Have not heard of Mogami. So this is your huckleberry: https://www.amazon.com/Mogami-Gold-TRS-TRS-10-Balanced/dp/B001LNN2F0
Certainly the price is right.
Certainly the price is right.
Please Help Me Choose a Speaker Cable
I need to replace my existing speaker cable setup with something more wife-friendly. I am currently bi-wiring with Audioquest Type 4 (tweeters) and Aperature 16 (woofers). About 20 years ago I bought the wires off a spool and had them built w/ banana plugs. You can see a pic of the offensive cable setup on my system page (https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6318). I put a nice jacket over the cables hoping that would be enough to clean up the messiness.
What I want is something of equal quality that will also fit inside my VTI speaker stands. The stands have a 3/4 inch opening and the 4 banana plugs don’t fit through. I want to continue bi-wiring but would go single if the sound was just as good on a different set of cables. A bi-wired cable terminated with two spades at the amp side would fit through the stands (2 banana plugs might fit also).
I don't want to spend more than $600 and need a 10-12 ft. pair. There appear to be a lot of options on Agon right now. I see names I know are pretty good like Audioquest and Kimber. If I were to pick one I would probably go with the Audioquest Rocket 88 or CV-8 or maybe the PS Audio Xstream. Maybe there are better options for less? Will the cables in this price range be good as or better than what I have? If not, maybe I should try terminating the two cables into one set of banana plugs on the amp end to see if that fits. I guess I would prefer spades because they would be more flush to the speakers, thus a little cleaner looking.
Thanks.
What I want is something of equal quality that will also fit inside my VTI speaker stands. The stands have a 3/4 inch opening and the 4 banana plugs don’t fit through. I want to continue bi-wiring but would go single if the sound was just as good on a different set of cables. A bi-wired cable terminated with two spades at the amp side would fit through the stands (2 banana plugs might fit also).
I don't want to spend more than $600 and need a 10-12 ft. pair. There appear to be a lot of options on Agon right now. I see names I know are pretty good like Audioquest and Kimber. If I were to pick one I would probably go with the Audioquest Rocket 88 or CV-8 or maybe the PS Audio Xstream. Maybe there are better options for less? Will the cables in this price range be good as or better than what I have? If not, maybe I should try terminating the two cables into one set of banana plugs on the amp end to see if that fits. I guess I would prefer spades because they would be more flush to the speakers, thus a little cleaner looking.
Thanks.
Showing 15 responses by treebeard1
@jl35 I certainly don't want to start that debate. I don't know the answer but will need to figure it out via testing on my own. Regarding the jumpers, I'm not sure how they accomplish anything. The signal is not seperated until the end of the journey. To me it seems the same. @gdnrbob I kinda like it too. Adds muscle. But it's easy to see because of where it's located. Don't need bananas but I had spades on those wires before and they kept coming off or loosing connection. Maybe it was the speakers problem. It was a different speaker. I notice a lot of more expensive speaker cables and interconnects have what AQ is calling a dielectric-bias system (DMS). Is this something I should look for? I have something like this on my interconnects but no batteries, just a bump in the cable. Again, not loking for a debate for or against. |
@stereo5 For 23 years she has been against the wires as well as the large floor standing speakers (replaced by R300s), the subwoofer that takes up the corner of the living room (soon to be replaced w/ wireless sub behind couch) and just about anything stereo-related. If I have to chuck it all for a HEOS soundbar then at least I have great components to move to my basememt listening room. I have been looking at reviews of the AQ CV-8 and they are all glowing. Haven't found a bad review yet. They must be discontinued and have been on closeout for the last couple years. Found a pair on Amazon for $360 with spades (retail was $900). Sold by Music Direct for $90 less than they sell on their own site. They are not listed on the AQ site. |
Then there's these cables on US Audio Mart. At little longer than what I need though. |
@randy-11 Sounds like a great plan. I’ll ask her when she gets home :) @gdnrbob I sent AQ an email. It looks like the CV-8 is using the Star-Quad Series GO-4 configuration and the Rockefeller uses the Star-Quad Series AG-4 configuration, which is a step up. Although I’m not sure how the 36v vs 72v issue plays out. Either way, I think they are both better than what I have. Depending on upgrade costs I’m leaning toward the CV-8 on Amazon. I'm leaning toward spades, which I know will fit through the speaker stands. |
@joey_v I have not but will keep an eye out for my second system. @bassdude I have heard good and bad about anti-cables and blue jeans. Probably due to the controversy around cables. I don't know what to believe but the anti-cables are about the same as the AQ CV-8s on Amazon. So I pulled the trigger on the CV-8s for $360. Seems very reasonable considering the brand, where it fit in the AQ lineup (retail $900), and number of great user and industry reviews. Thanks to everyone for your help. I have the same set of cables (AQ Type 4/Aperature 16) on my second system in the basement so it will be very interesting to see if I can tell a difference. If I can then I can explore more cable options for that system. |
Cables arrived today and they sent bananas instead of spades. The banana plugs are loose and don't fit real tight. I was able to string them through the speaker stands but it was a real chore and the sharp turn back under the speakers puts extra tension on the plugs, which are not super tight. If I keep them I will need to always check the connection behind the speakers. I'll probably send them back this weekend and try for spades. Bummed out. I was looking forward to testing these out this weekend. |
Wow, I ordered the replacements via Amazon yesterday afternoon and Music Direct delivered them today. I took them down to the basement stereo (rig #2) and did a quick comparison. Immediate observations are they are clearer, more detailed in bass (but less bass that my Aperature 16), have a wider soundstage and are more forward sounding. My basement system has the same bi-wire setup that I have in my main rig listed above. I will reserve a full analysis until they are more broken in. I will be playing downstairs continuously for about a week before moving them to my main system. That should give me a good head start on break-in. @gdnrbob I got them on Amazon, sold by Music Direct. There is also a pair available on Agon for a little more. The packaging indicated the CV-8 was a cable grade located between GO-4 and AG-4. |