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I bought some Furutech FP-201R spade connectors a while back at a good price. They have been sitting in the bag they came in too long and since I'm out of work now Thanks the the Covid, I going through and finishing up my projects now one by one and which I can finish fast.So I bought some Mogami W3014 speaker cable to use with the these Furutech Rhodium spades I have. I only bought enough for a pair of 8' long speaker cables. If these turn out like I hope they will, I will buy another for a bi-cable run of these. I have AudioQuest I got a very good price from HCM Audio before they were known and now prices have gone up on them.
The AudioQuest speaker cables are smaller than these Mogami W3014's but that is ok as the Furutech spades with be able to accept them.
All my other interconnects and power cables are Premium cables now and these are the speaker cables I have in the system now are the weak link. So lets what comes out of this DIY project.
As soon as I get the cable in, I will start posting some pics and show the project as it goes.
Edits: 01/27/21 01/27/21Follow Ups:
nt.
I have been using one of these for the last 35 years. AudioQuest, years ago, imported these and sold them under their name, spendy but works great!
Thant I bought at a local Electronics store back when I tried to repair my Audioquest Midnight cables. It worked ok but still wasn't like a good crimping machine.
I will look into those again and see what is out there now in better quality than the ones I have.
Thanks for the link
The Mogami W3014 are 4 conductors - sufficient for a bi-wire set. When you said a bi-cable run - what is the advantage of doing that?
Yes, I know they have 4 wire in the cable. I have always ran my systems in Bi-Cable configuration since back in the late 90's. I used to do a single cable run with good jumper wires until we did side by side test at a friends Audio Store. The Bi-cable run always sound better.
Look it up on the internet or maybe give it a try in your system. :)
It's called an external bi-wire configuration, which uses a separate cable for each the high and the low posts. This keeps the magnetic fields of the cable for the low frequencies away from the cable for the high frequencies, rather than running the highs and lows within a single cable. This way the bi-wire method is more effectively optimized,.
Thanks Cougar and Duster. I might try it. Currently running separate, but only two, cables to each terminal on my speakers and then jumpers to the other posts.
That Mogami cable is not too expensive, and might try and compare with currently pair of older Tara Labs (Air something, can't even remember the name as it's been that long).
Like you've mentioned, it'll be a mighty stiff using 2 12awg cables as a single run.
on the description of the cable run. It actually back in the day was called a "Shotgun" configuration (2 separate cables to 1 speaker). I like to say Bi-cable because when you say Bi-Wire config, most people think one cable with 4 conductors having 2 for the highs and 2 for the lows.I got into Bi-wire cables when I had my Vandersteen 2ce speakers with Transparent Cables and later Vampire speaker cables. I bought some Bi-Wire cables which were one cable 4 wires from both companies. Then I read up on people doing 2 separate cables of equal length to one speaker one cable for the highs and one for the lows. I tried it with lower end cables but I immediately heard a difference and it was not small either for the better in sound from my speakers/system. I later bought a set Audioquest speaker cables and I never went back to single cable runs unless the speaker wasn't setup for True Bi Wire connections, which was only my Carver Amazing Silvers.
I had a buddy come over and when he was listening to my system, he liked how the soundstage was pretty wide and deep so he went and seen what cables I was using. He saw that I was using a pair of cables for each speaker, he was tripping out on it. He said he would like to try that but it would be too expensive to buy two runs of speaker cables for each.
So the wire I'm using now is AudioQuest GBC speaker wire, I got that at HCM Audio when it was on a special so I bought two pairs. They are good speaker cables but not the best and so I wanted to upgrade my cables since this is the last of the weak links in my system.
If you don't want the 4 conductor in one cable Mogami has another of the same cable but with 2 conductors in each cable, I think the part number is W3013?
Edit: The cable number is 1303.
Hope this helps!
Edits: 01/29/21
Shotgun a pair of AQ Type 2 to my 2CEsig2. Same cables I've been using since I bought my 1C 20 yrs ago. Would like to try something else if it's a big enough step up, don't know where to start really.
Thanks for the info Cougar! I had a chuckle (at myself) when you mentioned the speaker cables were your last weak link - I haven't even began to make a list of mine (!). I'm passively 'saving up' for an amp upgrade, and will probably solicit opinions from the forum when that time comes. But the speaker cables are 'cheap' enough to try.
Just a followup, why the Mogami? Have you considered offerings from Neotech/DH Labs/etc.?
Please also update, if you don't mind, after you crimp/solder those cables to your spade - would like to see how 2 12awg cables fit. Are you planning to dress the cables up with braided sleeves and shrink wrap?
Thanks.
if this doesn't work out. The Neotechs would be very expensive for a Shotgun configuration. I would have to use one cable per speaker with a really good jumper and see how that would work out with the Neotech.I have used and still use the Mogami RCA and Balanced Gold studio interconnects in my second system. Very good quality and sound. My main system consists of Neotech NEI 3001 MKIII and my own DIY braided interconnects with Vampire CCC magnet wire and Cardas Rhodium RCA connectors. These two types of interconnect cables work out fantastic in my system.
Be careful if you are going to change out your amp because that can change everything in how the cables work out in your system. I have had experiences with interconnect that were working out well in my system. Then I would change to a different preamp or amp and everything in the sound would change and most of the time not for the better. I know it should not be like that but my ears noticed the difference. Speaker cables I have notice changes mostly with interconnects.
