Speaker cable

[JoelSim]

I want to upgrade my QED SA XT on my ProAcs to something with a bit more bass. I use Odyssey on my living room speakers and that is a definite consideration. I need 12m so am looking at up to £25 per metre RRP, but in an ideal world it would be less.

A few thoughts:

- QED Revelation, comparatively cheap

- Chord Odyssey 2

- Atlas Hyper 2.0

- Ecosse MS2.3

Or do I push the boat out and go for a Nordost or a Kimber!

PS The snake oil brigade are asked not to post on this post please, just those who have experience of good speaker cables and can talk about the merits of these.

 

[Anonymous]

whats the snake oil brigade?

 

[JoelSim]

lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

People who don't believe that cables make a difference. I have no time for their ridiculous claims and don't want this thread to descend into argument. .

 

[Anonymous]

lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

It's those of who wonder why an element, copper in this case, can sound different to some people from one cable to another despite it having the same physical characteristics (subject to variations in the smelting and drawing process); and, for economic reasons, it is almost certainly being drawn in the same few wireworks in China or wherever. We put it down to psychoacoustics. Many cables do have a pretty wrapping on them though which makes them go better. The other thing we snake oil brigade wonder about is why the professionals set virtually no store by cables, except that they be thick enough to do the job.

Given the choice, I would choose Van Damme Studio Blue, 6mm. I would choose this for two reasons: firstly, it's 6mm thick, and secondly the colour matches my baby blue eyes.

Kisses

 

[Thaiman]

Joel, if you really want some speakers cables that make a huge different in your system then look for Vertex or Kondo. I know they are costly but they will be the very last pair of cables you will ever need.

 

[JoelSim]

Cable Lover:
lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

It's those of who wonder why an element, copper in this case, can sound different to some people from one cable to another despite it having the same physical characteristics (subject to variations in the smelting and drawing process); and, for economic reasons, it is almost certainly being drawn in the same few wireworks in China or wherever. We put it down to psychoacoustics. Many cables do have a pretty wrapping on them though which makes them go better. The other thing we snake oil brigade wonder about is why the professionals set virtually no store by cables, except that they be thick enough to do the job.

Given the choice, I would choose Van Damme Studio Blue, 6mm. I would choose this for two reasons: firstly, it's 6mm thick, and secondly the colour matches my baby blue eyes.

Kisses

Just been using 6mm unbranded for 2 years and it was a touch dull. The QED has gone the other way in that the high frequencies outweigh the bass, so am looking for something in between. Thanks.

 

[JoelSim]

Thaiman:Joel, if you really want some speakers cables that make a huge different in your system then look for Vertex or Kondo. I know they are costly but they will be the very last pair of cables you will ever need.

Thanks Thaiman, I can't justify spending loads as I'll be moving house in a few months and these cables could become redundant depending on the floorplan

I will look into them for my main speakers once we've moved though.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Joel, I ordered 12m of Atlas Equator 3.0 a few weeks ago, but was sent Hyper 3.0 instead. I gratefully connected this posh cable and HEY PRESTO! all the bass my QED SA XT lacked swims into view.

The clarity on this cable is phenomenal with great speed and agility too. I was shocked. I knew my QED cable was a little boxy and thin, but the Hyper has given everything I was lacking ie. full bodied, bassy and easy going. The cable runs between a CA740A and MS Mezzo 2 speakers and has tamed these fast and slightly bright components beautifully.

Don't know what the 2.0 is like but its fatter brother is a brilliant cable.

Is it ethical to keep the cable even though its four times the price of my order?! What would you have done??

 

[jaxwired]

Cidershed: Hi Joel, I ordered 12m of Atlas Equator 3.0 a few weeks ago, but was sent Hyper 3.0 instead. I gratefully connected this posh cable and HEY PRESTO! all the bass my QED SA XT lacked swims into view.

Is it ethical to keep the cable even though its four times the price of my order?! What would you have done??

You're a good man for even asking if it's ethical. Many people would just enjoy their good fortune and not give ethics a second thought. Seems unthical to me to just keep it. HOWEVER, what I would do is call the dealer and explain what happened and ask what they would like you to do. They might well tell you to keep it to avoid the hassle of an exchange. Then you would have the great new cable AND a clear conscience.

I'd rather feel good about my character than my conductor (LOL!)

 

[True Blue]

jaxwired:
Cidershed: Hi Joel, I ordered 12m of Atlas Equator 3.0 a few weeks ago, but was sent Hyper 3.0 instead. I gratefully connected this posh cable and HEY PRESTO! all the bass my QED SA XT lacked swims into view.

Is it ethical to keep the cable even though its four times the price of my order?! What would you have done??

You're a good man for even asking if it's ethical. Many people would just enjoy their good fortune and not give ethics a second thought. Seems unthical to me to just keep it. HOWEVER, what I would do is call the dealer and explain what happened and ask what they would like you to do. They might well tell you to keep it to avoid the hassle of an exchange. Then you would have the great new cable AND a clear conscience.

