Speaker Cable testing - now with graphs :)

[cheeseboy]

Disclaimer - this is more for those objectivists and not actually meant as the usual back and forth cable debacles, it's more a sharing a link to an interesting read.

Some interesting testing done on the latest Archimago's blog where he's been comparing speaker cables and testing - with graphs for all those people who like such things

http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2015/06/measurements-speaker-cables-wires.html

I have to admit I was surprised by how well his Frankenstein did.

(tongue in cheek bit) Just as those who love cables tend to ask for those that don't not to comment, it would be nice if anybody wishes to dispute Archimago's findings do so with a similar level of testing and share those results (tongue out of cheek now )

 

[chebby]

Can you recommend a good quality, OFC, multi-stranded cable that is 'honest' (inasmuch as it really is OFC and complies to relevant standards) and is made by a recognised company? (Not some nameless 'generic' stuff that could be made of anything and by anyone.)

I have no interest in 'boutique' stuff. I just want something I can trust (without having to buy my own test equipment and metallurgical lab) from an established company, through a trusted retail outlet, for a resonable price.

 

[cheeseboy]

my 2p's worth would be I don't think you could go far wrong with Van Damme Blue 2.5mm

 

[chebby]

Ok, well ... £42 will be winging it's way to Mark Grant Cables for a couple of 2 metre lengths of 2 x 2.5mm Van Damme Blue terminated with 4mm banana plugs.

All seems very 'pukka'

I actually don't trust 'boutique' cables ever since the glued connections (!!!) in a friend's expensive, audiophile mains block came apart.

 

[slice]

Ok, well ... £42 will be winging it's way to Mark Grant Cables for a couple of 2 metre lengths of 2 x 2.5mm Van Damme Blue terminated with 4mm banana plugs.

All seems very 'pukka'

I actually don't trust 'boutique' cables ever since the glued connections (!!!) in a friend's expensive, audiophile mains block came apart.

You can get this spec without the banana plugs for £13.50 from amazon.

 

[slice]

Ok, well ... £42 will be winging it's way to Mark Grant Cables for a couple of 2 metre lengths of 2 x 2.5mm Van Damme Blue terminated with 4mm banana plugs.

All seems very 'pukka'

I actually don't trust 'boutique' cables ever since the glued connections (!!!) in a friend's expensive, audiophile mains block came apart.

You can get this spec without the banana plugs for £13.50 from amazon.

ie, proper van damme 2.5mm, 4m length

 

[chebby]

Ok, well ... £42 will be winging it's way to Mark Grant Cables for a couple of 2 metre lengths of 2 x 2.5mm Van Damme Blue terminated with 4mm banana plugs.

All seems very 'pukka'

I actually don't trust 'boutique' cables ever since the glued connections (!!!) in a friend's expensive, audiophile mains block came apart.

You can get this spec without the banana plugs for £13.50 from amazon.

ie, proper van damme 2.5mm, 4m length

And how much for properly terminated 4mm banana plugs x 8 ? (Including heat shrunk 'sleeves' or whatever they are called.)

Apart from the cost of the hardware, i'd need a soldering iron and solder (and a short course in how to solder) , or an AirLoc crimping device from QED or similar from Van Damme. I'd also need to devote time to this little DIY enterprise that I am not prepared to when I could be relaxing instead

 

[andyjm]

Can you recommend a good quality, OFC, multi-stranded cable that is 'honest' (inasmuch as it really is OFC and complies to relevant standards) and is made by a recognised company? (Not some nameless 'generic' stuff that could be made of anything and by anyone.)

I have no interest in 'boutique' stuff. I just want something I can trust (without having to buy my own test equipment and metallurgical lab) from an established company, through a trusted retail outlet, for a resonable price.

Chebby, I applaud your sentiments.

TLC, an electrical factor sells an excellent 79 strand 2.5mm^2 figure of 8 speaker cable. I have tested it, as have others, and found it to be an honest, no nonsense cable. Equivalent to QED 79 strand, before QED discovered marketing. The cable is 59p per metre for a cut length or 33p per metre for a 100M drum. Both prices are plus VAT. The part number is CA SPEAK79.

It is not 'oxygen free', but I would suggest that you do a little research for yourself and decide whether 'oxygen free' is anything to do with the performance of the cable, or is yet another technical term that has been hijacked by the HiFi industry.

