2017 Honest Cabling that doesn’t promote bankruptcy
Looking for experiences and recs for current mid to upper mid level cabling solutions
I’m talking about ICs and Speaker cables that do not require plans for high jacking an armored car with a couple gallons of chloroform and a helicopter with a really big magnet?
Neither is it a matter of seeking out an ‘all system’ same brand and model loom, though it could be.
In Your opinion and or experience which signal cables (or mix of) have proven themselves recently to enable a revealing system to maintain or demonstrate its integrity, truth and musicality on its best level?
Or, in other words, With which current line of wires or ‘cables’ would you feel very confident using to connect your upscale stereo outfit in 2017?
for ICs - use balanced XLR cables on your balanced components; if you don't have such components buy them (and avoid components that are not properly engineered next time)
for Speaker cables - you will never be able to predict which ones will sound best, so use a cable rental/return place and keep trying ones with different inductances, etc.
From the Morrow website: Tom Morrow uses the famous "Schmekerman 500" electron path determinizer at the exit point of the modified noodle extruder output nozzles to insure proper directionality. The silver coating has a "direction sniffing" chemical added in during the smelting process that allows it to follow the copper's lead and burns off when setting up, allowing for purity in both thought and action…a rare thing. Hense all Morrow cables are directional, and if used in the wrong direction can cause phase anomalies that will make the listener feel itchy.
If you don't have cash just get the cheap stuff and pretend it sounds good.I like Purist and Furutech for built quality and sound in many cases you get what you pay for didn't promote bankruptcy for me.In a high resolution system you can clearly hear the difference between great cable and the cheap stuff.Good luck enjoy.
Most of the cables recommended are probably good, but you will never know how they will match your system until you connect them with your system, even the most expensive cables has no guarantee to match your taste and your system...my friend told me to start on the cheaper, mid, to expensive prize so I can differentiate what they do on my system and taste.... he was right, I found out that time my system match the mid prize, the money I will spend on the expensive one is not worth it, the cheaper one is not even close on the mid prize cables, this are old Audioquest I tried...He also told me to be patience, and ask for longer audition, He also told me to wait for the cable to settle for 6 days...He told me to write what each cable do.Its time consuming , stressful at times, but I learned that's the way how to do it...If you will ask me what cable I will recommend ? Teo GC, CT cables, and Reveal high fidelity, this are amazing cables on my systems...
One can’t help wondering if a company like Morrow controls the manufacturing process of their cables to the extent that the wire grain structure is correctly oriented in the finished product. Or do they say screw it.
Deep apologies to all. Been busy with Drs and life in general.
Blindjim > Toddverrone > thanks much. DIY is pretty much off my table. I’d have no one to yell at if I did not like ‘em.
4425 > AQ Niagara ICs
Blindjim > something massive must have happened in the past five years with AQ. Back then, their popularity was slim, and slimmer.
Milpai > You have so many cable on hand. Why not get the Clear Day cables and give them a shot? As of now have you shortlisted the final 3?
Blind… > perhaps I will. Short list: Morrow; Cardas: Nordost: Shunyata: HT; Crystal.
hifiman5 > clear day trial period.
Blind… > that’s helpful and actually a near ‘must’ with wires
Facten > Silnote Audio ICs, Clear Day Cable SCs, Audio Art Cable PCs
Blind… > I’m hoping there is significant disparity amonst those choices. I’ve got some AA ICs and must say they are a ‘value’ oriented cable. Not near middle or upper end performance. HT , or second system use IMO.
tom_hankins > Look no further than Signalcable.com or the musicdirect.com Audioquest Colorado or Columbia close out deals. All very good.
Blind… > AQ again. Its becoming
hifiman5 > If they still have them, go for the Colorado. Much better bass impact. I tried both!
Blind.. > its official now, AQ has to be on my list.
hifiman5 > My entire system is interconnected with Colorados. Nice.
Blind… > Cool.
