speaker cables

[Basil]

I just swopped from cheap figure of 8 non branded multistrand to Kimber 4PR, even in my modest system the sound is quite obviously better.

Bits of wire do make a difference....

I to used a variety of different cables, starting with el cheapo multi strand Richer Sound specials onto QED, Linn, Naim and Ecosse cables before ending up with second hand Kimber 4TC, the main reason was that they were dirt cheap. I've had them now for 7 years, originally connected in bi-wire configuration to my old Tannoys but now they wired up in a parallel to enable connection to my Yams - basically providing similar characteristics to the 8TC.

The great thing about the Kimbers is that the sound is fast and clear compared to anything I have used before, typically, the sound would have been too smooth and slightly veiled. I have not found anything that betters the Kimbers, although I know they are not the best cable to use with the Yams - advice on a suitable cable would be welcomed.

One strange thing I remember seeing at the Bristol HiFi show a few years back was the use of orange B&Q Mower cable in either the Eclispe Speaker System or Quad system and it sounded pretty good. It makes you wonder!

Basil

[alnewall]

One strange thing I remember seeing at the Bristol HiFi show a few years back was the use of orange B&Q Mower cable in either the Eclispe Speaker System or Quad system and it sounded pretty good. It makes you wonder!

Maybe not all orange cables are equal.
The ones i tried were not from B&Q, but were easily outperformed by Twisted twins and the multistrand silver cables from Richer Sounds.

I even tried heavy duty orange cables left over from caravanning days.............................no better.

[david counter]

the story I heard was that they forgot to bring their speaker cables and had to go to B&Q to get some cable

I don't think they were making a statement about cables being irrelevent

[Basil]

David

they forgot to bring their speaker cables and had to go to B&Q to get some cable

Either the stand representive said this a 1000 times to all the visitors or I was in the room when you heard this.

Looking forward to the 2007 show - not long now. Are WD going to be represented as I have not heard anything or am I deaf.

Basil

[Shian7]

Originally Posted by freefallrob

I just swopped from cheap figure of 8 non branded multistrand to Kimber 4PR, even in my modest system the sound is quite obviously better.

Bits of wire do make a difference....

I couldn't agree more... it always amuses me when people say things like "wire is wire...they all sound the same".

[Greg.]

Originally Posted by Basil

David



Are WD going to be represented as I have not heard anything or am I deaf.

Basil

I've just had a flyer from Sound and Vision which states WD will be there.

Best wishes,

Greg

[Greg.]

Originally Posted by Shian7

I couldn't agree more... it always amuses me when people say things like "wire is wire...they all sound the same".

I also couldn't agree more but to be sure, the more you spend does not mean the better your sound and probably there is not much hi-fi cable that cannot be improved on using conventional copper hook-up. Certainly the wire part of Hi-fi is the biggest rip off in the market place. You need to question why so many of us settle for recipes made from CAT5. Several have claimed these versions sound better than Kimber 4TC and 8TC that are often offered as a bench mark. Personally I'll never ever again buy any commecial cable. I know my DIY options are significantly cheaper and sound much better.

Best wishes,

Greg

[Shian7]

Agreed again!... I know from bitter experience that spending more cash does not necessarily mean better sound. I once 'upgraded' to QED Silver Anniversary (OK we're still talking budget end of the market here) and it made my system at that time sound terrible, and I mean REALLY bad, it sounded like something was seriously faulty!

I've made my own interconnects and mains leads for years now but tend to leave it at that, making speaker cables is just a bit too much hassle (for me anyway) and still involves acquiring something or other which is 'commercial' in the first place. As indeed is the case with any cable unless you want to start drawing copper or whatever through die's for ever and a day etc - well, life is just too short! Anyway, I've mucked about with enough cables to know that they do NOT all sound the same and I know there plenty of others who feel the same. There was a tread not so long ago where some interconnects did the rounds and people gave their opinion on them, just about all said something different. No-one said 'they sound exactly the same as any other bloody bit of wire'.

As for the high-end stuff, *shrug* - I guess I'll never know. If someone's spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the sort of gear that the Roy Gregory's of the world like to play with, then what's a few grand for some wire to connect it all up? Much as I'd like to be in that position (who wouldn't?) I can't see it ever happening this side of a 'Euro rollover' size lottery win. And I don't even enter the thing!

Best wishes,
Mike.

[Scottmoose]

Different speaker cables do have an effect on sound. Their electrical parameters affect the performance of the components they connect. Which is why hyper-thin 30AWG magnet wire can work wonders with horn-loaded full-range drivers powered by SS amps. The wire resistance artificially raises Qe and lowers the DF of the amp. I wouldn't recommend it for most systems, but like anything, it's a case of selecting the best match to your components and taste. I'm working with some tungsten wire at present -nice high resistance.

[NickG]

I'm working with some tungsten wire at present -nice high resistance.

Why not just use a resistor? What is the difference?