Just won a second pair of Townshend Isolda Cable on Ebay!

[Anton90125]

As some of you will know I am a great advocate of biwiring. I also rate the Isolda Cable from Townshend very very highly ( I wonder if What Hifi will do a review of ths cable Clare/Andrew/Simon?).

I use my current Isolda length for bass/midrange and Linn for top. I have never been too happy with this config. I have 6 different types of cable and have tried various combo. The isolda/Linn being the best I could manage.

Now this has changed! Isolda for both treble and bass.

I can't wait for this cable to be delivered!

Another good thing about this cable is its second hand value remains constant or increases !

 

[Thaiman]

I know you like your Isolda mate and many other people I know who uesed them - love them. As for reviews are concern....Does it matter what anyone else think? You love them and that is the most important bit....enjoy.

 

[Anton90125]

I just thought it would be interesting to see how they compare with other cables the What Hifi team have tested.

On a seperate note : I might be moving to your kneck of the woods

 

[Thaiman]

A lovely North Norfolk? I can't think of a better place to live

 

[Anonymous]

First I want to say: congratulations with your recent purchase!
I have never heard of Townshend Isolda speaker cable before -let alone heard them myself- but if you are happy with them, that's all that matters.[quote user="Anton90125"]( I wonder if What Hifi will do a review of ths cable Clare/Andrew/Simon?).

[/quote]Maybe in the future, who knows you brought it to their attention? But for now it seems only some other magazines have rated it yet. Hifi choice apparently gave it a gold award. No bad buy it seems!On the more practical note: do these cables really cost 400 pounds for a two metre pair!!??

 

[Anton90125]

Oh yes! hence my Ebay activity. I got a 3M pair for £230 (I have seen a pair go for over £400!??, new they are £500).
The pair I just got 2.5M for £250 which is about £400 new

Also the SH value is generally maintained

The only way I can describe them is say how even they sound over the entire audio frequency range. Compared to the my other cables (Audioquest Midnight, VDH CS122,Qed Silver Anniversary,Linn Cable and 2 other cables I can't remember) the Isolda seems to have a strong mid (or could it be that the others have a weaker mid?)

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Thaiman"]A lovely North Norfolk? I can't think of a better place to live [/quote]

Not quite Norfolk, somewhere between Colchester and Sudbury. Compared to where I currently live (S London) ,its quiet and restful.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Anton90125"] I use my current Isolda length for bass/midrange [/quote]

Shouldn't you use Tristan for the bass?

 

[Anton90125]

Max Townshend seems to have a thing for British mythology

Glastonbury Speakers

THE ROCK turntable

Excalibur Arm

The Grail Cartridge

 

[Thaiman]

[quote user="Anton90125"][quote user="Thaiman"]A lovely North Norfolk? I can't think of a better place to live [/quote]

Not quite Norfolk, somewhere between Colchester and Sudbury. Compared to where I currently live (S London) ,its quiet and restful.[/quote]

I think that is more of a Clare's neck of woods.....suffolk-ish and you will have colchester and Ipswich town as your team!

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Thaiman"]you will have colchester and Ipswich town as your team![/quote]

Oh no I still will be a Palace man! "Y-Eagles!" and I will be "Glad all over"

And I will still support Sri lankan Cricket as well!

 

[Anonymous]

I've been reading about your far too expensive cables. Apparently they can only be connected one way because they have an inductor and a capacitor built into them so maybe you should save money by dismantling one and copying it next time. I would have thought that jiggerypokery like that would give lower fidelity than ordinary pieces of wire but maybe low fidelity is what you like.

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]Apparently they can only be connected one way because they have an inductor and a capacitor built into them so maybe you should save money by dismantling one and copying it next time.[/quote]

Its a bit more complicated then that in that the conductors a more like strips of foil in parallel. The cable has been described as un rolled capacitor. This gives the cable a very low inductance and a high capacitance ( which can upset some amps). Mr Townshend added a network to reduce the capacitance. This network would only be correct of the length of that particular cable.

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]I've been reading about your far too expensive cables. [/quote]

This is only your opinion -which you are fully entitled to. After all no one is forcing you to buy it

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]I would have thought that jiggerypokery like that would give lower fidelity than ordinary pieces of wire[/quote]

A reasonable assumption but not proven

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]but maybe low fidelity is what you like.[/quote]

Maybe it would be better for you to actually audition the cable first and get some hard facts in place before you start double guessing my audio preferences

I cant help feeling that you are out to provoke an argument and at the same time getting your opinion and reality horribly confused!

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Anton90125"] Maybe it would be better for you to actually audition the cable first and get some hard facts in place before you start double guessing my audio preferences[/quote]

If you bear in mind the ideal high fidelity scenario, no cable losses at all, then the Isolda is aiming for pleasant sounding cosy imperfection. I'm not saying there's necessarily anything drastically wrong with that but to me it seems a high price to pay for it.
[quote user="Anton90125"] I cant help feeling that you are out to provoke an argument[/quote]

Not at all. Different strokes for different folks and viva la difference is what I say.

 

[Thaiman]

What did Andrew always say? groundhog day have fun mates, I am out of here.

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]If you bear in mind the ideal high fidelity scenario, no cable losses at all[/quote]

Reducing inductance is an attempt at getting to no cable losses. The unfortunate by product is high capacitance. The network is in place to protect certain amplifiers who's design is such that they run close to becoming unstable. The extra bit of capacitance is enough to start a catastrophic oscillation!

