Those of you who own these speakers - are you using the jumpers that came with them? Also, does anyone know what material they use? Mine are definitely not gold plated. They have a shiny, chrome surface.
The jumpers on my CM10S2’s are also shiny chrome and not gold. I am still using them and have not yet tried alternate jumpers. I will probably try short cable jumpers at some point just to see if there is a difference but I’m not unhappy with the way they sound now so it hasn’t been a priority for me.
Good point! I wasn't considering this because there was a problem, I'm just always after sound improvements. And the metal jumpers was something I previously overlooked. The company that makes my speaker wires (Nordost) makes jumpers, but only one kind. And they cost almost as much as my speaker wires did!
I guess I’m what you could call a “recovering audiophile”. In the past, I probably would have changed out those jumpers within a few days of purchasing the speakers. I eventually drove myself crazy chasing tiny improvements through upgrades and tweaks. I discovered I wasn’t enjoying the music anymore and was obsessing over the minutiae of sound improvements. I was never satisfied. A major home remodel which forced me to pack up all of my gear for several years and only listen to a 40 year old Yamaha and bookshelf speakers was what it took to break the cycle. I dumped all of the high priced stuff and replaced it with non-obsession inducing gear. It won’t impress anyone but it’s fun and it makes me enjoy the music and forget the gear. The fact that those factory jumpers are still there is proof that my “therapy” seems to be working! I do still tinker but its just for fun and no longer an obsession. And, those jumpers which cost as much as 50 feet of my Belden 12 gauge speaker cables also help keep me from going down that road! That said, you’ve now piqued my curiosity so I’ll probably get myself a couple of feet of the Belden wire I use as speaker cable and just try bypassing those chrome jumper strips.
Man, I hear ya. For a few years now, I have tried new CD and SACD players, obsessed over reviews, specs - it really diminishes my enjoyment of the music. Each time I have compared, I either concluded that I like mine more (for a variety of reasons) or the amount of improvement was too small to warrant keeping the new one. The good part is I now have a greater appreciation for my CD player and have pretty much stopped looking for a new one. Let me know your findings?
Was just reading about this: Upper vs lower binding posts on multi-way speakers Previously, I had both of the speaker wires connected to the bottom (low) terminals. I just switched them so the red wire is connected to the red terminal on the top/high, and the black wire is (still) connected to the black terminal on the bottom/low. I didn't like the effect, so I then tried connecting the red wire to the red terminal on the bottom and the black wire to the black terminal on the top. Immediately, it was better. Not sure if it is better than my original connection, but will compare over the weekend. Also found this old post on this topic: Bi-Wire, Not Only An Advantage This discussion on another forum: https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1016 And this experiment: Diagonal Wiring Experiments With The SDA SRS 1.2TL
I just read that the above is the diagonal connection that Nordost recommends and it is also the diagonal connection found to be the best by the person who did this experiment:
OK, I did some comparisons: 1. Red speaker wire to red hi freq terminals, black wire to black low freq terminals - I didn't like this at all. Just sounded weird. 2. Red speaker wire to low freq terminal, black to black high freq terminal - Better than above, tonality was a bit shifted upward, with more treble and mid than when I had both wires on the low frequency. This was nice on recordings that had plenty of bass, but stuff that was a bit bright before now was too bright. 3. Both speaker wires connected to low freq terminals - Nice warm sound, plenty of bass, no harsh treble. Granted, this is how I have heard my speakers for about a year now, but even my girlfriend agreed that CDs I have that are a bit bright were too bright when using 2 above. By the way, I have a question - now that I have the plastic caps off of the 4 HF plugs and at least for now I am not going to use the banana plugs they were in, do the caps need to be replaced? Or is it fine to just leave them uncovered, with no banana plug in them?
As an experiment, I replaced the metal jumpers on my 704 S2s with 14 gauge stranded copper wire. I was able to get the wire short, just 2.5" long. Unfortunately, I won't be able to compare more tonight, but what little I heard today sounded good. The mids and highs seem smoother and less harsh.
Well, after swapping out my jumpers for some cheap 14 AWG stranded wire and seeing an improvement, I decided to go all the way and ordered the Norse 2 Nordost Jumpers from Music Direct. (My speaker wire is also from Nordost) They are scheduled to arrive Wednesday!
Tomorrow I will reach 100 hours on these new Norse 2 Nordost jumpers. Will post more on the improvement in sound then, but suffice to say, there is already a huge improvement in sound over the stock metal bars.
Best Buy reviews - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/review...ay-floorstanding-speaker-each-rosenut/6023604
At about 120 hours, these jumpers sound great! As the Nordost salesman discussed with me prior to me buying them, they do an impressive job of practically eliminate any harshness in the mids and highs. This doesn't mean that they sound dull, just that when I turn it up, I don't get that harsh glare that I used to get. I also get more clarity and detail now, a more balanced tonality and an overall more cohesive sound. I was certainly skeptical before buying these, but after trying them out in my system for less than a week, I am sold! I recommend that anyone who has these speakers give some good jumpers a try. Those metal jumpers don't do them justice. Today I compared the Highway 61 DCC Japan and USA masterings. These are very similar masterings, with the USA having a 1/2 dB boost at 10k. Previously, these masterings were very similar. Now I hear clearer differences and while I previously preferred the USA, I now prefer the Japan. To be clear, stuff that was bright before is still bright, but now it is just bright, not bright and harsh. And darker mastering sound a lot better than before, with more detail in the mids and highs. And finally, I want to be clear that although these jumpers are silver coated copper, they do not add any additional brightness. In fact, they are less bright/smoother than the nickel plated jumpers that come with them.
I have a pair of B&W CM8 speakers which are the much older predecessor to the 704 S2 and I've discovered through experimentation that they benefit from lots of power and bi-amping (not bi-wiring). I originally powered them with an Integra 80W/channel amp bi-wired and they sounded mediocre (amp was only 6 ohm rated). I upgraded to an Emotiva 110W/channel at 8 ohms (4 ohm rated) and noticed that the speakers became substantially less strained (still bi-wired). I added another Emotiva 110W/channel amp and bi-amped (not bi-wired) them and the bass tightened up, mids became more detailed, highs became less harsh. I then upgraded to an Emotiva 300W/channel bi-amped setup and they really started to finally sing. I unfortunately made that very last upgrade in preparation for my current B&W 804 D3 speakers, but my point is that I wish I had understood how much the B&W CM8 (and I'm sure newer 704 S2) would benefit from the 300W bi-amped that I originally would have thought was complete overkill. If I had known and experienced this first hand then I would have added more power and bi-amped much sooner.
What are 704 S2 owners using under their speakers? The included spikes, the included rubber feet? Anyone using Herbie's Audio Lab gliders under their spikes?
Mine are set up with the rubber feet (using the plinth). I've got them on a concrete floor (lino covered).
Now in contrast, I've got some original series 703s upstairs on a wooden (suspended) floor. I use spikes on Linn Skeets to protect the floor.
