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Inexpensive cables, better sound

108.249.169.177
Posted on July 20, 2016 at 18:00:37
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 Please look at this blog talking about cables
http://jeffsplace.me/wordpress/?p=7469
I have replaced about $5000 worth of cables ( Hi-diamond8, auditorium23 and Nordost) with $275 worth of cables. These are Beldin 1804 interconnects and 16ga stranded tinned copper speaker cable made by Western Electric in 1950
The improvement in sound was substantial. Much greater experience of the recording environment, improved low level resolution, very wide and deep soundstage and great macro and micro dynamics. These cables are inexpensive and certainly worth auditioning. The resulting sound of these cables puts into question th very high cost of many cables. Stereophile just reviewed some new cables by Luna. If you read the description they are really Western Electric cables at a lot more money. The high end magazines will never review these cables
Alan

 

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RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 04:28:30
MannyE
Audiophile

Posts: 2088
Location: Miami Beach
Joined: March 4, 2001
 Can I have the old cables? :)

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 05:09:37
Emil
Audiophile

Posts: 242
Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: April 9, 2000
 Belden 1804? Not the 8402 mentioned in the blog?

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 05:48:30
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 TY -Alan

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 06:56:13
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 Just unplugging cleaning and reconnecting cables can make a big differenve. Had you done that within a year? I use diy 14 ga coppper foil tinned on the end for speaker wire. Never tried anything expensive except Kimber 8TC and that flat Nordost and I like the foil better.

I like Speltz anticable interconnects. I tried both copper and silver. Silver was 3X the money and only very slightly better even with silver Eichmanns compared to the Neutrik RCA on the base model. I now DIY them in copper. The silver uses a copper return, Id like to try an all silver to see if there is a difference. Im one of those that needs to rule out alternatives by trying them.



ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 07:24:30
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 Sorry
I am using 8402
My memory is getting old
Alan

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 07:25:20
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 You can bid on them
Alan

 

Have you put the old cables back after awhile and actually recompared?, posted on July 21, 2016 at 08:28:31
Smelly_Socks
 Changing something often makes a big xplash in the mind. The challenge is to put back the old stuff, after awhile, and then see if the new stuf really was as big a deal as first thought.
I have found the later comparison to offer plenty to chew on.

Some things do not impress nearly as much, other I can clearly hear the difference I found in the first place to be valid.

 

RE: Have you put the old cables back after awhile and actually recompared?, posted on July 21, 2016 at 08:37:15
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 I know cleaning and reconnecting mine makes a difference including speaker wire. Retetmination of old cables helps too.


ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: Have you put the old cables back after awhile and actually recompared?, posted on July 21, 2016 at 08:54:14
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
I usually evaluate something new over a period of several weeks or even months. listening to lots of material. I place no faith
in A/B comparisons. A/B comparisons can be very misleading
Alan

 

If they were made in the 50's, did you get the last ones?, posted on July 21, 2016 at 09:29:32
oldmkvi
Audiophile

Posts: 10581
Joined: April 12, 2002
 Or are they still available?

 

RE: If they were made in the 50's, did you get the last ones?, posted on July 21, 2016 at 10:16:47
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 You have to do a search.
here's one
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20-feet-Western-Electric-speaker-wire-16ga-KS13385-twist-STRANDED-WIRE-cloth-/191907882914?hash=item2cae99e7a2:g:shEAAOSwqBJXUr-6

They are hard to find
The Belden is readily available
Alan

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 11:42:56
Jim Smith
Industry Professional

Posts: 1097
Location: Atlanta, GA area
Joined: April 5, 2000
 Agreed 100%!

My bi-wired rig plus ICs cost me $270!

Best regards,

Jim Smith

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 12:01:05
SgreenP@MSN.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3537
Joined: April 23, 2007
 Its not the cables....just how well they get along with the things it connects to. I've tried at least 30 different cables from different manufacturers....their most expensive, to the lesser lines. Some of them were fine and others were awful. I now have relatively inexpensive cables that are absolutely amazing in the music they bring. You have to try different cables in your system to find that magic. (I have all Ayre components...Ayre said Cardas is what they recommend....awful).

