Piranha Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 ---------------- On 2/23/2004 3:41:16 PM Georg Friedrich Handel wrote: Thanks Piranha, I just purchased 15' of his blue braided 10 gauge orion cable, came out to $14.50 shipped for the pair. How do you guys install your connectors? Do you screw the banana connectors on or do you solder them?---------------- For that price you can nearly afford to toss it in the trash if it doesn't work for you. Or you can always sell it to your bro. I solder on spade connectors since there are screw type taps on both my Cornwalls and my amp (272). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipsch RF7 Posted February 23, 2004 Author Share Posted February 23, 2004 ---------------- On 2/23/2004 5:29:47 PM Piranha wrote: I solder on spade connectors since there are screw type taps on both my Cornwalls and my amp (272). ---------------- oh ok, I might just pick up some spade connectors and use some plyers and clamp them down on the cable and on the other end just screw the banana connector down on the bare copper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 If I had the time and skill to braid some DIYs cables I would but in the mean time I have had great results from the following cables (in different situations each sounded great) from cheapest to most expensive; AudioQuest Type-4, DH labs Silver Sonic T-14, Van Den Hul D-352 Hybrid, Synergistic Research Alpha Quad Active Shield. Each has found a place to live. the AQs in my home theatre, the DH labs in my beach house system, the VHs in my bedroom and the Synergistics in my main system. All sounded better than my monster cables (which now are used in surround duty and in my daughter´s room) in each system. It took a while to find out which sounded best in each system but I am now very happy with speaker cables, no more upgrading planned in the future. By far the best bang for the buck in the group came from the AudioQuest type-4s (and the DH labs came close too)...worth a listen if you do not want make your own. regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just1n20 Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 DeanG, is this something you were asking everyone to answer about different cables? http://www.audioholics.com/techtips/audioprinciples/interconnects/SpeakerCableFaceoff.htm i never had looked at cables the way they were in this article, granted the cables there aren't high-end, but its interesting to read these tests. this is why i've looked into cables more then i did before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 The original Monster Cable is some of the Worst stuff I know of. I would rather make a concoction out of RAdio Shack Solid Core than use the original style monster. This cable was the king of oxidation! When Estoteric came out with their own version of Monster Cable in the 80s, they were smart enough to put it in dark tinted covering, so the poor sap using it would not notice the GREEN wire he was now using after a year or two. Depending on the humidity in your area, this stuff went south without a long wait. Actually, the same problem happened with the early AudioQuest F-14, actually a very smooth, nice sounding wire that was relatively inexpensive. Sam Tellig and Robert Harley went nuts over this and many bought it. It actually sounded fine until you realized that it was oxidizing faster than you could say "Whar's the sauce?" Still, I actually preferred the lowly F-14 to the Type 4. I thought it sounded more defined although the Type 4 had more bass. I thought the bass was not as natural and the highs more grainy compared to the bone simple F-14. People just had a hard time believing in this wire since it was VERY thin and flat (not to mention EXTREMELY STIFF). kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 I'm definitely looking forward to their "Speaker Cable Face-Off II" Doing a total of 6 wires by a mere 4 companies is hardly what I'd call a "face-off"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 Wow, 2 full pages and everybody is still civil! I have been called names before in threads on this subject. But I gotta hand to you guys, nicely done, and things learned. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just1n20 Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 griffinator, i wasnt saying that everyone should go to cobaltcable.com and go nuts over their speaker cable.. im pointing out one form of testing on cables for inductance and stuff. i do recall saying it is not high-end stuff and i was pointing out the article only for the tests and monster cable results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.4knee Posted February 24, 2004 Share Posted February 24, 2004 I use Monster Cable. Its not the most expensive they sell I could not tell you what its specific Monster Cable name is. I do know this, your 12 gauge with the proper terminations comment is accurate. Anything else is a waste of money. I used to have a site book marked that disclosed the 12 major lies quoted about speaker wire. If I can find the URL I will post it. Look at the internal wiring used for your speakers. If you match that you are good to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Has anyone checked out www.mapleshaderecords.com . I am just wondering i got a catalog from them a day or two ago do not know how they got my name but they have some interesting wire. And not to mention some killer maple stands and tube anchors that i wonder would work for my guitar amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neo33 Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 I have been using 14 gauge solid core cables from Radio Shack on all of my speakers for years. They work fine for me but what do I know