I’ve not made any decisions yet on
cables. My system is pretty expensive and one thing don’t want to do is purchase something inferior to the rest of the system. Also I’m at a point in this hobby were making a wrong decision is my main concern. I’m living with what I’ve now and waiting for the right opportunity to come along. I’ve given Cardas and MIT some serious consideration.
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@highendmmoe,
Any update or progress on your hunt for the speaker cables? |
@millercarbon saying stuff that doesn't say anything. Just jibber jabber. He is a troll.
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Ah yes my bad, you have silver ribbon wire. In that case, even Cardas Clear will be warm and lovely for you. :) I would also add Furutech to that list. I am currently reviewing DSS-4.1 and it is an incredible cable, completely honest in a very musical way. Best in a system that is also close to neutral, but I suspect it will be much fuller and smoother than your current wire. |
Audience is a very safe bet for a cable that’s more relaxed and slightly warm without losing detail or extension. I use Au24 SX a lot and while it’s not the best absolutely speaking or in every situation, it’s very consistent and reliably musical. For less money Ohno is worth a try.
For even less money I’m current breaking in Mogami 3082 coaxial speaker cable which many swear by, will give it a serious listen this weekend.
If you want even more of a “warm and fuzzy” cable, some of the older Cardas models are an obvious choice. IMO those start getting you into the “abject coloration/detail loss” territory but that does help in some systems. The newer Clear line is much more neutral and less warm than Audience.
I think someone else mentioned to ditch any silver wire and I wholeheartedly agree, my inclination would be to stick to copper with any Focal speakers. |
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After shampooing run them through your power conditioner. Then rinse and repeat.
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I have Focal Scala Evos and use Wireworld Eclipse 8 with Platinum Eclipse 8 interconnects. I agree with the others that they are laid back and I think they match well with Focal. I’ve tried Nordost Tyre 2, Clarity, Tara Labs One, Clarus Crimson, and Transparent reference and preferred the eclipse 8 in my system. Good luck in your search! |
It's unfortunate that everybody comes out of the woodwork with drastically different opinions across the board on threads like this. It just leaves the OP even more confused.
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Another happy Canare 4s11 user at $1.28 per ft from Redco what can you loose. |
mglik has it right. The better quality the cable, the least amount of distortion (change) it will have upon the signal. |
What makes a cable good is the ability to transfer signal.
Using a cable as a tone controller is a not what good cables do.
Any cable can only be as good as the gear between which it is traveling. |
As they say. Junk in equals junk out. |
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I agree that it's always good to start with something like Belden 10 gauge from Bluejeans and you may luck out. It's great with some setups. But if it isn't, I would consider looking into Purist. IMO, they do a great job with speakers that lean towards the forward side, but definitely without loss of resolution. |
Start with Belden 8477...it is very cheap, and is extremely hi res, and if it suits your system, other cables may not even come close. |
Cables are no different when it comes to system synergy. You need to balance everything out. Not like that. If something is too forward, bright, rolled off, dull- you name it, whatever, does not matter - you suck it up. You live with it. Make the best of it. Because nothing is perfect. Everything has its faults. Its hard enough to find something with the least objectionable faults. The absolute last thing you should ever want to do is deliberately go looking for faults. Which is what you're talking about. Its a recipe for failure. |
Hi Mike
I don't think that a system's sound need to be tweaked with cables.
Also, to get there will be a long shot in the dark. Chances are low to get it right from the first attempt, if any.
The right way to go, is to use a cable that fits your system.
For that, I need the following data:
Your Amp's DF and the length of the required cables.
The calculated cable, will be a perfect match to your system and sound better than any other. |
I’m ready for the haters, but one of my favorite speaker cables that did pretty much everything right and, had a nice slightly warm sound to them is the Cardas Clear Reflection.
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to cure the sizzles... look upstream
as a general rule of thumb ... copper soothes, silver sizzles |
Maybe your room needs a little bit of attention. Do you have a reflection point that needs to be dealt with? |
cakyol
Yep. Just like the old Monster Cable.
