How much do you want to spend? It doesn't do any good to suggest all these cables if you only want to spend a hundred bucks. The Kharma and Purist are in the thousands of dollar ranges.
I didn't see the Kimber Select line mentioned but it has exactly what your original post mentioned and its a good cable. Kimber has 3 levels in the line. I owned the second which is $1500 for 8ft pair. I bought them (used) for the same reason you mention above. Large, look like a snake, impressive hardware on the ends, especially the large aluminum knobs at each end. I got more comments from these than any other cable except the Magnan Signature....Magnan takes a different approach because it uses a very wide very flat ribbon. Each side has two runs, one per terminal (dah) and each are about 5 inches wide (literally). They are all black. The terminations are not impressive but the cable is impossible to ignore visually and will impress everyone. Kimber is more refined and manufactured looking where the Magnan looks more like it was made to order. I dont mean this in a bad way it is just more customized looking. The Magnan is only $1000 for a 8ft pair and to me they represent one of the real bargains in high end. I have heard them compared with Kimber Select (top of the line), Nordost SPM, Nordost Vahalla, Kharma, and XLO. I like them better than the Kimber and XLO, for most applications, and they are just a hair away from the SPM, Vah, and Kharma (but remember these cables are 4x-8x more expensive).
Just a note: the Kharma are big but no where near 5 inches in diameter. I dont even think they would get to 4 inches in circumference
.dont get me wrong, they are big but just not that big. Maybe 2 to 2 ½ inches in diameter, a little more than the Kimber but not much.
But based on your comments, unless you want to spend 3k-4k used, the Kimber is exactly what you want.
Happy hunting,
cd |
I forgot to mention power cords. There are a lot of these fat boys around but I know you can get the Whale Elite usually for a good price and a fair amount of agoners like them. There is one on action right now and it has a link to a thread that discussed them at one time. I have a friend who has one and it is bigger than the Select or Kharm speaker cables talked about above.
By the way, I was thinking speaker cable in my last post. The biggest, by far, fat interconnect that I have seen or heard of is the Magnan Signature. The don't use the flat cable like with the speaker cable but instead use the biggest fattest interconnect you have ever seen. They are not real effecient though and will take almost 3db out of your system but if you have a power full set up you won't notice and this cable is one of the best sounding made. It isn't cheap though...I don't remember the price but I think I remember $1600 for a meter.
cd |
The PS audio Lab II cables are very big and ver shielded. |
Mothra Research Unlimited has some cables that make anything else look like pipe cleaners.....go to www.mothraresearch.com and feast your eyes on these babies! |
The buzz is liquid ceramic cables are coming. There is a Ballistic Physicist who is applying active ceramic ballistic armor technology to cables. The cable is suspended in active ceramic FOAM. The foam is attracted to magnetic and electrostatic impulses and "moves" to dissipate them. It is reactive and yields a virtual 100% shielding pattern. The big advantage, though, is that it provides PHYSICAL damping as well as electrical damping. The wire encased in the foam is suspended from vibration as well. I have been promised samples... |
Sonoran plateau cables have micro bearings providing the same type of features as are claimed with the liquid ceramic. Other than that I just wired my entire media room with them and while the total price was steep, it was inexpensive compared to other poplar cable. This stuff is your basic anaconda and built like a battleship. It has finally broken in and the sound is remarkable. These don't get alot of play because they don't do any serious advertising. I heard of them from a friend who is a dedicated stereo guy and was pretty amazed. Best bang for the buck.
Ken |
If looks are that important, there are many good recommendations above. If not, I would strongly recommend the dumbest looking but best sounding cables and speaker wires, those from Omega Mikro. If you want both great sound and great looks, buy Siltech G5s. |
Dont judge a cable by its looks or its price! |
The best ICs I ever heard were a 3.5 meter pair of Purist Dominus. Nothing I have owned or heard sounded as good as these cables. Everything, every aspect of the sound was dramtically better than anything I heard till that point. They are very expensive and worth every penny. If you are intersted you can see my review here on AudiogoN.
No I don't own them I cannot afford them, but I bought one model down in the line and am currently breaking them in. |
Nrchy, I hope we see a review of how this new cable works in your system. Particularly since you liked the Dominus so much. |
Old original MIT Music Hose. It was about 3.5" diameter with literally thousands of individual wires in a braid that could only have been conceived while in either a drunken stupor or an LSD induced trip. |
Just got a 15' pair of Tara Labs RSC Prime 1000, Biwire. Breaking them in now but sound good with B&W Matrix802s3 and B&K EX442 amp. Not going to look further right now. |
Try Home Depot's largest size speaker wire. You could multiwire with dozens of the Home Depot wires for a fraction of the price of exotic wires. |
Virtual Dynamics Nite cables, and very heavy and very thick and have WBT RCA connsctors which connect very well to components. They can damage your gear if you are not careful.
The latest and greatest also sound quite good as well.
