Auxiput, +1 for sure. Well written, honest and accurate description. Solid performance and very good value? Yes. Can one exceed this level? Yes! If you don't hear a difference or believe that none exist then by all means purchase the cost effective Mogami. Charles
"Cardas has a very specific manufacturing method where it uses a very high purity copper and does a slow draw when forming the actual wire strands to make a long grain copper conductor (this is approaching OCC or Ohno Continuous Cast). Also, much of their product uses litz technology where the individual strands are coated in an insulating enamel that makes the "stranded" wire act more like solid core conductors. There is less capacitance since there is no delayed charging of the innermost strand. All these make a much more expensive wire and this can have significant differences in the end result, for those who are critical and can hear the differences."
Actual specifications do not bear this out. For example, Mogami 3103, for example, has capacitance that averages about 26 pF/ft vs. the stated capacitance of 278 pF/ft for Cardas Clear. The Clear, on the other hand has much lower inductance than the 3103.
Mogami does make a lot of different speaker cables, some of them incredibly inexpensive and others, like their better 3103 and 3104 just relatively inexpensive.
Personally, I think Mogami makes some very good wire. I replaced some Kimber 8TC (about $20-$25 ft.) with Mogami 3103 ($3 ft,) a few years ago after preferring a Mogami based tonearm cable to one constructed using Cardas wire. I've cryoed and burned in virtually every piece of wire in my system as I've found that to be cost effective and advantageous in terms of enhancing performance.
I would never describe the Mogami I use as being dull and lifeless but I would say that it (the 3103 as speaker cable and the 2534 based tonearm lead I use) is a neutral cable, and I don't mean neutral in a denigrating way. It just gets out of the way.
There are some very favourable comments on 3103 and 3104 on Arthur Salvatore's High End Audio site from a user who has, from the sound of it, spent substantially more on high end cables. But he clearly states that you need to look at that product in the Mogami line, as opposed to their less expensive offereings. .
I have heard good things about Mogami, but not yet tried it. I use the pro-audio alternative, Canare; specifically L-4E6S, a starquad configuration, for interconnect. And ETI connectors, always ETI connectors.
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