recommendation for speaker wire to soften the highs if possible

Look up member Grannyring. Dueland. 

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...

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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'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.

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. 

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

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. 🤗

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

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

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

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 found the older Cardas took the edge off. 

@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 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.

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.

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. 

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.

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

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.

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

@erik_squires  +1
Room first, then electronics, then cables.

@gunmetalzin - what version of Monster? They made many @ multiple price points.

Where are the speakers placed in what shaped and how furnished room? At what height relative to ears. Try sitting lower or higher. Forward / back

Try angling the speakers and / or tilting them back. Try reversing L & R to have tweets inboard or outboard.

You may want to try replacing the HF bi-wire link with a 5Ω 5W resistor and see if it helps.

Ignore most everything else here.

I suggest thinking of your audio system as a whole. Something is causing harshness. There are two ways to treat that.

First, as Elizabeth suggested, attenuate the offending HF with ferrite beads. Cheap, easy, and probably effective, unless your speakers are the offending component.

Second, find the source of the harshness and fix it, usually by replacing something. Ultimately that will give better sound, and so I do it - but that's because the bug bites me daily. Warning: it's time consuming and costly, because it could be source, amplification, speaker, room.

To test the speaker cable hypothesis, do as noromance suggested.

ieales has some good suggestions too. Lots of soft things in the room, like carpets, can help.

I agree that Dueland cable might tame the harshness you are hearing.  I don't see a preamp in your system, and if you are on a tight budget, I  would heartily advocate hearing a Schiit Freya preamp with the tubes upgraded to Shaguan 6SN7 tubes and you will get taste of audio splendor.  The next and final step would be a Don Sachs preamp. :-) Consider room treatments as well.  

Get Granny to make a Dueland set and jumpers. You will not regret it!

Thanks for all the great advice. I do have carpet in the room and my monster cables are Powerline plus 3. I also have my amp and oppo plugged into panamax MR4300.My speakers are 8 feet apart and on stands at 26 inch. They are about a foot away from the wall. I have furniture in the room as well. The room and my wife :) limit an ideal setup. it sounds like this weekend I should move things around to see if it makes a difference. If it does not make a big difference I think these are the suggestions if I’m reading correctly.

1. .Replace wires with Dueland wires, or Signalcable or supra wires.
2. .Replace interconnect cables.
3. . Have Grannyring’s build some wires
4. . Down the road add a pre amp (schiit or other tube)
5. . * Ask local dealer to loan out and try cables. I like this option and I like the local dealer but price differs greatly.

Thanks again for all the help

How about acoustic panels behind the speakers? Experiment first with blankets/ pillows to see if they make a diff.
Check out GIK Acoustics, they make beautiful "art panels"

Could it be the tweeter and how you perceive hf sound?. Did you try a different speaker?.

. Richard Gray power conditioners are warm and will soften up the highs. Model 400 are below $300 on eBay.
. Vintage MIT MH-750 Plus speaker cables (white color) on eBay for around $300 are (very) polite, low white noise and really soften up the highs.
. Vintage Goertz speaker cables can drastically cut off (some) the highs completely.
*** Speaker cables will/may change characteristic of your system a lot so I’d suggest Richard Gray power conditioner. It mated very well with My Belles 150 Hotshot years ago. I then moved on up to Dave’s Reference a150 v2 and couldn’t be happier.

Richard Gray ruined the sound of my system.....quickly removed them.

I think he is winding us up. 

For the googlth time, systems in a room as individual as a fingerprint.

Blanket recommendations are not worth the bits to transmit them.

See http://ielogical.com/Audio/CableSnakeOil.php for examples of how the same cable reacts with just amplifier and loudspeaker XO order.

When one adds in low level interconnect, all electronic and room colorations buying a component on recommendation is odds worse than craps.

Strap a 4 ohm resistor and a 0.33uf cap wired in series across the speaker terminal/binding posts. 
That creates a very crude low pass that rolls off highs.  Let your ears be the judge.   Cost you $2 or so.  Better than buying $500 snake oil.  

Audio Note LX interconnects are worth considering to address your issue 

@johnsonwu do you know specific size and voltage for the cap (and resistor)?

I just corrected nasty, harsh tweeter highs/fatigue. 
A friend brought over some Dueland wires and they did the trick. 
Myself and a group of serious audiophiles tried all the things suggested in this thread. 
I was to the point of breaking out the ice picks and sticking them in my ears...
Just  saying, you might seriously consider the Grannying option. It shouldn’t be too expensive and you may not need anything more. ( I don’t know Grannying, I’ve never had contact with that person). 
I’m with you. Most likely the Monster cables are the problem. 
Good luck. Keep us posted. 

Ok. So I just looked up on Duelund wire 12awg from PartConnexion.com and it’s $19.95/meter for a single wire which translates $159.60 for a pair of speakers in 2 meter long?
Isn’t that too much for a bare wire without shielding?

I’m telling you, contact Grannyring. 

Hi, I made my own cables simple easy alittle time. Ordered from Blue jean wires, 25ft 12 awg, OFC Copper gives sound a softer note IMO to my ears. Silver is higher pitch, harsher to the ear, brighter. Imo to my ears. Your equiptment SS or tubes, i hear tubes soften the sound, type of speakers, room materials. Rug v wood floors. 
I have Yamaha RV A 3050. Maybe soon i will get a tube amp, but for now it sound just right for me. Hope this helps.

I think that you have 3 good choices. 1. Delund's Western Electric style cable. 2. Western Electric cable, there are lots of fakes now, this is a good source for the real thing;

https://www.m.ebay.com/sch/i.html?sid=tajacobs&isRefine=true&_pgn=1

3. Goertz speaker cables, but you MUST get the zobels to connect to your speakers. Their almost purely capacitive so they can make many amps oscillate without the zobels, but being almost purely capacitive they have far less effect on the sound.

The problem is that all these are really neutral cables. Brightness, if we assume that your gear isn't just bright, will only get better if your cables are the cause. You can also buy or make deulund interconnects. Deulund has copied and have arguably bettered the old Western Electric cable, but if you don't have high efficiency speakers 91db or  better efficiency, you can get 10 gage W.E. cable from the above source, or use Goertz. Back to if it's not your gear, or your cables, it could be a power issue. As a technician I always believed that with a reasonable power supply that noise on AC lined shouldn't be a problem, until I had a problem myself. I spent several thousand on ICs trying to fix it, but what did fix it were isolation transformers, one hospital grade for low current devices and one for my amplifier. Going to better ICs and speaker cables will increase enjoyment anyway, so it can't hurt, though it can make issues more obvious. If you decide to go to tubes the best bang for the bucks, IME will be Roy Muttram for reasonably good sound, his kits built by him or you are very solid, but Don Sachs has taken them and using the best components really maxed out very well designed gear. Roy says he can do the same, but he just isn't anal enough about tweaking. He's a great designer, so it just depends, if a little less than the best, 80 to 85 percent of the way there, for as good as it gets, the equal of 20K or better gear for just under 6K, Don Sachs is the guy. Don is beyond generous with his insight as far as matching his gear to other gear, and he'll make you Delund cables for your gear if you are purchasing from him at a good price. Obviously I make my own, but it was Don and one of his customers that talked me into it. I have Don's DS2 preamp, and Roy's ST80 amp, but I am upgrading it, I should have just bought Don's amp, I never designed tube gear, worked on tube cameras decades ago, but I have made expensive mistakes, just buying the amp Don has designed would have saved me not just time, but money too. YMMV.