Speaker wire for Pure Audio Project Speakers... advice needed....!


 

Hello blissed out fellow PAP lovers! 

I have been chasing a next level system (for me) and I am on my final decisions / tweaks. I am looking for advice on speaker wire,.

The qualities I seek are golden midrange, reduced high frequency shrill (current issue with system is painful highs), while pushing incredible soundstage, depth, detail, etc... I listen to mostly acoustic, classical, jazz, vocals...

My system currently:

  • SPEAKERS: Pure Audio Project Duet 15 Horn (Mundorf Silver Gold Oil Cap upgrade and high pass filter, Anticable 4.2 Flex Internal wire)

  • STREAMER: Nagra Streamer (Cardas Clear Coaxial)

  • DAC: HoloAudio Spring 2 Level 3 Kitsune edition (Silversmith Fidelium RCA Interconnects)

  • AMP: PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP Integrated (Gold Lion KT77 power tubes, Mullard NOS gain tubes)

  • PHONO: Music Hall MMF-9 and McIntosh MP 100 Preamp

Speaker wire I am considering (10-12’ runs)

  • DUELUND 12GA: $500

  • ANTICABLES: 3.1: $430

  • ANTICABLES: flex 4.2: $800

  • SILVERSMITH: $1595

  • CARDAS CLEAR: $4500

Cost is of course an issue, until it the obsession takes hold...! Big fan of high dollar - delight ration.... big fan of not feeling like I am pinching my most glorious machine anywhere... 

 

I am currently running Duelund 16GA, and the high frequency shrill I think I have determined is most likely attributed to this... 

Thank you for your suggestions and insight! 

r.

whyrichard

Of the cables you’ve listed, I’ve only heard the Cardas Clear.  They were the best I heard but obviously pricey.  I was underwhelmed by the lower priced Cardas speaker cables.  I have a Clear Beyond phono cable and balanced ICs and they were worth the splurge, but the Beyond speaker cables are too much for me to justify.

I’ve borrowed several speaker cables under $1,500 from The Cable Company, including DH Labs, Kimber & Shunyata models.  My favorite in that range was the RSX Benchmark, which is only about $500. It outperformed more expensive cables in my system.  I need at least 8 feet, so I’m going to get the RSX cables unless I can get the Clears at a steep discount.  

I have a Krell solid state integrated & Audio Physic Virgo speakers.

Best of luck finding something nice for your system.

 

I was on a speaker cable quest several years ago and started with the lower cost options. Each of them had some of that top end grain to them. @soix gave me the same advice, try some Acoustic Zen. While it may not be your last speaker cables, it might be the first one that is grain free and really makes your system sing. 

So i own both the Duelund 16GA and Anticables Flex4.2 and recently compared their impact in my system.

The setup is Grimm MU2 feeding PSet 45 Triode Lab monoblocks into Joseph Crowe 2095 Large Horn soeakers (updated from my profile pic)

About a year ago I swapped from the AC s to the D16s but recently swapped them back as an experiment after upgrading my streamer/dac .

In my system I have a clear preference for the D16s.

First I found that there was more energy and ambiance around the sound. The AC sounded more ‘dry’ and slightly less engaging. For example, less toe tapping on some Paul Simon tunes. There was definitely less treble energy in the AC cables. You may find you like this and it’s what you are looking for.

i also preferred the tonality of the D16. One of my gotos for female vocals is Chantal Chamberlain doing either chasing cars or beautiful life, and I just felt she came through more lifelike with more air around her voice.

one pro on the AC side was a fuller larger center vocal image. 
another pro for the ACs is the trial period. You could experiment for a bit and return them if you don’t prefer them.

also just FYI AC was just bought by Clayton Shaw who used to own Spacial Audio Labs. 
 

Hope this helps a little. At least it’s one persons perspective.

glen

 

 

 

Honestly, if the highs in your system are “painful” with acoustic music, I have serious doubts about curing it with cables. But if you insist on that route, I suggest Purist Poseidon or Neptune.  IMO, I would change the amp to a 300B or even something with 845s. Your speakers are very efficient and only need a few watts, especially given your taste in music. 

I moved on from Cables Only, to Signal Wire Type many years ago.

I then found away to experience Wires used in Cables that are extremely expensive.

The following is showing a Speaker Cable using PC Triple C Wire, which is for myself as a Wire Type proven to be a substantial improvement to an End Sound when this wire is used in a Signal Path.

A prudent watch on the Market will find 30'ft for half the cost of what is shown in the advert.

This is not the only PC Triple C Speaker Cable option. 

https://www.fromjapan.co.jp/japan/en/special/order/confirm/audio9:10004923/2_1/#

Cardas Golden Cross.  Older but still much sought after.  Try ebay as well as the audio-specific sites.

I should also mention that I heard the Trio 15 speaker with Silversmith cabling.  I don't know how the speakers would sound with other cables, but I do know that I liked what I heard.

Given what you’re looking for I’d very highly recommend Acoustic Zen Satoris as they exhibit the exact qualities you describe, and at $1050 for a new 8 foot pair they don’t break the bank relatively speaking.  They come up used quite often and an 8 ft. pair can easily be had below $500, and if they don’t work out you can just turn around and sell them for little/no loss so very low risk.  I’ve had them in my system for 20 years and have compared them to several others and they haven’t gone anywhere.  Just another option, and best of luck. 

https://www.thecableco.com/satori-ii-speaker-cable-pair.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=10024381600&gbraid=0AAAAADmuR9fJPV_U9OOdHz6vMBSQRwluy

I have heard, and like very much, various PureAudioProject sepaerks, including the Duet with the wooden horn driver.  It did not strike me as being excessively bright.  It is very vibrant and alive sounding, but not so bright as to be annoying.  But of course, taste vary.  A custom builder in my area cap spot speakers and amplifiers with Mundorf caps in them almost instantly.  He hates  how they sound.  To him they sound thin, bright, and analytical.  I am not as much against Mundorfs, but I did hear an amplifier where he replaced Mundorf coupling capacitors with Hovland capacitors and the sound was, to me, dramatically better--warmer, full (no thin and thread bear when it came to instrumental harmonics).  Perhaps you could experiment with capacitors, something really easy to do with PAP speakers. 

As for wires, if you are looking for less highs and a lush sound, look at Audio Note copper wires.  Some might be a bit expensive, but they will sound less bright than most wires without killing the life of the music and making things excessively murky sounding.