What’s your budget for each pair? Is 2-channel any more important than multichannel?
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Look at the Wireworld line excellent parts quality as well as design -6-9s Copper their own patented dielectric ,and geometries,many companies use brass over gold or silver connectors a cheap way of robbing your system. Copper has 3 x less resistance 3 x more conductivity Wireworld use only silver overCopper no bottlenecks that way . their Equinox would be perfect , Perrotta Consultants Anthony gives great service and deals especially if buying more then 1 pair. |
I recently discovered the Periapt line of cables and have traded out my headphone cable along with a couple of others for this company’s offerings. I find them extremely well built and a good value. They sound great to my ear. Give them consideration. |
Replace Audio Envy (-1) with AntiCable (+1). The Audio Envy were very dry and thin sounding. I tried to give them away, but no takers. The AntiCable are simple, clear and inexpensive. ($50 to $500 per pair, depending on the materials and length / Award Winning Analog RCA Interconnects and Interconnect Systems (anticables.com). There are others to try, but these have worked for me. I am not in the audio business and have no affiliation with either company. Good luck |
I agree with zlone, OCC single crystal is the best wire for audio far superior to anything OFC at any price, harmonic technology, acoustic zen and neotech are some of the more affordable ones. just so you know Neotech makes cables for harmonic Tech and acoustics zen and pretty much all the other companies that are using OCC signal crystal. |
These are not fancy, just quality. They sounds just fine. Tried a few different cables on my systems, and these sounded just as good as some much more expensive cables. https://www.bluejeanscable.com/index.htm Kind of think most cables in the $50-200 range are mostly the same, you got to spend serious money to really hear the difference. For me, these have been the highest quality for the price. |
Maybe I should be more clear about my rational, such that folks do not think that I am endorsing Blue Jeans cables as great sounding cables. I tried a couple pairs and found them to perform roughly the same as OEM cables, just better built. On AVR based systems, it is unlikely expensive cables will provide a noticeable improvement. My experience has been they don’t. You need a certain level of high resolution and low noise floor for good sounding cables to make an impact that is cost effective. |
I recently purchased a pair of Mogami XLR cables (~$60) a month ago to help with troubleshooting a connection issue. They worked fine for troubleshooting, but IMO, they are definitely not for high SQ musical reproduction. They are going into a box in the garage just in case I need to resolve another issue... |
I have also been researching OCC XLR cables, and I found a new manufacturer (to me, at least): Artic Cables, supposedly are "Handcrafted in Florida, USA". FYI - From their website (below) it appears that they have invested in new OCC production equipment. Also on their website, they state "Arctic produces the purest copper and silver OCC Litz wires on the market, which utilize some of the most complex Litz designs and deliver top-notch performance, comfort, and aesthetics." From and email with them, I also learned: It's 18AWG per conductor. The combined gauge is 13AWG per cable. We use a cutting-edge manufacturing process to produce our wires. Our testing samples reach a purity of approximately 99.99999N, which is considered the highest purity in the market. I have no affiliation, just shopping for a better cable... Has anyone tried these cables or have anything else to add?
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Ok you don’t want to spend $$$ what do you expect without spending any $$$…??? this is why people say stuff like cables don’t matter and I don’t wanna spend any money. It’s a component just like your amp or speakers. Lots of cheap options they all sound pretty much bad. No air on top, thin sounding and harsh or just warm and fuzzy without bass pitch definition. |
Perhaps someone could please explain to us the physics of sound transmission through copper, because it appears there is a lot of myths out there about the transmission through wire/cables. From the research I can do, copper has higher/better conductivity than gold, silver, or aluminum, yet people want those poorer transmitters to cover their cables. What is better than pure copper? Other than shielding, and solid connectors, what can make a strand of pure copper better? Nothing it seems to me. It seems there could only be things that could hinder it and make it worse. The price of copper is set in the commodities spot markets, and at times it is high and at times it is low. Copper is a commodity, differentiated only by price, by definition. So, unless we are talking about removing impurities in the wire or connection, there is nothing more that can be done. And with my apologies to others, a copper cable is not a component in a system just like an amp or speakers. Those components are constructed of many different and competing elements that require science, art and compromises to put together well, and this is what adds or subtracts value and price. But the natural laws of physics - and the Table of Elements - dictate that copper wire is simply a commodity - no ands, ifs or buts. And as to conductivity, gold, silver, and aluminum can only reduce conductivity - my apologies to JBL, and all the electronics manufacturers out there who specify a "solid gold (something)", etc. Or, has someone found a way to exceed the laws of physics? |
Silver has higher conductivity (lower resistance) than copper, gold or aluminum.