Lostnamerica > I am going to side with nonoise referring to the Zu Audio cable. Best wishes
Blind… > thanks
Rotaries > when you need clarity without harshness - Mogami wire 2549, 2534, 2528, etc Wireworld ICs would be a couple of notches higher in SQ than a similarly priced Audioquest cable IMO. I also think Signal Cable is great value for money and leaves little to be desired.
Blind… > huge thanks. Very helpful.
Dlcockrum > active shielding….
Blind… > great post. With SR there is no doubt a better level of performance with active cabling. Unquestionably. FWIW, on the other side of the same coin, there are cables without active shielding that perform incredibly well too. Given the option I’d choose NOT to have more crap to plug into the wall.
wolf_garcia > morrow…
blind…. > excellent.
Savdllc > do your research. AQ is our default.
Blind… check!! Many thanks David. Really.
wolf_garcia > more on morrow
blindjim > lol. I saved your post.
Looks like I’m being forced to at least try the AQ offerings.
I’d like to know, what or which source to preamp ICs deliver the pin point imaging and honest revalation the MIT Magnum ICs provide, but without the bleaching of the tones?
I’ve heard in limited application, the Valhalla (not the v2)but I’m not sold on that level of investment to performance ratio at the moment. I also s thoughd ig that level PC, but again, the cost astounds me.
One specific cable I’m very curious about is the new to me, “Clear” from Cardas, and its iterations.
On the previous Cardas neutral Reference IC as main ICs, I loved the performance to cost relationship, though it did not do too well on the lower registers IMHO.
are the Cardas CLEAR line and the previous Cardas NEUTRAL REF at all similar?
I recently helped a friend with selection of his first hi-end system and he chose Morrow IC’s. As you say, well constructed and finished cables and they sounded very good to me.
He even uses the stock fuses - I know you would like him. ;)
Some unsolicited hype: Received my latest Morrow cables taking advantage of a recent promotion where along with whatever discount was offered on the cables I ordered (a balanced MA "1.1" IC…using 4 runs of their teeny solid core silver coated copper wire), they tossed in a free MA1, which is the same "el cheapo" cable I recently bought to check out the stuff (I have several AQ solid core wires so I'm a solid core fan to the core). The quality of construction including the Neutrik plugs on the balanced cable is amazing, and that cable sounds great even before the 10,000 hour break-in process which might have something to do with it being a balanced line (heh)...for 2 cables the cost including shipping wound up at around 100 bucks. The MA1 basic RCA cable I first bought has broken in completely and is among the best sounding ICs I've heard…the only thing wrong with it is that it's too inexpensive for respect from some, and my answer to that is how my system responds to the cable…very, very well. Go Morrow!
My recommendation is to simply do your research and choose cables that are well-reviewed by reputable sources and fit within your budget. I own an A/V integration company in Atlanta, GA and typically use AudioQuest in most of our projects and have always had great results, and while there are certainly other options out there that are just as good, the balance of cost/performance has made that our go-to brand. PM me if you'd like specific recommendations within your target budget and I'll put together some options for you.
cycles2 > SR will continually introduce new technologies & tell us why it's so much better than last year's model they raved about.
Blindjim > that seems a constant among all the makers of audio gear despite the fat their position on their latest SOTA gear is the best yet.
It’s the law. They have to.
Too bad some items in audioland are so ‘mercurial’. Especially cabling.
Pops > more or less, I’m fully on board with your idea. I am currently using a loom of Kubala-Sosna Fascination, IC’s, SC and PC’s. They are a very solid match to my system which includes Thiel speakers. I have had them about 3 years and have craved to upgrade to the Emotion level. And there I go again - trying to get into 4 figure cables again. Since I retired recently they are just a little pricey for me I seem to remember you had MIT’s for a while. I have owned and tried a ton of those... have you tried KS cables. Full bodied with nice tonal balance -
Blindjim > thanks all so far. I’ll try this again. As my last reply did not get posted.
RE MIT cables IMO work well here or there but not front to back. They ‘bleached’ the sound when too many were in the chain.
