What about cables?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by pigmode, May 17, 2002.

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  1. pigmode

    pigmode Active Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    HNL
    Any believers out there? What are you using and why? I think my situation is a bit extreme because the cost/percentage of the cables IMS is fairly high.

    Originally there were Beldon 89259 ICs at cdp> pre and pre>power, with some cheap Canare starquad used for speaker wire.

    A nice improvement was realized when a pair of Silver Audio 4.0 ICs were placed at the pre>power.

    Next, some Cardas Neutral Reference speaker wires were installed.

    Lastly, a pair of Acoustic Zen Matrix went to the pre>power, while the SA 4.0 was moved to cdp>pre. Each cable brought a noticable worthwhile improvement, but this last addition was just insane. Now Beldon ICs have a rep for great sound for the price but the Matrix ICs showed their greatness in comparison. These cables brought tightness in the bottom end, detail and air up high, with a sweet sweet midrange. Imaging, in terms of depth and width is very impressive. While I was happy with my system before each addition, the Matrix drove home the fact that my original cables were really holding the entire system back.

    Anyway, moving from an economical array of wires, to some fairly expensive stuff was a gratifying and worthy exercise. A pair of Silver Audio Appassionatta ICs is due to arrive next Tue. and it is hopefully the last factor in this on going experiment. Both my amps and speakers have a strong tilt towards the midband, so I want to see what all silver ICs can do for balance.


    Next:

    Tuberolling
    acoustic tweaks
    vinyl
     
  2. Dave

    Dave Esoteric Audio Research Specialistâ„¢

    Location:
    B.C.
    I'm a believer! I started out by comparing MIT (can't remember what model but not very costly) and MIT speaker cables. Next I auditioned a set of three cables (can't remember the 2 I didn't choose) and immediately switched all my IC's over to Kimber: Silver Streaks, with a huge improvement in clarity and openess and staging. Next I up-graded my speaker cables to Kimber 8-TC with some rather large image improvement. Finally I heard the most recent addition to the Kimber family, the Kimber Select KS-1010's at a larger price but well worth the investment. I guess you can tell I was totally hooked.:rolleyes: I've had a few comparisons against these and so far, they're still the ones.;)
     
  3. Henry Love

    Henry Love Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicagoland
    I wanted to try Kimber Kable 4T & 8T biwired,sounded interesting but nobody in my area had a pair to audition.After reading some good things in Stereophile and Audio Review.com I decided to try a pair of Monster Cable 2.4 biwires and they are a big improvement in bass and overall clarity over my old Monster Cables.A neat feature is a threaded stud at the end so you can screw on your choice of connection.I know theres better out there but for the money they are definitely worth a listen.
     
  4. KLM

    KLM Senior Member

    I always tried to buy relatively good quality cables (straightwire, Audioquest, Kimber, Monster, etc.) over the years. But it wasn't until I decided to upgrade my whole system that I heard a huge improvement. Instead of the mismoss of various interconnects and speaker cables, I changed everything to Audioquest lapis x3 and the speaker cable to Audioquest Sterling. So essentially, I added silver cabling to everything. The improvement was amazing - lower better defined bass and clearer highs. The whole system seemed to get more dynamic as well as the frequency range was extended. Truly amazing. Now I bought all of these used and got a pretty good deal on what was Audioquest's near top of the line years ago.

    While I like Audioquest cables, I don't pretend they are the best out there. Cables above a lot of equipment, really needs to be auditioned with your particular system. Try and find a dealer who has several brands and can loan you some. If you take the time to compare, I guarantee you will not be disapointed with the investment.
     
  5. Jim Ricketts

    Jim Ricketts Active Member

    Location:
    Freedom, USA
    If you like the Kimber Select series, check out Zu cables. The guys involved with that design started Zu and these cables are the next step up from KS. The new "B3" designs (including the B3 "Mother" power cord) are HIGHLY recommended and compare with the absolute very best - and they're relatively affordale high-end, too!

    www.zucable.com
     
  6. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    I started with the garden variety mass market cables. Then I decided to try some "audiophile cables". I went in thinking there won't be any difference and the high price is because of the package and marketing.

    I first tried audioquest ruby and I definately heard an improvement so I bought them. Next I tried these mu-metal cables, (I forget the name) and they were an improvement so I bought those. Then I tried and purchased some Magnan Vi's. The Magnans sound great. I bought these used and saved some money, but they were still quite expensive.

    Later I added these triphaser boxes that are installed between the interconnects. I Have them between my preamp and power amps. I'm not sure what these triphaser things do, but the improvement was amazing. I auditioned the triphasers from Music Direct. Music Direct said if you don't like them send them back and we'll pay for shipping. Triphasers are not cheap at $500.00, but when compared to some of the expensive cables out there it didn't seem like much for the improvement they brought to the sound.

    After lamp cord, I first used FMS speaker cables, which were very good. I even went to the place where the owner hand made these cables here in Boston. What a weird place it was, down in the warehouse district in Boston. It was interesting to see how these cables were made. Later I auditioned audioquest clear speaker cable. I really liked that cable and I bought a pair used for a good price.

    One thing I always did was audition cables in my home system before buying them. I have always been skeptical during the auditions. If there wasn't a clear and noticible improvement I wasn't interested. There were some cables I tried that I sent back.

    I know there are better cables out there and some cables suit some systems better than others. I wish I had the resources/money to audition all of the cables.
     
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