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Anti Cables with Simaudio

Here is yet another opinion/experience with speaker cables.

I use Green Mountain Speakers, a Monarch DAC24, and was using an Arcam A90 amp. As a non-believer in expensive cables, I seek out well made reasonably priced cables. For a long time, I didn't even think any cables made a difference. I now have a different opinion.

Three cables compared:
Cobalt Cable - 10 gauge heavy multi-strand solid copper.
KnuKfoncepts - 10 gauge light multi-strand silver coated copper.
Anti cables - solid copper cable with no shielding or insulation other than a light coating.

All these cables cost under $200, I run 4 meter lengths.

I bought Cobalt Cables Ultimate cable and used them with the Arcam/GMA setup. This setup had a very tranparent and detailed sound. I could listen to this for hours without losing interest or fatigue. For an experiment, I bought the KnuKoncepts silver cables. The sound was compressed, the highs truncated and well, the magic was gone. So I packed them up in my closet and forgot about them.

Recently, I sold the Arcam and bought a Simaudio Moon I-5. Nice little amp with great reviews. I hooked it up and wham - it sounded bad. Compressed sound, hard to listen to with little detail or definition, exagerated upper mid-frequencies. Needless to say I was disappointed and thought about listing the amp immediately and buying another Arcam. As I read some articles and got some feedback, I decided to experiment with some cables - so I pulled out the silver stranded cables and hooked them up. The transparency and detail returned but with some additional benefits, the amp sounded more dynamic, more powerful. I went back and forth for a couple days but the silver cables were significantly better sounding and brought the magic back.

So next, I thought, this can get even better and bought some anti cables after reading so many great reviews, hooked em up and the highs and detail were gone again. They still sounded pretty good but not nearly as refined as the silver stranded cable. Again I was dissapointed, the anti cables will be available on audiogon soon.

As I have heard very expensive cables at my local high-end dealer, I have come to the following conclusions from this experience:

1. a speaker wire that sounds good with one amp may sound terrible with another. It doesn't matter how much you spend.
2. The configuration and material (silver vs copper, twisted vs solid, etc).
3. All these cables are decent, one is not better than the other, it depends on the synergy with the amp and speakers.

The reference tracks that I use for my testing are:

Kaki King - "Legs", track 1 - Frame (this is a great close mic'ed acoustic guitar track with ringing harmonics, and natural reverb.
Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, - "So Far" - track 2 - Helplessly Hoping and track 10 - Gueniverre.
Rachel Podger, Solo Violin - Bach Sonatas and Partitas - various.
Bruce Cockburn - "Breakfast" - Track 4 - That's what friends are for.

If you made it all the way through this, you must be more nuts than I am for writing it - thanks!
drewh1

Showing 4 responses by drewh1

drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
Cyclonicman,

I have to admit to being a skeptic about cable break-in. There is no physical property of metal that I am aware of that changes due to electrons bumping into each other in the wire. This has been described as one of the top-ten audio myths in a number of articles.

Even anti-cable's website describes the break-in as being due to the plastic insulator used on most cables and since anti-cables have very little, any break-in affect would be minimal.

It is more likely our ears and brain that break-in (adapt to the cables) and not vice-versa. (In another article, I mentioned Oliver Sach's book "Musicophilia" that describes the amazing intersection of neurology and music. In one experiment, sections of music were ommitted from the recording and listeners did not notice, the brain had actually "filled in" the missing bits). This is different for mechanical devices like speakers, that do change because of mechanical movements.
Just my humble opinion.
drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
Danlib1 - I am interested in trying this - since I have already changed my opinion about differences in speaker cables (though not about spending too much on them), I am open to being swayed on speaker cable burn-in! I will hang on to the anti-cables and give them a shot after I put some hours on the ones that are in there. (my next big area of skepticism is power cables).

What I am really enjoying is having a system that allows me to hear very subtle differences. The combination of the Green Mountain speakers and the Simaudio really allow me to evaluate nuances.

I also appreciated the way you communicated your opinion, thanks.
drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
Carl,

I hope I made it clear in my post that I was not favoring one cable over the other, merely pointing out that a certain cable performed differently in one system than the other.

However I do not agree that it is only a matter of personal preference. There is clearly a goal of recreating the music the way that the artist and engineers intended it to sound. I do not think that Rachel Podger or Yo Yo Ma would want to hear there million dollar instruments on a system that truncated harmonics and bloated the base, which is what some people prefer to hear. As a musician that has been in and out of recording studios my whole life, I can tell you that artist work diligently at getting a specific sound during the process in recording and audiphile gear should strive to reproduce that sound faithfully, not create a sound that is pallatible to the consumers ears. It is a matter of experience and education learning how to hear faithfully reproduced music.

So I do believe there is a synergy between components that more faithfully reproduces the intent of the artist and that is what I spend my hard earned money on!

I also understand this is a long standing debate among audiophiles.
drewh1 OP
115 posts
 
I have to reverse my position a bit on my earlier declaration that the silver cables were superior. AFter spending some weeks with them, I have been starting to have that feeling that something was not quite right, definitely a bit of magic missing. The sound was a bit "too bright" on many recordings with a sort of fatiguing upper mid range and lack of mid-bass. So I went back to the Anti-cables and discovered a rounder, more musical sound, a bit more mid-bass and although the highs were not as "sparkling", I feel that the sound of most instruments, especially horns and flutes, is more natural. (still no break-in period)

I think I was initally impressed with the highs of the silver wire and more so since I listened to so much guitar in my comparisons. Long listening to a variety of music left me feeling that they were cold and too sharp.

Anyway, I am happy to report that the anti-cables seem to have brought everything back to where I really enjoy listening to everything again. Really good cables and I personally like that they are stiff and can be shaped to fit my runs.

and Carl109, if you happen to read this - I agree with you, perfection is not the goal! I don't know what I would do if I actually did get anything "perfect" in my life.

drew.
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