Best value for the buck speaker cables


Which speaker cables represent the best value to you?
ryllau
The Analysis Plus Oval 9 are great performers, PERIOD!! For the money, it is a no-brainer selecting them.
I have recently auditioned the Harmonic Technology Pro-11 with Rhodium spades.Also on hand was Kimber 8TC with postmaster spades.I found these 2 cables very similar in sound with the H.T. beating the 8TC in bass and smoothness but the differences were small.Next in line was a bi-wire MIT Terminator-2 w/ I-conn banana termination.The other cables went back the next day.The T-2's opened my stage up in width and depth.They have great detail but yet dont sound forward.The bass is the best I've heard so far in my system.Focus and imaging is much better.I'm glad I tried them!
Kimber 8TC with postmaster term. is the best bang for the buck IMO, but MIT 750 series 2 and 3 is a big step up in my system, YMMV. Haven't heard the MIT terminator series.
ANALYSIS PLUS OVAL 9 is an excellent choice,i have invested lot's of money in both speaker cable and interconnects,and i do agree that some are better than other's,but getting past the hype and flavor of the month brand,THE oval 9's are a bargain for their level of performance.THEIR ic's are just as good,both the copper or silver. good luck.
On the topic of 'cheap cables'. I found the oval 9 to be an excellent cable by any measure. It is a little slow compared to the OCOS cable I tried, but more detailed. Very smooth. On that topic, the ocos is a great value too. Very quick with a good level of detail. As a general comment, you really do have to match your speaker cables to your equipment. Find some recommendations by reading reviews and asking around, then buy a few used cables on audiogon. Working with a retail dealer who can loan you cables is a good option too. It is amazing the sonic differences brought about by a change in speaker cables.
'potentially stupid question' what an interesting concept.
In response to Jeff: yes you can. When a cable is advertised at 'bi-wired', that is generally what it means. This can mean internally biwired, which means they are bound within the came case, or external which is two normal cables that are connected only at the amp end. Internal biwires can half the normal conductors for each wire.
Here's a potentially stupid question: can you get bi-wire speakers cables, with four wires at the speaker end and two wires at the amp end?
I agree with Analysis plus oval 9. Better is the Silver series with presented a more realistic soundstage.
Analysis Plus Oval 9's. I've tried several much more expensive cables and none did it right like these babies. Let it all thru without being bright, harsh or too forward. Very natural timbre from top to bottom. Allow plenty of time for burn in.
To get the complete list of MIT cables at Audioadvisor.com; go to the web site; type in "terminator" in the search box; then pick any listing; at the bottom of the listing there will be a link that sais something like "show all products by MIT"; it will list everything they have. They has just about everything, from the inexpensive Terminator 5s up to the MH CVT stuff that run in the $thousands. Bi-Wire models also.
As usual, I have to agree with Sdcampbell. Kimber 8TC is the one to beat, along with the former AudioQuest high end copper stuff(Type 6 up to Forest). I have also heard impressive comments on Analysis Plus(didn't hear the cables yet).
Kimber Kable 8TC. Cardinal's advice, "to get the most value is to buy it used here on Audiogon" is VERY good advice. You can also try audioreview.com.
I have found MIT to be the best. The recommendation by Sugarbrie to check out Audio Advisor is a good one.
Whatever cable, the best way to get the most value is to buy it used here on Audiogon. DO NOT BUY IT NEW. Be patient, any cable you want will almost certainly eventually be posted by someone here.
AudioAdvisor.com has a lot of the 1999 MIT Terminator and MH series speaker cables. Brand new on close out for less than half price list. Take you pick depending on your budget.
Check out Tek line cables, the best I have listened to and not expensive at all. If you are interested send me an email and I will give you there phone number, small companies are great becuase they really care. Cheers, Tim.
I took the advice of J.R. from Audio Connection and purchased the Nordost Super Flatline bi wired set. It seems to work well with my bi-wired Mordaunt Short speakers and Jolida integrated tube amp, but it's a hassle to move around when setting up.
Each person who responds to your post will have their own "best value" predicated on how much money they are willing to spend on speaker cables. I personally believe that high-end speaker cables and interconnects are the biggest single "rip off" in high-end audio, so you know my bias up front. I have owned and listened to a variety of speaker cables over the past 30 years, and I think the best value in speaker cable (price vs. performance) for MOST audiophiles is the Kimber Kable 8TC, with the 4TC close behind. Unless you own stratospherically expensive equipment, the 8TC will get you about 90% of the performance available in speaker cable for a very nominal cost.