2017 Honest Cabling that doesn’t promote bankruptcy

Sorry I’m late getting back here.
FYI - Wires currently on hand:
Audio Art RCA 1.5M
Harmonic Tech magic link II RCA 1M
Micro Pearl 1.5M
Syn Res Sig 10 Active bi wire spkr cables 21ft.
Syn Res active (?) 15ft bi wire spkr wires.
Syn Res alpha non active 10ft spkr wires
Belkin Gold USB
100ft or so of some highly praised non descript bulk wire for center and surrounds in former main HT array.
Oyieda (?) BNC 1.3M
Gotham 1.5M AES from Links sound card Elrod Sig 3 PC 1.5M
2 Shunyata Taippan Tesla helix PC 1.5M
2 VooDoo GoldDragon
1 Voodoo ref 1M
Voodoo black dragon 1.5M
Nirvana PC 1.5M
Dynamic Research (?) Canadian power cable co. – very stiff and heavy for its size, clean and neutral sounding. Appox $100 - $125

Some are in this rig or that. Some are simply sitting around waiting for jobs.

The number of new or since ’09 models is staggering. So are their prices in most cases. Some no longer exist.

iIm leaning on lists from here and well redarded audiophile mags. None of the interesting wires I feel I’d want to interview exceed $2K. most are under $1K.

Crystal and Siltech seem very good candidates to begin with as does the newer AQ wires. Some others I’ve forgotten but are elsewhere in my notes.



4425
Thanks a lot. Really.
AQ never did it for me when I was building my last arrangement. The press now says otherwise. They will have to be checked out very likely.

maurice1937
THX

Jayctoy
Tanks.
+ 2 for Clear day, huh? Hmmm.

Joe B
“Don't drive yourself nuts”
Its too late.


mani-2
Tanks.


boxer12
finding pearls in cabling is not terribly hard, just time consuming. Especially if you are as pedantic as myself….. at times.

listener57
Both companies play well with tubes and solid state, and offer other options and prices depending on your own systems and preferences. .

Tanks. OK. Right there is the foreboding issue giving me pause.
I’ve not fully decided on which way to go yet with some of the source paths or power amp. Speakers too are yet a large dark question mark.

Keeping my line stage pre the amp would need to accommodate SE inputs but adapters can work very well if only XLR ins are the only option.

I’ve got a very decent set of SA Sig 10 active spkr cables which I believe I’ll have SA cut down to shorter lengths from the current 21ft. as Bi wires, perhaps even reconfigure and re-terminate them… after landing on an amp & speaker combo..

These Sig 10s have proven themselves as neutral and quite complimentary cables regardless the amp or speakers.


jmac7
no sense in paying for what you can not realize. Tanks.


phillipsus
Been there. Done that.
I have to disagree in some cases.

A - B anything is problematical apart from sources connected thru the same reamp or network, which can retrieve the exact same audio info, immediately. Cables like components are different once moved, de energized, then re-inserted and power up again.a primary issue is with sonic memory, then re-establishing the exact same operating temps, signal flow and quantifying the disparity (s) objectively.

Its no real wonder why one cable or some other being slipped in and out of a system can right off sound very similar.

Its also why every system I’ve ever owned or previewed, sounded better after working for 30 to 60 mins, instead of right after a 10 or 20 min no load warm up.

Its also why borrowing cables for very brief periods is nothing much beyond being like watching a two minute movie trailer or watching 30 seconds of scenes from next weeks TV episode..

Moving up the cable ladder takes a lot of familiarity with your own rig, and a very open mind.


knownothing
thank you very much for the option.
I did retain some of my last system’s cables which have sat idle for so long even these will sound unfamiliar to me going forward.
So, my best response will be, we’ll see.


jgandy
been there. Done them too. Not a good fit for what I had back then. Worked oK in my receiver based Bedroom HT sys.


geoffkait
you had me going until I saw the Navy thingy. Sorry. Its going to be a philosophical thing that prevents me from going down that road… but thanks very much for the heads up.


bumperdoo
that was insightful. THX
I’m just trying to catch up not having been in the ‘loop’ for some time.
I’ve some experience with isoalation and good amp stands and so forth do go a long ways with every component.

