Speaker cable recommendation please


Components:

Audio Research SP5 Pre
Audionics CC2 Amp
Klipsch Heresy Speakers

The current speaker wire being used is the small diameter original Monster Cable in 25 foot lengths. The spade terminations were done in the mid 80's and there is obvious oxidation along the length of the cable.

I have been asked to make a choice for a life long friend in this regard. Here is what I'm up against. This friend is a 52 year old avid hunter/trap/skeet shooter and has suffered some hearing loss. I can't swap ears with him but my sense is that he simply needs more gain to hear what others hear.

The Heresy's have the upgrade woofers but are still bass shy, in part due to the room size (36'x22'). Cost is a factor ($500 budget) and moving equipment to shorten the run is not an option because of direct sunlight/wood burning stove considerations. The speakers are placed close to the rear wall, on either side of a large window but not close to corners.

Whatever you guys suggest should hopefully increase bass output and must not make the system any brighter than it already is. I may be able to spend more money than budgeted and add a subwoofer. If the concensus is the addition of a sub please advise what would work well with the Heresy's and keep in mind that I would still need to upgrade the existing speaker cables due to their obvious deterioration.

I would like to thank all you guys in advance for sharing your knowledge. I'm approaching my one year anniversary of finding Audiogon and appreciate all that I have learned from this great community.

Regards,
Patrick
lugnut
sub first, cable won't do much to extend bass

van den hul as nti75 said

good luck, have fun

tuna
Everyone,

Thanks for the information. I guess I'll go dig around in the search engines for speaker mods to the Heresy's.

My best to all,
Patrick
Lugnut, at one time i had an entire list of mods to do to the Klipsch "Classic" series of speakers. Most of these notes are tied up in one of my old computers, which i'm having a hard time trying to access. Someone thought enough of these notes to post them on Klipsch's own bulletin board forum, so you might be able to find someone that had downloaded them or can point you to where they are posted.

I will say that i have learned a LOT more about the inner workings of speakers since i wrote those notes, so some of them will be somewhat out of date compared to what i would do now. However, most all of them will still give you FAR superior performance to what stock Klipsch are capable of delivering. I have read postings from some folks on various forums that had followed various tips that i had mentioned. All of the comments have been extremely positive. Most were basically overwhelmed by how much fuller, warmer and smoother the speakers were with a complete lack of "horny glare". One guy even complained that his Heresy's now had "too much" deep bass. While i doubt that this was an accurate assessment of things, that would be easily correctable if someone were to feel that way.

As to the La Scala's, that has been put on the back burner. I've got other more pertinent projects ( at least to me ) that i need to get done. I am glad that i've put them off though, as i've come up with a few other ideas that i'd like to incorporate. If i can ever get around to doing them as i intend to, i will take the time to document and photograph the entire procedure. Sean
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Sean,

Please share the modifications you mention in this thread. I recall a post from you on an earlier thread where you said you were going to do these mods to a pair of La Scalla's you own, document these changes and share them with the Audiogon community.

You may email me directly if you choose. Thanks for the input.

Patrick
There are TONS of simple modifications that one can do to Heresy's to improve their performance in every aspect. That in itself could take up another thread.

Having said that, it is going to be tough to find cables that will offer better performance without an apparent increase in treble response. This is due to the fact that a long run of monster / zip cord will produce an apparent treble roll-off from about 1.5 KHz - 3 KHz and above ( varies with actual cable ) due to the inductance present in such a design. Higher performance cables will not produce the same high frequency roll-off, in effect giving you even more treble output.

Having said that, you really should address the deficiencies within the speakers themselves before throwing more money at cables. Sean
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I too recommend Alpha-core Goertz MI-2. An excellent
cable and highly cost effective.
I sold Klipsch speakers for a year, and concur with the comment from "Rives" -- you will need a subwoofer if you want genuine deep bass. So, start with a subwoofer. If you are still open to suggestions for speaker cable, my recommendation is Alpha-Core Goertz MI2, which is priced below Kimber 8TC. The MI2 cable has extremely low impedance (about 2.5 ohms), which helps the amp provide better damping. For technical info about the Goertz MI2 cable, go to their Web site: www.alphacore.com
Once you are on the Web site, you will find a link for their audio products, which includes both speaker cable and interconnects.
Audioquest midnight would be my recommendation. I owned a pair of Heresy's for a long time. Great speakers, but Paul Klipsch designed them for efficiency, not deep bass. They roll off at around 35 to 40 Hz. If you really want the deep bass, you will need a subwoofer with these speakers.
I would take a look at Van Den Hul 352 hybred speaker cable. At $8 per foot, you can have the 32 foot pair for around $500. I have been using Van Den Hul cables for several years and have been very pleased with them. If this is too expensive, or if your friend's hearing loss is great, drop to the next level of cable Van Den Hul offers.
It would appear that a sub is in order also.
I have tried many different cables over the years. I have come to the decision that Synergistic Research cables are the BEST Sounding, It'll Bring the Best out in your system for the Money! Now that SR has ACTIVE SHIELDING it takes their Cables to a New Level ( World Class ). All I use in My system now is SR ACTIVE Shielding Interconnects,Speaker Cables,and Power Couplers. Go to : synergisticresearch.com
Good Luck and Enjoy!
With the budget constraints, you are very limited, especially when talking about such long runs...in short, go with Monster or AudioQuest. If you could add a sub, a used Velodyne or Paradigm would be my suggestion. It doesn't sound like you can spend a lot overall, so Paradigm makes the most sense...plus, they do make quality products, and for a middle aged gentleman with hearing loss (I wear my ear plugs at the firing range), spending thousands is kinda silly.

Good luck.