Cable Survey

I have previously discussed my use of MG Audio Design interconnects and speaker wires.  First I fond out about MG Audio Design from the writings of Arnie Nudell.  I latr found outthat Paul McGowan of PSAudio also used them.  But at $1600 for a one meter pair of their top of the line interconnects were too much for my budget, but that theysold half meter pairs for $900.  Far, far better than $1800 Audioquest and also Audience AU24se interconnects.  Not just better, but much, much better.  Spposidly the Colorado Society compared them to top of the line Nordhost, and Nordhost came in second.  As for MG Audio Design speakerwires, they are another story.  Previously I was using a single Jenna Labs 18 gage hook up wires for speaker wires.  At the time I also obtained a one foot pair of then Shunyata's top of the line speaker wires.  I connected the Shunyata speaker wires to my speakers and four 18 gage Jenna Labs hook up wires betweeen the Shunyata wires and my Rega Orisis integrated amplifier.  It worked.  The Jenna Labs 18ngage hook up wires-MG Audio Design combination really worked.  The Jenna Lab wires allowed the Shunyata wires to do their work.  I later doubled up on the Jenna Labs hook up wires and the sound was again even bettr.  Finally I added 4 more Jenna Labs hok up wires to the total.  That is 12 of them total.  With the third Jenna Labs hook p wire attached to each of the four MG Audio Design wires I was then able to have a sound that is close to what I would have if I only was using the MG Audio Design wires alone.  BY the way,  the one foot MG Audio Design topof the line speker wires goes for $900.  Considerably less than the $4800 for a six foot pair.  The Jenna Lab Wires are $6 a foot.  I have the equilivant of a 14.5 foot pair of speaker wires.  Total price under $1800.  In conclusion. these are not just an affordible pair of good speaker wires.  To achieve their equal would be cost wise out of the question or most.  I have been involved in high end audio for over 45 years.  Oh yes, I have positively no financial or other involvement with these products.  And I also know that Jenna Labs and John Curl are very good friends and have even worked on projects together over the years.

handymann:   I totally agree.  In fact speaker wires were the last and final part of my audio system to attend to.  I myself had been using a single Jenna Labs 18 gage hook up wire per channel-4 in total in place of regular speker.  It was not ntil  got a one foot pair of the Shunyata speaker wires and combined them with the Jenna Labs 18 gage hook up wires that I started my speaker wire project.  But believe me, if you ever had the chanch to try out ssay the speaker wires that Michael Fremer or Jonathan Valin use, you would notice the diference.  It is just the obnoxious price of the really great wire products that reates the problem.  I guarentee that if you evr heard my speaker wire system in your audio system you would notice the difference.  I just obtaine a one meter pair of MG Audio Design interconnects for half price and hooked up my McIntosh Mr74 tuner to my Audio Research LS27 tube preamplifier.  On a total MG Audio wired audio system.  Audio magic.  Oh yes, my speaker wire combo starts $900 for the first foot and $72 a foot.  And I guarentee it would cost you thousands to even come close to my set up.  After all, an audio system can only be as good as it's weakest link.  That is a fact.

toetapaudio:  That was 6-7 years ago. They were the ones prior to their "anaconda" model which themself were noteworthy as only costing $4000 for a six foot pair at the time.  In fact it was back in 1983-4 when I first learned about Randall Research hook up wires from Ken Mavrick-an southern California audio dealer.  Ken began by rewiring his Fried speakers and later  pair of Spica'a with Randall Resesach wires.  They made an incredible improvement to the sound.  Later I learned at the time that using top end hook up wires in place of the much more costly top end speaker wires was, in fact, the best cost verses performance speaker wire avaliable.  As the prices of top end speaker wires has increased over the years, myearly discoveries made even more sense.  It was just by chanch when 6=7 yers ago I obtained a then one foot pair of Shunyata's then top of the line speaker wires that it all came together.  Hooking up the shunyata speaker wires to my speakers, and using the 18ngage Jenna Lab's hook up wires between them and my amplifier did the job.  And then some.  I later discovered MG Audio Design wires and it really got good.  I later added a second run of the Jenna Lab wires, and finally a third.  There was a time and a place when I realized that my wire combination really works.  The Jenna Lab hook up wires are so totally excellent that they allow the MG Audio Design speaker wires rely do their stuff.  Both companies are very small wire manufactures of the highest order.  Simply by combining them together really works.  Much like I used to see audio dealers combining Audio Research and VTL electronics together, my speaker wire combination really works.  I have absolutely no personal or financial involvement in the matter.  Just a satisfied customer.

