Which Van damme speaker cable?

[krish123]

i was going to buy some nice van den hul speaker cables however i think il be requiring a larger length so could get expensive.

One of the lengths i need is around 4m and the other only around 1m.

i kno many people here use van damme speaker cable and rate it, but which one is best? do they do a biwire version?

Finally whats the best thickness to get? i think 2.5mm is slightly to thin?

thanks again.

 

[Anonymous]

2.5mm is fine unless you are running massive amounts of power.

Van Damme do 4 core cables so you can biwire but I wouldn't bother, just make jumper cables from the speaker cable - does exactly the same thing.

 

[CnoEvil]

I would use the UP LC-OFC found here: http://www.vdctrading.com/content.asp?SubsectionID=30

As has been stated, the 2.5mm should be fine, though the 4mm may be a little better.

 

[Anonymous]

The UP LCOFCand the Blue are both fine LS cables.

For a lenght of 4 meters 2.5 mm is more than thick enough!

 

[CnoEvil]

Since the low frequencies travel along the centre of the cable, the larger the conductor, the less obstruction there is to the low frequencies ie. Thicker conductors should provide more bass...whether this is advisable is down to personal taste, the equipment being used, the speaker positioning and the acoustics of the room it's being used in.

 

[michael hoy]

I would use the UP LC-OFC found here: http://www.vdctrading.com/content.asp?SubsectionID=30 As has been stated, the 2.5mm should be fine, though the 4mm may be a little better.

Hi,

I use the UP LC-OFC 4mm cable and find it to be an excellent cable.

 

[Anonymous]

In no realms of relevent science is this true, you need to get up to the MHz frequencies before skin effect comes in to effect. How's your hearing range?

edit: sorry, that was in reply to CNoEvil

 

[CnoEvil]

In no realms of relevent science is this true, you need to get up to the MHz frequencies before skin effect comes in to effect. How's your hearing range?

edit: sorry, that was in reply to CNoEvil

I stated my understanding, based on a conversation with John Carrick of Atlas cables, who produces thicker versions of the same cable to give improved bass, as can be seen here:
http://www.atlascables.com/hyper-3.0.html

If you know better, that's fine by me, but I'm certainly not going to argue about it.....been there, done that, got several T-shirts.

 

[Anonymous]

And I think a cable is either fit for purpose or not and there is NO scientific test that can prove otherwise, however I also have many t-shirts over the arguement so it's nice to not have one for a change

 

[krish123]

i think i will opt for 4mm thickness. just which one now, iv seen the 'blue' series cable at 4mm thickness for 8m or so for about £24 .

how do these cables compare to other branded cables? do they have a certain signature to their sound ?

Also is there anywhere where they sell these cables terminated or can get them terminated?

 

[Overdose]

Unless you are going to be frequently removing and inserting the speaker cables, a twisted wire and thumb screw connection is best. Better for surface area contact and the fewest joins in the wire, it is also the most secure.

 

[CnoEvil]

i think i will opt for 4mm thickness. just which one now, iv seen the 'blue' series cable at 4mm thickness for 8m or so for about £24 .

how do these cables compare to other branded cables? do they have a certain signature to their sound ?

Also is there anywhere where they sell these cables terminated or can get them terminated?

This thread might help: http://www.whathifi.com/forum/accessories/van-damme-cables

 

[mitch65]

I changed from Chord Odyssey 4 to Van damme 4mm and I could not tell much of a difference - certainly not enough to justify the extra outlay - and it's nice and flexible

 

[Anonymous]

Irrespective of whether they sound different, once you start looking at VDC and building your own you realise how basic and cheap all the components that nearly all the cable brands use are you realise what a HUGE mark up your paying in the shop. I ended up making my own which was pretty easy and for around £3 I made cables from exactly the same components as one that was selling for near £100 in the shops.

