2. cables
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Some old cables rescued me from computer audio.

I first brought this up under DIGITAL and since the results worked so well, I thought I'd share it here and see if anyone else experienced this.

In a nutshell (a big one), I couldn't figure out why my CDP was not keeping up with my iMac set up, which is a very simple one. With a lot of time on my hands due to a 5 week layoff, I tried an old set of Mapleshade copper ribbon ICs and was gobsmacked at what I heard. My TEAC PD-H600 never sounded this good. The iMac setup was nowhere near as resolving and detailed and yet, fullbodied. I still kept the Zu Missions as speaker wire and thought I had really lucked out.

A week later, and still bored, I tried the matching Mapleshade speaker wire and the window just blew wide open. The clarity was beyond what I though possible but all was not well in casa de nonoise. The lower mids and bass were weakened some and several rows back from the rest of the presentation.

Rummaging around, I found a pair of Clear Day silver speaker wire (single strand, not shotgunned) with bananas and bi-wired them with the Mapleshades. Man o man, if I could make these, I'd retire my crappy job and be happy. I have all the lower mids and bass of the Zu Missions save the clarity which always eluded them. Texture, definition, and tautness now occupy my lower end to compliment what I've achieved from the mids on up.

It's great to hear a bottom half that keeps up with the top half. It's a whole new presentation for me. Again, just thought I'd share and know that a lot of you have done this already so any feedback as to whether I should twist the two together as best I can or leave them separated would be appreciated.

It pays to keep the older sets around, just in case.

All the best,
Nonoise
128x128nonoise

Showing 5 responses by nonoise

nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
10,624 posts
 
Ivan, thanks for the detailed response.
It will be no problem to keep them separated since the Clear Day cables hang low due their weight and the Mapleshade ICs are so springy, they literally 'float' around and stay clear of everything else. I've never handled a cable so easy to bend and tweak around the other wires and components.

I too, am interested in the double Helix speaker wire, thinking they could add to the bass and eliminate the bi-wiring but every time I listen, I'm just flat out amazed at what I'm hearing so leaving things as they are is in order.

I believe I read somewhere that Pierre got the idea of using such a thin wire with such a really thin coating when he was in England and some amp maker used that type of internal wiring. It worked, sounded great, and the rest is history, as they say. The guy knows his stuff.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
10,624 posts
 
I know bi wiring has been done by others but does anyone know if any major make ever sold bi wire sets of speaker wire that didn't share the same sleeve/jacket?

It would make sense to, sound wise, but the looks would suffer somewhat. Considering the sound I'm now getting, I couldn't care less.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
10,624 posts
 
Thanks everyone!

I'm keeping them apart: don't want to mess with a good thing. I seem to have 'zero' smearing due to any kind of interaction between the highs, mids and lows.

I have this one CD (Acoustic France) where on one track, a woman walking across the stage, left to right. With every cable I had, there was a slight arc to her path, going higher as she reached the center, and going back down to the other speaker. When I first inserted the Mapleshades, she just went left to right on an even keel. When I added the Clear Day cable, nothing changed in that perception save the added body to the lower mids and bass.

There is something at work here and yes, this is the most fun I've had with my system in a very, very long time. Piano registers are very convincingly done and the instrument stays flat and parallel to the ground. Separation is the best I've experienced. This is so rewarding a gain for so little an investment.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
10,624 posts
 
Thanks Jejaudio,
I knew I wasn't imagining all of this. There seems to be a common element in all of this: the Clear Day cables and another brand of minimalist design.

All the best,
Nonoise
nonoise's avatar
nonoise OP
10,624 posts
 
Jejaudio,
That seems to be another common theme in the cables that seem to work for us (and others) which is a minimal dielectric or sheathing that minimizes the skin effect between the signal carrier and the protective cover.

Air seems to be the best. A loose fitting cover the next best.

Granted YMMV depending on the system those cables are in. It's always different.

All the best,
Nonoise
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