I am looking to upgrade my hifi system to include the Marantz PM6002 amplifier and the Monitor Bronze BR2 speakers. Can anyone recommend which speaker cables would be best to connect them?
Speaker cable recommendations
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Try the QED SIlver Ann XT. Pretty good all round stuff, available in biwire flavour too.
Could also try Chord Company Carnival Silver plus.
Maybe have a demo at your local store, see which sounds good with your setup.
Could also try Chord Company Carnival Silver plus.
Maybe have a demo at your local store, see which sounds good with your setup.
[quote user="mattmorton"]Try the QED SIlver Ann XT. Pretty good all round stuff, available in biwire flavour too. Could also try Chord Company Carnival Silver plus. Maybe have a demo at your local store, see which sounds good with your setup.[/quote]
This man speaks the truth. Definitely go for the bi-wire with MA's. Make sure you've got some decent banana plugs too...
This man speaks the truth. Definitely go for the bi-wire with MA's. Make sure you've got some decent banana plugs too...
I've got my MABR2 speakers hooked up to an Arcam Alpha one amp with Nordost Flatline Gold (biwired) and they are a definite improvement on Chord Company Carnival. Fast, detailed and excellent imaging.
My advice is go for something reasonably expensive and negotiate with the dealer to throw it in. They make such a massive mark up on cables if you spend a few hundred on kit and play your cards right you could get yourself £100s worth of cable. Try the Chord Odyssey...good stuff!
DNM reson mark 2.it's a copper cable which is way better than the budget qed stuff and is also weighty, neutral and well suited to monitor audio speakers.I would be wary of getting qed silver anniversary, if you were considering it,it does not go that well with MA speakers. DNM is about £6 p/m on line,rrp is £7.95 You might want to single wire first.I spent ages at the weekend listening to my mon audio speakers both single and bi wired.Both myself and a friend could not hear any difference whatsoever on a variety of cd's.I would buy better quality single wire, such as the dnm, and make jumper leads from the cable you buy.One run of good quality single wire will beat poorer quality cable bi wired i think.
Chord company have a new budget cable out - Carnival SilverScreen. I think it has taken over from the Carnival Silver Plus.
Speaking of DNM, has anyone tried their interconnect? Any issues/thoughts concerning the lack of shielding on this cable?
Speaking of DNM, has anyone tried their interconnect? Any issues/thoughts concerning the lack of shielding on this cable?
Matt, tried the DNM lnterconnect,with bullet plug phono's, highly recommended. Revealing & detailed,one of the best interconnects l have experienced for the money. No problem with lack of shielding.
[quote user="Fraziel"]DNM reson mark 2.it's a copper cable which is way better than the budget qed stuff and is also weighty, neutral and well suited to monitor audio speakers.I would be wary of getting qed silver anniversary, if you were considering it,it does not go that well with MA speakers. DNM is about £6 p/m on line,rrp is £7.95 You might want to single wire first.I spent ages at the weekend listening to my mon audio speakers both single and bi wired.Both myself and a friend could not hear any difference whatsoever on a variety of cd's.I would buy better quality single wire, such as the dnm, and make jumper leads from the cable you buy.One run of good quality single wire will beat poorer quality cable bi wired i think.[/quote]
Fraziel I think it is less than fair to recommend the DNM over QED when buyers of new speaker cable will be looking at the newer QED SA XT and I believe you have not had a chance to compare these two directly?
Correct me if I am wrong I do not mean to be rude!
Fraziel I think it is less than fair to recommend the DNM over QED when buyers of new speaker cable will be looking at the newer QED SA XT and I believe you have not had a chance to compare these two directly?
Correct me if I am wrong I do not mean to be rude!
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
Hi Fr0g, when you say "shielded copper", do you mean with a separate screen, or just the plastic cover?
fatboyslimfast
Well-known member
Thought that was what you meant. I know what you mean. I borrowed a mates QED silver speaker cables and tried them.
Heard absolutely no difference to the nobrand white-covered copper cable (79 strand?) that came bundled with my s/h speakers! Needless to say won't be spending any more money on spk cable.
Heard absolutely no difference to the nobrand white-covered copper cable (79 strand?) that came bundled with my s/h speakers! Needless to say won't be spending any more money on spk cable.
[quote user="fr0g"][quote user="fatboyslimfast"]Thought that was what you meant. I know what you mean. I borrowed a mates QED silver speaker cables and tried them.
Heard absolutely no difference to the nobrand white-covered copper cable (79 strand?) that came bundled with my s/h speakers! Needless to say won't be spending any more money on spk cable.[/quote]
I reckon the advantages to be had over 'decent enough quality' cable (yes you MUST upgrade if you get bell-wire), are so minimal that I have yet to find any of my friends who can tell the difference. Same with interconnects, and absolutely with digi-connects... - Get a good, solid, well-made cable, and leave it at that. I personally believe any further improvement is placebo, subliminal etc.
