Count me in for Argento Flow also!
They haven't graced my system yet but each time I hear a system with a full loom, the desire to have them grows. |
STELTH DREAM Wonderful musical great imaging bass etc!! |
I'm partial to my Zu Ibis cables. Ultra clean and ultra-fast sound. Love that silver. |
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Valhalla, with the right system.
Also like Jena Labs Symphony for a less expensive alternative. They are very natural and don't do anything wrong, which is what I always listen for first.
Neal |
Bobabooyee extreme Reference MkIII SE, Stunning! |
My highest recommendation for the Supra Cables, all of them. Price wise they are truly a competive product, and this you can take to the bank. |
Zu Ibis (Zu's top-end silver cables; not made anymore). Detailed yet smooth and engaging at the same time. |
Definitely Elrod Power Systems for me. |
Home Depot. They were the cheapest and they worked perfectly. |
02-08-08: Mrtennis
so far, 16 companies have been mentioned as sources of favorite speaker cables.
if the purpose of the thread is to obtain ideas for purchasing a speaker cable, how does one make use of 16 suggestions (opinions) ? True. Everybody seems to answer with whatever they have in their system right now. Unless they give a list of all their components, the info is not very useful. So, to your point, I'll say I've owned and used Straightwire, AudioQuest, Kimber, Monster, Tributaries, TARA, Transparent, Audio Magic, MIT, Zu, Kimber, Sony, and PS Audio. But my absolute favorite, and what I'd cable everything in the house with if I could afford it, would be high level Transparent. It is my absolute favorite, whether you're using an integrated amp or separates, digital or LP, tube or SS, Magnepan, Martin-Logan, mini-monitors, Wilson, Vandersteen, GoldenEar, Krell, McIntosh, Classe, Audio Research, VTL, Ayre, Linn, or Peachtree, Transparent (IMO) provides the most balanced, most natural-sounding signal transfer I've ever heard. |
between a krell ksa 80 and b&w 703 i have fallen in love with kimber 8tc.When i say in love i mean that i have shaved my head sold all my possession and now live at the kimber parking lot. |
So far, ASI Livelines. They may be my last. |
PranaWire Nataraja closely followed by Stealth |
For me it turned out to be an absolute boutique cable from Einstein Audio, their Greenline Largo, Unisono combo has beaten everything else I tried by a long shot. The production of these specific cables have stopped now. Volker, the designer of all Einstein audio products admits that these were the very best cables he has ever made. They are outstanding, though they are not known outside Europe all that much. |
Miss: Wire World Eclipse III
Score: Slitech LS-180 |
Shunyata Research just released (2011) new line of speaker cables. I have the Pythons. The beat every cable I've ever heard including the Nordost Odin's. Watch out when reviewers finally hear these. The new speaker cables are twice as effective as Shunyaya's power cords, which is saying a lot. |
Vhiner,
Are you the "Vance H. in St. Louis" mentioned on Shunyata's site?
http://www.shunyata.com/Content/products-SignalCables.html
Out of curiosity - what is the price range for these cables? |
Milpai,
I am quoted on their site, which came as a bit of a surprise when I found out. I have no connection to them, other than as a customer.
I only know that my one-meter RCA interconnects list for $1495 and my 8-foot speaker cables list for $2495. I've heard that a variety of dealers will work out package pricing deals on the new line. Consider the politics of rolling out a product that blows away the competition, including your own flagship models. Eventually folks like the Cable Company will have demo's available and then other people will begin to weigh in on whether these cables are as revolutionary as I think they are. I'm eager to hear what other people hear when the Pythons are hooked up in their own systems. That'll be the real test. |
I've said this so many times...there is no best cable...all cables sound different in different systems. The absolute worst sounding cable in MY system was any iteration of Cardas cable. That's not to say they are crap, because in the right system they are ok. In MY system they are awful. You have to listen to what the cable does in YOUR system to determine the best cable for YOU. Actually, Anti=Cable is the best in my system with Audioquest Sky/Everest coming in second...go figure. |
I purchased some raw soft annealed 9999 Silver 14 gauge wire on ebay.
When you think about it, the only connection between the Amp and speakers is the actual wire conductor.
So get the best possible wire to make that connection.
Honestly, I have tried practically ever high end speaker cable and I found that my simple home made version is wayyy better.
Unfortunatly, silver has gone up quite a bit, but it is still the best |
I started with Mapleshade Golden Helix but found them to harsh to my ears even after several hundred hours. So I researched DIY cables. White Lighting cables made from Walmart patio extension cable were much better. Then I read about Home Depot extension (Holloween) cable. Made some, and they were even better. I eventually had the funds to try again and bought some Blue Jean Canare 4S11 cable; broke them in. Then I compared all three cables and decided the HD cables were just a bit better overall. I'm thinking of wrapping them with black electrical tape to improve appearence and maybe help reduce noise. |
There isn't a professional music production studio in the world that uses zip cord, and many of those facilities are constantly looking for ways to cut costs. If all wire were the same, they'd be using spools of Lowe's 18-guage. The people who actually produce the music we all listen to KNOW there's a difference in wire and that it has dramatic effects on sound. Google famous record mastering professionals like Bob Ludwig and Doug Sax. They don't take a dime from cable manufacturers but they ALL have their favorite wire...and it isn't lamp cord. But I'm sure there are people with Bose systems who are far more qualified to comment on the merits of using coat hangers in their "killer" rigs. Yawn. |
Vhiner,
Thank You for sharing the info. Honestly, I am still surprised that the new Shunyata wires beat Nordost Odin. But as Stringreen mentioned, it is all system dependent.
Good for you that you have settled on the cable that best matches your system. |
Milpai,
You get no argument from me that wire is system dependent. There are also many over-priced cables on the market. Some systems are revealing enough that cable differences are easily heard. There will always be a divergence of opinion as to the merits of those differences. Fortunately, there are a handful of manufacturers who are truly advancing the state of the art yet who are also committed to improving the listening experience of customers at virtually every price point. I believe they should be championed. I urge people to audition a variety of cables and be open to the unexpected. I never would have thought that Anti-cables could be effective, but my ears changed my mind. |
It is whatever sounds good in your system. If home depot wire works and matches your system go for it, HD may also sell some speakers now. For the purpose of this thread I like alot of wires, transparent is nice Kimberly 8 tc is a classic and good, I can tell you also what I would not buy again kimber select silver I am running now I would never buy again sound good but came in all scratched up and kimber will not make right also build quality was cr#% weaving was off etc.... So I am just not mentioning cables I have in my system as liking. Audio quest I like but they keep changing for better technology making the old cables worth a lot less. I have herd good things about the quicksilver silver wires for the price. This is a tuff thread because what sounds good in my system may not in yours or may be overkill it is all about matching. |
FMS Nexus 3 is a winner! (IMHO:)) |
DNM Precision for speakers >90db and DNM Stereo for speakers <90db. I have used both at different times and love the way that DNM conveys music.
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