Morrow and Signal Cable comparisons

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by stay crunchy, Jan 12, 2017.

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  1. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Howdy folks, I hope everyone is doing well. Could use some opinions from those who have used BOTH Morrow and Signal Cables. I know both companies have a strong following here and have a reputation for providing quality products at reasonable prices. I'm interested in recabling my system (phono cable, IC for preamp to amp, and speaker cables) and am curious as to if anyone has used or listened to both cables and chose/preferred one company's products over the other's.

    For Signal Cable, I am looking at his Ultra line of products; for Morrow I would be choosing between the 2, 3, and 4 levels. My main concern with Morrow is the silver coated copper used. I use a Clear Day Audio IC with is solid silver, and although it is completely clear and wide open, it seems to accentuate the brightness in my listening room (I'm already using room treatments) and my listening sources (a lot of poorly recorded 80s Metal, Rock, etc.).:cry:

    Besides the Clear Day IC from my preamp to amp (Conrad Johnson PV7 to McCormack DNA .5), I'm using the phono cables that came with my Project Debut Carbon DC TT, and Cardas 101 speaker cables to my restored KEF 104/2s.

    As always, thanks in advance for sharing any advice, experieneces, or guidance. Lots of love!
     
  2. krlpuretone

    krlpuretone Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grantham, NH
    Not a big fan of silver or silver-clad ICs here - they tend to sound a bit shrill to me and throw off the balance.

    I have a customer who experimented with Morrow ICs but not sure which level - he ended up swapping them out.
     
    russk likes this.
  3. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Yes, the Morrow cables are silver-clad copper; the Signal's (Ultras) are copper only.
     
  4. DigMyGroove

    DigMyGroove Forum Resident

    I own Signal Cable Silver Resolution Phono, RCA, and digital coaxial cables and have been very happy with the sound. The only place the SR IC didn't seem to work well was from my DAC to the amp, there it sounded too clinical.

    A couple of months ago I bought a pair of Morrow MA2 IC here on the Forum for only $50, a very big savings off their $159 reatail price, so for me an acceptable price point wuth which to give them a try.

    I used them to connect my Pioneer DV 79 avi multi disc player to an Arcam Solo Music receiver, the disc I played to initially compare was the DCC CD of the Cars S/T first album. Using the Signal Cable SR the disc sounded quite good, but when I swspped out for the Morrow MA2 I instantly heard the difference, the Morrow was letting me hear much more of the music, the layering of instruments and overall detail was easily discerned with the Morrow MA2 compared to the SC SR which mashed it all up together (relatively speaking).

    While happy to learn the Morrow was worth my money, I was disappointed to know that eventually I will spend yet more money, and upgrade other ICs in my systems (It never ends does it?). Thankfully there are always lots of used cables out there with which to save money.

    Another cable maker that offers quality silver/ copper hybrid wire at an economical price point is BetterCables.com.

    Better Cables | Audio cables - XLR, RCA, Guitar, Speaker Wire & Home Theater Cables »

    I own a pair of their Silver Serpent IC and just bought a stereo mini SS for my desktop that they had on close out for $25. A huge improvement over the Audioquest Evergreen I had been using there. I use the SS to connect an Onkyo C-7030 CD player to a Pioneer SX-850 in my bedroom system.
     
  5. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Hey, thanks for your insight! And, no, the upgrades never end!!! This hobby has quickly turned me into a crackhead, always wanting more! I'm glad to hear that you found a noticable improvement by using different cables, and got it at a great price.

    I emailed Frank at Signal and he recommended using the Analog 2 as a phono instead of the Silver Resolution, since brightness was a concern for me. I also emailed Mike at Morrow and he said that folks generally don't find his cables bright, even being silver-clad. I will definitely give the Better Cables a look. Thanks!
     
    brad1138, DigMyGroove and Joe Spivey like this.
  6. RnRmf

    RnRmf Senior Member

    Location:
    Orlando, FL and NJ
    I've owned the Signal "Silver Resolution" and Morrow cables on the 3, 4, 5, and 6 level.
    The Morrow outperformed the Signal in every single capacity, and at every level. The Signal cables were brighter with little bass. I disliked them.

