what do manufacturers use ?

[unknown]

i think we can all agree (or agree to disagree !) that cables and equipment supports can influence how a hifi system sounds.

therefore what cables, equipment supports and hardware do manufacturers actually use when testing/tuning components ?

(i believe naim audio are the only company that sell everything you need - cables, equipment racks and upgraded power supplies).

has any body contacted hifi companies to ask what they actually use ? what is the "industry standard" ?

if enough of us ask, and post replies on here, it will eliminate alot of the "heated debates" on this forum......

(often lots of different answers to the same questions)

at the end of the day, if there was only 1 mains, interconnect, speaker cable and equipment support option available, all that would be required would be to select a source, amplifier and speakers and hifi purchasing would be alot simpler........

 

[ID.]

what is the "industry standard" ?

if enough of us ask, and post replies on here, it will eliminate alot of the "heated debates" on this forum.....

:rofl:

Oh, you were being serious... I doubt that anything will eliminate the heated debates other than not mentioning the war.

I don't think there is any consensus in "the industry" either. I'm sure plenty of companies do cables too. I know Linn does. Esoteric also sell pricey cables.

I seem to remember some people noting what manufacturers used when demonstrating their kit at shows, etc.

 

[Dave_]

"PMC recommend using a high quality thick multi-strand Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) cable between the amplifier and speakers. The use of ‘exotic” cables has limited improvement on sound quality, so we would not advocate spending great quantities of money. However, if you are prepared to spend a great deal of money in this area, we would strongly advice you listen first to determine whether the outlay is worth the improvement."

http://www.pmc-speakers.com/faq-page#n673

 

[andyjm]

BBC use their own specified cables for studio and broadcast use. No daft name-brand nonsense, just specifying the electrical parameters and dielectric type. An example here:

http://www.canford.co.uk/Search?q=bbc

 

[unknown]

what is the "industry standard" ?

if enough of us ask, and post replies on here, it will eliminate alot of the "heated debates" on this forum.....

:rofl:

Oh, you were being serious... I doubt that anything will eliminate the heated debates other than not mentioning the war.

I don't think there is any consensus in "the industry" either. I'm sure plenty of companies do cables too. I know Linn does. Esoteric also sell pricey cables.

I seem to remember some people noting what manufacturers used when demonstrating their kit at shows, etc.

thanks for replies. i've noticed that manufacturers seem to use any cables or supports they can loan/find at shows. i've even seen cd players and amplifiers just placed on the floor ! i would expect them to bring along the same cables and stands used when testing equipment, especially if the demonstration is supposed to highlight their product in its best light !

 

[english mustard]

hi i recently contacted cyrus audio regarding this subject. was informed that all units at cyrus are tested with the bog standard mains lead supplied its all part of the cyrus sound. ? intrestiing eh.

 

[unknown]

hi i recently contacted cyrus audio regarding this subject. was informed that all units at cyrus are tested with the bog standard mains lead supplied its all part of the cyrus sound. ? intrestiing eh.

thanks for reply. did they tell you what interconnects, speaker cable and supports they use as a reference when testing/tuning their kit ?

thanks for input

 

[Deliriumbassist]

As Cyrus markets equipment supports (X-Arbour, Tri-Arbour and Hark), I'd imagine they'd use those (saying that though, when I went to the factory and did some training, they had the 6 and 8 series components lined up on a long table). Cyrus also sold interconnects and speaker cable, and these were used on all the equipment we tested, including the Anniversary equipment (which also had the original versions of the new digital coax cables they now sell).

 

[unknown]

As Cyrus markets equipment supports (X-Arbour, Tri-Arbour and Hark), I'd imagine they'd use those (saying that though, when I went to the factory and did some training, they had the 6 and 8 series components lined up on a long table). Cyrus also sold interconnects and speaker cable, and these were used on all the equipment we tested, including the Anniversary equipment (which also had the original versions of the new digital coax cables they now sell).

thanks for reply - very interesting. 3 equipment support options, i presume all have different "isolation" effects, yet some units are tested on a table !

thanks again.

 

[spiny norman]

when I went to the factory and did some training, they had the 6 and 8 series components lined up on a long table

Another trade member in hiding, then?

 

[hifikrazy]

Oh man, please.... Not another one of these threads with 150+ abusive/insulting posts

 

[Deliriumbassist]

when I went to the factory and did some training, they had the 6 and 8 series components lined up on a long table

Another trade member in hiding, then?

Suppose it's my fault for not being regular enough that I have to say this every time. I was in the industry- used to work for Superfi. I left nearly a year ago now.

 

[unknown]

when I went to the factory and did some training, they had the 6 and 8 series components lined up on a long table

Another trade member in hiding, then?

