Remind me again why...


Some time ago I spoke of for how I piggy-backed two different speaker cables for really good sound and the response, though positive, advised me not to do it due to, whatever (I forget). On another recent thread someone spoke of how he runs his speaker cables in series, using different brands and gets great results.
All this led me to try using my Mapleshade Clearviews in addition to my Mapleshade Double Helix speaker cables resulting in 3 runs per post. The results were rather nice as it added body, weight and across the frequency range fullness without losing any of the qualities I like in the Mapldeshades: agility, litheness, detail, air, etc.

Not content with that, I removed them and put in an old pair of Zu Mission SCs and my newish Supra Ply 3.4W SCs and it almost floored me. The combination of the two had none of the drawbacks of either singly and more than all the strengths of either alone. I'm talking an almost regal (kingly, presidential, stately) sound, rich and broad and yet detailed and toned, with air, decay, ambience. etc. Nothing really amiss that I can tell.

The sound I'm getting from my Clearview Duet 6 monitors reminds me of the sound  I got from my Legacy Classic floor standers (more than 70# heavier) which had 2 10" bass drivers among it's 7 speaker array due to the way it pressurized my room. I'm now listening some 3-5db lower and getting the same sensations of being alive and present. 

The biggest improvement seems to be in the upper mids to the highs which seem to have grown some, having the same presence as the lower mids and bass. Most welcome indeed. Brass, cymbals, high hats and leading edges of percussion have more weight and impact, even at lower volumes.

It's kind of odd looking, having two mid sized cables running behind everything but I could care less right now. One has spades and the other bananas so the connections are tight and snug. I'm beginning to wonder if all one needs is some high quality copper of a large enough gauge to call it a day. Or it could be some serendipitous system synergy I stumbled onto. This setup really exploits the speakers ability that lay hidden from me, allowing me to really appreciate them all the more. Nice way to end the year.

I know this won't stop here as I'll look into some larger gauge speaker cables, maybe some Anaylsis Plus Oval 9s or something that won't break the bank but now I at least know the answer and way to go. For now, I'm content with the looks only because of the sound. I even tried some old ECM jazz CDs and they came to life like never before. Not an easy thing to do.

Happy New Year everyone!


All the best,
Nonoise


128x128nonoise

Showing 1 response by douglas_schroeder

Nonoise, yes, obviously it is the recordings, as systems do not "shift" in character. Never dumb down a system for the occasional poor recording.