    I've also owned Better Cables, and the Silver Serpent Anniversary interconnects would be my choice over Signal cables. I think the Silver Serpent Anniversary cables are superb for the money and in a modestly priced system, an easy choice. They are warm, and good all around cables in 3 systems I've used them in.
    Plus they sell on Amazon, so returns are easy if you don't like them.

    Once you're in Morrow price territory, and his cables do get better as you go up the line, there are lots of other brand possibilities to consider. Morrow cables aren't bright. They are balanced sounding in every range. You just get shades of additional weight and saturation as you move up the line.
     
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  7. Thouston

    Thouston Forum Resident

    Location:
    Mattoon, IL
    Although I have never heard Signal Cable I own Morrow MA3's and really like them. The break-in for Morrow is extremely long (150 Hours). Anyone that doesn't believe in cable break-in should try a pair of Morrow's. I could actually hear the cable changing as it played. After break-in they sound fantastic.
     
    macster, GP, Catcher10 and 1 other person like this.
  8. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Such as?
     
  9. TheVU

    TheVU Forum Resident

    WAIT!!!! You might solve your bright issue with one simple move!

    Rip the phono cable out of your Pro-ject. It us the cheapest excuse for a cable. After swapping mine out, the difference was huge! I cut the cable up for a different forum to show the construction. It was the thinnest and flimsiest copper strings wrapped in extra gum wrappers. I'll try to find the pictures.

    Try using anything else before judging silver too quickly. I love my DH labs Bl-1 in its place. I've also tried probably 8-9 different cables, those were always my favorite.
     
    stay crunchy likes this.
  10. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    That's the comparison I was hoping someone had done! Thank you! So you feel the Morrow's were that much better than the Signal's in your system?

    Looks like another recommendation fo the Better Cables. Glad to hear that you don't find the Morrow's bright. Thanks again.
     
  11. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    I've read the same thing about the long break-in period. I wonder what causes this? Is it the material of the cables or their geometry? Either way, glad to hear you're enjoying them.
     
    Thouston likes this.
  12. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Ha! I tried that, too!!! It actually gets more "hum" or picks up some other noice with the Project cable, then with some $2 RCA cables. But the cheap RCA cables sound rather dull in comparison to the Project. So, it's kind of a trade off at this point. I agree, the Project cables don't instill a lot of confidence.

    I don't think silver is bad, but I think adding it to my already bright room and my poorly recorded (hotly mastered) trebly-sounded Metal albums, doesn't help much either. I'm glad you found one that you like!
     
  13. TheVU

    TheVU Forum Resident

    I just encountered a similar problem using a different interconnect with my Pro-ject table. It introduced a ground hum. You would need a shielded cable.
     
    stay crunchy likes this.
  14. russk

    russk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
    I've heard the Morrow 2s and used to use Signal Cables a few years back. And recently went through some Audioquest and Wireworld interconnects. The best interconnect I've found is the Belden 8402. It's a shielded cable and it's brilliant. Tons of warmth and detail and dead quiet in every application I've used them in. It's also ridiculously inexpensive compared to the cables you're comparing.
     
    LH5 likes this.
  15. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Thanks, I'll check out the Belden, too.
     
  16. I put together my first component audio system in 1969, so you can imagine the number of different cables I've used and I wish I could remember them all, but I don't. I'll skip ahead a few decades and say that my first experience (that I can recall) with silver-coated copper and silver was a mixed bag. I much preferred silver-coated copper as I could hear great detail without the harshness or shrill of pure silver. It's been my goto type of cable ever since and I ended up buying a complete set (speaker cable, IC and PC) of Valab/King cables from a custom cable manufacturer in Taiwan. Let's skip ahead again.......

