Your speaker cable recommendations, please.

Firstly, I suppose I'd better say that this is a genuine query and I'm not looking to ignite another yet cable debate. Cable sceptics please look away now, and please note that I intend to try cheap cable from the local hardware shop as well.

Anyway, to the point. I'd appreciate recommendations for copper cable in the sensible money bracket, preferably not thin stuff and preferably no more than £30 a metre. I'd consider spending more, but it would have to be a very significant leap in sound quality.

I usually use Chord Flatline (a ribbon-type copper cable coated in Teflon). It sounds good, but rather boomy in the bass. At the moment, I'm on a borrowed set of Chord something-or-other, a very thin silver-plated cable.

The borrowed set tames the boom, gives better imagery, and better treble and vocals. But it also turns the bass into a weak and pallid thing and sucks the life and energy out of music. Even AC/DC sound tame

I don't know whether these effects are caused by the cable thickness or the fact that it's silver. I do know that I'd like the best of both worlds - the energy of my copper cables and the clarity of the silver.

Any recommendations gratefully received.

 

I'm using Silver and Gold .....to good effect

 

I have recently installed Origin Live and I am mighty impressed.Bit of a pain to work with as it is stiff but results are very good.£6 per m

 

Mogami 2972

 

Went from Chord Legend (like Flatline, maybe even the same!) to NVA 3. A good change.

 

thought the nva's had to use there own ?

boomy bass as described is classic copper multi stranded sound ...

go solid core .....try twin and earth for a taste ...if you like than look at some of the commercial designs..

Dave's is not silver gold by the way .....its lizt copper design !!

 

Ah, I didn't know that about multi-standed copper. Thanks, Zanash. I've just been perusing the Origin Live stuff as per Colin's suggestion and they've got some solid core stuff. Might give it a go.

And thank you to everyone who has responded so far - I've googled your recommendations and am now deep in thought. Not to mention keen to try a new toy

 

BTW, maybe I should have mentioned that I've got a 12watt (at least I think it's 12) valve amp hooked up to 104dB horn speakers.

 

whoops...

 

hi ...

In 2 minds about posting this, but the internet is open to all, and if you disagree with something you should say IMHO. No offense to anyone, anywhere etc.

IMHO a bass booming sound is most likely caused by speaker placement in a room, the position of the listener within the room and the room acoustic itself.

Thats not to say 'don't try solid core cable' - do so if you would like to, don't be aswayed by me.

I'm simply saying that booming bass is IME likely to be caused by one of the above reasons.

All the best,

Chris

 

Cheers Bottleneck, no offence taken at all and thank you for the advice. You could well be right. Unfortunately, the speakers pretty much have to sit where they are (the huge fat feckers) and so do I, unless I completely rearranged the whole room - which is feasible but would be seriously inconvenient in lots of other ways.

 

Thats what I did.

That the one...

Its a complete PITA......but it does sound better.

 

thrudge - what about some room acoustic treatments?

 

van damme 4mm - less than 3 quid metre....doesn't sound any differnt from the ven den hul the wind mk11 I preveviously owned...

 

I'm looking to get some new cable myself, about 4 metres length, two runs for biamping. Looking at something like Mogami (2972 / 3104), Van damme 2.5mm studio grade, Supra super Rondo or something similar.

Not sure if there's much between them?

 

Hi T - I'm not a cable sceptic - I was in a previous life as musician / postgrad student - and have open mindedly (??) tried a lot of speaker cable (finding a greater difference than swapping power cables or interconnects).

I'd agree with Bottleneck that speaker placement is primarily responsible for boomy bass. But in terms of speaker wire I'd without any doubt try Kimber 4TC (not 8TC) - yes it's multistranded copper but in no way (in any systems I've used it in - from valves to 100W tranny monoblocs) produced bloated or boomy bass. Sadly I'm with Mr Andrews on this one. Others - I've used Canare and "Studiospares" professional cables - good but 4TC much better. As for solid core I liked DNM Reson, but it apparently doesn't suit some amps. Didn't like the Nordost cables I tried but found Goertz flat cable (don't know the name, similar to Townsend Isolda) pretty good as well.

 

Thrudge I use a 12w SET and favourite cables so far are Goetrz,ZU Wax which was very good and this Origin Live.As I said its a bit inflexible and needs a bit of work to reveal the cables but well worth it.

 

I favour the NVA range of 7 core solid cables-they do the job well but the very idea that multistrand produces boomy bass is a stinker IMO!I'm currently using NVA on mid and tops with some 4mm OEHL BACH multi strand up to 800hz and the bass is clear, fast, deep as a deep thing with great dynamics and is cheap as chips too.
Cooky

 

Why do forum members seem reluctant, or at least that is how it appears to me, to admit that an expensive item [cable, support, speaker stand etc.] is actually worth what was paid for it. Worth the cost both aesthetically and sonically. I imagine the mythically 'average' hi-fi enthusiasist system cost from £2½K to £15K or would have if the individual items were purchased new. Yet speaker cable at £1.00 per metre?? Seems that there is something wrong here. IMHO everything affects your hi-fi system. Everything, from the room it is in to the mains electricity that powers it. I am just about the most cynical of people, I take every claim made by manufacturers and distributors with two grains of salt. Yet I had to admit that Nordost cables, finite elemente wall shelf, Ceraballs, Russ Andrews PowerBlock etc. all contributed to better sound from my system than the supplied cables, my Target rack, standard 4-way mains block and so on.

Some of these items cost an obsene amount of money but after a fair trial period I found that they work and I consider that they are worth what they cost. And I have better things to do than try to find a cheaper way of supporting my CD Player than by using three Ceraballs. Things like sitting down and actually listening to some music for one.

 

Well, I am not reluctant.
I love Townshend Isolda speaker cable and their dct300 interconnects. I have heard the speaker cable against Chord Epic and signature and preferred it. It sounds very natural, clear, allows plenty of bass. It just sounds "right". All IMO of course.