

chainrock: SHB (silver highbreed) is IMHO better than Chameleon and much cheaper as its a guy that makes them locally. He has sent me cross-sections of his cables (as I was very curious) and I can attest these are not plain and cheap cables.

I am happy to second the above opinion - great cables for the price. The Metaphor 2 version is my recommendation since I didn't really notice much improvement from the Avatar for the £13 extra. That said, having tried them I have moved back to the Van den Hul The Name which is slightly warmer in its sound and easier on the ear for me - my system was sounding too bright after I introduced the CA DACMagic and Atlas Compass coaxial. That wasn't the case previously! The SHB I/Cs provide a very clear and detailed sound, but need careful use to avoid being fatiguing in a system that already produces clarity and good high end. Oh, and ensure you have at least 4 inches of clearance at the back of your kit - they aren't as flexible as some due to their construction.

 

[Anonymous]

ESP2009 ... slightly off topic ... I see in your signature that you have a Marantz cdp with mods .... what stage mods have you had done, and what have you compared it to?

 

[Anonymous]

How to you mod an 8000s ???

 

[ESP2009]

dim_span:ESP2009 ... slightly off topic ... I see in your signature that you have a Marantz cdp with mods .... what stage mods have you had done, and what have you compared it to?

Oh dear, I wish you hadn't asked that one! The CDP was purchased second-hand with the mods already made. I am sure I had the details, but they have scuttled off into some dark corner. I will see if I can avail myself of the information before too long.

I do recall that the laser is upgraded, that the power lead is improved and that the whole chassis/case has been insulated/damped - not sure what else.

Having compared it with my original KI Sig at the time of purchase almost a year ago, I would venture that it takes the whole sound a further step up: greater clarity, deeper soundstage and improved bass (more powerful and tighter). I have not had opportunity to compare said beastie with anything else.

Of course, my current system sounds great to my ears, but I am always curious about any chance to squeeze that bit more performance out of my set-up (without upsetting the other half!) hence experiments with I/Cs. I currently have a pair of VdH d102 III Hybrids that I am itching to try out, but need a certain someone to be elsewhere!

 

[Anonymous]

chainrock:
Cobra and Crimson use the same materials (copper) - Cobra uses thicker strands. Fewer and thicker strands = better conductivity and thus better cable.

Chameleon Plus uses silver coated copper. If your system is on the bright side, then go for copper-only cables. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly recommend Chameleon Plus.

SHB (silver highbreed) is IMHO better than Chameleon and much cheaper as its a guy that makes them locally. He has sent me cross-sections of his cables (as I was very curious) and I can attest these are not plain and cheap cables.

The Cobra 2 uses a different dielectric to the Crimson so that might explain why the treble sounds more sat on with the former.

 

[ESP2009]

reggaedave:How to you mod an 8000s ???

Personally? I wouldn't dare. However, as a second/spare amp I purchased an Audiolab 8000S off Fleabay that had been modified (curiosity made me do it, honest!) The purchase was fairly bargainous, so I was happy, especially since the amp does sound good - arguably a better overall sound.

So what's inside? Well, titter ye not, but it is claimed that...been modified by Audiocom International Limited to level 2 specs. Some of the changes include upgrades to Black Gate capacitors, BYBEE Slipstream purifiers for Transformer secondary supply and large quantum purifiers for L&R Speaker channels. There are other techie bits mentioned, but I can't be bothered to type them all out!

Doesn't mean a great deal to me (but then a lot of what is discussed by WHF forum members doesn't

) but I like the way it sounds in my system. Some may mock, but it works for me. Even so, I always wonder, just a little, if there is another amp out there that could improve the sound even further without breaking the bank.

 

[Anonymous]

My approach to this is to get the best you can afford and to try it. So, if you consider a Cobra new, you might get a Chameleon Silver Plus for the same price on Ebay, and if you do, you can sell it off again without a loss, if you don't like it. I have one and like it a lot, but then I have warmish electronics -- just a thought!

Hedgehog

 

[ESP2009]

Hedgehog is right - Fleabay is a good source of cheaper cables. Not as good as it was, maybe, but you can usually find a selection of cables going for cheaper than their usual RRP. In theory you can snap up a bargain, try it and sell it on if not convinced about its prowess. Unfortunately, I seem to have sticky fingers!

It would be great to have the opportunity to try out a selection of cables within your price band, in the comfort and convenience of your own home, without the delay of 'burn-in' or the pressure of a 'return in x days if not satisfied'. To some extent Fleabay can provide this, if you are patient.

 

[Anonymous]

Cheers Guys, Great advice. Biggest thing you learn is its all down to personnel likes and dis-likes. There is no straight anwser is there !

 

[Anonymous]

Without wanting to be a downer here, I bought a cable from ebay and it was in a terrible state.

{rant}
It didn't help that Chord wouldn't let me send it to them for repair but instead required me to drive to my local dealer to drop it off and then pick it up; four hours of driving and I still paid the postage from the dealer.
{/rant}