Everything depends upon your listening tastes, but I have to say of all the IC's I've tried (up to $600 range), I am happiest with my $90 pure silver Quicksilver IC's. I also used their speaker cables. Very revealing, and not too bright, even with my horn driven La Scala's.
Silver interconnect and Copper spkr wire synergy
Contemplating going with a very nuetral(revealing) silver interconnect...such as the MAS grey or DH Labs b-1(silver coated?)...and then using a low(10) awg copper speaker wire(for low end reproduction)...seems like a good idea "on paper"...or is this a mismatch? ANyone else using silver interconnect/copper wire combos...or copper interconnects with silver wire? Another idea: Discovery NOS and dh labs t-14...
14 responses Add your response
The all-time( for me anyway) best buy for copper speaker cables is the new Flexygy 6 cables from River Cable. I have auditioned many speaker cables from DIY to popular name brands and none have had the musicality,emotional involvement,transparency and naturalness that these new Flexygy 6 cables have. I would put them up against anything up to $1000.00/pr. I just bought a 4 meter pair for my 2nd system for $254.00, shipped free. I am so mesmerised with their incredible sound that I might buy another pair for my main system. My main system is currently alternating between the MIT Oracle V3( $5000.00/pr.list) and the new Acoustic Zen Double Barrel( $1,850. list). Yes,the Flexygy 6 cables are that good, at just a fraction of the cost. Plus they have a 30 day money-back guarantee. Stereophile just claimed that their new Digital interconnect is the best they have ever tried. To say the least, I am very impressed with these River cables. And they also come with their own "Birth Certificates" which have a statement saying, " Congratulations, you have a new River cable."But cuteness aside, on this certificate is a rise time square wave that was put through each cable and the square wave looks better than most, if not all, speakers can produce.I feel that this River Cable company is going to be very popular. Oh, and regarding MAS interconnects, the best one is the Black( cheaper than the Grey) and then only from your Cdp to pre. Phasecorrect, if you could post your virtual system, I can recommend a good ic for pre to amp. Website for River Cable is www.rivercable.com. Just for the record, to all you sceptics, I am not a shill or dealer for River Cable.I simply took a chance and mail-ordered a pair and I, myself was very sceptical initially, but after initial listening( they sound great cold, out of the box, with no burn-in) I was quite astonished. I rarely go through "jaw-dropping" experiences, but these Flexygy 6 cables did it for me. |
Complementary colorations - I agree wholeheartedly. It is definitely best to get equipment wiothout colorations and mate them together, the room included. Unfortunately most of us don't have access to the funds, or the equipment or the dedicated room environment to pull this off. We have to make do with what we can afford and/or what we own (expensive equipment alsways seems to have their own voicing too, so that's not a good parameter to go by either). That's why trial and error in cables is so prevalent. It is easier and less expensive to use DIY cables for these tests, but not everyone is so inclined. Yes, they are tone controls to make up for deficiencies elsewhere. Hopefully the deficiencies are minor enough to correct with a different cable though. Enjoy, Bob |
From what I've read, copper will will give you a deeper, fuller bass. Silver a more airy/detailed top end. (some silver cables may be to bright) For speaker cables I'm currently using a pair of Jena Labs Valkyre (copper) on the bottom (my speakers are bi-wireable) and Xindak fs-2 on the top. The fs-2's are a silver and copper sandwiched design so I'm getting the detailed and airy top from my tweeter's and the copper brings in the lower end of the mid-range drivers. With this s/c combo I've used both copper and silver i/c's with good results. Currently I'm using Shunyata Aries S i/c's (copper) and the sound is outstanding. The Valkyre's are wonderful cables and when my budget permits I'll get another pair to try on the top but for now I'm very happy with this silver/copper combo. |
Before I sold my pre 2 weeks ago, I was using all Luminous Audio cables, which consisted of Renaissance bi-wire spkr. (Copper), Synchestra Sig (Copper) to the amp & Silver Ref to the CDP. All my PC's & outlets are copper. I found the one silver IC to the CDP added a fine bit of detail w/o brightness I didn't have before. The quality of the silver seems to be more critical than copper, as most silver cables I've heard I didn't care for. As the other posts infer, you'll have to do some experimenting to get the right mix. |
There are no rules that apply to everyone, whatever sounds best to you. Everyone has different gear and tastes and what sounds right in one system may not sound good in your system. I own silver & copper ICs and silver & copper speaker wires and mix and match them all the time depending what gear I am using and what sound I am trying to attain. Then we have AC cords........another variable. |
That's not synergy--it's complementary colorations. Check out this article: Complementary colorations |
It's all system dependent. I tried silver IC's in various locations only to find that I lost that midrange palpability. Yes, the top end was airier and even the bottom end tightened up, but the midrange is where you live and magic there is important. I decided to make a hybrid copper/silver IC and it worked somewhat - midrange magic along with top end sparkle and bottom end extension & tightness. But it only worked well from my DAC to preamp - nowhere else (especially bad on phono). It's a trial and error thing, so don't jump to conclusions using a silver IC in just one place - move it around and definitely give it mondo break-in time (use a cable burner if you can) before you decide. Enjoy, Bob |