You know when you are dealing with a BS company....

When they differentiate themselves as being the cheapest product in their category.

Or they say that improvement should be based on price. The more expensive the component the better it sounds. And they ignore the reality of the effect of set up and synergy. They would lose money if they did, wouldn't they. :-)

@kraftwerkturbo

Many audiophiles fall victim to snake oil cables...forgetting or simply not acknowledging why cables are different/may sound different.

Metallurgy - silver is the best conductor of electricity. High purity copper with lots of .999s is fine too. If the manufacturer doesn’t make fantastical claims about improvements; but simply markets their cabile as "high-quality" I think it’s worth buying, provided of course, the cost is not thousands of dollars. Consider if you will, how much food --> Swiss Chalet, other electronics, etc. you can buy with that money instead??

When an amplifier is driving a reactive load (speakers) in this case, how well speakers conform to the damping factor can impact frequency response. Some so-called "high-end" cables have been known to act as antennas and pick up noise; and in turn, they adversely influence how the speakers respond when fed power, thus altering the frequency response you hear. It's not clarity or anything magical - it's just that certain frequencies have now been attenuated or accentuated.

In particular, I have found thin CCAW wire (thin-sounding) to be much interior to high purity copper or silver, regardless of AWG. Lower AWG just means less losses; even if we can’t discern them in a repeatable manner. Hearing the difference after days, weeks, months, or even hours is simply the brain working harder at filtering the sound you hear, since you are paying more attention.

While speaker cables can sound different, the idea of improving sound quality just because of the cable (rather than the inherent performance metrics of your audio components + speakers is silly. Cables should not alter the sound, they should get out of the way and allow your audio gear perform at an optimal level.

At the very least, I want 100% improvement with every higher level.

However, other companies, with good reputations, sell much higher priced cables and people are fine with it.  These companies have learned to manage the hype to sound realistic, perhaps even a big humble, focus on the quality build and make their claims more believable, and people spend way too much on cables.  (Don't interpret this to mean I don't believe or appreciate the tremendous improvement that quality cables make).

"You can expect a 15% to 20% improvement in sound for each level as you move up the line. 

I think you are misunderstanding what they are saying. I think they are saying that there is a 15-20% difference between each level of cable. Not a 15-20% improvement in your system sound but a 15-20% change in relation to the small change a cable makes. So 15-20% to the 1% change (SWAG) a cable makes. 

I googled for the measuring instrument for they use to measure and verify their claim. Maybe they just should also be offering them from my line of products:

1) digital soundstage meter, accurate to 0.01% (metric)

2) digistal resolution analyzer with large 3 digit display

3) realism gauge with build in digital reverser

4) musical represention decoder and converter

5) analog musical presentation arrayer with integrated analyser, swiss made

6) impact meter (Japan) measures in metric KJ and Btu.

If my current soundstage is 2.3 meter wide, and I go up TWO levels with their cable, that's 30-40% improvement. That would make my sound stage now at least 2.99 meter. What if my room is only 2.89 meter wide? 

'' What is the purpose of this thread "".......who cares and then don't buy the cable from then. Move on to another company.    

Oh the humanity...

The idea that something is more convincing if it is rendered in a number is the source of a whole lot of bad thinking. Paul Simon had it right. 

Morrow Audio should get the same ad writer as Synergistic Research! Talk about hyperbole!

I thought this was a thread about Dave and Troy....

This is the first company I've seen rate recommended speaker cables by amplifier wattage. This seems more dubious than the 15-20% improvement "examples". 

I’m not a fan of the marketing hype and the constant sales…but that said, the cables sound great and represent solid value for money. In my system they equaled of bettered the Acoustic Zen and Nordost cables they replaced in my humble system. And, importantly (to me at least) the cables are supple and are easy to install.  I certainly saw improvements going from level three to four to five. YMMV.  And I’ve always found them friendly and easy to deal with.   I’d recommend a different marketing and pricing strategy, but when I needed cables for a second system it was far simpler to just call them and get what I needed at a price that wasn’t crazy. 

Funny, thank you.

If someone says Brand A peanut butter tastes 15% better than Brand B, what does that tell you, other than a misfortunate grade school education.

I do not eat peanut butter. But in case none of you PB&J critics did not open or read the link here is the core of this ludicrous post. Totally taken out of context.