RE KS cables. Full bodied with nice tonal balance – They also demand fat wads of cash. Its highly doubtful I’ll land in KS world anytime soon.
There are only a few ultra high end wires which I believe I’ll try, once the spkrs and amp (s) land here. I’m also inclined to see what happens when one brand is inserted throughout, albeit, maybe not the exact same model, or maybe even then.
I simply despise the prospect of spending $10K or more and likely a bunch more, on freakin’ ICs and spkr wires!!
I do indeed get the notion cables matter. More than a little. But, If there is insanity in this hobby, it is spending multiple thousands on cables. Especially, if its just on one link in the chain!!!!! Wow.
That said, I still have enough PCs for example, which totaled well into the thousands in MSRPs and roughly half that in real costs. Yet, the outlay was/is substantial… and OMG, going forward it will be once again. .
I've recently been smitten by Morrow cables as they seem to provide a neutral path for those pesky electrons, and have brought some sparkle to the gear heap. I ordered more of them recently, so I'll report back in a couple of months when they're properly settled in. I like to do the "break-in" myself so I can verify the changes…I remember a specific moment over a 7 minute period that I noticed a .0047% increase in soundstage width, but it was a metric increase and I barely had time get it translated to inches before I had to return to my nap.
cycles2 > Yes, over the years I always had a full loom of matching SR cables & typically purchased their most costly model starting years ago with the Tesla Apex series, then Element CTS and most recently the Atmosphere Level 4 line.
Blindjim > my first cable purchase was entry level spkr wires in active config. They arrived non active. Did not want to mess with sending them back and waiting what ever time, and just kept them with a rebate from the cost diffs. Still got them.
Since SR went to their Apex lines and beyond, I’ve lost interest in SR. Too expensive, and too complicated. Amd too many other ‘necessary’ add ons to make existing cabling better.
Would have been OK if all of the SR cabling had been improved upon, but it appeared to me, only the $1K and up stuff got better. Reportedly. Mostly, it merely got different.
Apex: It/they did not mate well with former SR ICs and why I sold my Resolution reference ICs which IMO, were the best pre to amp links I’ve had yet. Even had SR rewire them to SE from XLR when I made a system change. I liked ‘em that much.
Following the RR exodus, the best mix were Shunyata Altare $2K MSRP or so… and a pair of Nirvana SX Ltd… and the SA sig 10 active spkr wires. In that order.
I’ll look into HT Links first, probably. Maybe, they’ve gotten better at imaging and bass. The IIs ain’t bad, but I’ve heard better, for better money, of course.
Pops > pops > Trickle first, sell after, when possible. I am currently using a loom of Kubala-Sosna Fascination, IC’s, SC and PC’s. They are a very solid match to my system which includes Thiel speakers. I seem to remember you had MIT’s for a while. I have owned and tried a ton of those...
Blindjim > yep. Had MIT Magnum 3 as source cable to line stage pre. Always wanted the MIT Mag 1s. never did get ‘em. Adding more MITs was not the answer for me. It bleached out the sound too much.
When the SR Resolution Ref left, I added in Harmonic Tech’s Magic lnik II as power line IC.
Kubala always interested me. For about a minute. Seeing the preice tags blew me away immediately. Oil well.
Upper end audio equipment buying and or trying is like sleeping with a celebrity. Until you have done it, you only have the fantasy. Once done, it might just be the fantasy was better than the actual experience. Results vary greatly.
I’m seriously inclined to go with an ‘all one brand’ harness this tmie around. PCs, however, have proven vividly, mixing there can really get some interesting outcomes.
I have owned both the AQ Niagara 72V DBS ICs and the Synergistic Research Tesla (various models) & Element-series actively-shielded cables. Both apply DC power to the dielectric, albeit by different designs (battery vs "MPC" wall wart power supply). I found both to sound excellent and sold me on the notion of charging the dielectric for improved sound quality, most notably the improvement in reducing the noise floor.