And try some felt on the baffle around the tweeters.
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Just get a 10 gauge pure copper multistrand wire with low capacitance and you are set. There is no such thing as a 'relaxed sound' speaker wire.
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+2, noromance.
Silver cables tend to be bright. Get some decent copper cables, and you should at least be headed in the right direction. If they still sound a bit forward, I'd consider adding an absorbent ring around the tweeter, like felt and dense foam....they cost very little and can be very effective at reducing high frequency reflections. |
+1, noromance.
Look into Audio Envy SP-9 speaker cables. They use the OCC copper and I’m very confident that SP-9 would be a perfect match for your Focal’s and Luxman. |
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Oh, you're running silver. Just get copper.
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Straight Wire Crescendo 3's. That's what I have with my Focal Mezzo Utopia's. Look them up. Under priced for what they are.
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Two cables come to mind that I’ve used or at least tried out in my system: Cerious Technologies Graphene Matrix or Clarity Cables Organic. In my system, the CCO’s were the absolute best I’ve had--almost all other cables will sound thin by comparison. I have VMPS RM40 BCSE w/ MLS cabinet speakers that are very revealing. My friend has Tekton Double Impact speakers that were fully upgraded in wiring, crossovers, and drivers by Bill Dion (grannyring) and his system sounds the best with the CTGM cables. We tried both in each other’s systems. We also had the cables in the system a full 2 weeks without disturbing after they were already broken in. For me, the CCO’s are a SC end game--I’ve tried a few others and they float my boat in all ways. Both of these fine cables will help to make the sound more full and organic and still keep the clarity. I could live with either cable, but the CCO was a little more dynamic and live sounding and moved me more than the CTGM. In my system, it has no downsides to my ears.
Bob
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I’m running some silver ribbon cables that bring out too much of a good thing. I knew when I purchased the speakers I would need a cable that offset what the speakers already do well. Cables are no different when it comes to system synergy. You need to balance everything out.
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Did you get those speakers? If so , what were you using before? |
Depends on your budget...there are some good choices
I would try ’Sorvelis’...their entry setup....talking about relaxed...Schubert sonatas went from relaxed to ultra relaxed on my floor standers by BMC |
So you’ve all this detail and spent a bunch extracting it. Now you want to dull it back down a little? Try this experiment. Romex 14/2. The white one from Lowes/Depot. Use only the black and white wires.
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Depending on your price range (and contradicting the posts above),
Wireworld Platinum Eclipse 7 speaker cables are the most relaxed, least bright cables I've ever heard and they're all silver.
That model is at least 50% off of original prices, if not greater.
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Not answering your question, but I assume you've played with toe in and tilt to see if you can achieve a better balance?
This is the problem with speakers that aren't custom tuned to your ears.
Just kidding. :) |
Wireworld Eclipse 8 would fit that bill.
I would second this suggestion. I have heard the Wire World "Eclipse" level XLR interconnects. They have very excellent resolution, but they are just very slightly laid back (definitely not forward or bright). I think the same would go for the "Eclipse" level speaker cable, which is pure copper. I would NOT go to the "Silver Eclipse" level or above, which contains silver / silver clad conductors. Purist Audio Design is another good recommendation for this. |
To further @millercarbon's point, and although I suggested a cable that brings some qualities to the table, it's been my experience that you shouldn't try to fix sonic problems with cables. Cables should enhance the qualities you already like about the components. Any time I've tried to fix sonics with cables it was always just a long and costly exercise that inevitably precluded selling the offending component (speaker/amp/etc). |
Different time, different speakers, but I was experiencing your issues. I listened to some Belden 10 ga cable from Blue Jeans and it solved my issues to a T. And it is cheap to try first even if it doesn't work for you. |
What makes you so sure its the speakers that are the problem? Or more to the point, that laid back cables are the solution? Buying one thing with a problem trying to offset another thing with a problem has never seemed a good solution to me. Only thing worse is if you mis-identify the problem. So, why do you think this is the way to go? |
Wireworld Eclipse 8 would fit that bill. |