I will do a dry run with these Mogami speaker cables. Then if everything is to my liking, I will go ahead a dress the cables up with nice braided mesh covers and heat shrink. I will not be using any solder on the spade connectors. I don't want to waste any braided mesh covering or heat shrink if I don't like it.
Edits: 01/28/21 01/28/21
Sounds like you've already have a plan Cougar. Good luck, and do hope you will like the sound afterwards.
I just looked up those Furutech spades you have, and given your shotgun/bi-cable configuration, it would require 12 of those - so those spades are much more costly than the cable :). At least they've got set screws, and so removing them after displeasure would be easy. A high quality crimp sleeve, as Duster suggested, is probably a good idea if you can get 2 wires to fit. But don't see a 6awg version from Furutech.
I'll have to do some homework on parts/prices....
Just the wires into the spades first and tighten them down with the set screws which are gold plated. If everything is good, I will put heat shrink over it to make it sit tight as possible. I have seen pics of them done that way with clear heat shrink that looks like it sealed both ends quite well.
If it doesn't work then I will try another way. This is all trail and finding out what works best.
Btw, the cable and spade connectors came to almost the same. I got a good deal on the spades awhile back. Still both a lot cheaper than the Neotech speaker wire I'm looking at.
Hi Cougar,
Was looking at the Neotech NES-3004 MKII, that cable have 8 conductors. While that would accomplish this 'shotgun' configuration as you've described, I'm not sure if the way each pair is twisted have any impact to the configuration. Or if using a single cable is less beneficial than two cables separately.
Looking at the pictures, all the conductors in that cable are in red/black jackets, but that will be easy to figure out which cable is which at each end. One complication would be trying to stuff 4 conductors into a single spade, but 1 spade per two conductors would make that easier.
and just for a pair if single run cables would be over $300 and over $600 for External Bi-Wire in the lengths I need. So Trying the Mogami first will be the best choice now for me and my system for now.
Hopefully this Mogami cable with be a sleeper cable with the Furutech Rhodium Spades.
If I do step up and that's a maybe, The Neotech NES 3004 MKIII would be my choice and I would do the cabling per Jon R. recipe and it's highly recommended when building that speaker cable.
Thanks Cougar. I have to look up the Jon R recipe - read about it once upon a time.
The 3004 MKII (8 conductor) is a little less than double the Mogami cable cost, but would be a single cable from amp to speaker. I was just wondering if there are 'concerns' using a single 8 conductor cable to accomplish what you're doing with the bi-cable shotgun configuration with the Mogami. Just looking for options and asking questions. The Neotech is UP-OCC Cu whereas the Mogami is OFC Cu, but again at almost double the cost.
Would love to hear your opinions once you've heard the Mogami.
It's way more than the Mogami W3104. The Mogami was $106 for 18' feet of cable. The Neotech NES 3003 MKII came out to $324 for the same length.
Edits: 01/29/21
Sorry for the confusion Cougar, you're correct that the 3004 mkII cable would be ~$324 for 18ft. However, with the 3004, you'd only need half of that length as it's an 8 conductor cable.
But been reading some good reviews on the Mogami. Decisions, decisions....
The Neotech NES 3004 MKIII would be $432 for 18' and the Neotech NES 3003 MKII would be $324.
You might consider using copper crimp sleeves for the termination if the spades feature set-screws.
It will provide a snugger fit with improved and more dependable conductivity.
It also creates a modular system, so you can swap-out the spades anytime you want.
So with two going into one spade, it will be about 6awg and it is barely going to fit and still may have to make it fit.I was going to use heat shrink over the spade where the wire enters and on the other side to make it close to air tight as possible. I hear what you are saying and will keep an eye out on this. That's why I will have the wire a little longer just in case it does happen I can just cut off the contaminated part/s and redo in a different way.
I have some AudioQuest Midnight speaker cable I had to re-crimp when I change out two broken spades (thin as hell for that size solid core wire). This was done about 20 years ago and I still have never seen any contamination on the crimping I did and it wasn't as tight as I would have like it to be. Also I never heard any difference but not saying it didn't happen I just never noticed it, and I had a very revealing system then. The Crimping machine at my job at the time couldn't take the size of the new spades so I could do a professional type crimp.
BTW, I will soon be given a little update on those Douglas Digital cables you referred to me. Very nice but still need about another 20-30 hours before I can give any type of feedback.
Thanks for the info and advice.
Edits: 01/27/21
The 4-conductor cable features four 12AWG conductors, two for each polarity, which creates a 9 AWG aggregate/effective gauge speaker cable. Two 9 AWG conductors will fit into a single copper crimp sleeve, to be inserted onto the spade connector. A simple, single indentation shaped like a trough is created by a crimping tool unto the soft/malleable crimp sleeve, just deep enough so the pair of set-screws have a good groove to grip.
The dual set-screws grab the copper crimp sleeve with enough torque to create a firm grip on the sleeve, and to press hard onto the surface of the opposite wall of the spade connector body. You won't need to seal the connector by the use of heat shrink, Cougar. It's a very effective method that I prefer vs. the high-torque crimping that relies on the hardcore deformation of a high-mass copper or brass spade connector, which can fail over the test of time.
this caught my attention ... if I may Duster, one should be especially careful of undercrimping, overcrimping, using wrong crimping tools, or cutting or nicking the conductors ... a loose contact allows an oxide film to form between the wire and the terminal and so can = increased resistance
you will hear it too! I learned the hard way so my PSA of the day!
best regards,
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