KF |
Has it been almost two years since Carl and Confedboy dueled
it out on this tread? I loved it back then, the flaming,
the childlike behavior, with some audio stuff thrown in.
Now it seems kind of bland. Where are you guys these days? |
im looking for the the speaker cable ends for dulavy cable the ones that screw into the pod at the end of the cable. anyone have an idea were i should look. dunlavy went out of buisness and the guy who owned them for a time didn't have a clue who made these cables for dunlavy. |
MIT - the sound benefits will thrill you more than just the size/build quality of the cables. |
In December of 2000, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that "Biggest Baddest Audio Cables" would be my most enduring thread.
After all of the things we have discussed here, I don't know whether I am more flattered or more horrified.
But please do continue your recommendations for "anaconda sized" cables with "unusually well made connectors".
Cheers.
CW |
If you do not care about sound, hook up an industrial garden hose to your amp and speakers...Loews has some great deals!!! If you want great sound as well, get a double quad set of Harmonic Technologies Magic Woofer cables and bi-wire your system...now that's alot of cable!! |
XLO Signature Shotgun. Who knows for sure, but I have serious doubts as to whether I will ever change out this component. Actually I am nearing the point where there are few (if any) components that will change. BTW, what cable did you end up with? |
Shubertmaniac- You know what is really ironical- in this thread Carl was demanding Kelly be banned and Kelly the same of Carl. Looks like they both got there wish! Funny how things work out. |
I am recommending the Jaden "standard" or "signature" interconnect cables, they are absolutely sublime! These cables are made by Ric Cummins who is the same designer/manufacturer of Room Lens, Dark Matter Shelf, and Rosinante Dulcinea speakers.
Those who have tried Jaden interconnects say this cable has superb tonal balance, detail, smoothness, and dynamics. In my opinion, the Jadens are superior to many high end cables, definitely a cable that is sophisticated and lets you listen to all of the music. |
Way back when the fulton "j"'s were one of the hottest speakers around they would be demonstrated with a cable that looked like the cabling going from a ground auxillary power unit to an aircraft. they had to be 2.5 inches across, and god were they hard to use! |
I had Fulton Js and used their cable. It was welding cable and had to be a certain length, 29" if I recall. It was about 1/2 inch in diameter. I never saw anything 2 1/2 inches across. The Fulton cable was soon followed by the Cobra and then Bill Low put out many more cables, and we were off to the races. |
The funny thing is that it is harder to make a large guage cable sound good because the frequincy balanced gets scewed towards bass with the larger conducters and the skin efect goes up creating a grainy and splashy extention in the highs. |
I'm glad to see that someone ( Charker ) finally mentioned the original "biggest, baddest" speaker cable i.e. the "original MONSTER" cable. That is, the old Fulton Gold's. These were 4 gauge and pretty rigid. The rigidity did not come from the size of the conductor so much as it did the type of dielectric that they used. As far as physical size goes, these were 7/8's of an inch across the two conductors.
Tireguy: Cornfedboy was not "banned" or "kicked off" Agon. He voluntarily "retired" as he is now working on an as needed basis for Agon. As such, he publicly declared his his affiliation with Agon and decided that his continuing to post in the forums could be construed as Agon trying to demonstrate favouritism to specific brands, subjects, etc... when Kelly responded. As such, he did the ethical thing and decided to lay low. This speaks volumes about Kelly as how many other "ethical lawyers" do you know ? : )
Duane: It is not the gauge of the conductor that creates the problems that you mention so much as it is the geometry of the conductors and how the conductors are made. If a cable is "all skin" i.e. a wide & flat solid conductor, it will not suffer from skin effect and strand jumping. Both of these are what i consider to be major problems with "most" heavy gauge stranded wires that are lumped together in one dielectric jacket. Sean
>
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I would love to have the money you guys are throwing away on speaker cables. But don't take my word for it, just pay a visit to the following link and included is Gordon Gow's opinion. That's McIntosh for you who are not familiar with his name.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rogerr7/wire.htm |
Hugh_campbell, all the money were throwing away?
Either you have not made listening tests on a high end system or dont own a system capable of the resolution necessary. If your goal is sound quality equal to the best available in the 1970s, then your link has value.
However, if you have a system pushed to the limit, high quality wire (both speaker and interconnect) is just as important as the rest of the components. As with all things in life, ones perspective is relative to where they are.
Many Audiogon members treat this hobby with passion and commitment, exploring every detail in an attempt to get closer to the live event. It took me many years to evolve my system to its current state and I assure you I did not get there by throwing away money on my purchases.
Most other passions cost more than audio. Luxury automobiles immediately come to mind, as do boats, motorcycles and high rental fees to live near an exclusive area or landmark.
On the other hand, many products at Audiogon, including wire, may be found at prices that allow trial and resale without loss.
