What speaker cable for Cornwall III ?

[wvu80]

 

 

I'm the only cable guy around here, well one of the few anyway. A solid copper core cable is always my choice. Audio Quest Type 2 or Type 4 sound very nice. Very affordable. Three bucks a foot.

Minor thread drift;  A question for the Cable Guy. Is solid 2-wire telephone cable any good for speakers?

+++

 

A member of another forum got p.o.'d at the cheap cable he had been getting, so he wrote to all the cable manufacturers in the US and asked for samples.  He said THIS is the best wire he heard.

 

http://www.knukonceptz.com/home-theater/speaker-wire/kord-speaker-wire/

 

Can't say anything about telephone cable, I have not tried it. The gauge seems small though.

 

I was thinking of the "old school" telephone wire, which was solid and quite thick.  The new stuff is stranded and very small.

 

As for your "Kord" wire, that's stranded, not my favorite. Works in some systems but nothing I have sounds good with stranded. At 3 bucks a foot Type 2 is hard to beat. 

 

I think PWK was fond of plain old cord, like from a lamp, but I would guess there are more options now than in the Old Days.  I'll check out the Type 2 stuff, as you suggest.  Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Edit:  I just saw the Type 2.  The phone wire I referenced is one pair instead of 2 pair, not twisted, but it looks very much like the same gauge as the Type 4.   The Knukconeptz also has a twisted 4-wire product, in 10 gauge for about half the price of the Audio Quest Type 2. 

 

http://www.knukonceptz.com/home-theater/speaker-wire/karma-ss-speaker-kable/sp/karma-ss-12-gauge-bi-wire-speaker-wire/

 

I'm not pushing one brand or type over the other, as my experience in such things is extremely limited.

 

Edited August 31, 2014 by wvu80

[The Dude]

image.jpg

Follow he simple instructions from this website & enjoy!!

I agree here is what I am using, it looks nice.  Sound wise I couldn't tell you, but for the cost and fun making them they work great. 

 

http://diyaudioprojects.com/Power/Low-Inductance-DIY-Speaker-Cables/

 

You should be able to get these supplies easily anywhere. 

[jimmytamp]

Hi all,

this is my first Topic. I'm a very happy owner of a couple of Cornwall III. Now I'm looking for a good speaker cable that will be able to drive them in the best way. I know that Cornwall III might be driven by very cheap cables and I'm of quite opened mind to accept a simple and cheap electrician cable.

So, what speaker cable would you suggest me for this fantastic loudspeaker?

Thanks in advance

Bye

Fabio

Congrats on your Cornwall III & welcome ot the forum.

Cheers,

Jimmy

[Coytee]

Welcome.

 

If you decide to use the simple "lamp cord", please be sure to unplug it prior to cutting

 

I bought some 12g low voltage outdoor wire and it's working like a charm at this very moment.

 

Side note:  I at one time, had used some Monster wire, also 12g.  Because the work in the basement went so long, I noticed that the wire had turned green almost throughout the entire run.  The outer covering had turned a bit sticky....  I decided to replace it and cut/pulled/gutted it all out and replaced it.

[hydro_pyro]

I use ProCo 14-gauge round-jacket speaker cable. It's usually used in pro sound PA systems.

Unlike many of the over-hyped brand-name cables, it's actually made in USA.

Sadly, ProCo was bought out by Rapco/Horizon, and now their manufacturing, logistics, and retail order fulfillment is a huge mess, with most of their product now made in Mexico.

[MarioRuoppolo]

Thanks to all, I think to go for a QED ruby anniversary. Does someone have experience with this wire?

more: mono or biwire?

[ChuckAb3]

The guy I bought my CW III's from threw in some Audioquest Type 4 and it's a good match. Actually noticed an improvement over the Monster I'd been using. Blue Jeans cable in the HT (at least in the front speakers and IC's) was also a noticeable upgrade over the Monster I used to have. I'm not a big spender on cable, but some small upgrades have improved my systems. YMMV.

[Deang]

Look closer - PK didn't use "lamp cord", he used zip cord that utilized stranded tin annealed copper wire. The only difference between that, and the Supra I routinely recommend, is that the Supra uses OFHC copper with a much higher strand count. It doesn't oxidize, and like the wire it replaces - well - you guys try it and tell me what you don't hear.

[thebes]

Welcome to the Forum Mario. You'll like it here.

 

Please think of speaker wire as a simple connector between two pieces.  That's what you want. Something that deliberately changes the signal , like most fancy wire, defeats the purpose of having good speakers and a good source and a good preamp, amp or integrated.

 

Also think of the hundreds of feet of other wire contained within things like speakers themselves, transformers etc. and it becomes plain silly to think that a very few feet of wire is what you need to make you system sound better.  It can't and it won't. It may change the sound, but that's not the purpose or reason for cables.

 

Monopirce offers good quality copper speaker wire at a very reasonable price.  I do believe they ship worldwide.

 

Save your money for things that will improve the sound, not simply change it.

Edited September 1, 2014 by thebes

[russ69]

Save your money for things that will improve the sound, not simply change it.

Thebes, Every change you make to your system changes the sound. It's up to the listener to determine if the change was for the better or not. We are not listening to measurements and if you are, you are on a fools journey. For most people here standard stranded zip cord (say that fast three times) is their reference standard, it's just not my reference standard, nor the choice of many audiophiles.