 

[slice]

pass! Enjoy your relaxation.

 

[abacus]

Can you recommend a good quality, OFC, multi-stranded cable that is 'honest' (inasmuch as it really is OFC and complies to relevant standards) and is made by a recognised company? (Not some nameless 'generic' stuff that could be made of anything and by anyone.)

I have no interest in 'boutique' stuff. I just want something I can trust (without having to buy my own test equipment and metallurgical lab) from an established company, through a trusted retail outlet, for a resonable price.

Chebby, I applaud your sentiments.

TLC, an electrical factor sells an excellent 79 strand 2.5mm^2 figure of 8 speaker cable. I have tested it, as have others, and found it to be an honest, no nonsense cable. Equivalent to QED 79 strand, before QED discovered marketing. The cable is 59p per metre for a cut length or 33p per metre for a 100M drum. Both prices are plus VAT. The part number is CA SPEAK79.

It is not 'oxygen free', but I would suggest that you do a little research for yourself and decide whether 'oxygen free' is anything to do with the performance of the cable, or is yet another technical term that has been hijacked by the HiFi industry.

All cables are made by large manufactures that just build it to the size and specification that the cable seller want's. (This includes Hi Fi Cable manufactures)

OFC just helps by reducing the onset of corrosion between the strands.

As far as I am aware, there have been no None OFC multistrand cables made for years, the ones by TLC are a generic cable sold by a boatload of manufactures that have there own name put on it, (This includes Hi Fi Cable manufacturers who usually charge ten fold what it costs to buy from places like B & Q) and is OFC.

Bill

 

[andyjm]

All cables are made by large manufactures that just build it to the size and specification that the cable seller want's. (This includes Hi Fi Cable manufactures)

OFC just helps by reducing the onset of corrosion between the strands.

As far as I am aware, there have been no None OFC multistrand cables made for years, the ones by TLC are a generic cable sold by a boatload of manufactures that have there own name put on it, (This includes Hi Fi Cable manufacturers who usually charge ten fold what it costs to buy from places like B & Q) and is OFC.

Bill

Most (non-fancy hifi cables such as the stuff in your kettle lead and house wiring) are made out of ETP copper which has a minimum purity spec of 99.9% copper. Given a cable CSA and length, it is possible to predict the resistance of the cable from the bulk resistivity of pure copper. Sometime back, on a forum far, far away, we measured the resistance of a number of speaker cables to see how close the resistance was to that predicited from the spec. Two reasons why the cable could have higher resistance than predicted - the cable dimensions don't match the spec, or the copper was significantly less pure than the 99.9% standard.

A number of cables off eBay were found to have higher resistance than predicted. The conductor dimensions were OK, so the conclusion was that the copper was not up to the 99.9% spec.

The TLC cable matched the predictions, so was both the correct size (2.5mm^2) and made of copper with at least 99.9% purity. The insulation is flexible, and the cable has the advantage of a stripe on one conductor to help with polarity identification. I cannot comment on other manufacturers cables, but the TLC cable is a good, well made and honest speaker cable. I buy it by the 100M drum.

 

[abacus]

How Cables are made https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AOo9qljBr8 and why Hi-Fi cable manufacturers don't make their own, no matter what the sales blurb implies.

Enjoy

Bill

 

[Anderson]

my 2p's worth would be I don't think you could go far wrong with Van Damme Blue 2.5mm

I have to agree, although as its so reasonably priced why not go LARGE. I've got 2 runs of Van Damme HiFi 4mm terminated spades one end and bananas the other it looks lovely, was very cheap and satisfied my bigger is better itch.

 

[Anderson]

Ok, well ... £42 will be winging it's way to Mark Grant Cables for a couple of 2 metre lengths of 2 x 2.5mm Van Damme Blue terminated with 4mm banana plugs.

All seems very 'pukka'

I actually don't trust 'boutique' cables ever since the glued connections (!!!) in a friend's expensive, audiophile mains block came apart.

I'm pretty sure this is the same dude that made mine, good call, honest fair price for a decent cable.

To be honest though as someone pointed out you could get the cable by itself for next to nothing, it will sound the same but sometimes you want your cable dressed and looking smart or you want the convenience of having someone else dressing the cable for you, which is more than reasonable for what you pay.