who makes your fav cable loom in 2021?


hello all,

its that time again and there is a need for new wires. interconnects and speaker cables as I begin arranging a new system.

power cords should be addressed first IMO but they will have to wait a little while.

this time around I’ve decided to go with one maker rather than dive into the questionable sensebility of mixing and matching brands and or models of cables.

I’ve been out of the loop for a while so I’m asking the forum to share their eXP on who and what is around which doesn’t break the bank but does deliver the goods!

the current budget has set $1K to $2K per, for ICs and I’ll need two pair SE, and the speaker cable length is as yet still up in the air and depends on the final set up, but I’d prefer to keep the same brand and model there as the ICs probabgly.

I do not have a real issue with preowned cables but finding several of differing types though the same brand and model could be an issue… we’ll see I suppose.

FYI, Its an all tube powered, rig. Zanden amp, Thor line stage. it will be a digitally sourced streaming outfit albeit the front end is as yet one more question mark.

I am leaning towards the Aurolic G2.1 streamer and Bricasti DA. the jury however is not back with its verdict.

for the moment, the speakers are an easy IMP pr of JA Graphine Pulsars which also have a pr of SVS 3000 subs augmenting them.

Thank you all for your thoughts and insights.
blindjim

Showing 4 responses by douglas_schroeder

I typically review by comparison to entire sets of cables, which imo is the only proper way to assess them. I care little what someone says about a wire divorced from the context of the entire manufacturer’s set.

So, kudos to blindjim for being one of the very few who ask a proper cable question, pertinent to the audiophile who wishes to actually advance their system! Mixed cable discussions are pretty well worthless.

I have had the pleasure of using many fine cable sets in 14 years of reviewing. My current reference, superior with a wide array of systems and speakers, is Iconoclast Cables. It is also in my experience the cable most researched and supported by modeling and measurement. No wonder it sounds so good. See my review of Iconoclast Cables at Dagogo.com

I have also reviewed and continue to enjoy using as ancillary, partially added cables for fine tuning the reference set, Clarity Cable, TEO Audio, AntiCables, and Snake River Audio Cables.

Pursuant to blindjims inquiry, note that Iconoclast uses the same design in all 3 levels of its cables, which is a big bonus to the person who can only afford the entry level. An actual highly researched, modeled, well-made cable that doesn't break the bank. That is rare. 
Jim, whenever I post anything associated with my reviews with a link, moderators eliminate it. As a reviewer, supposedly I have vested interest in such activity, even though I am not paid to write and have no affiliation with the products I review. 

Finding the company is easy; do a search for "iconoclast cable" and you will see the website. There is one design for the speaker cables, one design for RCA IC, and another for the XLR IC, and one for the power cord. There are no tiers of different geometries and conductor materials with different construction. 

For example, on the Iconoclast Cables home page, click on Products, then Speaker Cable, and you will see toward the bottom of the page the "To Order" section. The three levels of cables are all of the same geometry and number of conductors, but vary according to selection from a choice of 3 conductor materials. You can also choose your terminations. 

Iconoclast is no-nonsense about cables, offering a highly researched and modeled design, but at 3 price levels based on conductor material. The same principle holds for the interconnects, although to get the optimized L,C, and R measurements for the RCA and XLR cables, they required somewhat different geometries. 

I think you are looking for more levels and different cables altogether. Iconoclast is about offering 1 idealized design for each type of cable, but at 3 different price points, determined by conductor material.  


Jim, simply put, the three lines of cables are all designed similarly, according to modeling and measurements done by Galen Gareis, who, if I recall correctly, was not just an engineer, but head of development at Belden. Audiophiles should rejoice that here in 3 different price categories one finds the optimum design offered, not two compromised designs and one optimized. The geometry and construction is the same in all 3, which is very rare for a cable company. 

Though I have not compared in my room all three, just the top of the line, Galen explained it to me as the cables having three levels of refinement/definition. There is not a skewing toward different sonic signatures, as happens when the geometry and construction as well as conductor material are changed. The sonic signature is similar in all three, but the degree of refinement improves as one goes up the line. 

Just this past weekend I tried three different sets of power cords again on the Legacy Audio i.V4 Ultra Amps, just to see if I could get improvement with the rest of the Iconoclast set. Nope; the affordable Belden BAV power cords match the best with the Iconoclast cables. Best focus and resolution without stridency, and lovely tonal balance. 
Don't expect that kind of result merely by slapping some of the BAV power cords into a mixture of cables. If you're not using a set of cables, you're making a mess. Maybe a nice sort of mess, but a mess nevertheless.   :)



blindjim, you asked, "would you say it is likely the aspect of diminishing returns is applicable as well to the presumably good, beter, best levels of refinement inherent in each modle?"

As I have not heard all three levels of Iconoclast Cables, I am not in a position to answer that question. One must have an experience with a product's different models to be able to discuss whether there are diminishing returns as the higher models are considered. What would constitute diminishing returns? Different performance levels, performance relative to another set, or performance relative to a subjective pricing schema? The entire question is fraught with difficulties and a great deal of subjectivity. I prefer to discuss what set of cables outperforms other sets of cables, and the sonic characteristics of the cables. "Diminishing returns" doesn't really convey any usable information.  :(

Would I expect Iconoclast to suffer diminishing returns more than any other cable when moving up a product line? No, I would not.