I'd rather feel good about my character than my conductor (LOL!)

Ckidershed, you are to be commended. I would also go along with the above way forward. Its nice to know there are still some decent people out there 🙂 hats off to you sir

 

[plastic penguin]

JoelSim:

I want to upgrade my QED SA XT on my ProAcs to something with a bit more bass. I use Odyssey on my living room speakers and that is a definite consideration. I need 12m so am looking at up to £25 per metre RRP, but in an ideal world it would be less.

A few thoughts:

- QED Revelation, comparatively cheap

- Chord Odyssey 2

- Atlas Hyper 2.0

- Ecosse MS2.3

Or do I push the boat out and go for a Nordost or a Kimber!

PS The snake oil brigade are asked not to post on this post please, just those who have experience of good speaker cables and can talk about the merits of these.

Given the fact you're moving in few months it might be prudent to use Odyssey during the interim. Once you've settled in and you've sussed the placement of the cables, then splash the cash.....

 

[JoelSim]

plastic penguin:JoelSim:

I want to upgrade my QED SA XT on my ProAcs to something with a bit more bass. I use Odyssey on my living room speakers and that is a definite consideration. I need 12m so am looking at up to £25 per metre RRP, but in an ideal world it would be less.

A few thoughts:

- QED Revelation, comparatively cheap

- Chord Odyssey 2

- Atlas Hyper 2.0

- Ecosse MS2.3

Or do I push the boat out and go for a Nordost or a Kimber!

PS The snake oil brigade are asked not to post on this post please, just those who have experience of good speaker cables and can talk about the merits of these.

Given the fact you're moving in few months it might be prudent to use Odyssey during the interim. Once you've settled in and you've sussed the placement of the cables, then splash the cash.....

I would still have to buy the Odyssey as I only have that on my main speakers.

 

[gpi]

JoelSim:
lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

People who don't believe that cables make a difference. I have no time for their ridiculous claims and don't want this thread to descend into argument. .

I think you'd have a difficult time qualifying that statement. Try adding it to a Wikipedia entry on speaker cables. Personally I like to keep an open mind on every subject I know very little about from a technical POV and will continue to sit on the fence over the great cable debate. As usual with all expenditure on non-essential, maybe deemed as luxurious items, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

 

[JoelSim]

gpi:JoelSim:

lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

People who don't believe that cables make a difference. I have no time for their ridiculous claims and don't want this thread to descend into argument. .

I think you'd have a difficult time qualifying that statement. Try adding it to a Wikipedia entry on speaker cables. Personally I like to keep an open mind on every subject I know very little about from a technical POV and will continue to sit on the fence over the great cable debate. As usual with all expenditure on non-essential, maybe deemed as luxurious items, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

I don't have any problem qualifying this statement. Moving from 6mm copper to QED Silver Anniversary has created a vastly different sound, neither of which is perfect. That, in itself, says everything.

 

[plastic penguin]

I'm a total believer in decent cables, always have been - but I wouldn't go OTT with them.....

 

[Anonymous]

JoelSim:

I want to upgrade my QED SA XT on my ProAcs to something with a bit more bass. I use Odyssey on my living room speakers and that is a definite consideration. I need 12m so am looking at up to £25 per metre RRP, but in an ideal world it would be less.

A few thoughts:

- QED Revelation, comparatively cheap

- Chord Odyssey 2

- Atlas Hyper 2.0

- Ecosse MS2.3

Or do I push the boat out and go for a Nordost or a Kimber!

PS The snake oil brigade are asked not to post on this post please, just those who have experience of good speaker cables and can talk about the merits of these.

JoelSim - you seem not to like the snake oil brigade? FWIW I am a member of said brigade but on the subject of speaker cable there can be no doubt that different cables do produce different sounds. This can be shown by actual measurement. It's due the the design of the cable and the fact they carry reasonable currents for the most part. Speaker cables have both measurable capacitiance and inductance depending on their design and it is the interplay between these two things that gives different cables different properties and hence influences what you hear.

 

[gpi]

JoelSim:gpi:JoelSim:

lejockey:whats the snake oil brigade?

People who don't believe that cables make a difference. I have no time for their ridiculous claims and don't want this thread to descend into argument. .

I think you'd have a difficult time qualifying that statement. Try adding it to a Wikipedia entry on speaker cables. Personally I like to keep an open mind on every subject I know very little about from a technical POV and will continue to sit on the fence over the great cable debate. As usual with all expenditure on non-essential, maybe deemed as luxurious items, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.

I don't have any problem qualifying this statement. Moving from 6mm copper to QED Silver Anniversary has created a vastly different sound, neither of which is perfect. That, in itself, says everything.

You said you didn't want an argument but surely that wild statement is waving the red flag at the bull. Why be so provocative? You just thought you'd get a quick dig in and then try to bar any recourse? I'm pleased you get pleasure from spending on wires but don't tell me my claims that may conflict with yours are ridiculous, thanks.

