Review: Ace hardware 14 awg professional grade Speaker cable
Category: Cables
Budget esoterica review magazine
January issue
We are pleased to announce that after a short vacation, budget esoterica review magazine is back with a vengeance. In this issue we have decided to wade into the murky waters of cheap but good speaker cables.
The brady bunch
Me and my staff have been searching worldwide to find you the perfect budget speaker cable. It just so happens that we have found this cable at a small, clandestine operation that goes by the name of ace hardware store. Now, apparently this store is run by a group of audiophile ukrainians who have devoted their lives to vintage 1970's stereo gear. In honor of their love for this vintage gear, they force their employees to dress up in 1970's style clothing and hairdo's . Ace hardware is selling the 14awg professional grade speaker cable, off the reel, for $1 per foot.
Where is the review, Kenneth?
I purchased 20 feet of this excellent cable and rushed home with a sheepish grin on my face. I knew from the looks of the cable that this was going to be a cable that means business. The quality of construction is excellent, with a thick clear jacket that is marked for polarity. This is all well and good, but i decided to soup it up by terminating the cable with ram electronics bfa speaker connectors. I will now give you brief interpretations of what i heard in my particular system.
Marsha, marsha, marsha.
The first cd i listened to was andrew hill, time lines. This is an excellent recording that will show off a good system. I chose track number 3. The drums were strong and powerful with a visceral drum bass energy. The highs were clean and the horns were almost tube like. The piano has good solidity and weight. The instruments sound very accurate. The upright bass is very strong, firm and elastic.
The next selection i picked was the who, the who sell out. I played track 11 titled , "silas stingy." I heard excellent drum tone and depiction. The vocals were clear with good separation. The highs were clean and have very good tone. There was black backgrounds and very good stability to the sound. I also noted a smooth sound.
I chose my favorite song from the self titled emerson lake and palmer cd. This is a long and excellent track titled, "take a pebble." I noticed a super clean harp and the music had a slight magical golden hue. The cymbals were thick and i heard a slightly lit up piano. The water splashing had a realistic, liquid sound. The guitar was clean and i heard a firm and very natural clapping sound. There was good detail and the piano had a very appealing sweetness to it. The transparency was very good along with crispy , metallic highs. The rolling drums sound excellent.
The last cd i listened to was mark knopfler, sailing to Philadelphia. Track number 5 , the last laugh, has strong, accurate and very realistic vocals. I also noticed a hint of richness to the voices. There was a slight sense of depth to the background instruments. The drum bass was very well defined. The vocal presentation was very good for a speaker cable at this price level.
Baloney again?
The ace hardware speaker cable is so good that it shows the seemingly unpretentious dayton monitors just how good they can be. They are neutral, solid performers and a strongly recommended budget buy! Get out your mood lamps, green shag carpeting, and bean bag and let the good times roll!
Pros
strong mid range
solid , well defined bass
neutral
good separation
smooth
clean
good clarity
good detail
musical
nice timbre
liquid
very good vocal expression
golden tone
metallic overtones
affordable!
Associated gear
Dayton dta-100a
dayton b652 speakers
yamaha cdc-645 cd player
hirakawa power cord with cryoparts adaptor
paradigm speaker stands
signal cable analog one ic
Similar products
white lightning moonshine
Budget esoterica review magazine
January issue
We are pleased to announce that after a short vacation, budget esoterica review magazine is back with a vengeance. In this issue we have decided to wade into the murky waters of cheap but good speaker cables.
The brady bunch
Me and my staff have been searching worldwide to find you the perfect budget speaker cable. It just so happens that we have found this cable at a small, clandestine operation that goes by the name of ace hardware store. Now, apparently this store is run by a group of audiophile ukrainians who have devoted their lives to vintage 1970's stereo gear. In honor of their love for this vintage gear, they force their employees to dress up in 1970's style clothing and hairdo's . Ace hardware is selling the 14awg professional grade speaker cable, off the reel, for $1 per foot.
Where is the review, Kenneth?
I purchased 20 feet of this excellent cable and rushed home with a sheepish grin on my face. I knew from the looks of the cable that this was going to be a cable that means business. The quality of construction is excellent, with a thick clear jacket that is marked for polarity. This is all well and good, but i decided to soup it up by terminating the cable with ram electronics bfa speaker connectors. I will now give you brief interpretations of what i heard in my particular system.
Marsha, marsha, marsha.
The first cd i listened to was andrew hill, time lines. This is an excellent recording that will show off a good system. I chose track number 3. The drums were strong and powerful with a visceral drum bass energy. The highs were clean and the horns were almost tube like. The piano has good solidity and weight. The instruments sound very accurate. The upright bass is very strong, firm and elastic.
The next selection i picked was the who, the who sell out. I played track 11 titled , "silas stingy." I heard excellent drum tone and depiction. The vocals were clear with good separation. The highs were clean and have very good tone. There was black backgrounds and very good stability to the sound. I also noted a smooth sound.
I chose my favorite song from the self titled emerson lake and palmer cd. This is a long and excellent track titled, "take a pebble." I noticed a super clean harp and the music had a slight magical golden hue. The cymbals were thick and i heard a slightly lit up piano. The water splashing had a realistic, liquid sound. The guitar was clean and i heard a firm and very natural clapping sound. There was good detail and the piano had a very appealing sweetness to it. The transparency was very good along with crispy , metallic highs. The rolling drums sound excellent.
The last cd i listened to was mark knopfler, sailing to Philadelphia. Track number 5 , the last laugh, has strong, accurate and very realistic vocals. I also noticed a hint of richness to the voices. There was a slight sense of depth to the background instruments. The drum bass was very well defined. The vocal presentation was very good for a speaker cable at this price level.
Baloney again?
The ace hardware speaker cable is so good that it shows the seemingly unpretentious dayton monitors just how good they can be. They are neutral, solid performers and a strongly recommended budget buy! Get out your mood lamps, green shag carpeting, and bean bag and let the good times roll!
Pros
strong mid range
solid , well defined bass
neutral
good separation
smooth
clean
good clarity
good detail
musical
nice timbre
liquid
very good vocal expression
golden tone
metallic overtones
affordable!
Associated gear
Dayton dta-100a
dayton b652 speakers
yamaha cdc-645 cd player
hirakawa power cord with cryoparts adaptor
paradigm speaker stands
signal cable analog one ic
Similar products
white lightning moonshine
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