about speaker cables anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggy Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Well I happen to use Conalt Speaker Cable and am quite happy with it. I had been using the original Monster cable but over time it oxidised and needed replaceing. I just took a chance on Cobalt Cables while web browseing. hoggy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxg Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 Well I have played with cables a fair bit and am with Sunnysal on the Van Den Hul D-352 Hybrid which is my current cable of choice. These actually replaced the Synergistic Research silver cables I used to use as I find they smooth out the top end and fill in the bass rather better. I am not one that subscribes to the more the cost is, better cable theory either. I happen to be of the opinion that the way cables match into your system is not a function of how good a cable it is persay, but rather, merely a matter of synergy. Some cables fit will fit into your environment better than others but that does not mean they are ultimately better cables. In other words I do not believe that the VDH's are better cables than the Synergistics they replaced - merely that they are a better fit in my environment. I confirmed this to my own satisfaction recently when I tried both sets of cables on a friend's B&W CDM1's connected to an old Akai amp. The Synergistics were far better than the VDH's in that environment. One further point - brought up originally by Kelly I think - oxidation. As I understand it, silver oxide is a rather better conductor of electricity than copper oxide. This fact, in addition to the fact that silver does oxidize more slowly than copper has made silver my conductor of choice. YMMV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnalOg Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 I use Nordost brand cables and wire in my system, being all tube setup, the lean and fast response characteristics of Nordost combined with tubes is a match made in heaven to my ears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowooo Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 I too received that catalog from Mapleshade. They have some real nice equipment that's for sure. Some of there stands are downright gorgeous! I don't know how I got on there list either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheelman Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 ---------------- On 2/25/2004 12:58:34 PM rowooo wrote: I too received that catalog from Mapleshade. They have some real nice equipment that's for sure. Some of there stands are downright gorgeous! I don't know how I got on there list either. ---------------- Yeah they have a very interesting concept about how small bookshelf speakers sound best down near the floor and tilted up. I actually did this years ago with polk audio speaker and watched a war movie i think it was three kings. I was in complete awe of the sound. I still don't believe what i heard and how huge the sound was even compared to towers. Now i know i wasn't having a flash back or anything crazy. Talk about a soundstage. I just did it for a movie i didn't listen to any music because one of the speakers was malfunctioning. And it still sounded really good. Have to hear it to believe it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 ---------------- On 2/24/2004 11:15:34 PM Just1n20 wrote: griffinator, i wasnt saying that everyone should go to cobaltcable.com and go nuts over their speaker cable.. im pointing out one form of testing on cables for inductance and stuff. i do recall saying it is not high-end stuff and i was pointing out the article only for the tests and monster cable results. ---------------- I'm not dissing Cobalt. I'm just saying that I thought it was rather stupid of them to review 2 products by each of 2 manufacturers when they were only doing a total of 6 cables. How 'bout some variety, guys?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griffinator Posted February 25, 2004 Share Posted February 25, 2004 ---------------- On 2/25/2004 5:39:55 AM maxg wrote: Well I have played with cables a fair bit and am with Sunnysal on the Van Den Hul D-352 Hybrid which is my current cable of choice. These actually replaced the Synergistic Research silver cables I used to use as I find they smooth out the top end and fill in the bass rather better. ---------------- That, my friend, is a simple product of silver wire. Silver is a terrible conductor for audio signals. Why? Sure, it has slightly lower resistance than copper, but it has a much higher self-inductance, which means it will exhibit a much more audible skin effect than copper - which is why people say silver cables sound "shiny" - the phase shift they produce in the upper audio bands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted February 26, 2004 Share Posted February 26, 2004 Sorry, but I can't sit by when somebody's bad-mouthin' the SILVER! Silver is simply a better conductor of current for its diameter than copper or other alloys. It's major drawback is rapid oxidation (and high price). Also, electricity is tranmitted in all conductors via the "skin effect" rather than moving though the core or center of a conductor where resistance is higher. That is why multiple strands are used rather than a single solid piece of wire... DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proko03 Posted March 5, 2004 Share Posted March 5, 2004 Do you know of anyone who makes the famous Belden speaker cables? I'm a musician, know how to tune a viola, but don't trust myself to make the cables properly. proko03@aol.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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