The AQ method provides a much cleaner installation with the battery packs attached to the cable and no external wiring, but the SR active-shielding allows tuning of the power source (via cost-effective mods to the MPC by fellow-member Michael Spallone) and changing the Tuning Bullets (introduced with the Tesla SE and carried on to the Element series).
Michael’s mods were a step-function improvement in sound quality across the board and the SR tuning bullets provide audible changes in the upper-frequency character of my system. Very nice to have the ability to slightly alter/tune the highly-hearing-sensitive upper-frequency region where the enjoyment of cymbals and female vocals is especially sensitive (to me) to open-ness and also glare depending on the individual system’s proclivities in that region.
Both cables provide excellent sound quality in my experience, but I personally give the nod to the SR implementation for the reasons noted above.
rotarius and folkfreak Agree with both of you! DBS keeps the dielectric in shape After you break in the cables originally. Connector, conductor quality and dielectric always make a difference in my cable experiences.
once you fire up your system you are getting 100% performance
while I love the DBS system and own a ton of AQ cable it has been my experience that a) it takes 48-72 hours for the DBS field to fully form if you ever unplug it, and b) like all cables the DBS equipped AQ will benefit from burn in, I just bought a set of WEL that had been sitting for six months disconnected and they needed 48 hours on my cable cooker to perform their best (despite the DBS boxes having been connected all along)
so do try AQ DBS cables but give them time to settle in
@hifiman5 The DBS system does sound interesting and I have not used it. Along with capacitance, I like to focus on the connector quality, materials & conductivity. That seems to make a big difference in SQ.
@rotarius Perhaps...but the one big advantage of the AQ interconnects is the 72V DBS system. Once you fire up your system you are getting 100% performance. No cable run-in needed.
For interconnects when you need clarity without harshness - Mogami wire 2549, 2534, 2528, etc. with neutrik RCA plugs or better. Needs 10-15 hours of burn-in for the bass to fill in properly. Lot of outfits custom make these and they are cheap! Another affordable brand I can recommend is Wireworld if you don't need heavy shielding. Wireworld ICs would be a couple of notches higher in SQ than a similarly priced Audioquest cable IMO. I also think Signal Cable is great value for money and leaves little to be desired.
Greetings. Yeah, I am going to side with nonoise referring to the Zu Audio cable line, the LibTec Mk1's would do fine and can still be found. Although I don't completely agree on the termination, as I like the bare wire and/or solid copper spades, I guess it will also depend on your speaker set up connections. I would also like to add the Supra Ply 3.4 as a bare cabling set up, excellent quality and definitely The Best Bang for the Buck (about $12/meter). Best wishes in your pursuit in the great cable hunt... Cheers!
@ebm I'm not sure how cables can be dishonest as that is a human vice. AND...the Columbias and Colorados are on a half price closeout sale. My entire system is interconnected with Colorados. Nice.
+1 milpai Paul at Clear Day lets you try them at no cost. If they don't work for your rig, send them back. The details I am hearing without treble emphasis is fascinating. You can listen further into the music, enjoying details that you may not have heard before.
Last comment. If you pick up used AQ Niagara interconnects you'll never look back. Can be had for 60-70% off if you are patient. Was a $2000m silver cable before newest model came out of which I can't discern the difference. Very smooth and detailed.
I made a pair of the cables Erik recommends.. they do sound great and are a reasonably inexpensive way to try silver. I ended up making another pair of ICs from solid silver in cotton from vh audio based on a design by @williewonka. I think they sound even better, but I really haven't had a chance to listen as much as I should to form a definite opinion, as I only had them in my system for a couple of weeks before I headed off to Europe. I'm typing this from the Black Forest right now, with my system thousands of miles away.. Here's the williewonka design: http://www.image99.net/blog/files/4127b5fe2694586e383104364360373b-74.html I did a few things differently: I used some of the hyperflex tubing from vh audio instead of the teflon tubing in williewonka's recipe. It's listed on the vh audio site alongside the continuous crystal silver in cotton signal wire. I also used OCC copper magnet wire from eBay for the neutral and did away with the floating shield, as I have a basement listening room and rfi is not an issue.
pops more or less, I’m fully on board with your idea. The problem as I see it is having a known quantity at some point with wires. Even placing an IC into source to per, from pre to amp can alter things substantially. But I’d thereafter not revert to a configuration which lessened the outcome. Regardless. I’d simply sell the wires I’m not digging in my rig, IF trickling them down into another system was a poor notion. Trickle first, sell after, when possible.