Mine will be almost entirely isolated into another space from the speakers or listening area.


pops
more or less, I’m fully on board with your idea.
The problem as I see it is having a known quantity at some point with wires. Even placing an IC into source to per, from pre to amp can alter things substantially.
But I’d thereafter not revert to a configuration which lessened the outcome. Regardless. I’d simply sell the wires I’m not digging in my rig, IF trickling them down into another system was a poor notion.
Trickle first, sell after, when possible.


schubert
I believe I have several of these cables already. Not bad at all. IMHO.


erik_squires
appreciate it greatly.


tablejockey
yep. Getting reacquainted with FAT wire is on the list of things to do. Tanks.


safebelayer
Cardass NR = brightness? It was never my experience and I at one time had NRs from source to amp as XLR in an all BAT power train.
Tanks for another plus to Clear Day.


cycles2
that’s interesting. Did you have a full set of Syn res wires previously, front to back?
I did. I found it outstanding, though not the upmost in every aspect. Naturally, this was 7 or 8 years ago and before the insanity of the Galileo grounding blocks, needing an engineer to connect it all, and now their Atmosphere wires with interchangeable ‘mood rings’.
However, the ‘mood ring wires are of interest and have found a slot into definite possibilities as certain maybes..


One thought does pester me…. When one reads the reviews on ultra high end gear the idea comes to mind that folks who possess systems new housing could have been bought with instead, ought to be able to have what ever cabling they choose, why did they spend whatever on this one or that one, or all of one brand to connect their arrangements?

I know a few very wealthy people. Spending money is not ordinarily their ambition, saving money seems to be however.

Sure, some items therein might be on everlasting no time limit trials. Some could be sheerly ‘accomodations’ at no charge just to get the perennial press as a part of the ‘sidebar’.
But one has to consider this…
Very expensive systems reviewers use as baselines are not owned by dummies. Likely not foolish people at all.

So it begs the question, ‘if its all about the components and not the wires, why are not so and so, Blue Jean, or el cheapo wires the inter connects, and speaker cables rather than what is indeed present??’

If the answer is ‘its all about advertising!’ I’ve obviously gone deaf, dumb, and acceptably insane.
So many options, so little time.
Its interesting, regardless.

blindjim,

Yes, over the years I always had a full loom of matching SR cables & typically purchased their most costly model starting years ago with the Tesla Apex series, then Element CTS and most recently the Atmosphere Level 4 line. I also had a number of their accessories including the Tranquility Base XL, the Power Cell 10, the Transporter Ultra and the really worthless Speaker Cell.

On a few occasions I had to return their products for lack of sufficient QA testing. How do you not test a speaker cable to make sure there's no loose connection at the spade. 

Regardless of the QA issue, IMO most of their stuff seemed over-priced and not a good value for the delivered SQ in my system. Perhaps that's why they provide such an attractive trade-up program to keep SR users from switching brands as they continually introduce new technologies & tell us why it's so much better than last year's model they raved about.   

pops
more or less, I’m fully on board with your idea.
The problem as I see it is having a known quantity at some point with wires. Even placing an IC into source to per, from pre to amp can alter things substantially.
But I’d thereafter not revert to a configuration which lessened the outcome. Regardless. I’d simply sell the wires I’m not digging in my rig, IF trickling them down into another system was a poor notion.
Trickle first, sell after, when possible.

Blindjim
you are correct about quantity of cables - I have plenty in back up but none that are ultra expensive. I do sell those if they are not in use.

I am currently using a loom of Kubala-Sosna Fascination, IC’s, SC and PC’s. They are a very solid match to my system which includes Thiel speakers. I have had them about 3 years and have craved to upgrade to the Emotion level. And there I go again - trying to get into 4 figure cables again. Since I retired recently they are just a little pricey for me and quite frankly, my system….and the Fascinations do a fine job. Don’t know if you have tried KS cables. Full bodied with nice tonal balance - in my system.

I seem to remember you had MIT’s for a while. I have owned and tried a ton of those...

I made a pair of the cables Erik recommends.. they do sound great and are a reasonably inexpensive way to try silver. I ended up making another pair of ICs from solid silver in cotton from vh audio based on a design by @williewonka. I think they sound even better, but I really haven't had a chance to listen as much as I should to form a definite opinion, as I only had them in my system for a couple of weeks before I headed off to Europe. I'm typing this from the Black Forest right now, with my system thousands of miles away..
Here's the williewonka design: http://www.image99.net/blog/files/4127b5fe2694586e383104364360373b-74.html
 I did a few things differently: I used some of the hyperflex tubing from vh audio instead of the teflon tubing in williewonka's recipe. It's listed on the vh audio site alongside the continuous crystal silver in cotton signal wire. I also used OCC copper magnet wire from eBay for the neutral and did away with the floating shield, as I have a basement listening room and rfi is not an issue.

Last comment. If you pick up used AQ Niagara interconnects you'll never look back. Can be had for 60-70% off if you are patient. Was a $2000m silver cable before newest model came out of which I can't discern the difference. Very smooth and detailed.