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]then the Isolda is aiming for pleasant sounding cosy imperfection[/quote]

Clearly this is not so given the extra low inductance

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]but to me it seems a high price to pay for it[/quote]

This could be said of any piece of hifi equipment depending on your bank balance, point of view and level of high fidelity requirement.

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]Different strokes for different folks and viva la difference is what I say[/quote]

Correct when you are NOT making assumptions about equipment you have never auditioned and making further assumption about what I find acceptable based on the erroneous first assumption.

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Thaiman"]What did Andrew always say? groundhog day have fun mates, I am out of here.[/quote]

LOL .

I got my cable today. I am just waiting for my mate to return from Malta to connect it up for me! I will report my findings then.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Anton90125"]

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]then the Isolda is aiming for pleasant sounding cosy imperfection[/quote]

Clearly this is not so given the extra low inductance
[/quote]

Not so. The Isolda also has very high inductance caused by the extra inductor built into the cable to avoid amplifier instability. It would also explain why you are a fan of bi-wiring. The more lossy the cable, the more difference bi-wiring will make.

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]The Isolda also has very high inductance caused by the extra inductor built into the cable [/quote]

You certainly enjoy your assumptions. Unless you have cable and have made measurements with and without the network, you can only guess that the overall inductance has increased. And if it has increased - by how much as compared to a "normal cheap or mid priced " cable? I am told that the Isolda is based on the cable manufactured by Goertz. These cables (without networks) have inductances between 4 and 10 nH/ft. I have also read that its not uncommon to find similar LR networks in the output stage of lot of transistor amplifiers ( to protect it from capacitance ).

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]It would also explain why you are a fan of bi-wiring. The more lossy the cable, the more difference bi-wiring will make.[/quote]

Another classic assumptions that I am a fan of bi wiring because of the Isolda. Hopelessly wrong I am afraid. I got my first Isolda cable earlier this year. I have been a "fan of bi-wiring" since the early 90's with a huge number of "standard" cables. QED, Audioquest, Van den hul, Litz type, Linn being the few that I can remember.

Or maybe all standard cables are very lossy !??

You are of course entitled to your opinion- however unbased its is in reality. When you have some experience of the Isolda then I will take your opinion more seriously.

The bottom line is I have nothing to prove to you. Its not my job to correct or highlight some very dodgy assumptions.
And I am very happy with my highly revealing low loss high performance cable- so "Boo Hoo sucks to you"

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Anton90125"] You certainly enjoy your assumptions. Unless you have cable and have made measurements with and without the network, you can only guess that the overall inductance has increased.[/quote]

If they've had to insert an inductor to stop it upsetting amplifiers it's a fairly safe assumption that the inductance must have increased above the almost negligible value of normal cables.

[quote user="Anton90125"]I have been a "fan of bi-wiring" since the early 90's with a huge number of "standard" cables. QED, Audioquest, Van den hul, Litz type, Linn being the few that I can remember.[/quote]

You appear to be hung up on brand names. All thats required to make biwiring redundant is a cable that is substantial enough to get very close to the 'no cable at all' ideal.

[quote user="Anton90125"]maybe all standard cables are very lossy !??[/quote]

Just because a cable costs a lot to buy and is made in an oddball way doesn't automatically make it the best. Have you tried using very thick stranded copper? You can buy it cheap on Ebay.

 

[Anton90125]

I thought I recognized your style : its Oldphrt isn't it!???

 

[Anton90125]

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]Have you tried using very thick stranded copper?[/quote]

yes from Ebay and Maplins and they were sonically inferior to VH cs122 cable.

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]Just because a cable costs a lot to buy and is made in an oddball way doesn't automatically make it the best.[/quote]

True but it doesn't automatically make it worse either. I have one big advantage to your guesswork, I have heard it ! So you are not qualified ( until you have heard/tested/measured it) to say its lossy or poor.

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]You appear to be hung up on brand names[/quote]

More assumptions out of thin air : I can't remember the names/part no.s of the unbranded cables I have tried. Everyone knows the branded cables so its a good common reference point in a discussion on cables

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]All thats required to make biwiring redundant is a cable that is substantial enough to get very close to the 'no cable at all' ideal.[/quote]

I am not going to argue with you on this point as it your opinion which you are entitled to. However what I will say is from my own experimentation I find bi wiring makes a big difference. My opinion is based on my own observations (blind tested )

[quote user="Nigel Proctor"]t's a fairly safe assumption that the inductance must have increased above the almost negligible value of normal cables.[/quote]

Is it? Its not very scientific to make assumptions without testing it. And you know what they say - making assumption...

At the end of the day I have nothing to prove to you. When you come back with some hard facts we can have a proper discussion and I will then have some respect for your opinion.

 

[hifikrazy]

[quote user="Anton90125"]I thought I recognized your style : its Oldphrt isn't it!???[/quote]

Oldphrt, Zoot Horn Rollo, Nigel Proctor, Keith McAlpine (and another one I can't quite recall who emerged in between Oldphrt and ZHR).... all of them have one thing in common.... they need to get a life! Or rather, he needs to get a life.

 

[Andrew Everard]

...Fred Scuttle. Sid Rumpo...

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="hifikrazy"][quote user="Anton90125"]I thought I recognized your style : its Oldphrt isn't it!???[/quote]

Oldphrt, Zoot Horn Rollo, Nigel Proctor, Keith McAlpine (and another one I can't quite recall who emerged in between Oldphrt and ZHR).... all of them have one thing in common.... they need to get a life! Or rather, he needs to get a life.[/quote]

I think it's you that needs to get a life, old son.