Blindjim you are correct about quantity of cables - I have plenty in back up but none that are ultra expensive. I do sell those if they are not in use.
I am currently using a loom of Kubala-Sosna Fascination, IC’s, SC and PC’s. They are a very solid match to my system which includes Thiel speakers. I have had them about 3 years and have craved to upgrade to the Emotion level. And there I go again - trying to get into 4 figure cables again. Since I retired recently they are just a little pricey for me and quite frankly, my system….and the Fascinations do a fine job. Don’t know if you have tried KS cables. Full bodied with nice tonal balance - in my system.
I seem to remember you had MIT’s for a while. I have owned and tried a ton of those...
Yes, over the years I always had a full loom of matching SR cables & typically purchased their most costly model starting years ago with the Tesla Apex series, then Element CTS and most recently the Atmosphere Level 4 line. I also had a number of their accessories including the Tranquility Base XL, the Power Cell 10, the Transporter Ultra and the really worthless Speaker Cell.
On a few occasions I had to return their products for lack of sufficient QA testing. How do you not test a speaker cable to make sure there's no loose connection at the spade.
Regardless of the QA issue, IMO most of their stuff seemed over-priced and not a good value for the delivered SQ in my system. Perhaps that's why they provide such an attractive trade-up program to keep SR users from switching brands as they continually introduce new technologies & tell us why it's so much better than last year's model they raved about.
Sorry I’m late getting back here. FYI - Wires currently on hand: Audio Art RCA 1.5M Harmonic Tech magic link II RCA 1M Micro Pearl 1.5M Syn Res Sig 10 Active bi wire spkr cables 21ft. Syn Res active (?) 15ft bi wire spkr wires. Syn Res alpha non active 10ft spkr wires Belkin Gold USB 100ft or so of some highly praised non descript bulk wire for center and surrounds in former main HT array. Oyieda (?) BNC 1.3M Gotham 1.5M AES from Links sound card Elrod Sig 3 PC 1.5M 2 Shunyata Taippan Tesla helix PC 1.5M 2 VooDoo GoldDragon 1 Voodoo ref 1M Voodoo black dragon 1.5M Nirvana PC 1.5M Dynamic Research (?) Canadian power cable co. – very stiff and heavy for its size, clean and neutral sounding. Appox $100 - $125
Some are in this rig or that. Some are simply sitting around waiting for jobs.
The number of new or since ’09 models is staggering. So are their prices in most cases. Some no longer exist.
iIm leaning on lists from here and well redarded audiophile mags. None of the interesting wires I feel I’d want to interview exceed $2K. most are under $1K.
Crystal and Siltech seem very good candidates to begin with as does the newer AQ wires. Some others I’ve forgotten but are elsewhere in my notes.
4425 Thanks a lot. Really. AQ never did it for me when I was building my last arrangement. The press now says otherwise. They will have to be checked out very likely.
maurice1937 THX
Jayctoy Tanks. + 2 for Clear day, huh? Hmmm.
Joe B “Don't drive yourself nuts” Its too late.
mani-2 Tanks.
boxer12 finding pearls in cabling is not terribly hard, just time consuming. Especially if you are as pedantic as myself….. at times.
listener57 Both companies play well with tubes and solid state, and offer other options and prices depending on your own systems and preferences. .
Tanks. OK. Right there is the foreboding issue giving me pause. I’ve not fully decided on which way to go yet with some of the source paths or power amp. Speakers too are yet a large dark question mark.