Have any of you tried these cables?

Can you verify or validate your dispute?

You can expect a 15% to 20% improvement in sound for each level as you move up the line. The improvements are in soundstage, resolution, realism, musical presentation, impact, etc.

Examples..

15% to 20% improvement for the SP2 compared to the SP1.

15% to 20% improvement for the SP3 compared to the SP2.

15% to 20% improvement for the SP4 compared to the SP3, etc.

The same applies for all our cables; Interconnects, phono cables, subwoofer cables, power cables, etc.

Really don’t see how this classifies them as a BS company.

What I do see is a misunderstanding of what they’re stating.

You want real BS? Read all about the Synergistic Research quantum tunneling nonsense. (Among other nonsense)

Does Brand A peanut butter leave your dog licking the roof of his mouth 15% longer than Brand B or is it the other way around?

I have Morrow cables. That guy is full of you know what.

i too have a distaste for how morrow does it’s marketing, i once emailed them with a question, then i was blasted mercilessly with promotional emails (we are talking one or more per day!) -- so i finally marked all their emails as spam 

that said, i believe their cables are basically solid, with all the usual caveats for any highly commercial cable maker (e.g., avoid their really expensive stuff... rarely worth it, take outlandish claims with many grains of salt...and so on)

I have a set of Morrow speaker cables (SP2 or 4?) about 4 years now. I was neither dissapointed nor thrilled with any difference in sound. They are well-made, very bendable, somewhat unique in design and length to order. These days I make my own cables with Belden bulk wire (spools of 14x4 spkr & pwr and 1694A Brilliance for coax & RCAs), but I wouldn’t want to hassle assembling all those strands in the Morrow design - so the value is there (when they’re on sale). Morrow used to sell used trade-in cables (Morrow & other brands), and that’s how I found them years ago - does anyone know if they still do that? The Morrow’s I have are on GoldenEar Tritons, so there is very little power demand since they only power AMT and mids (not bass), but they sounded fine on the Martin Logan e-stats too (which dipped to 1.6 ohm load).

I also have a very nice set of AQ Mont Blanc (think 10awg) with DBS and factory upgraded ends - no discernable difference between them and Morrow (or my DIY Belden) in my experience - maybe a difference could be found by precision measurement.

My impression is the Morrow spkr cables are made of MANY very small individually insulated solid copper strands, and I contemplated making my own from Ethernet cables, but who wants to wrestle with a zillion tiny wires?

With the hundreds of so called "Audiophile" cable makers you need to narrow it down to about a dozen. Yes, were all looking for that underground brand that is a value giant killer. Unfortunately Morrow Cable ads have always given me a negative impression regarding quality and performance.

I have a pillow in mind....

If you have $1,000 and spend $500 on their cables you can definitely

expect to be have 50% less money. 

A train traveling at 55mph going 300 miles to Detroit....

I recently purchased a Morrow Audio MA4 XLR cable and emailed Mike Morrow with some “critiques” along the same lines as the OP mentions.  They have chosen to take the approach of customer like “sales” and seemingly have a successful business using that model.  The % improvements are just approximations with the intent of giving customers an idea for what to expect. 
 

I think what made my head hurt the most is that the primary driver for price point appears to be the number of wire runs in the cables, yet my XLR has twice as many as the equivalent RCA but is the same price.

I do like the sound of the cable in my system and am happy to have gotten it 50% off of retail while recognizing that 25% off is probably closer to the going rate. 

You don't HAVE to read the garbage these people put out.

Measurements don't work on cables.  Period.  Many say they don't work on anything else either. So if you believe a particular cable might give a better sound FOR YOU, then you will have to listen to it in your system.

Pity them if you like.  But otherwise just ignore them and have a good day.

tomaswv et al: I am NOT arguing or questioning the quality of the product.

But this (and similar examples) just shows how STUPID American consumers are (otherwise marketing departments, advertising companies, political parties, interest groups would NOT do it). We have ENTIRELY lost our ability to turn our brain on when reading, seeing or hearing.

The shear amount of BS that we are fed on a daily basis (bad) and SWALLOW without PUKING (WORSE) is mind-boggling.