In that though (and why it is relevant here) I would say that the thing that really can degrade the sound is contacts and connections. Therefore you should aim to minimise the number of connections and maximise their quality and that includes the quality of the soldering inside. This doesn't have to mean expensive

This is why I love all this new wireless stuff, hi quality digital files fed directly into the amp - no connections at all!

 

[krish123]

ok good points made guys, seems like termination is not really required for me. so the up ofc seems to be the best offering from van damme?

i need a length of 4m and around 1.5m, so il probs make these specific lengths does it matter that they are of different length?

 

[Diamond Joe]

In no realms of relevent science is this true, you need to get up to the MHz frequencies before skin effect comes in to effect. How's your hearing range?

edit: sorry, that was in reply to CNoEvil

Without wishing to get into a great debate... yes you're absolutely right that a signal will only travel on the outer surface of a cable at very high frequencies (above megahertz), however, skin effect will be a (small) factor at higher audio frequencies.

The current density at higher audio frequencies at the centre of a speaker cable will be lower (or even non-existent) than in its outer regions. Meaning that the outer layers of a cable are more relevant to the passage of higher frequencies than the inner layers, indeed you could do away with the inner conducter altogether and you wouldn't notice any difference. See, for example, QED X-tube cables, they're hollow - like co-ax cables - and they seem to be well reviewed.

I've got to add though, at these frequencies the skin depth is quite significant (in the order of hundreds of micrometres) so it's only apparent on thicker cables.

How noticeable is it? I don't know, not really that bothered to find out either.

And if you're wondering, I use a 7.5m pair of 4mm Van Damme UP-LCOFC, seems to be perfectly adequate, and I don't have any great desire to replace it with anything more exotic.

 

[Diamond Joe]

- like co-ax cables -

..or rather, like the outer screen of a co-ax. D'oh! :doh: :doh:

 

[krish123]

iv just come across tellurium q blue series speaker cable, does any1 have any experience of these? iv read they have a slightly warm sound which would suit my system. any tellurium owners that could clarify ?

 

[paradiziac]

Impressions of Tellurium blue:

http://www.whathifi.com/forum/hi-fi/pays-your-money-and-takes-your-choice

Personally, I'd steer well clear of any cable that influences the sound (as opposed to attempting to be as neutral/transparent as possible).

If your sound is bright, treat the room, move the speakers, use a tone control, or change components.

 

[krish123]

the blue series seems to get mixed reviews. i want a decent cable that errs on the side of warmth and smoothness tbh, nothin that exagerates treble. findng it difficult to make a choice.

any reccomendations?

 

[krish123]

also any1 know where i can buy the up ofc van damme cable? seems difficult to find.

 

[bigblue235]

Just Google Van Damme Hi-Fi 4mm, that's how it's usually described and that's how I found it Audiovisual Online certainly used to do it and there are one or two sellers on ebay.

 

[shooter]

Pays ya money, takes ya choice...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_sq_top?ie=UTF8&keywords=van%20damme%20professional%20blue%20series%20studio%20grade%206mm&index=blended&pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0034K9SSS&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=02S09VJWCHYFN6J0TKFZ#/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=van+damme+professional+blue+series+studio+grade&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Avan+damme+professional+blue+series+studio+grade

 

[DIB]

the blue series seems to get mixed reviews. i want a decent cable that errs on the side of warmth and smoothness tbh, nothin that exagerates treble. findng it difficult to make a choice.

any reccomendations?

I have the 4mm Studio Grade Blue and I have no complaints about it, replaced some Chord Odyssey 2 I used to own.

At £4 p/m for the 4mm and £2.60 p/m for the 2.5mm it's not going to cost you the earth so I say give it a go.

I bought mine from Audiovisual Online, very good service from them. http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/category/323/van-damme-speaker-cable/

.

 

[visionary]

also any1 know where i can buy the up ofc van damme cable? seems difficult to find.

http://cpc.farnell.com/van-damme/268-504l/vandamme-hifi-cable-4mm-50m/dp/CB04676