    A few months ago I got the urge to consider a cable change. I'm sure you know of that urge being an audiophile. I decided to start with a phono cable and I purchased the Morrow PH5 Reference phono cables. They did not come with a ground wire, but since I have several silver Litz ground wires that wasn't an issue. The cables are fully broken in now and I'm very pleased with them. I have noticed a significant improvement in detail and accuracy of instrument identification. Prior to the change it was more difficult to identify multiple instruments. The Morrow PH5's separate each instrument for greater clarity. I am very sensitive to upper end frequencies and the sometimes harsh presentation it provides to my hearing. I get none of that with the Morrow PH5's. I am so impressed with them that I'll likely upgrade to their PH6 phono cables and order IC's for my H/K multi-disc player (CD/DVD/SACD) as well. I'll address my speaker cabling and power cords after that.

    So while I can't offer you a comparison to Morrow and Signal Cable, I can say I have found a cable that meets my needs.

    BTW: I use Mogami cables on my PC setup.....inexpensive, but excellent value.
     
    Abbagold and stay crunchy like this.
  17. Catcher10

    Catcher10 I like records, and Prog...duh

    One thing about MA cables is they require a decent amount of breakin time, I have all MA cables in my system, except for spkr cables. If you buy them new from MA and without his breakin service, expect about 150 hours before they full bloom.
    At first they sound good, then very bad, then after 150 or so hours they return to sounding very good, you have to be patient. I don't think they sound bright either.
    I started with the Morrow PH3 phono cable, very much improved over the supplied cables on my Music Hall mmf-7.1 (as Johnny Vinyl states), I made the jump to their Grand Reference PH6 and that was huge! I also had the MA3 from phono amp to integrated, then made the jump to the Grand Reference MA6...My analog end has never sounded better. Also keep an eye out for deals with MA, especially his trade up offers......Keep in mind also that MA phono cables are a high capacitance, although I have never experienced any high frequency rolloff, Mike is very good at explaining this to you if you ask him, he is very good to work with.

    Have fun
     
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  18. MikeK

    MikeK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Minneapolis
    MA cables require break-in, but it's easy enough to do at home. Just hook them up to your cd play or streaming device and let it run for a couple of days. That will definitely speed up the process and they even recommend doing that.
     
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  19. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Thanks for sharing your experience with the Morrow phono cable, sounds pretty awesome. I could definitely appreciate clearer instrument separation. I'm also glad to hear that you didn't find them harsh and that they compliment your system.

    Also, I didn't know Mogami made cables for stereo systems, etc., I've only seen them used or marketed for guitars and musicians.
     
  20. As I indicated I'm very pleased with them and that's with their standard connectors. Mike offers WBT connectors and that's what I'll probably go with next time since my IA and speakers have them. It'll up the price, but since I'll have them for a long time it'll be worth it IMO.

    I don't know where you can order Mogami in the U.S., but I bought mine from TakeFiveAudio in Ontario. They offer FREE shipping to the US.
     
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  21. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Thanks Johnny, I'm not sure what WBT connectors are! Ha! I'm still a newb...learning all the time. :righton: Do you ever see yourself using all Morrow cables, keeping it in the family? Or is mixing and matching cable brands the secret to the sauce? Just curious!
     
    Johnny Vinyl likes this.
  22. russk

    russk Forum Resident

    Location:
    Syracuse NY
    Mogami makes excellent cable. Redco.com sells there cable terminated for much less than TakeFive. Though for some reason it is hard to find Mogami with really good terminations. Personally if you can do it I think bare wire is the best way to go.
     
    Johnny Vinyl likes this.
  23. Personally I'm a believer in using the same brand throughout and that is my plan.
     
    stay crunchy likes this.
  24. Standingstones

    Standingstones Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Central PA
    WBT is a company associated with manufacturing quality, high end connectors.
     
  25. stay crunchy

    stay crunchy Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    Austin-area, Texas
    Thanks!
     
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