HOW TO CHOOSE A SPEAKER CABLE?


In general, the higher the level of purity of the wire, the greater the cost. Oxygen-free copper wire can be very costly. Whether this actually brings any audible benefit is up to the individual to decide.

 

 

paulherry

@bigtwin

This blurb is the mantra of Alan Shaw as a design engineer that was taken from his post in the HARBETH forum. I’m no engineer so I suggest you go ask him to explain .

he never said that thin round or thin ribbon ribbon speaker did not work, but rather that a bigger mass cable is a better approach IN HIS OPINION .

(1);FWIW, I also ran flat ribbon shotgunned NORDOST FREY’s in my prior array too. that 4x4 configuration was doubled up into a doubled up 2x2 configuration with matched jumpers instead of 2x4 biwires. So all I can report is that this “bigger / more / cumulative thicker “shotgunned” diameter cable configuration did sound better in my system than biwires. Go figger. Maybe he has a valid point .

(2) Dr Bews of LFD design fame has a parallel point of view. Here is his take on the LFD HYBRID SPEAKER CABLE model that has a thinner and a thicker speaker cable configuration.

https://generubinaudio.com/shop/ols/products/lfd-hybrid-speaker-cable-pair

” …. From Dr. Bews the maker of the fine LFD amplifiers comes this novel and superior speaker wire.

This cable uses PC-OCC multi strand and LC-OFC ribbon that is relatively expensive and labor cost is high (it’s a pain to make), but it’s the only way the makers have found to make a really good sounding single wired speaker cable.
LFD have been trying to manufacture this super single wired speaker cable from copper for nearly 10 years. The LC-OFC ribbon gives the very good bass and the PC-OCC multi strand gives a nice mid-band/top, either cable made as a single wired speaker cable have issues at the top end or the bass.
It might be a mad idea, but it works!..”

REVIEW:

"This wire will make your LFD amp sing! Works well with every amp I have tried it with!"--Gene Rubin

I’ve since upgraded to comparatively “fatter” CARDAS CLEAR REFLECTION that are better in MY SYSTEM than the prior NORDOST FREYs . Of course it is all system dependent, full stop…there is no definitive “best” in this hobby.

In my humble opinion after 40yrs at this hobby, choose the shortest Speaker cable you can get away with. Inch per inch, speaker cable usually contribute more to the sound quality/signature than interconnect. And with high quality Balance IC, the difference will even be more pronounced.

Cables are so system and listener dependent, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to make specific recommendations. However, if the best cable is no cables at all, just try the shortest possible.

+1 @mosler666 . Good post!

I would add that having a short cable is especially important for tube amps, which typically have higher output impedance and whose frequency response is more likely to vary from flat when presented a reactive load (i.e., all loudspeakers and to a lesser degree, cables).

In my opinion even tho metal purity is important (as confirmed by recabling the 15 inch of wire between my midrange/tweeter passive crossover with Neotech UP-OCC wire) in the grand scheme of things, geometry, choice of dielectric, choice of solid core / multi strand etc will have a huge impact as well. What matters is the final result. I use Chinese cables, whose metal purity is impossible to know for sure, but the geometry and decision to use multiple individual solid core wires, individually isolated, make those the very best speaker (and interconnect) cables I’ve ever tried and / or owned.

I’d also say that "thicker is better" is very far from being the truth, depending on your loudspeakers, the opposite can often be true. I believe thin solid core wires give more resolution, details and dynamics than a thick multi strand wire, no matter how pure the metal is. YMMV, as always, but in the context of my system it definitely is the case.