Intercons. and speaker cables for Caspian and PMC.

atinka1

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Hi everybody,

especially those who facilitated matters and helped me to find adequate speakers

to get along well with my Roksan Caspian.

I have bought couple days a go PMC BG1i and everything is working great,

but.....

Now i need new cables because my old VDH cs-122 and vdh d-102III are not good enough

for this combo.(I heard at PMC distributor, my roksan amp and GB1i with some Chord cables(45gbp/m),

and it was good, but i think that you guys from forum better solution.

Favourite artists lets say Norah Jones,Diana Krall,Rummer,Laura Pausini,Eros Ramazotti, 80s British pop,Mariah Carrey,

Adele.

I need detailed, crisp sound along with warm low end.

Thanks in advance

Cheers
 

Inter_Voice

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Just wanted to know what is lacking in your VDH cs-122 and vdh d-102III cables ? These cables should not be too bad.

TBH I don't think changing the cables will change the SQ of your system by a lot. It is better to save some money for something else.
 

atinka1

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only one but important failure, when a voice of a performer is getting louder,

it is in his peak somehow squeaky and dry. The rest is fine. I heard my system

with Chord Epic and it was more musical, more warm,but not detailed enough.
 

stephennic

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Hi,

If you want a crisp sound try the Nordost (Blue heaven) range a little leaner than chord but fast, very detailed and airy generally. On systems that might err towards brightness it may amplify that though. I personally didnt like the vandenhul 102II I found them dull up top and a bit harsh in the mids. Also try the Kimber range very balanced musical sound. For speaker cable try 4tc or 8tc or the kimber timbre interconnect. The chord chamelon silver plus has a warm bottom end and a slightly fuller sound than nordost BH but not qute as detailed - its nice too.

Cheers

Steve
 

John Duncan

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From PMC's FAQ...

"PMC recommend using a high quality think multi-strand Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) cable between the amplifier and speakers. The use of 'exotic' cables has limited improvement on sound quality, so we would not advocate spending great quantities of money. However, if you are prepared to spend a great deal of money in this area, we would strongly advice you listen first to determine whether the outlay is worth the improvement."

That said, I'm running Chord Odyssey...:-D
 

Inter_Voice

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John Duncan said:
From PMC's FAQ...

"PMC recommend using a high quality think multi-strand Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) cable between the amplifier and speakers. The use of 'exotic' cables has limited improvement on sound quality, so we would not advocate spending great quantities of money. However, if you are prepared to spend a great deal of money in this area, we would strongly advice you listen first to determine whether the outlay is worth the improvement."

That said, I'm running Chord Odyssey...:-D

Me too using Chord Odyssey for My Spendor SA1 ;)
 

atinka1

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Hi stephenic,

right you are, exactly...dull up top and a bit harsh in the mids....that is more precisely defined i`d liked to say.

Ok then i am going to borrow 8tc by my friend and to change interconnect with something similar from kimber or russ andrews kitchen. I had planned to do similar move....ok now i will call my friend and try 8tc.

Thanks a lot,

Cheers
 
atinka1 said:
Hi stephenic,

right you are, exactly...dull up top and a bit harsh in the mids....that is more precisely defined i`d liked to say.

Ok then i am going to borrow 8tc by my friend and to change interconnect with something similar from kimber or russ andrews kitchen. I had planned to do similar move....ok now i will call my friend and try 8tc.

Thanks a lot,

Cheers

I'm a fencesitter when it comes to cables. Yes they do make a difference, but minimal. Like Mr. Citron mentioned, look at room acoustics first.
 

stephennic

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Hi atinka 1,

The kimber 8tc is a lovely cable, warm full bottom end and has that nice musical mids and an open top. The old model is blue and black the new one is clear. The chord chamelon slver plus and Nordost blue heaven interconnects are probably a touch more open generally and detailed at the top end than the Kimber timbre - I found the Kimber hero next one up above timbre quite nice but a bit rolled off at the top even more than the Kimber pbj or timbre so I preferred the pbj.

I use the Nordost with my valve pre which give the sound a bit more sparkle, fast punch bass - however with some solid state stuff I found it can be a bit forward sounding. Have a read on the reviews of the Nordost, chord, hero on this website and timbre on techradar website.

Let me know how you go.

Cheers

Steve.
 

garyw77

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Highly recommend looking at the Audioquest range of cables for PMC... My recent upgrade to the Columbia I/C and Rocket 88 S/C made a terrific difference...
 

atinka1

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btw. people from PMC answered me yesterday:

"For speaker cables, our suggestion is always to have simple copper cable
with higher cross, at least 2 x 2,5mm², but better 2 x 4mm². We are using
Van Damme & Ecosse cables but there are also plenty of good cables on the
market. It is only important that philosophy of cable maker is not to build
equaliser but to make cable to have possible low influence on the sound
quality."
 

atinka1

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btw. people from PMC answered me yesterday:

"For speaker cables, our suggestion is always to have simple copper cable
with higher cross, at least 2 x 2,5mm², but better 2 x 4mm². We are using
Van Damme & Ecosse cables but there are also plenty of good cables on the
market. It is only important that philosophy of cable maker is not to build
equaliser but to make cable to have possible low influence on the sound
quality."
 

paradiziac

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atinka1 said:
"It is only important that philosophy of cable maker is not to build equaliser but to make cable to have possible low influence on the sound quality."

I've had good experience with Van Damme. Not expensive and useful as a reference point to judge other cables.