Define "better." Utilities almost always use aluminum wire for electric distribution because it’s relatively cheap and it’s lightweight. So aluminum could be argued as "better" for that purpose.
Opinion stated as fact. You seem to think all copper is of equal quality. |
@hsbrock Check out OCC wire, it is a means to make a strand of copper even better by changing the crystalline structure of the metal. The ‘better’ part is opinion of course, but OCC and the single crystal structure is real.
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@hsbrock If what you said was true then all copper cables would pretty much sound the same, and they clearly do not. Things like geometry, solid core vs. stranded, dielectric, etc. all make a significant difference, and as mentioned silver is a better conductor than copper so not sure where you read the opposite. Just listen to some different copper cables/interconnects and you’ll realize there’s a lot more to it than just connectors, purity, and shielding. This place is littered with people who once thought cables are just wire and can’t possibly make much difference to being shocked at how much difference they can make. So minimize the impact cables can have at your own risk — better to just use your own ears and make judgements from there. |
@cleeds you are absolutely correct that silver has better conductivity than copper, it would be nice if others did some homework before posting misinformation. |
Here are a few technical references to cable materials and constructions. I haven’t read them in a while. I’m just pulling them from my list of references that I put together a few years ago. I am looking for one that details the microcapacitor nature of copper and silver and how it differentially retards different frequencies. No luck so far.
http://boson.physics.sc.edu/~kunchur/papers/Audibility-of-cable-pathways--Kunchur.pdf https://www.qed.co.uk/qed-genesis-report |
@zlone This sounds like a physical modification that I will certainly look into, because I am always interested whenever I see or hear of something that's objectively different and makes sense. Thank you. |
@cleeds & @ghdprentice Okay, I certainly stand corrected on the silver. I don't know what I had researched before that put that into my head. I have also read the articles posted by ghdprentice, and found the second article posted particularly interesting/informative. I wish they'd had a larger sample size than 18 persons, but it seemed to be controlled pretty well. I'll look into this some more. Thank you. I am always leery of the predispositions and self-fulfilling results, especially when someone is charging/making hundreds and thousands for an inaudible difference. I will have to do more testing to see what I can hear. I confess, that's the final component in the system that needs to be adjusted for individually: the ears. |
OP Since you didn't give a budget, I'll take a stab in the dark. Zavfino Arcadia are OCC copper ($188 1.5 meter pair), or the Fusion OCC copper and silver cable ($357 per 1.5 meter pair). I have both as entry level cables, and they are excellent performance per dollar. Zavfino use OCC copper, use high quality and Cryo treat the connectors, and are just plain well made with really good geometry. They'd be excellent cables with your setup I think |
Blue Jeans are a very competent budget cable. They aren't on the same level as my Harmonic Tech and Acoustic Zen cables but they are a fraction of the price. I have no idea how these Xangsane cables sound but I did buy a couple of meters of the wire used for a DIY project that is still in process and all I can tell you is the wire is fantastically well made. Over on HeadFi people love these. https://www.xangsaneaudiocable.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=228&product_id=643 |
No Mentions of PC Triple C Wire, this wire has superseded other wire types used in my system, of which a large proportion was OCC. Additionally Low Eddy Connections on both Cable and Chassis. Try this on one channel and all other Channels will be the comparison, where I am feeling very confident will show you where the aspiration is to be found to have all channels altered to Low Eddy RCA - PC Triple C Wire as the Signal Path and maybe extend the usage of PC Triple C to within the Chassis Hook Up wiring. If this is the route adopted you will not be the first to be thoroughly impressed. |
@pindac Do you have a link for PC Triple C Wire. I haven't had much luck googling it. Mostly get hits for a Furutech power cable. |
There is also info that can be read about Self Built Cables using PC Triple C Solid Wire on the Double Helix thread in the Agon Cable Section. I intend on making these out of Wire I own. My own experiences had, experiencing the wire used in other systems are shared on a few threads, easy to find as a search. PC Triple C / EX is also a wire that is not plated, but coated with a Silver Sheath, the methodology is seemingly like one Koetsu has used on much finer wire for their Coils. The Link will show a variety of Cables, a regular search over a period of time will show items that are quite affordable. https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/item/search/PC+TripleC/Al_11_Yh_RaSuBpRmMrMv_N_N_0A00ja00_N/ |
@jji666 What is the 'it' not to be worried about ? Signal Path Wire is still required, and the Wire has as much an influence in a XLR Terminated Cable as well as a RCA Terminated Cable. Don't you not think the OP will benefit from a description ? |