I have £800 speakers connected with 80p/m wire, and could NOT be happier....
[/quote]
I've got £8 speakers hooked up with Nordost Blue Heaven mark 7 with special gold conductors with impedance improvers, and they sound sh*te.
;-)
Heard absolutely no difference to the nobrand white-covered copper cable (79 strand?) that came bundled with my s/h speakers! Needless to say won't be spending any more money on spk cable.[/quote]
I reckon the advantages to be had over 'decent enough quality' cable (yes you MUST upgrade if you get bell-wire), are so minimal that I have yet to find any of my friends who can tell the difference. Same with interconnects, and absolutely with digi-connects... - Get a good, solid, well-made cable, and leave it at that. I personally believe any further improvement is placebo, subliminal etc.
I have £800 speakers connected with 80p/m wire, and could NOT be happier....
[/quote]I've got £8 speakers hooked up with Nordost Blue Heaven mark 7 with special gold conductors with impedance improvers, and they sound sh*te.
;-)
[quote user="mattmorton"]Chord company have a new budget cable out - Carnival SilverScreen. I think it has taken over from the Carnival Silver Plus. Speaking of DNM, has anyone tried their interconnect? Any issues/thoughts concerning the lack of shielding on this cable?[/quote]
I hve heard it a few times and thought it was very good indeed for the money.i know 3 people that had one, so i guess that speaks for itself. thats the £40 one without the bullet plugs.Not heard it with bullets.
I hve heard it a few times and thought it was very good indeed for the money.i know 3 people that had one, so i guess that speaks for itself. thats the £40 one without the bullet plugs.Not heard it with bullets.
[quote user="fr0g"]Have you actually tried blind testing jumper leads made from wire, or the
originals? Or is this yet more hifi voodoo rubbish?[/quote]
Not voodoo rubbish.in fact it could save people quite a lot of money.Instead of buying two runs of cable 2 bi wire, which could be rather expensive, buy 1 run and an extra 3rd of a meter to make into jumpers which you use instead of the freebie gold connectors.It sounds exactly the same as bi wiring, and better than using the gold jumpers, and you have just saved yourself a few quid by not buying who knows how many metres of cable to make 2 runs. I would have thought it was blindingly obvious to anyone with a bit of hi fi awreness ,and who thinks that cables do make a difference, that a better cable single wired will sound better than poorer cable bi wired, especially as bi wiring can at times make no difference whatsoever.
originals? Or is this yet more hifi voodoo rubbish?[/quote]
Not voodoo rubbish.in fact it could save people quite a lot of money.Instead of buying two runs of cable 2 bi wire, which could be rather expensive, buy 1 run and an extra 3rd of a meter to make into jumpers which you use instead of the freebie gold connectors.It sounds exactly the same as bi wiring, and better than using the gold jumpers, and you have just saved yourself a few quid by not buying who knows how many metres of cable to make 2 runs. I would have thought it was blindingly obvious to anyone with a bit of hi fi awreness ,and who thinks that cables do make a difference, that a better cable single wired will sound better than poorer cable bi wired, especially as bi wiring can at times make no difference whatsoever.
[quote user="ubercow"]Fraziel I think it is less than fair to recommend the DNM over QED when buyers
of new speaker cable will be looking at the newer QED SA XT and I believe
you have not had a chance to compare these two directly? Correct me if I am
wrong I do not mean to be rude![/quote]
I have heard the original silver anniversary many times and did not like it at all.i also compared it to dnm many times, even as recently as 3 weeks ago.I have not heard xt but guys in sevenoaks said to me that it sounds pretty much the same as the original.Lightish bass and an overly bright slightly grainy treble.The original was particularly unsuited to monitor audio speakers.The dnm was in a different league so unless qed have made the most radical change ever to the cable design, other than putting a plastic tube down the middle, and changed their "house sound",the dnm is going to sound far better.
of new speaker cable will be looking at the newer QED SA XT and I believe
you have not had a chance to compare these two directly? Correct me if I am
wrong I do not mean to be rude![/quote]
I have heard the original silver anniversary many times and did not like it at all.i also compared it to dnm many times, even as recently as 3 weeks ago.I have not heard xt but guys in sevenoaks said to me that it sounds pretty much the same as the original.Lightish bass and an overly bright slightly grainy treble.The original was particularly unsuited to monitor audio speakers.The dnm was in a different league so unless qed have made the most radical change ever to the cable design, other than putting a plastic tube down the middle, and changed their "house sound",the dnm is going to sound far better.
can someone tell me why people go on about placebo effect all the time? In every scientific test using a placebo there are always a certain number of people who do not respond to the placebo.Not everyone is taken in.
t[quote user="fr0g"]I personally believe the difference is so small and the margins at the
'high-end' of cables so large, that I don't pursue it[/quote]
Disagree about only small differences.Sometimes it can be stark.Maybe i have bats ears though.I changed my x tube 400 for x tube 300, just on my tweeters.Big difference.Treble on nasty recordings could be almost painful before.Now its toned down and a lot more pleasant to listen to.I have discovered though that using jumper leads and 1 run of cable,instead of 2 runs of cable, gives an identical result .One in the eye for cable manufactures.Why doesnt what hi fi mention this too? Same result but half the cable equals big savings. I think its those crappy gold bars that spoil the sound if single wired rather than 2 runs of cable making any significant difference. I know have £120 worth of xtube 400 to sell on e bay.Result!