Keeping my line stage pre the amp would need to accommodate SE inputs but adapters can work very well if only XLR ins are the only option.
I’ve got a very decent set of SA Sig 10 active spkr cables which I believe I’ll have SA cut down to shorter lengths from the current 21ft. as Bi wires, perhaps even reconfigure and re-terminate them… after landing on an amp & speaker combo..
These Sig 10s have proven themselves as neutral and quite complimentary cables regardless the amp or speakers.
jmac7 no sense in paying for what you can not realize. Tanks.
phillipsus Been there. Done that. I have to disagree in some cases.
A - B anything is problematical apart from sources connected thru the same reamp or network, which can retrieve the exact same audio info, immediately. Cables like components are different once moved, de energized, then re-inserted and power up again.a primary issue is with sonic memory, then re-establishing the exact same operating temps, signal flow and quantifying the disparity (s) objectively.
Its no real wonder why one cable or some other being slipped in and out of a system can right off sound very similar.
Its also why every system I’ve ever owned or previewed, sounded better after working for 30 to 60 mins, instead of right after a 10 or 20 min no load warm up.
Its also why borrowing cables for very brief periods is nothing much beyond being like watching a two minute movie trailer or watching 30 seconds of scenes from next weeks TV episode..
Moving up the cable ladder takes a lot of familiarity with your own rig, and a very open mind.
knownothing thank you very much for the option. I did retain some of my last system’s cables which have sat idle for so long even these will sound unfamiliar to me going forward. So, my best response will be, we’ll see.
jgandy been there. Done them too. Not a good fit for what I had back then. Worked oK in my receiver based Bedroom HT sys.
geoffkait you had me going until I saw the Navy thingy. Sorry. Its going to be a philosophical thing that prevents me from going down that road… but thanks very much for the heads up.
bumperdoo that was insightful. THX I’m just trying to catch up not having been in the ‘loop’ for some time. I’ve some experience with isoalation and good amp stands and so forth do go a long ways with every component.
Mine will be almost entirely isolated into another space from the speakers or listening area.
pops more or less, I’m fully on board with your idea. The problem as I see it is having a known quantity at some point with wires. Even placing an IC into source to per, from pre to amp can alter things substantially. But I’d thereafter not revert to a configuration which lessened the outcome. Regardless. I’d simply sell the wires I’m not digging in my rig, IF trickling them down into another system was a poor notion. Trickle first, sell after, when possible.
schubert I believe I have several of these cables already. Not bad at all. IMHO.
erik_squires appreciate it greatly.
tablejockey yep. Getting reacquainted with FAT wire is on the list of things to do. Tanks.
safebelayer Cardass NR = brightness? It was never my experience and I at one time had NRs from source to amp as XLR in an all BAT power train. Tanks for another plus to Clear Day.
cycles2 that’s interesting. Did you have a full set of Syn res wires previously, front to back? I did. I found it outstanding, though not the upmost in every aspect. Naturally, this was 7 or 8 years ago and before the insanity of the Galileo grounding blocks, needing an engineer to connect it all, and now their Atmosphere wires with interchangeable ‘mood rings’. However, the ‘mood ring wires are of interest and have found a slot into definite possibilities as certain maybes..
One thought does pester me…. When one reads the reviews on ultra high end gear the idea comes to mind that folks who possess systems new housing could have been bought with instead, ought to be able to have what ever cabling they choose, why did they spend whatever on this one or that one, or all of one brand to connect their arrangements?
I know a few very wealthy people. Spending money is not ordinarily their ambition, saving money seems to be however.
Sure, some items therein might be on everlasting no time limit trials. Some could be sheerly ‘accomodations’ at no charge just to get the perennial press as a part of the ‘sidebar’. But one has to consider this… Very expensive systems reviewers use as baselines are not owned by dummies. Likely not foolish people at all.
So it begs the question, ‘if its all about the components and not the wires, why are not so and so, Blue Jean, or el cheapo wires the inter connects, and speaker cables rather than what is indeed present??’