Oh, and by the way. I ran a high end store that was the number one McIntosh dealer in Texas. So I am familiar with their products and how the company operates. |
Hawaiikid:
I am in the process of upgrading cables. I use 2 sets of ICs. CD to Pre and PRe to amp. I see that you have Jaden cables. My budget is very tight and I can only go about $300 each for cables. And I don;t know what to do for speaker cable. My system is resolving enough that I need better than what I have DH labs BL-1. I was wondering if you had heard Ric's standard ICs? They are about all I can afford. I would also liek to ask if you had heard anything that comes close to them or the Signatures for less.
System FWIW is Cary 303.200 cd, dehavilland UltraVerve pre, Bel Canto Evo 2 (coming) and Thiel 1.6s.
Your comments, thoughts, and ideas are appreciated.
Keith |
Bixby:
I have tried many cables before, some in the price range you have specified and others that are considerably more. In my opinion, the Jaden Standard interconnects are high quality cables and would do well in a high quality audio system. These cables are not only priced right, they are the real deal! Ric Cummins really has a firm understanding in designing and manufacturing cables.
Although Ric has introduced the Signature and Pursang cable line, the standards should not be taken lightly because they are truly very good cables. |
You really ought to check out sonoran ic's at audiopoints.com. I bought them on a tip from a friend in the business who had them in his home but didn't carry them in the store he worked at. Awesome quality. They also can be found as an audiogon dealer. |
I owned the Acoustic Zen Hologram speaker cables and they are one of the biggest cables I've ever seen. However, they were a mother to fit onto the terminals. |
If biggest and badest is what you want, try the Stage III Vacuum Reference cables. They were recently, very positively reviewed on SoundStage. I agree with the review that their detail is very realistic. |
I gave up on Transparent cables for several years and tried almost everything else available...just went back to Transparent Ultra and reference level MM cables...aint no comparison, they are theee best cables made by man...period!!!!! |
I was not impressed with them when I tried them several years ago. YMMV I guess holds. I expect that much depends on your system. |
cardas golden reference everything baby! especially the speaker cables.
scottie |
any one have direct exp w/ the new harmonic tech cyberlight cables? tech sounds interesting |
I would like to solicit some help.
I have a Sunfire Tube Preamp and a 600 Power Amp. Some expensive interconnects I have tried cause too much gain loss for use in the system. Any suggestions out there...I would rather make a $100 mistake instead of another mistake that cost mulitiples of that.
Thank you.
Tom |
Have any of you tried the "Biggest, Baddest" PS Audio xStream speaker cables, now dramatically discounted on some of the audio websites?
Further to this classic, timeless thread, they allegedly weight 2 pounds per foot!!
With those "anaconda" credentials, I almost don't even care what they sound like, but it would be great if any of you could recommend them, particularly for taming brightness.
I have been just on the brink of ordering all new cables from signalcable.com, but perhaps these are worth a try?
Forget WAF - bigger is still better. |
Cwlondon, weight is hardly a valid measure of quality except in some source components and speakers where reactive mass can make a difference. In cabling there are other aspects to consider.
Brian |
Brian
I first experimented with high end cables around 1979, when a friend gave me a set of Fulton interconnects which I used between my Hafler amp and preamp.
I would not say I am an expert, but I have learned one or two things in my 26 years of study.
There are other threads that discuss "other aspects" of cabling, but THIS thread is devoted to the "Biggest, Baddest Audio Cables" where pounds/foot could be one of the the most important variables to analyze.
Beyond that, if anyone has also listened to the PS Audio xStream cables, I would be curious to hear any feedback or advice. |
Cwlondon, I've been pursuing high end for just as long and remember the early exotic cables. Of course ths topic of this thread is 'biggest and baddest...' but it sounds more like a phallic reference than anything else. Otherwise everyone would fill their cables with lead shot and such to achieve highest mass :)
I like your system. Biamp those Tympanis with tubes and you'll go much farther down the road.
Brian |
The original MIT Shotgun 750 Speaker Cable.When it first came out ,this stuff was just huge.The original music hose,But double in size and double the cable.A MANS CABLE FOR SURE. |
76doublebass
re "A MANS CABLE"
now we are getting this thread back on track!
thank you
for those of you interested in BIGGEST BADDEST PS audio cables at deep discounts, there is another thread saying they are a bit "dark" |
Biggest diameter; Bill Low's Big Red circa 1973 over an inch in diameter. Highest capacitance: Cobra cables, circa 1977. Stiffest: FIM Golds, circa 1998. |
The Transparent MM Opus speaker cable. What can you say about a pair of cables that cost $32,000. |
"What can you say about a pair of cables that cost $32,000???". I can say that they are WAY over-priced : ) Sean
> |
Sean,I am ordering a pair,let me know, if there are
still available, I will refinance my house. |
One half inch diameter copper tubing (Home Depot brand) filled with Mobile One synthetic oil, sealed at the ends |
Kimber Bi Focal XL, Kimber Select 3033, 3035 or 3038.
happy listening |
