Quite the mixed bag of opinions in this thread - so here’s my observations of wires tried in the past year :-)
In order of preference (Good to Best) by cable type
Interconnects (signal wire)...
- 1 x16 and 2 x 16 gauge Duelund stranded - Tinned Copper in Cotton/Oil
- 2 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio
- 2 x 18 gauge Mundorf Solid (bare wire) - Silver/Gold(1%) in Cotton Sleeve
NOTE: - the last two appear to be extremely close sonically
Speaker (signal wire)
- 1 x 12 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - polymer insulation
- 1 x 16 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - Cotton oil
- 2 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio
Power Cables (Live wire)
- 1 x 12 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - polymer insulation (FOR SOURCE AND AMP)
- 4 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio (FOR SOURCE AND AMP)
- 1 x 18 gauge Mundorf Solid - Silver/Gold(1%) in Cotton Sleeve (FOR SOURCE COMPONENTS)
- 1 x 12 gauge Neotec OCC Solid copper (bare wire) in cotton sleeve (FOR AMP)
OR if oyu don’t like cotton sleeve for power cables...
- 1 x 12 gauge Neotec OCC Solid copper (bare wire) in teflon tube
Please NOTE: the neutral wires on all of the above cables are stranded, Silver Plated Mil-Spec (Cryo treated) with Teflon insulation - I have tried better quality wires for the neutral, but they made no difference.
Are there better wires? - probably, but these are the wires I have settled on - for now :-)
In general, I observed improvements in...
- Clarity - more noticeable vocal textures (e.g. sibilance) and cymbal work
- Details - in both upper frequencies - a lot more venue acoustic details and for lower frequencies - bass textures
- Dynamics - significantly better bass "slam" and crisper drums/guitars
- Image size and artist placement accuracy and focus in width and depth
It appears, to my ears at least, that Solid conductors provide the best sound quality - however, the type of insulation also plays a significant role in sound quality...
- the best being a bare wire in a cotton sleeve OR in a Teflon tube that allows for air between the wire and the side of the tube.
- Insulations that are molded onto the wire, like Teflon, PVC, appear to have a significant impact whereas foamed insulation variants (like that on the VH Audio wire) performs noticeably better than non-foamed.
Just another opinion :-)
Regards - Steve
In order of preference (Good to Best) by cable type
Interconnects (signal wire)...
- 1 x16 and 2 x 16 gauge Duelund stranded - Tinned Copper in Cotton/Oil
- 2 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio
- 2 x 18 gauge Mundorf Solid (bare wire) - Silver/Gold(1%) in Cotton Sleeve
NOTE: - the last two appear to be extremely close sonically
Speaker (signal wire)
- 1 x 12 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - polymer insulation
- 1 x 16 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - Cotton oil
- 2 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio
Power Cables (Live wire)
- 1 x 12 gauge Duelund Stranded - Tinned Copper - polymer insulation (FOR SOURCE AND AMP)
- 4 x 18 gauge Solid copper with AirLok insulation - VH Audio (FOR SOURCE AND AMP)
- 1 x 18 gauge Mundorf Solid - Silver/Gold(1%) in Cotton Sleeve (FOR SOURCE COMPONENTS)
- 1 x 12 gauge Neotec OCC Solid copper (bare wire) in cotton sleeve (FOR AMP)
OR if oyu don’t like cotton sleeve for power cables...
- 1 x 12 gauge Neotec OCC Solid copper (bare wire) in teflon tube
Please NOTE: the neutral wires on all of the above cables are stranded, Silver Plated Mil-Spec (Cryo treated) with Teflon insulation - I have tried better quality wires for the neutral, but they made no difference.
Are there better wires? - probably, but these are the wires I have settled on - for now :-)
In general, I observed improvements in...
- Clarity - more noticeable vocal textures (e.g. sibilance) and cymbal work
- Details - in both upper frequencies - a lot more venue acoustic details and for lower frequencies - bass textures
- Dynamics - significantly better bass "slam" and crisper drums/guitars
- Image size and artist placement accuracy and focus in width and depth
It appears, to my ears at least, that Solid conductors provide the best sound quality - however, the type of insulation also plays a significant role in sound quality...
- the best being a bare wire in a cotton sleeve OR in a Teflon tube that allows for air between the wire and the side of the tube.
- Insulations that are molded onto the wire, like Teflon, PVC, appear to have a significant impact whereas foamed insulation variants (like that on the VH Audio wire) performs noticeably better than non-foamed.
Just another opinion :-)
Regards - Steve