Try tri-wiring your SCM40 speakers with DCA16GA for further improvement. Or DCA12GA on the woofers and DCA16A on the midrange and tweeters.
Duelund speaker cable
I thought I would share my experience with Duelund hookup cables.
Thanks to a recommendation on here a few months ago, and follow-up on Jeffs place, I replaced my TelluriumQ Ultra Black II speaker cable with Duelund DCA12GA Dual. My reason for doing so was to tame the brightness which had crept into my streaming system following a series of upgrades to power supply and isolation.
For this purpose they did not disappoint. The Duelunds introduced a richness in tone and a very satisfying musicality, quite different from the over analytical TQs, and all at a fraction of the price. Another selling point for the Duelunds is that the single-wired bare cable can be threaded through the 3 sets of binding posts of my ATC SCM40s. No need for plugs, spades or jumpers.
Fast forward a few months, and I identified and resolved the inherent brightness in my system. An overhaul of the pre-streamer ethernet stage was the fix. I can't speak highly enough of the Uptone EtherRegen. Add a good LPS, fiber input and clock to it, and the gift which was already giving plenty just got even better.
The overall effect of the new EtherRegen ecosystem was to bring the sound closer to analog, which inevitably pushed the system towards a little too much warmth.
So, on Jeff's advice I have swapped out the DCA12GA for the DCA16GA. Even with only 5 hours burn-in, the uplift in dynamics, tonality, timber is clear, without as far as I can see, any negatives. The bass is still there, and the treble still sweet and smooth.
I thoroughly recommend these cables. They may not look much, especially compared to the "anaconda" type speaker cables out there, but at the price they are an easy and painless try. The DCA12GA is a great choice for someone looking to tame a bright system. Otherwise, give the DCA16GA a try. I can't see myself ever needing to move on from it.
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Thanks @vinylvalet . Can I ask if you've tried it? What advice I've found on this subject indicates that the Duelund cables are at their best when single-wired. |
You're welcome. Yes I did on ATC SCM40 speakers among others. I used DCA16GA for all three. I'm just speculating the DCA12GA would be slightly better on the woofers. BTW, Jim Smith of Get Better Sound uses DCA12GA speaker cable, which he prefers to DCA16GA, on the stereo he uses for his RoomPlay Reference sessions. |
@alexberger . My impression so far, after a day with the 16 is that the 12's bass is fuller, softer and a little slower. There appears to me a tighter faster, more textured bass with the 16s. For my system the balance of the 16s is spot on. The Goldilocks cable. |
I have been using the DCA16GA as speaker cable for about a year. I recently changed to the Silversmith Fidelium which even second hand are ten times the price. The Silversmith are fractionally better (say 5% at best, noticable but nothing exceptional), but certainly not in value for money terms. The Duelunds are truly awesome for the price. A real hifi bargain |
I used Acrotec 6n 1040 before Duelund. Acrotec it a old brand name of Acrolink. I bought Acrotec 20 year ago. It costed $100/1m bulk. It isn't a bad cable. But in my system (300B amp and Altec 604E), Duelund DCA16GA sounds more organic. Acrotec is more refined on top, but Dueland is more vivid and fast. Acrotec has natural tone but Dueland is even better in this regard. |