 

[JoelSim]

The reason why I wrote what I did was to try to stop this thread from descending into another argument on the perceived/real/no benefits of cables, and therefore for me to get some advice from other posters who have some experience of different cables that could suit my needs.

So, I will reiterate. If you don't believe in cables making a difference in sound, then please put forward your views on threads other than this one.

Thank you.

 

[JoelSim]

aldfort:JoelSim:

I want to upgrade my QED SA XT on my ProAcs to something with a bit more bass. I use Odyssey on my living room speakers and that is a definite consideration. I need 12m so am looking at up to £25 per metre RRP, but in an ideal world it would be less.

A few thoughts:

- QED Revelation, comparatively cheap

- Chord Odyssey 2

- Atlas Hyper 2.0

- Ecosse MS2.3

Or do I push the boat out and go for a Nordost or a Kimber!

PS The snake oil brigade are asked not to post on this post please, just those who have experience of good speaker cables and can talk about the merits of these.

JoelSim - you seem not to like the snake oil brigade? FWIW I am a member of said brigade but on the subject of speaker cable there can be no doubt that different cables do produce different sounds. This can be shown by actual measurement. It's due the the design of the cable and the fact they carry reasonable currents for the most part. Speaker cables have both measurable capacitiance and inductance depending on their design and it is the interplay between these two things that gives different cables different properties and hence influences what you hear.

The funny thing is I noticed a bigger positive putting a mains cable in than when I changed my speaker cables from QED SA XT to Chord Odyssey 2. Having said that on a different pair of speakers going from 6mm copper to the QED cable really showed a substantial difference in weight of sound, less bass and more detail, both of which were not what I was looking for.

 

[gpi]

JoelSim:
The reason why I wrote what I did was to try to stop this thread from descending into another argument on the perceived/real/no benefits of cables, and therefore for me to get some advice from other posters who have some experience of different cables that could suit my needs.

So, I will reiterate. If you don't believe in cables making a difference in sound, then please put forward your views on threads other than this one.

Thank you.

OK boss, I'm happily out. BTW, it's a public forum but never mind that eh. You're not using my jumper as a goal post now. ;o)

 

[JoelSim]

gpi:JoelSim:

The reason why I wrote what I did was to try to stop this thread from descending into another argument on the perceived/real/no benefits of cables, and therefore for me to get some advice from other posters who have some experience of different cables that could suit my needs.

So, I will reiterate. If you don't believe in cables making a difference in sound, then please put forward your views on threads other than this one.

Thank you.

OK boss, I'm happily out. BTW, it's a public forum but never mind that eh. You're not using my jumper as a goal post now. ;o)

Blimey, it's nothing against anyone, simply wanted to avoid all these do they/don't they as frankly I'm very bored of it. I just wanted some comment from other posters' experience on what I should look at.

 

[Drummerdave]

Joel, I went from a generic shielded 4mm OFC bi-wired cable to Kimber 4TC and it was a big improvement....tighter, deeper bass, more clarity etc. Maybe worth a look.

 

[JoelSim]

Drummerdave:Joel, I went from a generic shielded 4mm OFC bi-wired cable to Kimber 4TC and it was a big improvement....tighter, deeper bass, more clarity etc. Maybe worth a look.

Thanks Dave, that's definitely on the shortlist. What's the detail like? The warmth?

 

[Anonymous]

I think that's a good call. I was going to recommend one of the Kimber products, the 4TC being the best single wire option. It's an all copper cable so will give you a tonal balance that favours the bass, warmer sounding than silver coated offerings such as the Odyssey 2. For those little Proacs I'd suggest that they're ideal.

 

[Anonymous]

plastic penguin:I'm a total believer in decent cables, always have been - but I wouldn't go OTT with them.....

I agree. Here is my cable history :

freebies with kit - rubbish. But I only realised this when I got;

Tandy what hifi recommended - £4 - thick copper and gold rcas - much better bass and sound. Not very detailed.

Missing Link - alaqeia - lovely, detail, precison, good tight bass - adds nothing nasty but imporves on everything. Detail is very good. Well worth £40 second hand. I reckon it would take a lot to beat them and a replacement wouldn't be vfm as I'd have to spend a fortune for a small impovement.

Got a pair of chord co chameleon silver plus earlier, again second hand, looking forward to trying them vs the alaqeia.

So the moral of the story as I see it is this - cables do sound different. Like a lot of things you get what you pay for. But second hand - pay £40 - £50 and you will get a better cable than a general £20 cable new. The alaqeia is the best cable I have ever had. It cost more than other cables I have bought.

New cables should be cheaper. Anything over £50 is, it seems to me ,unjustifiable.

I am going to try the Silver High Breed, Gothams (ebay) and canare at some point - all around £20. I will then sell on the more expensive cables if they are no better.

I need 20m's of speaker cable. I would ideally like kimber 8TC but the price is ridiculous. I may buy silver high breed as I can return it if not satisfied. I have some very old chord co flat copper bywire so it will be interesting to comparethat in due course. I expect it can be bettered.