'high-end' of cables so large, that I don't pursue it[/quote]
Disagree about only small differences.Sometimes it can be stark.Maybe i have bats ears though.I changed my x tube 400 for x tube 300, just on my tweeters.Big difference.Treble on nasty recordings could be almost painful before.Now its toned down and a lot more pleasant to listen to.I have discovered though that using jumper leads and 1 run of cable,instead of 2 runs of cable, gives an identical result .One in the eye for cable manufactures.Why doesnt what hi fi mention this too? Same result but half the cable equals big savings. I think its those crappy gold bars that spoil the sound if single wired rather than 2 runs of cable making any significant difference. I know have £120 worth of xtube 400 to sell on e bay.Result!
[quote user="fr0g"]Have you blind tested the replacement of thise 'crappy gold bars' ?[/quote]
On another post you ask a quite reasonable question. That there was substantially more brass in a link then there is copper in a wire jumper so why bother with the wire? You asked for a scientific reason. All I could offer was that copper was 4 times as conductive as brass. You correctly reminded me the the amount of brass should more then offset this.
Coming from a science background I thought I would ask a few questions on some other sites (forums), I am still getting replies. The general consensus is that on a like for like basis copper sounds fundamentally different (better?) then brass. There was little actual science to back this up though. I have read that the crystal structure/size plays a part in signal propagation. So its would not be unreasonable to suggest that brass (being an alloy) has a very different structure to copper. Which would have an effect on the signal.
On another post you ask a quite reasonable question. That there was substantially more brass in a link then there is copper in a wire jumper so why bother with the wire? You asked for a scientific reason. All I could offer was that copper was 4 times as conductive as brass. You correctly reminded me the the amount of brass should more then offset this.
Coming from a science background I thought I would ask a few questions on some other sites (forums), I am still getting replies. The general consensus is that on a like for like basis copper sounds fundamentally different (better?) then brass. There was little actual science to back this up though. I have read that the crystal structure/size plays a part in signal propagation. So its would not be unreasonable to suggest that brass (being an alloy) has a very different structure to copper. Which would have an effect on the signal.
[quote user="fr0g"]Have you blind tested the replacement of thise 'crappy gold bars' ?[/quote]
Why would i have to? i trust my and my friends hearing. I dont boubt that you rarely hear a difference but i think i can hear even minor slight differences.Whteher that makes one cable better than another is debatable but some cables , especially speaker cables, can make a radical difference that even my mates bird, who detests talking about hi fi, can hear. we have blind tested speaker cables before.Got it right, easily i might add. Do you bi wire? if so, use a single run of cable and use the other run as jumpers.Bet you cant tell the difference.Bi wiring is a rip off.
Why would i have to? i trust my and my friends hearing. I dont boubt that you rarely hear a difference but i think i can hear even minor slight differences.Whteher that makes one cable better than another is debatable but some cables , especially speaker cables, can make a radical difference that even my mates bird, who detests talking about hi fi, can hear. we have blind tested speaker cables before.Got it right, easily i might add. Do you bi wire? if so, use a single run of cable and use the other run as jumpers.Bet you cant tell the difference.Bi wiring is a rip off.
[quote user="Fraziel"]use a single run of cable and use the other run as jumpers.Bet you cant tell the difference.Bi wiring is a rip off.[/quote]
Not if you use cheap cheap. Better to use the brass jumpers rather than a run of wire, then you've effectively doubled the diameter of the wire.
Not if you use cheap cheap. Better to use the brass jumpers rather than a run of wire, then you've effectively doubled the diameter of the wire.
[quote user="fr0g"]I believe the only consideration is how easily the electrical signal can get from one post to the other..(resistance/impedance)).[/quote]
From what I have been reading, it not the electrons which actually carry the signal. Its a travelling EM Field generated by localized movement of electrons in the cable. See:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/audio/part6/page2.html
For a good explanation- one of the best I have seen dispute certain generalisation
From what I have been reading, it not the electrons which actually carry the signal. Its a travelling EM Field generated by localized movement of electrons in the cable. See:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/audio/part6/page2.html
For a good explanation- one of the best I have seen dispute certain generalisation
[quote user="Thaiman"]
Oh dear! I guess it's that time again (already??)
I wish you guys a nice day....get my coat
[/quote]
LOL I am trying not repeat myself
Oh dear! I guess it's that time again (already??)
I wish you guys a nice day....get my coat
[/quote]
LOL
I am trying not repeat myselfSimilar threads
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