The better cables in the Atlas range and Mark Grant are a bit better than VD.

Look for 2nd hand/ex-demo/end of line Atlas.

Mark Grant allows you to return the cable within 30 days if you don't like it.
 

stephennic

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atinka1 said:
btw. people from PMC answered me yesterday:

"For speaker cables, our suggestion is always to have simple copper cable
with higher cross, at least 2 x 2,5mm², but better 2 x 4mm². We are using
Van Damme & Ecosse cables but there are also plenty of good cables on the
market. It is only important that philosophy of cable maker is not to build
equaliser but to make cable to have possible low influence on the sound
quality."

Hi,

I agree "cables are not an equaliser ..... and to have possible low influence on the sound". However cables do have levels of capitance inductance etc that can influence sound slightly when it goes through the cable.

We did a test on my system with an engineering friend between 6 cables and we found that the sound was influence ie slightly warmer or brighter, more open or closed, more detailed, more forward or laid back etc. So with a good system you have you would be able to tell the difference a bit between cables. I found silver tended generally to be little brighter, and copper a little warmer and perhaps a little more forgiving in mismatches in some systems in some cases.

Just my 10c worth.

Cheers

Steve.
 

paradiziac

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Silver-coated copper is generally designed as a "tone control", most of the time that means introducing brightness that may subjectively "improve" the sound in the short term and may be "fatiguing" in the long term.

Thicker cable may give a bit more bass.

Pure copper or (so they say!) pure silver, is more neutral and generally designed to transmit the signal with the least loss.

The quality of the plugs, how they are assembled and the insulating materials matter as well. The Atlas cables website has a lot of useful and interesting info without too much mumbo-jumbo.

Whether you actually hear much of a difference depends on your ears and system.
 

paradiziac

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Speaker cables:

Van Damme 2x4mm UPOFC Studio Grade Blue Series Speaker Cable

- quite a thick blue jacket

Van Damme 2x4.0mm UP LCOFC Hi-Fi Speaker Cable

- read a thread on this forum, Alienrik is the person to ask. In theory, LCOFC is a purer copper than UPOFC.

Altas Hyper 2.5 or 3.5

- 2.5 has great reviews, I have the 3.5. It's better than the VD but more expensive. I found mine used. If you asked Atlas, they would probably recommend this price range of cable for your system.

I/C's: it's very hard to find a VD interconnect, they are normally homemade

Atlas Equator (new) is a good budget option.

Atlas Hyper (new--matches the speaker cable!) or Atlas Navigator or Voyager--these 2 are recently discontinued--lots of ex-demo stocks at good discounts from the RRP. Atlas Questor (older 2nd hand £30, £70RRP at the time, good cheap used option).

If you want a very simple option without messing around and don't mind spending a little bit: matching Atlas Hyper speaker cables and ICs.

Atlas have a strong "cables should be neutral" philosophy, in contrast to companies like Nordost or QED whose products often introduce brightness. No doubt others can recommend suitable cables--there are many!
 

CnoEvil

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Along with Atlas, a brand that should give you what your after is Telurium Q.

Check the website here: http://www.telluriumq.com/
 

atinka1

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paradiziac said:
Speaker cables:

Van Damme 2x4mm UPOFC Studio Grade Blue Series Speaker Cable

- quite a thick blue jacket

Van Damme 2x4.0mm UP LCOFC Hi-Fi Speaker Cable

- read a thread on this forum, Alienrik is the person to ask. In theory, LCOFC is a purer copper than UPOFC.

Altas Hyper 2.5 or 3.5

- 2.5 has great reviews, I have the 3.5. It's better than the VD but more expensive. I found mine used. If you asked Atlas, they would probably recommend this price range of cable for your system.

I/C's: it's very hard to find a VD interconnect, they are normally homemade

Atlas Equator (new) is a good budget option.

Atlas Hyper (new--matches the speaker cable!) or Atlas Navigator or Voyager--these 2 are recently discontinued--lots of ex-demo stocks at good discounts from the RRP. Atlas Questor (older 2nd hand £30, £70RRP at the time, good cheap used option).

If you want a very simple option without messing around and don't mind spending a little bit: matching Atlas Hyper speaker cables and ICs.

Atlas have a strong "cables should be neutral" philosophy, in contrast to companies like Nordost or QED whose products often introduce brightness. No doubt others can recommend suitable cables--there are many!

Thanks a lot paradiziac,

i am going to start looking around tomorrow for any Atlas distributor in my area, but who has in stock those 3.5 and new hyper i/c.s.

rgds,
 

atinka1

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stephennic said:
Hi,

I agree "cables are not an equaliser ..... and to have possible low influence on the sound". However cables do have levels of capitance inductance etc that can influence sound slightly when it goes through the cable.

We did a test on my system with an engineering friend between 6 cables and we found that the sound was influence ie slightly warmer or brighter, more open or closed, more detailed, more forward or laid back etc. So with a good system you have you would be able to tell the difference a bit between cables. I found silver tended generally to be little brighter, and copper a little warmer and perhaps a little more forgiving in mismatches in some systems in some cases.

Just my 10c worth.

Cheers

Steve.

I agree with you stephennic, i have tried a lot of cables hitherto, i only mentioned what people from PMC said.

btw. i found 8TC along with wbt (transparent body 2 screws) spades at both sides for 220gbp, but need to hear

8tc of my friend and to go to hear those because i am pretty affraid of those fake ones thorought the internet.

cheers
 

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