Canare 4S11

I use Canare L-2 and L-4 cable to make interconnects for friends and family under the Alien Audio name.  They're "Out Of This World" :-)

I've never sold any, but they are very, very good...

@mofimadness 

Is this what a Canare IC looks like?

That looks like Canare L-4E6, but some of the various brands have cable that look a lot alike.

@mofimadness 

My pic came from one of the Canare sites but it was confusing since they also had a pic of a coax cable used for ICs. 

I got the correct number from you. Thanks.

Has anyone tried their Bi-Wire! I just ordered a pair of single and a pair of Bi-Wires from Worlds Best Cables on Amazon. Should be here by Thursday evening.

JD

Yep work fine. 

Just to add my two cents.

I have Martin Logan 13as, a Pass Int 60, and a Chord Dave. I, too, have settled on Canare 4s11 after trying a number of audiophile brands and pro brands. It’s neutral but musical. I have only had it running for a week of regular listening and it sounds great. I tried Mogami 3103 which was a little too bright for me, as well as Belkin 5T00UP which was a lot too bright with me. Granted I have ESLs which can be bright. I also tried lots of Nordost and Audioquest, and also some boutique brands and like the Canare the best.

I am also a big headphone guy and have some expensive headphone cables (JPS Superconductor for my Abyss). That cable makes sense for that headphone because it was tuned just for it. Because it’s all about synergy, I’m finding if I buy an expensive speaker cable, it’s a lot less likely it will perfectly synergize with my system, because they, for the most part, are tuned to add or subtract something. Or, the Uber expensive cable will sound great with some music, and not so good with others - because that’s what happens when you put on an arbitrary eq profile - which I think is essentially what audiophile cables do.

I’d classify all the pro cables as neutral, even if there are differences. Try all of them and pick your favorite; the Belden and Mogami May work better if you have a laid back system or like your sound slightly tilted up. The Canare is neutral with a slight (and I mean slight), tilt down - which is why I think it works so well in so many systems. Also, if it sounds good with some music - it’s probably going to sound good with all your music (even less than stellar recordings), because it is coming from a place of neutrality.

if there are audiophile cables with a similar tuning to the Canare, but do other things - please let me know because I haven’t found them. Canare 4s11 is fantastic cable.

I've returned to ask about Canare interconnects. In my system I use Canare 4S11 speaker cables and Silent Source ICs. Due to a component change I wanted a more neutral cable so I installed Mogami 2534 Star Quad from preamp to amp and the result was just what I wanted. It was more immediate and transparent, however, this cable presents an unlimited high-end which made my brain hurt. I have hyperacusis and am sensitive to high frequencies. Would Canare be a better option? I'm very pleased with my 4S11 speaker cables.

Also, does anybody know if there is a difference in sonics between using balanced cables vs SE RCA? Take away the fact that a balanced circuit has higher gain, does a SE connection sound the same? I can use either.

My number one nemesis in high-end audio has always been "brightness", so I understand.

IMHO, the Canare will be  a little more "polite" than the Mogami, but you'll need to try them for sure.

Balanced connections are usually cleaner, with less noise.  That's the purpose for a true balanced connection, is to keep the noise out, especially on longer runs of cable.

Most audio systems use shorter cables lengths, so the difference is subtle, but can be impactful...

@lowrider57 

I’ve always preferred using balanced in my system but to me the difference between balanced and single ended has more to do with the implementation of the circuit within the device in addition to the difference in gain.

on a side note- how’s your Mutec working for you?

I really like the XLR connectors!  🤗

Thanks @mofimadness . The length is only 1.5m but I enjoyed what seemed to be a blacker background and higher S/N. I should mention I did a shootout between Audio Envy and Zavfino balanced. The Audio Envy was too warm and their Pro series (a custom order) was excellent but brought the soundstage too far forward, like I was sitting in row one of the concert hall. Zavfino OCC copper and silver was good but after hours of break-in, the highs dominated at the expense of the midrange. I was missing the sweet mids of the woodwinds and French horns, and I'm using all Amperex in my dac and pre.

@designsfx , That's a good point about the circuit. The amp is Atma-sphere fully-balanced differential and an Audio Note preamp using transformers.

Regarding the Mutec, I sent you a PM. I'm loving how it improved my digital in so many ways; jitter control and basically a fuller sound. I'll add comments to the Mutec thread.

@lowrider57 

I would go balanced- but that’s just my preference. I’m using Canare L-4E6S for all my balanced interconnects and have had no regrets.

Thanks, I'll stay balanced to the amp. Upstream components are SE.