If the answer is ‘its all about advertising!’ I’ve obviously gone deaf, dumb, and acceptably insane. So many options, so little time. Its interesting, regardless.
I own both Morrow and ANTICABLES products - both are highly recommended. Both companies offer try before buying audition periods and are responsive to their customers. If your system components would benefit from a more smooth sound - go with Morrow. On the other hand if a component would benefit from a more neutral sound - go with ANTICABLES. As well, I recommend giving the Reveal line of High Fidelity Cables an audition. The bottom-line is auditioning cables in your components is required so you can select what cables fine tune your system components to the sound you prefer.
I agree with the Cerious Graphene Extreme (GE) recommendations for their build quality, sound quality and unprecedented value. I have a full loom and in my system they're more extended (better high & lows) and three-dimensional than Synergistic Research's (SR) top of the line Atmosphere Level 4 cables. I'd start with the Cerious GE speaker cables to form your own opinion.
Clear Day speaker cables. Owner /designer/assembler, Paul Laudati is a very honorable man making high end cables at very affordable prices compared to the big boys. I swapped out Cardas Neutral Reference for the Clear Day. Clearer and more dynamic without the silver brightness. And, way less expensive. I use with VAC amplification.
Paul has 8' demo speaker cables sent out free of charge. You must return them and then he'll make you a new pair to your specifications. The new pair is sent with free shipping.
I've used Grover Huffman's latest and greatest cables as well. I found them less clear sounding and also lacked the dynamics.
I would join in the praise for Paul Laudati's Clear-Day silver cables; very reasonably priced, strong terminations, and Paul's a great guy and will build to order. For digital hook-ups and such things as long ethernet runs, Blue Jeans Cable is tough to beat. Plus, a lot of good common-sense info on their website in all matters cable.
^^Well put Shubert, my thoughts exactly…Hey, what am I thinking now? LOL!
I have also tried more cables than I care to count although I did that once and could not believe it. Tone and Timbre are the most important elements to musical reproduction in my system. Imaging and soundstaging are more audiophile trickeration and an added bonus to the enjoyment.
Bulk Supra IC, speaker, and Power cables. I enjoy making custom cables of the exact length I need which can improve sound and make for a very tidy installation.
I've tried almost every usual suspect in last 40+ years . The best tone and timber and harmonics I have found comes from AudioArt IC-3S and SC-5S with Shadow connectors . With acoustic music if tone , timbre and harmonics are not right nothing else matters . They image and soundstage well too , but I've never been in a concert hall that images so not a big deal with me .
@erik_squires said: "I like to make my own with Connex pure silver cables and Eichman bullets."
Could you provide a source for the Connex silver wire (looks like Parts Connexion?) -- and your recipe? I'd like to give these a try as I'm looking to experiment with silver. Thanks!
There are tons are very good cables under the 1K mark. I have not found 4 figure cables that I could live with long term - my components are probably not worthy.
Some great suggestions in the thread - for me, I prefer to switch cables in and out on occasion depending on my mood and also because I dig cables (and have a cable fascination - hate the word addiction!) I have come to the conclusion that I would rather have a nice inventory of cables to play with rather than one or two really expensive ones. However, your bank account may vary.
As usual everyone has different ideas, My point is that speaker jumpers make a big difference. I tried many and ended with solid silver. They were lost in moving and couldn't find the same ones so I ordered some from EBAY. Were not that good so I found a custom one from HK using VDH which I use for my ICs? Much better. As usual all ears differ. Just start with some solid copper ones by striping some electra cable. Good luck.
Start with some great ICs - like the Teo Audio GCs and Steve's terrific custom built ICs. For short runs, RCA ICs are perfect; balanced are fine but there is little to gain IMHO unless you have a really long run.
I'd be careful about close placement of the amps to the speakers - remember, even caps are micro-phonic and will *hear* the vibrations from those speakers. Especially true if you're using tubes.
Good luck - best approach is through trial and error. Every system is different and only you will know what works best. Let us know how you get on!
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