Suppose it's my fault for not being regular enough that I have to say this every time. I was in the industry- used to work for Superfi. I left nearly a year ago now.

your post was very informative - no need to apologize - the kind of info i'm after.

 

[spiny norman]

Suppose it's my fault for not being regular enough that I have to say this every time. I was in the industry- used to work for Superfi. I left nearly a year ago now.

Ah right, thanks for clarification.

 

[unknown]

hi i recently contacted cyrus audio regarding this subject. was informed that all units at cyrus are tested with the bog standard mains lead supplied its all part of the cyrus sound. ? intrestiing eh.

has anybody else contacted a company and asked what cables plus supports they actually use when testing products ?

 

[Deliriumbassist]

Oh, and FWIW, Cyrus use Vienna Acoustics speakers to tune their amps, and vice versa. B&W use Rotel at every point of manufacture of the 800 Series Diamond speakers at the Worthing facility.

 

[TrevC]

Oh man, please.... Not another one of these threads with 150+ abusive/insulting posts

Don't post abuse or insults then, job done.

 

[unknown]

Oh, and FWIW, Cyrus use Vienna Acoustics speakers to tune their amps, and vice versa. B&W use Rotel at every point of manufacture of the 800 Series Diamond speakers at the Worthing facility.

has anybody else asked what their chosen kit manufacturer uses ? reference cables, supports etc

 

[plastic penguin]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

 

[hammill]

thanks for replies. i've noticed that manufacturers seem to use any cables or supports they can loan/find at shows. i've even seen cd players and amplifiers just placed on the floor ! i would expect them to bring along the same cables and stands used when testing equipment, especially if the demonstration is supposed to highlight their product in its best light !

One would assume that if they thought it made a difference they would bring cables and stands, which is indicative. My blu-ray is on an atacama stand, but since I can pick it up to dust underneath when it is in use without any problem, I tend to think that the need for a stable platform for anything apart from turntables is somewhat overstated

 

[unknown]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

thanks for reply. just read on leemas website from the tucana amp manual :-

"never underestimate the importance of good quality speaker cables. bell wire or lighting flex will not do. speaker cables can be very synergistic. the higher the system resolution, the more easily the differences between cables can be discerned".

 

[TrevC]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

thanks for reply. just read on leemas website from the tucana amp manual :-

"never underestimate the importance of good quality speaker cables. bell wire or lighting flex will not do. speaker cables can be very synergistic. the higher the system resolution, the more easily the differences between cables can be discerned".

Not really synergistic (horrible word). Low resistance cables will always sound better, so use thick stranded types. Copper or silver, it doesn't really matter.

 

[plastic penguin]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

thanks for reply. just read on leemas website from the tucana amp manual :-

"never underestimate the importance of good quality speaker cables. bell wire or lighting flex will not do. speaker cables can be very synergistic. the higher the system resolution, the more easily the differences between cables can be discerned".

Away from cables. If you look at any advert for Monitor Audio Silver range speakers you'll (nearly) always see a Arcam set-up. From what I gather, Arcam used to use MAs when tuning their amps, although couldn't say whether they use them today.

 

[unknown]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

thanks for reply. just read on leemas website from the tucana amp manual :-

"never underestimate the importance of good quality speaker cables. bell wire or lighting flex will not do. speaker cables can be very synergistic. the higher the system resolution, the more easily the differences between cables can be discerned".

Not really synergistic (horrible word). Low resistance cables will always sound better, so use thick stranded types. Copper or silver, it doesn't really matter.

i believe silver has a lower resistance than copper (correct ?) therefore silver must be better than copper for speaker cable, agree ?

 

[andyjm]

I know that Leema used to sell cables under their own name but was made by Chord, I believe.

thanks for reply. just read on leemas website from the tucana amp manual :-

"never underestimate the importance of good quality speaker cables. bell wire or lighting flex will not do. speaker cables can be very synergistic. the higher the system resolution, the more easily the differences between cables can be discerned".

Not really synergistic (horrible word). Low resistance cables will always sound better, so use thick stranded types. Copper or silver, it doesn't really matter.

i believe silver has a lower resistance than copper (correct ?) therefore silver must be better than copper for speaker cable, agree ?

.... and aluminium is a better conductor than both copper and silver by weight, so lets use that for speaker cables, eh?

The resistance of a speaker cable is a function of the conductivity of the material it is constructed from, and the size of the conductor. A thin silver cable has a higher resistance than a thick copper cable, which in turn will have a higher resistance than a really thick steel cable.

If you are limited by the diameter of your cable (though why you would be is unclear), then go with silver. If not, thicker copper is the cable of choice.