what do manufacturers use ?

[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.

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

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

 

[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 ?

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

 

[mr malarky]

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.

thanks for the post, that's well worth knowing as I'd been considering upgrading to a pair of the new B&W 685's for my second system (which has rotel pre & power amps).

 

[andyjm]

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Sigh. Copper price per metric ton USD6720 Silver price per metric ton USD690,000.

Silver is approximately 100 times more expensive than copper. I am not sure those kimber cables are solid silver......

There are good reasons why copper is generally the conductor of choice for cables.

 

[unknown]

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Sigh. Copper price per metric ton USD6720 Silver price per metric ton USD690,000.

Silver is approximately 100 times more expensive than copper. I am not sure those kimber cables are solid silver......

There are good reasons why copper is generally the conductor of choice for cables.

and i guess this is why nordost odin is silver plaited copper, not pure silver - imagine the cost of that !

 

[JZC]

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Things are a bit more complex than that as there is a skin effect in the flow of electricity along conductors and this is different for the material and the frequency. I don't profess to be an expert but apparently this effect is minimal at audio frequencies. see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-end_audio_cables#Skin_effect

I seriously don't want to start of another heated debate about the pros and cons of expensive cables, there's already another thread for that that I have long given up following.

 

[unknown]

thanks for input. i also dont want a cable "debate" on this thread, just some info regarding what cables/supports are actually used when testing hardware, which was the opening post. i would just like trevc to answer that particular question - i like his short to the point answers !

 

[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.

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

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Copper is good enough for both your ears and mine.

 

[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 ?

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Copper is good enough for both your ears and mine.

but if cost is no object, expensive silver cable in this instance is better than cheaper copper ?

 

[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.

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

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Copper is good enough for both your ears and mine.

but if cost is no object, expensive silver cable in this instance is better than cheaper copper ?

Not necessarily. Silver tarnishes easily, for example.

 

[Broner]

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 ?

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Copper is good enough for both your ears and mine.

but if cost is no object, expensive silver cable in this instance is better than cheaper copper ?

You just need to have a low enough resistance, not the lowest resistance possible. You can do that by changing the material, or by changing the lenght or thickness of the cable. Once the resistance is low enough, there is no need to take it any further. More silver and even shorter and thicker cables will not give you any improvement.

 

[JZC]

Not necessarily. Silver tarnishes easily, for example.

True but I believe silver oxide is still conductive, how conductive compared to copper or untarnished silver I don't know but I once read that for this reason silver plating is better than gold for connectors.

I agree though that copper is more than good enough for cables.

 

[hifikrazy]

You just need to have a low enough resistance, not the lowest resistance possible. You can do that by changing the material, or by changing the lenght or thickness of the cable. Once the resistance is low enough, there is no need to take it any further. More silver and even shorter and thicker cables will not give you any improvement.

What specific measurement is "low enough resistance"?

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible? Assuming there is such a cut off point, is there a lab report or study to indicate that is really the cut off point for human hearing?

 

[TrevC]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

 

[Broner]

You just need to have a low enough resistance, not the lowest resistance possible. You can do that by changing the material, or by changing the lenght or thickness of the cable. Once the resistance is low enough, there is no need to take it any further. More silver and even shorter and thicker cables will not give you any improvement.

What specific measurement is "low enough resistance"?

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible? Assuming there is such a cut off point, is there a lab report or study to indicate that is really the cut off point for human hearing?

Check this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=speaker+wire+resistance

 

[hifikrazy]

You just need to have a low enough resistance, not the lowest resistance possible. You can do that by changing the material, or by changing the lenght or thickness of the cable. Once the resistance is low enough, there is no need to take it any further. More silver and even shorter and thicker cables will not give you any improvement.

What specific measurement is "low enough resistance"?

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible? Assuming there is such a cut off point, is there a lab report or study to indicate that is really the cut off point for human hearing?

Check this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=speaker+wire+resistance

Nice try. Obviously you don't know and there is no such thing.

 

[hifikrazy]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

 

[TrevC]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

The only way of finding out if something is audible is by listening to it. Unless you know of another way....

 

[cheeseboy]

What specific measurement is "low enough resistance"?

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible? Assuming there is such a cut off point, is there a lab report or study to indicate that is really the cut off point for human hearing?

depends on the amp/speakers and what wattage the amp is and ohms the speakers are running at.

The cut off point would be more to do with the frequencies that the human ear can actually hear, which are all well documented. There's not really a cut off point for the stereo as it's possible to pass frequencies though that the human ear cannot hear, just as equipment is able to display wavelengths that the human eye cannot see.

 

[Broner]

You just need to have a low enough resistance, not the lowest resistance possible. You can do that by changing the material, or by changing the lenght or thickness of the cable. Once the resistance is low enough, there is no need to take it any further. More silver and even shorter and thicker cables will not give you any improvement.

What specific measurement is "low enough resistance"?

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible? Assuming there is such a cut off point, is there a lab report or study to indicate that is really the cut off point for human hearing?

Check this: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=speaker+wire+resistance

Nice try. Obviously you don't know and there is no such thing.

I don't know. Obviously. Next time I suggest you buy the thickest silver cables you can find and you make them as short as possible. I bet you will notice a subtle but yet very significant improvement in the way the speaker disperse the sound and in the way the system reveils the true essence of the music with a better time coherence, tight bass and a candyland-sweet trebble.

 

[hammill]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

Often posted (including by me), but well worth a read. http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm

Copper of an adequate gauge is all that is needed. Silver is a waste of money. Fancy cables can alter the sound by adding capacitance but they only make the sound less accurate ( which of course a listener may prefer). There are many components in any system that do not provide any benefit once they reach required tolerences, it is essential that is understood to be able to debate this subject.

 

[unknown]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

The only way of finding out if something is audible is by listening to it. Unless you know of another way....

many people on here say you can not trust your ears !

 

[TrevC]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

The only way of finding out if something is audible is by listening to it. Unless you know of another way....

many people on here say you can not trust your ears !

You shouldn't.

 

[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 ?

It's marginally better, but it's easy to compensate by using slightly more copper.

ok, so lets say you are using the thickest speaker cable possible (that can be wired on to a spade/banana plug).

silver, as you say, is marginally better than copper therefore in this instance a more expensive cable is actually better ?

(silver i believe is approx 4 times the cost of copper, if you take the kimber range as a reference)

Copper is good enough for both your ears and mine.

but if cost is no object, expensive silver cable in this instance is better than cheaper copper ?

Not necessarily. Silver tarnishes easily, for example.

plugs aside, which can be cleaned, does silver encased in teflon (kimber) tarnish.

 

[Broner]

How can you tell at what point that lower resistance becomes inaudible?

Use your ears.

[EDITED by MODS - do not insult other members]

So you don't have a specific answer?

The only way of finding out if something is audible is by listening to it. Unless you know of another way....

many people on here say you can not trust your ears !

I feel we are going in circles here.