toetapaudio:      12 wires altogether.  By chanch when I began my experiments with Jenna Lab hook up wires, I had all the wires necessary.  I am an old timer and thus still require my audio equipment within easy reach of my right hand, thus the need for a long speaker run for the left speaker.  At first I began with one single Jenna Lab 18 gage wire to attach between my amplifier and the, at the time and one foot long top of the line MG Audio Design wires.  That is 4 Jenna Lab wires.  I next added another Jenna Lab wire-8 in total-to the equation and notced much better audio reproduction.  Actually due to its great sound reproduction at the time it was only by chanch that I added 4 more Jenna Lab wires to the total.  12 of them.  The results were spectacular.  I have been in audio for nearly 50 years and I know what I herd.  What I still hear.  Anyway it was done very basically very simple.  The 6 let channel Jenna Lab wires are 11 feet long.  At both ends hand wire 3 each at both ends.  I use a sort of loose binding post to connect to the one foot MG Audio Design wires at one end, and the same 3 wires directly to my amplifier.  I then wrap all wire visible parts completly with electrical tape.  The whole thing takes minutes to put together.  And you can order both wires on the internet, although it is great to correspond with the owners themself.  If anyone is around Boulder and wants to check it out, call me at (720) 550-6908.  Again I have no fiinancial interest whatsoever, other than I myself was able to take advantage.  Just an experiment that went right.

todderrone:       Compared to mine, total length is 12 feet for the left speaker ad 11 for my right speaker, your speaker lengths are relatively short.  I am only using such lengths due to my present set up.  I could probably cut off two feet of the Jenna Labs hook up wires if I had to, but their present length does not seem to make any difference.  When using top end wires, being them or interconnects or speaker wires, I do not believe their length matters.  Of course it is their cost which is the deciding factor.  Luckily for me I had the necessary length  of the Jenna Lab hook up wires already.  Again, if I had to pay full price for a 14.5 foot pair of speakers would be under $1800.  Not cheap, but subtract $72 a foot for a shorter length.  My speaker wires are the equal of the top of the line MG Audio Design interconnects in audio quality.  It is only possible due to the extremely low cost of a one foot pair of MG Audio Designs top end speaker wires-which go ofor $900.  I used to tell Geg that he charged too little.  The top of the line Nordhost interconnects go for $17,000 for aa .6 meter pair.  MG Audio Design charges $900 for a .5 meter pair of theirs.  That is the only way that I was able create such a truly superior speaker wire.  That and Jenna Labs 18 gage hook up wires which go for $6 a foot.  ruly a stroke of luck for me anyway.

I myself replaced my then Shunyata power cords a few years ago with Audioquest power cords because I found them much better.  I currently am using eight Audioquest power cords plus twp of their Niagara power strips.  But I hae also found that my $400 JPS power cord with my OPPO 105 player works much better than a three times the cost of an Audioquest model.  The same thing for the power cord that comes with my Rega Orisis integrated.  Far, far better.  But if I try out the JPS of Rega power cord with any other audio product, the Audioquest will perform much, much better.  Recently I tried an $1280 Audioquest power cord on my Oppo 105 and he sound sucked.  Big time.  When I replaced it with my $400 JPS power cord, it sounded wonderful.  What I have said is perfectly true.  I could eaily demonstrate these facts n a demonstration.  The changes in audio performance are easily recognized as soon as the changes in power cords are made.  Just something more to think about.

toetapaudio:     Previously I was using Shunyata Python CX power cords but a few months ago I tried a $695 Shunyata power cord on sale by The Cable Company with the same results.  None could compare to the Audioquest NRG10's.  Presenly I am using 2 NRG's on Martin/Logan SL3 speakers.  I am using 4 NTG100's, which are almost as good as the NRG1000's, of which I am using one.  I was fortunate to be able to purchase most of the Audioquest power cords from a dealer in Ft.Collins, who has to upgrade his own every time Audioquest upgrades their power cords.  He is due o do hat soon as Audioquest is avout to come ou with their latest oferings any time now.  I am also usng two Audioquest Nigara power strips, which replace an Ayre filter and a PS Audio regenerator.  As Hert Reichert has found out, a Audioqust Niagara 1000 power strip is ery, very good for the money.