I will now take the pill that makes me 16% happier, and drink my special java that lowers the bad vibes by 8% (one cup) or 12% (two cups). 

mceljp: "The % improvements are just approximations with the intent of giving customers an idea for what to expect."

==> That IS the problem. How can a serious company make such a statement? 

PERCENT OF WHAT !!!!

If they would write "itsibitsy improvement", I could tolerate.

Or "Our cables sound somewhat better than (what?)". "If you use more of our cables, the sound will improve somewhat more". 

"Our cables give your sound systems WINGS". 

@bigtwin

"What is the sense in a MSRP if you are always offering the product at 35% - 55% off? Don’t tell me your cable is worth $1000 when you never sell it for more than $650? "

Yes, I am not impressed when this happens. It my memory serves me correctly from my former entrepreneural days, the FTC does attach some rules to "sale" or "free" items to avoid fraud. The product/service must be presented for some (defined) period of time at the "regular" price before they can legally claim that it is discounted. The period of time escapes me, but I’m sure there are some here who can provide a qualified response. That being said, an item cannot be presented as perpectually "on sale". Reminds me of those fireworks stands that on Day One open with "Buy One, Get Two FREE" offers.

thecarpathian think about it: 15% improve of WHAT? How do you DOCUMENT the improvement? How do you MEASURE the improvement. What UNITS are used to measure? What INSTRUMENT or TOOL is used to measure. 

In Kindergarden, they may tolerate "this sound yummi, but this cable sound more yummi" (and that would even be a hard to dispruve statement), and saying this calbe sound "15-2-% more yummi" is BS. And companies who public BS are BS Companies. Which in turn makes ME at least think about how BSy such companies' products are. Unless of course I can buy the product by paying with an amount  "15-20% more than a lot" in an undisclosed currency. 

This thread will be deleted soon as Morrow is an advertiser here. Really doesn’t matter what anyone here thinks of their marketing. It is working look at this thread.

15% better than the lamp chord you are using? 
 

listen I am a Zavfino guy and could care less about the Morrow product just find it distasteful when attacks are made on companies by people who just read ad copy and never tried the product. 
 

The ad says 15% better than lower tier products in their line. Again can you prove this is a false claim? If not you are making slanderous statements.

I have Morrow SP4 speaker cables. What sold me was the description of what goes into their cable design. It was straight forward, made very good sense to my engineering mind, and didn't try to impress with claims of secret magical marketing BS. Even their break in procedure described what I could expect and my experiance during break-in was consistent with what they said would happen. Cables are very neutral, flexible, inexpensive, and made well. Check their website and read the science behind their SSI design theory.

J.Chip

Maybe their statement should say “We wil see a 15-20% increase in our profits with  each level you move up. “

And what is wrong with that?

So, the company you worked for was a nonprofit?

Hell, even the CCP is about profits now.  

No such thing as a free lunch. 

Maybe their statement should say “We wil see a 15-20% increase in our profits with  each level you move up. “

Too funny! 15% of what? :-)

I have Morrow speaker and interconnects and have used same for years. I find them to be well made and they perform superb in my system. I recommended them to a friend who just got new B&W speakers and a McIntosh amp. He has always been a cable doubter and he was really surprised at the difference. He bought the middle of the line speaker cables.

What I can say is that I switched out my FMS Black speaker cable for Morrow SP6 and my Kimber PBJ and Mogami interconnects for Morrow MA4s and three seasoned audiophiles heard a significant positive difference. We also did comparisons between older mid-range MIT interconnects, Morrows MA5s, and PBJ. The Morrow interconnects were on par with MIT and both were better than the PBJ.

I did also talk to research scientist who has oversight on building satellites for the DoD and while I can't begin to recount his explanation, he did infer that there is research that dates back about 2 decades ago that supports the Morrow design philosophy.

Are there better cables? Sure, but I'm satisfied with the improvements I heard when I switched to Morrow.

OP 👀 da fool. 

