Hi guys,

I'm relitively new to the HiFi scene but my modest system has matured over the last 18 months to the point where I've taken delivery of some Focal 906's (with matching stands!) to keep my Creek Evolution 50A and Arcam AirDac company.

I've set aside £150 - £200 for a 3m pair of speaker cable and would appreciate if anyone has any bright ideas based around my system. Source is all Macbook and interconnects are Atlas Elements if that makes any difference.

A couple of leftfield choices that have caught my eye are Kimber Kable V4S and Tellurium Q Ultra Blue. If anyone has any experience of those in particular that would be awesome.

Thanks in advance,

M
 

TomSawyer

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Hi Matty,

When you say the source is Macbook - where does the Macbook get the music from - iTunes downloads, rips from CD, Spotify etc.?
 

CnoEvil

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I like TQ Blue, Linn K20, Atlas Hyper and QED 79 strand.

Try to borrow some different cables and see if you can hear a difference...if you can't, get the cheapest.

BTW. Welcome to the forum.
 

abacus

Well-known member
Standard 2.5mm sq. OFC copper will be fine for that length of run.

As always I recommend you go to a Pro Music Store, as they will be able to provide you with cables that are used in professional recording studios etc. and will be of much better quality and a fraction of the price of the ones produced by Hi Fi cable manufactures. (These are always overpriced and overhyped so as to get as much money out of the Hi Fi buff as possible)

Hope this helps

Bill
 

drummerman

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abacus said:
Standard 2.5mm sq. OFC copper will be fine for that length of run.

As always I recommend you go to a Pro Music Store, as they will be able to provide you with cables that are used in professional recording studios etc. and will be of much better quality and a fraction of the price of the ones produced by Hi Fi cable manufactures. (These are always overpriced and overhyped so as to get as much money out of the Hi Fi buff as possible)

Hope this helps

Bill

Aaahw you ... always good for a giggle you are :)
 
D

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Hifi Sound said:
Is it a good idea for me to post on a cable thread as my first ever post? *biggrin*
Be interesting to hear what you have to say! *bomb*
 
Good to know someone does; it's super difficult to find much about it online.

I totally understand futility of my question! Splitting hairs at best and I understand better to one ear is just different to another. I was curious about the two I metioned and keen touch base on here anyway so many thanks for the reply and suggestions.

Maybe a trip down to Lintone would be worth my while.

M
 

iceman16

Well-known member
Matty Cairns said:
Hi guys,

I'm relitively new to the HiFi scene but my modest system has matured over the last 18 months to the point where I've taken delivery of some Focal 906's (with matching stands!) to keep my Creek Evolution 50A and Arcam AirDac company.

I've set aside £150 - £200 for a 3m pair of speaker cable and would appreciate if anyone has any bright ideas based around my system. Source is all Macbook and interconnects are Atlas Elements if that makes any difference.

A couple of leftfield choices that have caught my eye are Kimber Kable V4S and Tellurium Q Ultra Blue. If anyone has any experience of those in particular that would be awesome.

Thanks in advance,

M

I would add used TQ black to your lists.
 

TrevC

Well-known member
Buy some fit and forget 6mm copper multistrand like Van Damme on ebay for a fraction of your budget. None of the foo brands perform better, many are worse because they are too resistive.
 
B

BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW

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TrevC said:
Buy some fit and forget 6mm copper multistrand like Van Damme on ebay for a fraction of your budget. None of the foo brands perform better, many are worse because they are too resistive.

Trev C is correct, but I can see that the OP is already convinced that spending lots of money will make his system sound better, so even though the recommended Van Damme 6mm is as good, if not better, I fear the OP will still waste money on overpriced cables, and after he's spent the money, he'll convince himself that it was worth the extra.

Why do people ask for advice when they've more or less made up their minds?
 
B

BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW

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abacus said:
Standard 2.5mm sq. OFC copper will be fine for that length of run.

As always I recommend you go to a Pro Music Store, as they will be able to provide you with cables that are used in professional recording studios etc. and will be of much better quality and a fraction of the price of the ones produced by Hi Fi cable manufactures. (These are always overpriced and overhyped so as to get as much money out of the Hi Fi buff as possible)

Hope this helps

Bill

Great advice. *good*
 
Not strictly true - I'm open to any advice I can get my hands on really. I'm 21 and have had to learn this hobby solo thus far. So I guess I'm fairly impressionable when the general advice is to spend x amount of one's budget on cables.

I have no benchmarks or reference points on which to base a decision right now. I'm not adverse to spending on some Van Damme cabling and saving some money in the process. It's interesting to hear from people in your camp.

Out of interest, would any potential money saved be better spent on some other peripheral system improvement? Accoustic tiles, upgraded power cords, etc?
 

BigH

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Best to try some out at home. blind test, see if you can hear the difference, Van Damme OFC 2.5mm should do, its a pro cable, used in some music studios and Tellurium Q Ultra Blue. Be careful where you buy from there are fake cables about on some auction sites.
 

BigH

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Matty Cairns said:
Not strictly true - I'm open to any advice I can get my hands on really. I'm 21 and have had to learn this hobby solo thus far. So I guess I'm fairly impressionable when the general advice is to spend x amount of one's budget on cables.

I have no benchmarks or reference points on which to base a decision right now. I'm not adverse to spending on some Van Damme cabling and saving some money in the process. It's interesting to hear from people in your camp.

Out of interest, would any potential money saved be better spent on some other peripheral system improvement? Accoustic tiles, upgraded power cords, etc?

Room treatment , maybe yes depends on your room. Power cords, think you should just stick to speaker cables for now.
 
B

BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW

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Matty Cairns said:
Out of interest, would any potential money saved be better spent on some other peripheral system improvement? Acoustic tiles, upgraded power cords, etc?

Think about it logically. Why would changing a power cord change the sound? And if it did, why would manufacturers of decent quality hi-fi equipment supply a power cord that doesn't show off their product at it's best?
 

Blacksabbath25

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Matty Cairns said:
I think this is quickly becoming the take-home lesson of the thread for me.....

Appreciated, man.
I understand you to know about which is best for your needs in regards of speaker cable but there not meany on here that like to talk about them it's a sore subject ! A lot of people think that expensive cables are a wast of money and they are snake oil waiting for the next mug that comes along I like to think that if you spend a reasonable amount on cables you should be ok with your choice .*smile*
 

RobinKidderminster

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It seems you have done some homework when mentioning burn in. Line up electrons in a cable transmitting an AC signal??? I (ofcourse) am in the 'expensive cables are for mugs' camp but others will say otherwise. I would say simple well made cables and enjoy. If the urge ever returns then borrow some and very very carefully test them. Then report back. :)

Good luck
 
BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW said:
Matty Cairns said:
Out of interest, would any potential money saved be better spent on some other peripheral system improvement? Acoustic tiles, upgraded power cords, etc?

Think about it logically. Why would changing a power cord change the sound? And if it did, why would manufacturers of decent quality hi-fi equipment supply a power cord that doesn't show off their product at it's best?

That is a blindingly good point and it has occured to me. Unless I get the chance to play with tons of different kit to dispell the myths and conduct blind tests it really would just be money wasted. Placebo effect at best until you can quantify it.

Again, it's cool to see all of you forum-dwelling audiophiles aren't just blindly subscribing to the satus quo *drinks*
 

DIB

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Before I settled on my current system of nearly 4 years now, I had a Creek Evo 2 amp driving a pair of Focal 906v's. Excellent combination and I used Van Damme Studio Blue 2.5mm to great effect. I still have Van Damme now and cannot see or hear any reason to change.

.
 

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