Looking for warmer speaker cables


Hi,

My Magnepan MMG's sound a bit bright with the DH Labs Silver Sonic T-14 cables. I tried swapping interconnects and I'll be honest, I can't tell a big difference between the four different kinds that I have. What cable would you recommend to tame some of the harshness to the top-end. I was looking into Oval 9's/12's or ZuCable Julians. Money is tight right now so I really don't want to spend much more than $300, preferably less.

I have an Audio Refinement Complete amp.

Thanks for your help.

Pete
petewhitley
Hi Pete. Just a week and a half ago I switched from biwired DH Labs Silversonic T-14s to a single run of Analysis Plus Oval 9 and the improvement was dramatic. Before changing out the cables, my Sim Audio Moon I-5 feeding a pair of Sonus Faber Concertinos sounded thin and at times even a bit strident.

Right out of the box the difference was noticeable. The overall sound became much fuller, and almost all of the hash has disappeared. The biggest improvement came in the soundstaging. Wider, and MUCH deeper. By comparison, the DH Labs had a flat and in-your-face presentation. One caveat though. I've experienced a slight loss of detail.

I can't wait for this cable to break in. I'm not sure if the AP9s will have the same affect on your system, but they're working quite well in mine. In my system, the AP9s have proven to be a warmer and better imaging cable than the T14s.

If you're interested in buying new, contact Scott who's Audiogon username is Disco. He carries the APs, can burn-in the cables if you want to, and will give you great service. Otherwise, you'll be able to find plenty of used ones here at good prices.
I had the same problem with a pair of MMG's I had, and then later with a pair of SMGc's. I solved the problem by placing a larger value power resistor across the tweeter attenuator posts in the back of the speaker. These are available at electronic parts supply houses, and can be bought in various sizes. Buy several different values and experiment -- I think you'll be surprised how much warmer your speakers will sound.
Rich, great idea. But you forgot to urge caution when using lasers, which is necessary to protect agaisnt the possibility of pointing the laser directly into someone's eyes. I am told lasers have an obnoxious effect on human eyesight.
THE T-14 CABLES ARE BRIGHTER THEN SAY KIMBER 8TC.AND AUDIOQUEST INDIGO OR MIDNITE ARE MUCH WARMER THEN THE KIMBERS.SO THE AUDIOQUESTS I BELIEVE WOULD SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM WITHOUT KNOWING ALL OTHER FACTORS.DO YOU HAVE A CEILING PANEL TO CONTROL THE FIRST REFLECTION??IF NOT USE A LASER LIGHT HELD NEAR YOUR EARS AND POINTED TO THE CEILING WITH SOMEONE HOLDING A MIRROR TO FIND THE SPOT ON THE CEILING THAT REFLECTS TO YOUR TWEETERS.PUT THE ABSORTION PANELS UP AND THIS WILL MAKE A WORLD OF A DIFFERENCE,HOPEFULLY FOR THE BETTER!!! RICH
hi pete,

i have an extra set of TekLine TL650 speaker cabling with bananas. tekline is a small direct to consumer company but there quality and sound is great. i'd be happy to lend you a pair and let you give them a listen. they are 8 foot runs and if you like them we can work out a price. i guarantee you they will be well under your price range yet equal or better than anything in that range. i also have a pair of maggies (mg3a's biamped) they sound equal to my ap oval 9's that i am using as my bass run to my maggies.
Pete, shoot me an email with some specifics about your system. I've got something here that you can try out at no risk. While it is not speaker cable, several others have had very good luck using one or two of these interconnects to do exactly what your trying to do. Some "regulars" that have been around a while may remember seeing a few comments about these made by other audiogon members and how much it helped to tame and fill out a bright or lean system.

As to Johnny's recommendations above, be forewarned that the AP's are relatively system dependent. Results have varied. For the most part though, the results listed here and in other places have been a "warming" of the system. Sean
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AP 9's. I'm getting rid of my bi9's if a future I/C change doesn't bring it around for me. Thinking of the AP silvers maybe or HT or something else, something! I want to go to toward the place you are trying to leave. Super buttery, and super smooth in my system and nothin harsh about them. But too much of it for me. Again, it's a system thing.