[wvu80]

Look closer - PK didn't use "lamp cord", he used zip cord that utilized stranded tin annealed copper wire. The only difference between that, and the Supra I routinely recommend, is that the Supra uses OFHC copper with a much higher strand count. It doesn't oxidize, and like the wire it replaces - well - you guys try it and tell me what you don't hear.

 

Dean, I believe you.  The posts I read were what somebody SAID PK had said, so it's no wonder I didn't interpret an anecdotal story correctly.  And I did ask what "zip chord" was, I didn't know.  I was told that it was like lamp wire.  I sure don't know the difference.

 

Consider my perspective; I've never tried and tested every cable out there, and as you know there are a lot of claims being made.  I do my research, but I almost always come back to taking recommendations from people I have learned to trust as expert, or least very knowledgeable.

 

Dean, a perfect example is the Supra 1 you referenced.  The first thing I did was Google it, to learn more.  Just about the first post I read was from somebody raving about how much better the sound was, ONCE THE CABLE WAS BURNED IN.

http://www.stereophile.com/content/supra-ply-34s-speaker-cables-1

 

I've got my common sense, but there is so much mis-information out there.

Edited September 2, 2014 by wvu80

[derrickdj1]

Welcome to the forum Mario.  The main point that a lot of the guys are making is don't spend an excessive amount of money on the wire.  I have used cheap and expensive and can't hear a major difference.  Good setup, amp match, room correction and room treatments will change the sound more than a wire.

[Deang]

There is a lot to agree with in Marty's. (Thebes') post, and I relate to Russ as well.

Read my rant on capacitors in the Technical Section, where I basically say you have to learn how to eat the meat and spit out the bones when it comes to this stuff. Ridiculous claims from The marketing folks and over the top reviews that don't make any sense can, and should be tossed out. You could still be left with a good product, so you find a cut sheet on the product with the simple specifications and you try to apply some common sense.

I use the Supra Classic 1.6. It's a little over a buck a foot and I use it for everything. It's the closet thing I could find to the original wire used by the factory before they went to Monster Cable, which is now off-gassing and turning the wire into something that looks like it needs to be called into the EPA.

http://www.madisoundspeakerstore.com/speaker-wire/supra-classic-1.6/bulk-cable-per-foot-15-awg/

[Deang]

Wire that many use on the left. What PK used is in the middle. What I use is on the right.

Why did PWK choose things like tin annealed copper for his wire, request that his coils and autotransformers be packed with wax, and prefer low ESR oil filled capacitors (of course, one has to wonder what constituted "low ESR" in the 50s and 60s). Anyways, what I think is funny is that what were once clearly engineering preferences by one of the greatest engineers this discipline has ever known - are now considered audio foolery by all of the geniuses.

Edited September 2, 2014 by DeanG

[Taz]

For my use I like #14 or #12 for my speaker runs,  I'm sure #16 would work, but just prefer not to use it.  In a pinch I would have no problem with  #16  The wires in my Fisher 400 are pretty small compared to my speaker wires, but they only make very short runs inside the cabinet.

 

Go buy some lamp cord.  Us that and if you think you are missing out,  Go get some more lamp cord and run 2 cables (4 wires) to each speaker.  thebes is really quite smart with this stuff, but he enjoys playing the Court Jester.

[minermark]

Do it once, do it right,  http://www.knukonceptz.com/mobile-audio/speaker-wire/kord-speaker-wire/sp/kord-ultra-flex-10-gauge-speaker-wire/

[twistedcrankcammer]

Iv been using a test set of wires that the negative is smaller gauge than the positive wire.

 

Anyhow...grab what you have! then if your not happy grab a spool of non corrosive wire and double them up...As posted skys the limit...heck them for $44k are cheapos if you look around...many of the hi $ cable actually take some weeks or more to receive ..the hardware store can get them cw's up and going today. good luck on your hunt!

 

Just make sure both sides of wires are the same. And if long term they don't oxidize

 

 

Hey Beeker!

 

Hope you realize that electrons flow from the negative post to the positive post!

 

Roger

[colterphoto1]

I prefer to use wire, the electrons really don't care. Good quality copper, I get mine from Parts Express or Lowes hardware store. 16 ga if you're going much distance at all within the house. That's it. Save your money for CD's and beer. 

[colterphoto1]

The guy I bought my CW III's from threw in some Audioquest Type 4 and it's a good match. Actually noticed an improvement over the Monster I'd been using. Blue Jeans cable in the HT (at least in the front speakers and IC's) was also a noticeable upgrade over the Monster I used to have. I'm not a big spender on cable, but some small upgrades have improved my systems. YMMV.

I want some of what Chuck has been smoking. Those CO folks have it soooo good... 

[colterphoto1]

I prefer to use wire, the electrons really don't care. Good quality copper, I get mine from Parts Express or Lowes hardware store. 16 ga if you're going much distance at all within the house. That's it. Save your money for CD's and beer. I"ll agree with Dean that the 18 ga tinned copper found inside older Heritage models seems to do the job just fine, not a bit of it ever shows corrosion. I've bought some pretty esoteric 'oxygen free' copper in the past and now it's as green and crusty as an old statue left outside for the pigeons to poop on.