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Looking for an advice about speaker cables

Hello everyone,

I'm very new to better audio and I'm trying to put together a decent setup to listen to my (for now) small vinyl collection. My dad "donated" few components and currently I have NAD C340 Amp, Rega P1 turntable and Monitor Audio Studio 2 bookshelf speakers. Only thing I'm missing are speaker cables. Can someone suggest a decent pair of speaker cable that will not be too expensive. I also need help figuring out what kind of connectors I need to get. I went to check out Kimber Kables web site and looks like SBAN type would work with my amp. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Kresimir
Chicago, IL
kresho
sfar's avatar
sfar
1,758 posts
 
I think the Canare 4s11 is a good choice, as I said earlier. My advice would be to buy them from Blue Jeans Cables. They're a very well known and highly regarded company that uses high-quality connectors and has great customer service. The calculator for figuring the cost of the 4s11 cables is at the bottom of the page.

The cables from RAM may be perfectly good cables, as well, I just don't have any experience with them. The prices seem roughly comparable, the RAM cables include a braided covering, which makes them about 20 percent more expensive than the Blue Jeans version. Both sites quote a price for just one cable, you'll need two, obviously.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
FWIW, on the Blue Jean's site they say they like the Belden they sell better than the Canare. I ignored this advise and got the Canare because everyone here seemed to like it and no one mentioned the Belden.

Then I needed some new cable and decided to try the Belden. In my system is was substantially superior to the Canare, which in comparison sounds veiled/muddy. But the Belden is not bright, just a cleaner/clearer sound. And its cheaper as well. Not as pretty though....
kresho OP
3 posts
 
OK, I decide to get 4s11 from Blue Jeans. Now I have another question. Should I get 4 bananas on the speaker end or 2 will sound the same. My speakers have 4 connectors on the back but there is a gold plated piece that connects two and two together.

Thank you.
mofimadness's avatar
mofimadness
4,983 posts
 
Just get them in a single wire configuration. Your speakers really won't benefit from bi-wiring.
sunnyjim
927 posts
 
MoFimadness:....can you elaborate why the Canare 4S11 is so good, that is, its overall sound quality??

Is it good because it is cheap?? or is it good because it provides 90% of what most expensive cables deliver??

Newbee: Was the Belden speaker cable far superior to the Canare 4S11 in bass, midrange transparency, musicality, that is holds your attention and actually sounds like music??

I have my own selfish reasons for these requests. I don't want to add another under $150-200 speaker cable to my box of forlorn cables which have "0" resale value. Nobody wants just another mid-fi cable.
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