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the Belden 8402 cables from the Jef Day blog?
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I made them up as per Yazaki-san method. They are nice but I prefer the sound of small diameter solid silver. I still have some Belden and will try them with minimalist Cu silver plated RCA's. I find brass in the signal path is a problem (for me).
I made up a batch of the Belden 8402 interconnects, grounded a la Yazaki-san, with the Switchcraft RCAs. Warm, dynamic, and very musical, they complement the sound of the Western Electric speaker cables, even if they don't bring that whole psychedelic life-transforming sensation to the sound that the WE cables do. Their strong point is a very organic flowing quality that brings a sense of realism and feeling to music.
They're biggest drawback is they're not very strong at detail. I had installed them throughout my system (for less cost than most single pairs of interconnects)but after a while replaced the pair between the pre-amp and amp with Tara RSC Gen 2 interconnects. That made for a great balance.
Recently, I listened (repeatedly, as part of my Bowie retrospective in the weeks following his passing) to David Bowie's "Let's Dance"--this combination really captured the syncopated rhythms in that song, with ear-grabbing dynamics on the drums and just the right balance of shimmer to the highs.
The Belden 8402 is a terrific bargain, no question about that. But in my opinion it is not the world beater cable that some people have claimed.
I made up a set using KLE Absolute RCA plugs, used it for several hundred hours, and experimented with different connections of the mesh shield. I then replaced the KLE plugs with WBT 0102-Ag plugs and ran it in for another couple hundred hours. The bottom line for me is the Belden/WBT is sitting in my unused parts box because my old Wireworld Eclipse II is more satisfying. The Eclipse has better inner detail and microdynamics as well as a more neutral tonal balance. I bought the WW Eclipse II back in the mid 1990s and I don't believe there is anything terribly special about it. It just happens to be a very good design that, to my ears, has stood the test of time.
I am not saying that the Belden is a bad sounding cable. With good quality RCA plugs, it has decent detail and dynamics and it has a fairly neutral tonal balance. It may indeed be better sounding than someone's previous DIY cable or the latest internet cable sensation, but I doubt it will win out against a really good sounding commercial cable. Jeff Day says it is similar in quality to his Sablon Panatela interconnects although he says it is quite different sounding (not too sure what to make of that). I tried a Panatela interconnect a couple years ago and ended up returning it because again I preferred the Wireworld. I say that because maybe it's just me and a strange attraction to the sound of the older Wireworld Eclipse cables. However, if anyone wants to buy an already broken in set of Belden/WBT cables, mine may soon be for sale.
Thanks for that.
I have the materials coming in. As is everything it is system dependent I realize been into this a long time. I'm running some Mogami 2549 right now that has more boogie factor than my WyWires SIlver Series. At .80/ft compared to $900 for the meter. Go figure. You never know what will just click with your system.
You have a very nice system there!!!! It should tell a lot what you are hearing.
I agree with you that price has very little to do with cable performance.
Thanks for the comments on my system. You reminded me that I haven't updated my system profile in a while so I just added a few items.
I purchased a pair of Belden 8402 with Amphenol (?) XLRs and have been comparing them to Gotham GAC2 with Neutrik XX series XLRs, Mogami 2542 also with Neutriks, and Neotech NEI-3002 with Furutech XLRs.
Mostly, I've used these ICs to connect a MyTek Digital Brooklyn DAC to the inputs on an SPL Phonitor 2 (used only as a line-stage preamp), outputting, via a Bryston 10B crossover, to an MC2 Audio S1400 power amp (LF) and a Lab-Gruppen IPD2400 (mid and hi frequency).
Everything is plugged into a Furman P2400IT balanced isolation transformer.
Speakers are Acoustic Elegance TD12M mid-bass crossed over passively @ 1.8 kHz to Beyma TPL-150H horn-loaded ribbon tweeter. The AE/Beyma, which have their own 2 cu. ft. vented cabinets, run full-range, and are perched on top of 18" OEM Eminence drivers in 8 cu. ft. vented cabinets tuned to 26 Hz (the Fs of the driver). These are low-passed at 90 Hz with a 12 dB/oct. Linkwitz-Riley slope.
Long story short, it's very hard to tell the difference between the Gotham and Mogami cables which, for me, in this system, tie for first place. The much more expensive Neotech ICs are somehow both more "lush" sounding and, especially in the LF, "loose" sounding. I get tired of them fairly quickly. Ditto for the Belden 8402, though I find it a bit "muddier" in the upper mids and HFs than any of the other cables.
Having said all that, I have found that, over many years of admittedly unsystematic listening, true balanced connections tend to minimize the differences between different cable materials and designs. And it may be that, for single-ended connections, the Belden 8402 offers some-thing special. But, except for FM radio, it's been years since I've used single-ended connections, so on that topic I would have to defer to more knowledgeable listeners.
See this thread: http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=cables&m=166518
Thanks for that I have the materials ordered.
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