 

Exactly my experience NT, posted on July 21, 2016 at 17:12:13
lancelot
Audiophile

Posts: 1722
Joined: March 23, 2001
 NT

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 17:44:56
Mick Wolfe
Audiophile

Posts: 3364
Location: AZ
Joined: October 10, 1999
Contributor
  Since: September 4, 2000
 Did you happen to replace the A23 IC between your Aurieges and amp(s) with the 8402? It would a great to find a $30 or $40 IC that had as good or better synergy than the A23 in the run from the Shindo. I'm not about to shell out $1500 for the "magic" Shindo IC either. FWIW, I've got both the WE wire and 8402 heading my way.

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 18:36:49
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 Yes, it sounds great
Alan

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on July 21, 2016 at 18:40:35
ahendler
Audiophile

Posts: 5151
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Joined: January 24, 2003
 I never used A23 as interconnect. Just speaker wire. Used Sablon Pantella or Nordost SPM as interconnect. Beldin is much better
Alan

 

Something new inspired by the Western Electric 16 ga wire..., posted on July 21, 2016 at 20:18:14
R Browne
Audiophile

Posts: 1710
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: January 14, 2002
 Duelund Coherent Audio DCA16GA wire is 16 ga multistrand tinned copper wire with black cotton dielectric that is impregnated in oil. Now avalable at Parts Connexion. More info at the link below.

 

I took the plunge, posted on July 22, 2016 at 06:23:32
Emil
Audiophile

Posts: 242
Location: Long Island, NY
Joined: April 9, 2000
 Worth a shot for fifty bucks


and for the audiophile crowd.....
"Custom terminated by us using pure Cardas solder and our custom Cryogenically treated Switchcraft RCA connector"

or build your own
http://btpa.com/CA-0582.html

 

agreed the Belden WE combo is very good. How often do you buy something and find nothing wrong with the sound?, posted on July 23, 2016 at 07:24:24
PhilJ
Audiophile

Posts: 2826
Joined: January 20, 2002
 that is what happened with this wire combo for me, it is simply musical and harmonically rich imo.

 

RE: Something new inspired by the Western Electric 16 ga wire..., posted on July 23, 2016 at 09:45:22
Awe-d-o-file
Dealer

Posts: 21037
Location: 50 miles west of DC
Joined: January 10, 2004
 """Neotech's UP-OCC copper is at least 99.99998% pure, and has an average crystal size of 125 meters (410 feet)! Compare this to the average crystal size of Oxygen Free Copper, which is .02 meters (3/4"). UP-OCC copper and silver are considered the ultimate in copper and silver conductior technology today. """

This looks interesting too.





ET

"If at first you don't succeed, keep on sucking till you do suck seed" - Curly Howard 1936

 

RE: If they were made in the 50's, did you get the last ones?, posted on July 25, 2016 at 08:13:27
rickmcinnis@dogwoodfabrics.com
Audiophile

Posts: 3040
Location: Atlanta
Joined: December 15, 2003
 It was made in the seventies, maybe even the eighties.

 

RE: If they were made in the 50's, did you get the last ones?, posted on July 26, 2016 at 18:48:03
Jeffrey Lee
Audiophile

Posts: 708
Location: Louisville
Joined: September 24, 2002
 Alan, with more than 4,200 posts under your belt I'd like to encourage you to use the "optional link URL" box that's at the bottom of every message form. You clearly are familiar with copying the URL of a web page, but instead of pasting it directly into your message, paste it into the aforementioned box and a link will magically appear that we can all click on. It is incredibly easy.

Like so:

 

RE: If they were made in the 50's, did you get the last ones?, posted on July 27, 2016 at 13:22:26
fantja
Audiophile

Posts: 15518
Location: Alabama
Joined: September 11, 2010
 My interest is certainly peaked.

 

RE: Inexpensive cables, better sound, posted on September 4, 2016 at 20:58:55
pixelphoto
Audiophile

Posts: 655
Location: So. Cal.
Joined: December 15, 2009
 I've been using Belden 8402 diy ic's since the cable was mentioned on Jeff's Place. They replaced ic's made of up-occ wire and Wireworld RCA's. Presently I'm testing a pair of 8402 ic's with KLEI Silver Harmony RCA's. I also I made a short 8402 ic to use as a SPDIF ic and it sounds musical compared to the Oyaide DR-510 I had been using. The Belden and Duelund DCA16GA combo are a dream in my system.

 

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