recommendation for speaker wire to soften the highs if possible

Why would you want a wire with bad high end definition??

Nevertheless, nevertheless is one word. ;-)

OP, I assume you are streaming "hifi" $20 pm from Tidal.

Do this and I guarantee you’ll be amazed. Replace your Monster wire with 14/2 Romex from Home Depot. Be careful not to score the copper when you trim the insulation.

elizabeth, I’m so pleased to hear you actually DO agree with me. Disagreement and I clash. 😃

If you have a local HiFi store why not start with them and drag some cables home to listen for yourself how your Monsters compare? I think many shops are more than willing to let customers take stuff home to try it before you buy. If you’re nowhere near anything try the Cable Company.

I had a set of Monster Cables in the late 80s and I’d say if anything they were more rolled off than being bright. Could be so many things like speaker placement to room treatment and the placement of your listening seat in your room.

 Everyone’s going to have a different opinion on cables but in my experience I believe dedicated outlets, use at least a hospital grade receptacle and not the $2 one most homes have then power cables is the place to start. I’d suggest do this first if you haven’t before you go on the cable merry go round.

The bulk Duelund 12 gauge is exactly what you are looking for and in budget. Another good one is the Western Electric 10 gauge bulk wire. If you can DIY a set, then go for it. If not, I and others can build you a great looking and sounding set of speaker cables. Both the bulk wires mentioned above will certainly improve the tone and sound quality in the all important presence area of your system. Both have great natural tone and meat on the bones texture. 

How sure are you that the irritation you are hearing is from the wire??  If you want rolled off cable, get used Cardas...though I would make sure the problem is there.

I have four possible solutions for you:

#1) Order a tube preamp from Schiit Audio. Their Saga preamp costs $349.00, takes a single 6SN7 tube.  Sounds great. I have one.

#2)  Order a Schiit Audio Bifrost Multibit Dac for $599.00.  This Dac also is available as a Delta-Sigma Dac for $399.00 or $499.00, depending on topology.  Worth a look.

#3) Take a serious look at ordering Signalcable brand cables. They're inexpensive and so good, I replaced ALL of my expensive power cords, interconnects and speaker wire with Signalcable. I used to use Kimber TC speaker wire, etc. Take a look at the Signalcable testimonials. They are awesome for the price paid.

#4) Don't toe-in your Ryan speakers, or if you need to, toe-in your speakers very slightly. Ryan's can get hard/harsh with toe-in issues.

Hope this helps. What's nice about all these products is they perform extremely well for not a lot of money (in the audio world). You can order pieces as you can afford. Check out Schiit Audio.  They make nice headphone amps too.

@gunmetalzin I suggest listening for those harsh highs on headphones to see if the problem surfaces there. If that’s the case, your speaker cables are not the cause, and you need to look elsewhere (try a different source) to pinpoint the culprit. FWIW, I run Monster Standard 12AWG speaker cables from the 90’s, and they perform admirably. I also use Monster Standard interconnects, and listen mainly to vinyl, so ymmv. 

I found the older Cardas took the edge off. 

Cardas newer cable clear reflection has some of the warmth 
of the Older Golden cross,and some of their top clear .
priced pretty fair also.

I recommend you to do power conditioning instead of changing speaker cables.

Look for used Power conditioner in Audiogon within your budget.



Another option is to buy the linked listing.

Tim offer 30 day’s return.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis960c4-perfect-path-technologies-alpha-e-card-much-anticipated-h...

It reduce noise and make sound more natural in my system.



You can find more information on the following thread.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/perfect-path-technologies-omega-e-mat

At $300.00 you cant get much.Good luck though!!

If you wish to just try new cables I suggest starting with interconnects not speaker cables, they are more important. After that speaker cables.

Lizzie, now that your system has matured, and you’ve added a lot of new wall plates and other stuff, do yourself a big favor and remove all ferrites from the system. Then listen. Even better put all the ferrites on appliance power cords, fridge, computer, TV, etc. Report back. 🤗

Room acoustics and speaker placement are the first places to go looking. If the speakers sound great 2' away, but harsh by the time you are sitting down, this is why.

Bare floors, and reflections between and behind the speakers can also make this happen.

Otherwise, strongly recommend mid-range Wireworld as good ways to soften up highs.

Best,
E

As much as I eschew disagreement I feel obliged to say ferrites on audio related cables only hurt the sound, except in very limited cases. However ferrites, the nice big kind, do quiet nicely on appliance power cords. 

It's unlikely to be the Ryan or the Belles.  Very unlikely.  Obviously, principal suspicion falls on the Monster, though the situation might not be ameliorated by the Oppo.  I think you should rewire the whole loom, interconnects and speaker.  Make sure you stick with all copper (+ if relevant, gold plating).  Some good recommendations here; you might look too at Wireworld and Audio Sensibility.

gunmetalzin,

I had the early nineties Monster "Powerline 2" speaker cable for some time.  If that's what you have it's Nasty Stuff.  I suggest the Acoustic Zen Satori I use (of course).  It can be easily found used at your price point.  It clears out the glare and edge in a huge way.  There is a slight lower-mid / upper-bass bump that can be pleasing in the right (not overly warm) system.  

It sounds like you're using your Oppo as a preamp which could contribute to the sound you hear. Also, depending on the length of your speaker wires - assuming ~8' and not longer, you may have better luck looking for "warmer" interconnects to tweak your sound. Just as an aside, I think putting a tube preamp between the Oppo and your Belles will transform your system for better.

Thanks for the useful and quick response.
Inna I don't know if the cables are causing it and  high frequencies distortions the better term. I also know cables are a hot topic and I'm not looking to go down that rabbit hole.I just wanted some advice or experience from the members on certain cables that might help and be a cheaper route if I go for new cables. 

I have tested speaker wire and discovered that a lot of the harshness was actually due to stranded low quality speaker wire.  I found that solid-core remove so much of the harshness it was surprising.  I would look for some used Audioquest speaker wire and make sure you get only the gold-plated terminations (i.e. spade or banana).  The silver-plated connectors can make the highs too bright/harsh.  The same logic applies on the interconnect cables as well.

How can you be sure that Monster speaker cables cause it ? It can be anything or everything. In any case, don’t buy unless you can return, or willing to sell what doesn’t work for you.
You don’t really want to soften the highs, you want a balanced and relatively distortion free sound. Maybe that’s in fact your objection - high frequencies distortion.

Supra Ply, excellent cable at a great price .

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPRA-Ply-3-4-by-the-meter-for-DIY-AVReview-U-K-BEST-BUY-Made-In-Sweden/400...

Look up member Grannyring. Dueland.