It is apparent from the comments on this thread that Morrow is considered to be legitimate and offers products that are embraced by many in this group. The challenge from their perspective is how best to communicate the value of something subjective in exchange for something tangible -- your money. The long term proposition is to send you product and you send them money. Then, if their products meet or exceed your expectations you’ll buy more of it, and give positive referrals to those you know. Delivering the "right message" is not an easy task, especially in a crowded arena or introducing an immature product segment. We’re terribly deficient at attaching objectivity to product performance via measurements. We also know that superlatives can set off alarm bells when claims cannot be substantiated: "The only way the sound could be improved is to have a digital bitstream plugged directly into your brain". So, Morrow attempts to connect some metric to their assending product price points via some "reasonable" number that represents a degree of performance improvement. So, you spend xx% more and you’ll get back xx+1% more in audio performance. With return privileges, if their numeric assessment of improvement did not align with yours.

Marketing geniuses they’re not. But, with some success and a little luck, they may tweak their messaging to be more in tune with your reality. And, allow the product to do most of the talking.

You get 20% more in sound quality (maybe) and 20% less in available funds when you need it the most.

If you are going to buy cables be sure to read the reviews and just remember they are system dependent.  Be prepared to invest in addtional cabling to make comparisons as this is what it takes to get what you want. Check to see, if your not satisfied that you can return them for a refund.

I have Morrow Audio Dig-4, MA-7’s, SP-7’s and I’m very content with my little humble rig. I have been using Morrow Audio for about 13yrs now and I completely understand where everyone is coming from on both sides of this. I haven’t tried any other cable manufacturers other than Blue Jeans and Cardas and to me the Blue Jeans were horrible compared to what I’m used to hearing with the Morrows. As for the Cardas, you would have to spend more to equal or better the Morrows. As for anyone looking to try Morrow Audio cables, I would advise to get the level 3 or 4 to make it worth it. I’ve built two small humble rigs using his cables and also schooled someone who listened to my rig and in turn he ended up ordering some cables from Morrow. To all of the non-believers I just look at it as to each their own. I know what I have and where it started. One more thing, I can now say that I have a better sounding rig than the high end audio shop that my journey started at about 35 years ago! I feel like I've accomplished something! ✌️

I miss the days of Monster Cable.

@moonwatcher 

"I miss the days of Monster Cable."

It was all we had besides lampcord and we thought it was good! 😜😂

As I mentioned before, I am very happy with my Morrow Audio MA4 XLR interconnects.

I am sometimes surprised that I got past the marketing as it definitely rubs me the wrong way, but I decided to take the chance because the SSI concept makes sense to me and I was looking to get a balanced interconnect when the Black Friday sale was an option.  I had considered Morrow Audio interconnects previously but wanted a shielded cable for my setup since until recently I used unbalanced interconnects.  I always felt that the MA4 was the minimum level of interest and it was more than I was willing to pay at the time. I opted for an Audioquest Chicago for $100, then moved to Audioquest Sydney for $200, and now the Morrow Audio MA4 for around $200 at the sale price. 
 

The missing piece for me with the Morrow Audio SSI technology is what the actual configuration of the individual wires is.  I’m also skeptical anytime that one design is used for both interconnects and speaker cables as they are very different connections from an electrical perspective.  I don’t think it’s possible for the same configuration to be optimized for both.  Maybe there’s differences with the configuration of the individual wires that can’t be seen. 
 

My experience with break-in wasn’t a clear and obvious as they describe, but they did sound good at first, then I had several experiences where I didn’t find the sound engaging (didn’t sound obviously bad), and now I’m continually impressed. 

moonwatcher

Amen. Brother.

Happy Listening!

i just love it when a poster with grand total of one (1) post - as in, a first ever post - chimes in and gives a glowing, specific, superbly articulated testimonial in support of a subject product taking some fire, with well couched caveats and all... like he/she has been here forever... 🤣😂😆

what do they say in vegas?  if you don't know who is the chump at the card table... then you can be pretty darned sure it's you!!!

...and now, back to your regular programming...

I too don't like the Morrow marketing, but then I don't like the marketing at Audioquest either.....or other companies. I do however LOVE my Morrow cables (MA4 RCA and XLR analog cables, and DIG4 RCA 75OHM cables.

I also have those same cables fom Cullen Cables, DH Labs, Zavfino (analog only), and Supra cables; and the Morrow cable holds it own (or betters in some instances) with them all.

Morrow also offers a trade up policy of 60% off the new cables, no matter what level you trade in (I traded MA2s and DIG3 and received 60% off of the MA4 & DIG4s. To me that is just great customer retention.