Ordering my first Blue Jeans Cables - help :D

Hey everyone, so I've done a lot of searching and reading other threads but I just wanted to confirm my specs before I put an order in.

I need RCA and speaker cables. I have a Regal Planar 6 going into a MoFi ultraphono into a Yamaha RX-V573 (yes, I know - this is temporary. It was free!) feeding KEF Q550's.

For RCA, I'm going with their LC-1. And I need to keep this under 2 feet, correct? Is there an optimal length? The stand that the gear will sit on will likely have the Phono and Turntable on separate levels. Should I meet in the middle at 18 inches?

Speaker cables, I really don't know - do I go with Belden 5000 or Canare 4S11? And I'm good with keeping these around 15 feet, right? We have a small studio apartment now, rectangular, so the runs will be about 6 feet between the speakers and where the amp will be located. I listen to heavy post-rock music mostly, bands like Mogwai, Isis, Explosions in the Sky.

Tell me what to buy! I'm going with BJC because I like their turnaround time and will invest in better cables once we save some more money. Audiophile gear is expensive!

 

You're talking about an RCA interconnect between the phono preamp and the AV receiver? If so, it doesn't really matter all that much what the length is, especially not with a very low capacitance cable like the LC-1. No need to keep that cable to two feet or less. The connection between the turntable and the phono preamp should be short and/or low cap. But with the Rega table you have a captive cable, right?

 

Ahhhh maybe this is what I thought! I actually just got the table, and haven't opened the box yet haha. I do believe, however, that Rega has cables connected to the table that I can't separate.

 

^This for the phono cable.

For the speaker cable, first check your connections on the backs of the speakers and your amp. A lot of people like the spade type connectors nowadays but they aren't compatible with every amp. Check yours.

For the length, measure. You need to consider the distance from the amp, but also how far you *might* want to pull the speakers out if you decide to pull them out into the room and experiment with positioning. So extra length is good but depending on your situation, too much length could be overkill.

I use the 10 foot Canare 4s11 now and they work well. I had another BJC set and they were fine too. The only reason I changed types was because my stereo arrangement was changing and I needed a longer set of speaker cables.

 

Yeah my amp takes banana plugs and I think also spades, the have these weird things that kind of screw but also have an inner port for a banana plug.

Is there any reason why I would choose the Canare 4S11 over the Belden? I like the 10 gauge but i've heard it's quite stiff and i'm not sure how much angular play i'll have with the room space

 

I didn't have a problem with the Belden/BJC Ten White when I used that wire. Maybe it is a little stiff, but no big deal. When I needed longer cabling, I just decided to try the Canare to try something different. Supposedly it has better EMI rejection or whatever. If I told you there was a difference in sound between the two types of speaker cables I would be lying.

 

The Taversoe RCA connectors on the LC-1s are loooooong. With an AV receiver also longish, just be sure you have the trunk space for it all.

 

A great big thumbs up for Canare 4s11 speaker cables (and 15' is ok). I have thousands of dollars invested in cables and I went with the Canare for my speakers. They present music with a sense of realism, uncoloured and true to the source. There is a lengthy breakin period, but it's worth the wait.

They can reject EMI due to the twist configuration of the 4 conductors.

 

IMHO: For your speaker cables you should try the BJC 12 White. You are not going an extremely long distance from your amp to your speakers. 12awg is good size cable. I would step up to BJC10 if there was notable sonic improvement or greater distance involved (say >50 foot)
The Canare 4s11 may be a quality sounding cable, but unless you are using BiAmped speakers and/or have problems with your speakers cables bleeding into your other equipment, then I think that thebBJC 12 White will suit you well.
Other posters may have different experiences with Blue Jeans Cables.

Per the BJC webpage...
Canare 4S11 Cable:
Canare 4S11 is a "star quad" 14-gauge cable, with four conductors together in one outer jacket; it is popular for bi-wiring (where separate wires run to each of four speaker terminals, two of which drive the high and two of which drive the low-frequency elements of the speaker assembly). When conventionally wired, star quad speaker cable has the advantage of reducing the EM field around the cable, which will tend to diminish the effect of the signal in the speaker cable upon nearby interconnects--though this is not, in most applications, a significant concern.

