What interconnects should I get?

[Miker]

I'm taking delivery of a Cyrus CD8x, Prevs2 + two 6 Powers plus a Rega Fono for my existing LP12 TT. The speakers will be Spendor S5e and Nordost SuperFlat bi-wire speaker cable. The latter was recommended partly because of its thinness - it will go under the skirting boards. I assume that I will need four interconnects.

I would welcome recommendations for suitable interconnects and should they all be the same make? At the moment the dealer who is installing the kit only has two Cyrus interconnects in stock.

 

[Anonymous]

Clearly it depends on your budget but I have found the Chord Cobra to be a great cable for £60. Worth a try...

 

[Andy Clough]

The Chord Cobra is excellent - you might also want to consider our 2007 Award winner, the Atlas Equator (£48).

 

[d_a_n1979]

Van Den Hul 'The Name' is very good as is the QED Qenex 3 (both roughly £50)

 

[hifikrazy]

For your system, I think you would be aiming too low with the Cobra, Equator or The Name.

I think you should be looking for the Chord Chameleon Silver Plus, or perhaps the VDH The Orchid, which I'm very happy with.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="hifikrazy"]For your system, I think you would be aiming too low with the Cobra, Equator or The Name.

I think you should be looking for the Chord Chameleon Silver Plus, or perhaps the VDH The Orchid, which I'm very happy with.[/quote]

If you're going to spend that amount of cash on ICs, def audition them against some cheaper ones to make sure you're justified in your decision!

 

[Miker]

The Orchid is outside my budget which has already been stretched. When I first started, I had not given a thought about speaker cables or interconnects, and the speaker cable runs are 9.5M each.

£100 per interconnect would be my top limit. Browsing through the WEB on the above recommendations, made me think of cable lengths. I would not want more than 0.5M lengths on three of the four interconnects, which seems to exclude many of the cables.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, When I buy the Atlas Equator, how do I know if it is the original version ("four star") or the improved version? Looks like they both have the same model name?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

I got mine sold as MK.II. It's written on the wire itself too, so you can be sure when u receive them, that its the right one.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Noble!

 

[Anonymous]

My dealer demo'd my Cyrus system using Cyrus interconnects etc.

I use Blue Jeans LC-1 interconnects. They have the same, if not better electrical characteristics. I can't tell the difference between them. My bank balance can though.

You can Google the Blue Jeans cables, they have a good rep on the net in systems far more expensive than mine.

 

[mattc76]

Hi Miker,

Those over on the Cyrus forum rate the Missing-Link interconnects extremely highly,

http://www.the-missing-link.net

The Alaqeia (£80) is widely regarded as better (or at least as good as) the chord chorus (at over twice the price) and significantly better than Cyruses own interconnect (which doesn't seem to be rated that highly). I have a cyrus set-up and have just ordered some alaqeia interconnects. I used to believe that interconnects didn't make a difference: I was using cheapo cambridge interconnects then I thought I'd try Chord Cobra 3 and there (honestly) was an obvious difference: more detail and clarity certainly but there's something about the bass I don't like (maybe a bit wooly). Its almost as if someone has got an EQ and rolled off some of the low-mid/high-bass frequencies!!?? They're still good in terms of detail but this is why I've gone for the missing link alaqeias.

Matt

 

[sheehanjuk]

Miker:

The Orchid is outside my budget which has already been stretched. When I first started, I had not given a thought about speaker cables or interconnects, and the speaker cable runs are 9.5M each.

£100 per interconnect would be my top limit. Browsing through the WEB on the above recommendations, made me think of cable lengths. I would not want more than 0.5M lengths on three of the four interconnects, which seems to exclude many of the cables.

I brought the Chord Chameleon Silver Plus 0.5m for £88 ono. Excellent cable for the money, here's a link:-

http://www.futureshop.co.uk/chord-chameleon-silver-plus-2-rca-to-2-rca-audio-cable-05m-p-1057.html

 

[Anonymous]

Based on what most Cyrus owners on cyrusunoffical recommend as being the best value for money interconnect I would recommend the missing link. Had I known about it before I bought my system I would have definitely auditioned it. Those who have heard it say it matches ICs costing £200 - £300.

I've used the Cobra and in my view it sounded better with Cyrus than the Chameleon which to being silver was just too bright (I did some in home testing over a period of a week). At the time I had a CD8X + PSX-R and an 8VS2 going into the Spendor S5Es.

I still use the Cobra with my headphone setup but now use the Townshend Isolda DCT300s between the DAC-XP and the monos.

 

[aliEnRIK]

Silver needs MONTHS to 'run in'

Fot the price these from TM3 on ebay are the absolute mutts nutts
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Solid-silver-OFC-4-core-audio-0-5mt-Halide-AGCUA-4_W0QQitemZ180241489239QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item180241489239&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262

(You can ask for any custom size you require)

Ive put them up against Russ Andrews interconnects costing over 200 quid a meter and theyre certainly better

 

[Anonymous]

Silver needs NO TIME AT ALL to run in. Running in is a myth.

 

[The_Lhc]

aliEnRIK:Silver needs MONTHS to 'run in'

Evidence? Or just speculation?

 

[The_Lhc]

Tarquinh:Silver needs NO TIME AT ALL to run in. Running in is a myth.

Evidence? Or just speculation?

 

[aliEnRIK]

My ears tell me

As would yours if you actually tried any

 

[idc]

aliEnRIK:

My ears tell me

As would yours if you actually tried any

Rik, do you have any theory as to why cable gets better over time. I am on the fence with this one.

 

[Messiah]

Theory would be nice. Fact would be better.

How can you tell it is the cable 'burning in' and not some other factor??

 

[idc]

Burning in would suggest some sort of physical change in the cable, which would also suggest it could be measured with test signals or measuring minute changes in the impedance etc of the cable.

 

[aliEnRIK]

I can only go off my own tests.

EVERY time ive used silver ~ and thats ranging from mains cables, to interconnects to speaker cables its always been the same

They start of 'ok' sounding. Get gradually worse then gradually better to generally very f***in good (when its bad they sound REALLY bad)

Now its quite possible in theory that the equipment is acclimatising to the new cable (whatever it may be). But ive tested these on the SAME equipment with the SAME connectors used so there must be some inherant change in the cable even if its only at a sub atomic level I wouldnt begin to be able to measure (Akin to Russ Andrews having to use some pretty special equipment to measure RFI changes with his mains cables)

Anyone who believes silver 'burn in' is myth clearly hasnt tried truly NEW solid silver cables (any type) over a period of months as even a complete numbnuts couldnt miss the changes

 

[Anonymous]

http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/127865.html
http://thepreacher.wordpress.com/2007/04/29/audiophiles-cable-burn-in/
http://www.cobaltcable.com/pdfs/Common%20Cable%20Myths%20Explained.pdf
http://sound.westhost.com/madashell.htm

more technical stuff available than these, see google if interested.

 

[aliEnRIK]

Tar' ~

You can post links till the cows come home. Ive done my OWN tests and my hearings fine thank you very much (yawns)

CLEARLY though ~ YOU havnt