Speaker Cable Matching.

Please, a little help with this one. Is mixing cables OK for LF and HF's? I will need to purchase this week as I would like this setup broken in and running by the 21st when my stepdaughter arrives for a visit. Thanks.

My experiences suggest that when bi-amping or bi-wiring, you will get the most coherent result if you stick to the same cable, same cable length and same connectors. Notwithstanding this you may be wishing to deliberately alter the relative characteristics of your speaker by using different cables - but that is up to you. I may have missed some of your quest Dekay, but are you using identical amps? If not, then different speaker cable will be a minor matter. If you are using identical amps then I believe the best sound would come from putting the amps right by the speakers and using very short links - but I suppose you must have already eliminated this previously.

RedKiwi: The amps are a Musical Fidelity X-A1 intergrated and a Musical Fidelity AS-100 X series power amp. I cannot place the equipment near the speakers for the time being, but would like to remedy this in the future (hopefully next summer if things go well). It is hard to second guess since the power amp does not arrive until Friday, but I am hoping that the fuller bass will round out the Kimber sound for me. I have not experimented with speaker cable other than the Kimber 4VS and some Transparent Wave stuff (that was a little too muffled for me).

Unfortunately I don't have any experience with the 4VS - just the 4TC and 8TC, which bleach harmonics throughtout the spectrum a little, and have a smooth sheen which tends slightly to a glare in the mid to upper midrange. Having said that they are great value for money if it is a reasonably synergistic match. The local dealer here told me they found that for long runs they preferred 4TC over any of the other Kimber cables (up to and including 8TC that is), even for bi-wire speakers, and in fact that is how they wire all of their sound rooms - with long lengths of 4TC and short interconnects - and they get pretty good sound, I must admit. They found that the 8TC only sounded better in long runs when the amplifier was about Plinius SA100 or better. I think 4TC goes for around USD4-5, so that means 18m*4runs*$5, or about USD360. Of course, you could start with just two runs and see how it goes with the 4VS. Given the geometry is similar, this is likely to be better than mixing with the Audioquest cables. I do not recommend the Audioquest cables you refer to and find them quite disappointing value and a dirtier, more distorted sound than the 4TC.

Thanks for the input Redkiwi. Yes, the decay in that range is a bit too short with my Kimber cables, we are probably talking milliseconds, but it is audible. I probably should not mention this but I just took a look at the MIT Term 2 cables that are on closeout at Audio Advisor and am considering two runs of them. They are over my budget but what else is new? I can also return them within 30 days if I do not like the sound. I just went through the old MIT threads at this site and now have a raging headache. LOL.

Dekay, use cables from same company for bi-wire of speakers, don't mix and match. You can for instance use one run of 4TC and one run of 8TC to save money. I had kimber 8TC in the past, but have moved on . You may like MIT T2, smooth and good 3D capabilities for the money, the treble is different from other cables, some will like it others will think it is too recessed, a matter of taste. In your price range don't overlook Analysis Plus Oval 12 speaker cable from Audio Advisor......I use double runs of AP Oval 9 in my main system

Sam: I had considered the AP Oval 12 but for my needs it would be over $600.00 for two runs. Does any one know of a discount mail order for this line? I just read at the other site that the MIT closeout cables at Audio Advisor are old models that have since been vastly improved though the product numbers are still the same. It's never easy is it? I will have to call MIT tommorrow morning and get the poop on this rumor and then hit the local stores to check out other brands. I got a great deal on my first Kimber when I purchased the remander of a roll, maybe I will get lucky again. I am a bit embarrassed by the length of my runs, but it is the best that I can do until I am able to perform some (heavy) work on the living room.

I´d stick to the same brand, but it´s perfectly ok using a 4TC/ 8TC combo. (or AQ Argent/ Midnight, etc) I´m using a double run of Argent. Good Luck!