 

Hell yeah, this is the kind of info I need. Thanks dude. Yeah, the jacks on my Yamaha are a bit long. They're the kind that take a banana plug but also allow you to screw the nut onto bare wire around the threaded plug.

I've read that bit so many times but now finally just understood that it's keeping IT'S OWN signal from messing with other things, rather than blocking out other things messing with it's own signal.

 

I did use the BJC, but have found the Mogami 2549 rca cables from Take5 audio to be far more balanced and transparent. I did get the pre cooked version and wowza they rock. A bit more of an investment but incredible value. And they stopped any further cable search dead in tracks.

 

That is contrary to what cable designers have told me. Allegedly, conductors that are in a twisted configuration will help reject EMF, RFI; power cords, Romex 10/3, speaker cables.

 

Yes, the twisting keeps all the wires in the same proximity to external fields, so any noise would be equally induced in all the conductors and there won't be a noise potential between them. Depends on the circuits and terminations on each side whether this has much benefit, but it is part of the reason for twisting.

 

BJC:

 

Just started using the subwoofer cable.

 

Someone else already mentioned it, but be careful on the speaker wires. The BJC speaker cable terminated with the sonic welds become very useless if you rearrange your setup. Money down the drain. Measure over and over, use an extension cord or something and lay it exactly where it needs to be. Then add a foot or two. Or three. I only needed 15' for each of my speakers, I ordered 18'. You can make a coil somewhere to easily take up the extra.

I'm in an apartment too and have to run cables along walls, etc. Sometimes it just take a bit of cable to do that.

 

I’m running my P6/Ania into my Puffin phono using 12 ft LC-1 cables to my receiver. No complaints. I’ve used Blue Jeans cables in my HT setup for years. Currently using Belden 10 AWG for all my speakers. No complaints also. Only issue might be the stiffness of the speaker cable making it difficult for some spaces.

 

My advice is don't buy Blue Jeans. They will connect and work, but will kill the sound.

Flame me all you want but check out inexpensive QED cables or Chord C-line. I'm not saying spend a fortune either.

Every time I have tried to like the Blue Jeans stuff I bought I put it in. Leave it for a couple days. Wonder why system is sounding bad, then realize you put the blue jeans back in. (Substitute some other cables like Transparent, Emotiva and others as well).

 

I'm not ready to completely trash Blue Jeans yet - they serve a purpose, relatively low-cost and well-built cables. However, I swapped out the BJC I was using as my phono cable for a Cardas Iridium phono cable. It was a revelation. Much more extension, transparency, etc. Of course, the Cardas Iridium was unforgiving for worn or records with lots of surface noise. The BJC cable (for better or worse) somewhat muted that stuff.

BJC is great when you're starting out and you don't want to spend a lot, but once you invest a lot into your system, and you want to squeeze out every last bit of performance, it is time to look elsewhere.

 

Where's a good place to check those out online that do business in the U.S.?

 

Agree with getting a few extra feet but don't agree with coiling the extra, best to lay any excess out in an S pattern (picture the 'S' as being flat on the floor).

 

QED is supplied in US by speaker brand Q Acoustics. They are on their website, also sold on Amazon.com.

I have bought Chord Cables from High End audio, Video & speaker cables from The Cable company The Cable Company in New Hope Pennsylvania.

Also like the entry level Analysis Plus, but I think QED and Chord specified are less expensive.

If they are more money than you want to spend I totally get it. Personally just got laid off this past week and if I needed cables (is there such a thing as an audio emergency?) I'd spend to my budget whatever it is.

 

That's exactly what I do too. I should have stated that, thanks.

 

Not flaming you but stating my experience with Blue Jeans cable is the opposite of yours.

 

Oh yeah dude, of course. I'll be adding 3 feet, if not more, for future flexibility. Definitely.

How could the cable be unforgiving for surface noise? Is it because it allows a lot more high end to pass through? A lot of the records I listen to, at least on my old Stanton T62/BBE phono/Logitech setup, would have what I would describe as a background "hiss" or "shhhhhhh" sort of sound. Kind of like static. It's not the crackling pop you associate with vinyl, it's much smoother and uniform. I was never sure what it was, but assumed it to be in the records themselves. Are you saying the BJC would cover up some of this?