Which cables cause issues for high bandwidth amps?


As in, blow them up? I recently bought a McCormack amp and blew it up when using Goertz Alpha Core MI-2 cables. I am about to get the amp back from being repaired, and I want to make fricken sure that I don't repeat the episode. Now, I do have a feeling that there was something wrong with that amp in the first place, but I still want to be very careful.

I now know that using the Goertz was a no-no, but I am told there may be other brands of cables with the same concerns. I have been advised to stay away from "flat" cables for the McCormack. Is this true, or an over-generalization?

I am looking for moderate price options, if anybody has experience with cables that sounded great with McCormack amps. Thanks a bunch!
mtrot

Showing 2 responses by marakanetz

First I'd like to make sure that you've connected your cables correctly and did not short on neither end amp or speaker.
If you're certain that it realy happened with Goertz, I'm not surprised. I heard that happening with several more brands and they're not cheap at all. Some of manufacturers place wrong color code and that causes problem to fry the amp. Any cable you purchase test for continuity between each color code before connecting to the amp. Test color code and shorts between positive and negative runs on your Goertz cable and maybe you'll be able to claim back funds for amp repair. Please be noted that there are lots of replicas sold on chinese sites of Siltech, Transparet, Harmonic Tech, pricey AudioQuest models... The more expencive cable, the more chances for you to get fake that could have issues.
Among high-performance cables I would choose VanDenHul. They'll be able to provide you with speaker cable that BEST matches your amp. IMHO they have best quality control and customer service. You can even build your own cable by choosing gauge, per-unit impedance parameters and length. They have all technical charts available for your convenience.
I just don't get how one can get such huge per-unit capacitance in the cable and for what purpose?? There's also no specific disclaimer not to use with high-bandwidth amps... Who's supposed to be accountable for this kind of situation?