Cables arrived today and they sent bananas instead of spades. The banana plugs are loose and don't fit real tight. I was able to string them through the speaker stands but it was a real chore and the sharp turn back under the speakers puts extra tension on the plugs, which are not super tight. If I keep them I will need to always check the connection behind the speakers. I'll probably send them back this weekend and try for spades. Bummed out. I was looking forward to testing these out this weekend.
Please Help Me Choose a Speaker Cable
I need to replace my existing speaker cable setup with something more wife-friendly. I am currently bi-wiring with Audioquest Type 4 (tweeters) and Aperature 16 (woofers). About 20 years ago I bought the wires off a spool and had them built w/ banana plugs. You can see a pic of the offensive cable setup on my system page (https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/6318). I put a nice jacket over the cables hoping that would be enough to clean up the messiness.
What I want is something of equal quality that will also fit inside my VTI speaker stands. The stands have a 3/4 inch opening and the 4 banana plugs don’t fit through. I want to continue bi-wiring but would go single if the sound was just as good on a different set of cables. A bi-wired cable terminated with two spades at the amp side would fit through the stands (2 banana plugs might fit also).
I don't want to spend more than $600 and need a 10-12 ft. pair. There appear to be a lot of options on Agon right now. I see names I know are pretty good like Audioquest and Kimber. If I were to pick one I would probably go with the Audioquest Rocket 88 or CV-8 or maybe the PS Audio Xstream. Maybe there are better options for less? Will the cables in this price range be good as or better than what I have? If not, maybe I should try terminating the two cables into one set of banana plugs on the amp end to see if that fits. I guess I would prefer spades because they would be more flush to the speakers, thus a little cleaner looking.
Thanks.
What I want is something of equal quality that will also fit inside my VTI speaker stands. The stands have a 3/4 inch opening and the 4 banana plugs don’t fit through. I want to continue bi-wiring but would go single if the sound was just as good on a different set of cables. A bi-wired cable terminated with two spades at the amp side would fit through the stands (2 banana plugs might fit also).
I don't want to spend more than $600 and need a 10-12 ft. pair. There appear to be a lot of options on Agon right now. I see names I know are pretty good like Audioquest and Kimber. If I were to pick one I would probably go with the Audioquest Rocket 88 or CV-8 or maybe the PS Audio Xstream. Maybe there are better options for less? Will the cables in this price range be good as or better than what I have? If not, maybe I should try terminating the two cables into one set of banana plugs on the amp end to see if that fits. I guess I would prefer spades because they would be more flush to the speakers, thus a little cleaner looking.
Thanks.
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- 56 posts total
Sorry to hear about the bananas not fitting. That's why I like spades. Definitely send them back, you don't want them slipping out and possible grounding your amp.-(which is something I did once, luckily the fuses contained the short). Johnny R at audioconnection recommended the Castle Rock for Vandy speakers. He said my Rockefeller's were 'entry level'. Though I have to say that if they are entry level, they do sound pretty good. I would imagine your CV-8's should surpass them. B |
Get in touch with Amadi cables. Hand made in the States from OCC silver or copper, he often sells right here on the 'Gon for more than reasonable pricing. Here's an email address if he isn't listing anything at the moment: [email protected] Search under Amadi and you'll find a couple of threads discussing his cables -- very, very good considering the price. |
- 56 posts total