Speaker cable

[woodbar]

Classic!

View: https://youtu.be/yfl6Lu3xQW0?si=aWpi5Q4ttlYV1auG

I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.

We didn't start the war - yes you did - you invaded Poland!

 

[Fandango Andy]

It's probably all been said, but there are two many responses to read.

Don't buy cheep rubsish, it's a false economy. Go for pure copper.

Equally, don't go for high end fancy wire that makes ridiculous claims.

Work out the length you need and then google "speaker wire gauge chart" to work out what thickness you need. Maybe go a little thicker than you actually need just to be on the safe side.

 

[Jasonovich]

I mentioned it once, but I think I got away with it.

We didn't start the war - yes you did - you invaded Poland!

🤣

 

[giggsy1977]

It's probably all been said, but there are two many responses to read.

Don't buy cheep rubsish, it's a false economy. Go for pure copper.

Equally, don't go for high end fancy wire that makes ridiculous claims.

Work out the length you need and then google "speaker wire gauge chart" to work out what thickness you need. Maybe go a little thicker than you actually need just to be on the safe side.

I concur. Van Damme cable is more than sufficient (or any other oxygen free copper cable, think Kabel Direkt are a good alternative). It's used in recording studios which says it all. Usually 2.5mm squared is sufficient unless very long length or very large amount of current. Can use 4mm but unless 15m plus it's not necessary.

 

[Revolutions]

I think Abbey Road still use Van Damme Blue in every room. That speaks volumes to me.

 

[davidf]

I concur. Van Damme cable is more than sufficient (or any other oxygen free copper cable, think Kabel Direkt are a good alternative). It's used in recording studios which says it all. Usually 2.5mm squared is sufficient unless very long length or very large amount of current. Can use 4mm but unless 15m plus it's not necessary.

There are some studios that use higher quality cables. Most studios just use something that works.

 

[Jasonovich]

I had used Van Damme blue and black balanced XLR speaker cables for my Adams and Focal, then switched to Mogami quad, which were better, less fizz in the high frequencies, then switched to Gotham quad, better still.
WBC sells these on Amazon, don't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[woodbar]

Dare I mention headphone cables?

That is one advantage of having done away with my speaker systems - quality cables for headphones are considerably less expensive - unless you go for the ones that have been matured in snake oil for a year of course.

There are definitely subtle differences when trying various cables on my headphones so I assume the same phenomena exists when changing speaker cables?

 

[giggsy1977]

There are some studios that use higher quality cables. Most studios just use something that works.

Something that works being a cable that transmits the signals through all the equipment with minimal degradation. If it's good enough for Abbey Road and doesn't cost a packet it'll do for me!

 

[Jasonovich]

Dare I mention headphone cables?

That is one advantage of having done away with my speaker systems - quality cables for headphones are considerably less expensive - unless you go for the ones that have been matured in snake oil for a year of course.

There are definitely subtle differences when trying various cables on my headphones so I assume the same phenomena exists when changing speaker cables?

Worth checking out Etsy. They do excellent custom cables with Amphenol plugs, mine below is starquad soldering Mogami cabling. Nice quality in the sound, aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

My previous cables were Furukawa single crystal wiring, also came with Amphenol plugs, they sounded slightly better than the Mogami but absolutely boring to look at.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?explicit=1&q=hifiman+furukawa+single+crystal+headphone+cable&ref=pathways&instant_download=false&rpq=Hifiman

 

[woodbar]

Very interesting - not really looked at that site before. They certainly list an awful lot of cables.

You could end up spending a fortune on trying a few out!

The OEM cable that came with my Fiio FT5 is excellent and came with a very neat interchangeable plug set for the amp - it converts easily between 3.5mm SE or 4.4mm Pentacon using a miniature inbuilt screw in multiplug and the usual 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter as well as a 4.4mm Pentacon to XLR and supposed to have 392 strands of silver plated monocrystaline copper! Phew, must be good! Basically it means you can plug the phones in to virtually any device except a 2.5mm Balanced which I only have on my M15S and never use as it always feels a bit flimsy I think.

Even the OEM cables for the Fiio FT1 is acceptable, although a little microphonic, and not as meaty as the FT5 version, understandable in view of the price difference.

The ones I use mostly for the Hifiman Edition XS and the Fiio FT1 are Open Heart 16 core balanced, from Ali, which I find excellent. Have got a few, different lengths and either 4.4mm or XLR