|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
91.87.156.101
A couple of days ago my long awaited Belden 9497 cable arrived (it took a full month to arrive from the US to Europe)First I used it only from the high-pass amp (I'm tri-amping, high-pass is 500Hz to 20KHz, feeding 104dB horns) to the only passive crossover in the system (between midrange driver and tweeter) and it sounded deep and neutral but slightly fuzzy in the treble. Before that cable I was using basic QED cable, for many years - almost as long as I can remember!
Between the (only) passive crossover (at 6KHz) and the CD midrange and tweeters, at that point, there was still the cable I put there years ago, without much thinking: no-name cable with the CD midrange (it is the cable that was delivered with the driver) and a length of QED cable on the tweeter.
So 36 hours ago I installed Belden cable on those spots as well... and since then, I haven't been enamored with the sound at all. Yes it's more detailed, but it's a little harsh, and my stereo image (which used to spawn far larger than the speakers, and used to be very enveloping) is now extra dry, and spreads only in the space between the speakers. It's also weirdly uneven and shut-in in the mid, and it seems peaky in dynamics, with some of the treble being more reactive than the mids that feel a bit muddy and dark. All the opposite of what I've been used to from that system (glorious mids, soft treble!)Never did I expect this to happen.
So I'm wondering: does the wire need more break-in (in my system, it's difficult, because at such a high sensitivity, any meaningful current in the speaker cable means extremely high SPL, and the tweeter cable is the one that's gonna take the longest to break in, and is also the one that is responsible for that "dryness") OR am I just hearing the real sound of my not-so-stellar electronics?
On the low pass (60 to 500Hz) I still use the QED, but I have some more Belden wire on the way; tho they won't have to reproduce the low bass (which is the fourth way of the system, and electronically filtered) I wonder about the gauge. Is 16awg gonna be thick enough? That range is reproduced by 15inch drivers in W horns (PEAVEY FH-1 / Eminence Kappa 15C, 104dB, 8ohms, the amp is 100W class D)
The sub range <60Hz is reproduced by active Focal subs so no cabling is involved beside interconnects.
Any comments are welcome!
Edits: 02/10/21Follow Ups:
then why did you make a change? Stop listening to wire and equipment.
Listen to music.
Whether or not you can observe a thing depends upon the theory you use. It is the theory which decides what can be observed. - Albert Einstein
That comment is against the spirit of the forum. Telling listeners that it's a waste of time and money to explore the potential of better audio via cables might fly in other AA forums, but it does not belong in Cable Asylum.
Claiming that changing wire make no change IS outside the rules but suggesting NOT changing wire that one is perfectly satisfied with makes some sense to me.
But our moderator may disagree as he is generally disagreeable with any post that is anywhere near being anti-cable.
Listening to music rather than equipment and cables is ALWAYS good advice, IMNSHO, unless there is something wrong with what one is hearing and one's system is in need of improvement.
The thing is, I recently discovered an interconnect cable that improved my system so much, in such a breath taking way, that I wondered what a different speaker cabe would do.
I've been using that same QED speaker cable for the last 20 years (well, I refreshed it but it's still the same cable brand and reference) by fear of trying something else - but since then , my understanding of audio has gone up a few notches, and I now understand that multistrand, 12gauge speaker cable isn't necessarily what works best with 105dB horns in multi-amp configuration. Besides, that particular QED cable has the reputation of being far from neutral.
Just because I'm disappointed with the Belden cable (maybe it only works well with tubes, counterbalancing certain characteristics?) doesn't mean I shouldn't pursue finding the right speaker cable for my system ;-) for me it's a lot of fun!
You have a good attitude towards the topic, KanedaK. It's how listeners tend to progress from what may have seemed to just "do the job" to what may be better than they would ever expect from either a cable upgrade, or what simply provides better synergy for their own particular application. Don't pay attention to fools who are against the notion of better audio via the exploration of various cables until you find one that not only hits the spot, it might even provide more than they would expect from audiophile cabling. You are among the many who are willing to take a chance on something new, and learn more about the topic in the process.
Cheers, Duster
As I stated in my post on my thread just below, I'm a cable skeptic that keeps getting proven wrong in my skepticism.
Part if the issue is the cost involved in premium cables. Price to performance level tends to mean some listeners have not even evaluated a high-end interconnect cable and power cord, so they don't know how profound the differences can be. It's like washing the lenses of a pair of dirty eyeglasses, or getting a stronger pair of wanted/needed. I've studied cables for decades, and never grow tired of the topic, zacster.
Absurd notion without any merit. Every single AA forum except for the music forums in AA involve the endless pursuit of better or just different audio performance via various audio gear upgrades or lateral moves. To say it's not advisable to seek a device that could be a more pleasant sounding option, even though what one already owns is satisfactory would be met with derision if posted in other AA forums. But always an opportunist to complain about Cable Asylum, you could not help yourself. It's against the rules of this forum to participate in an unproductive argument about the value of cables and their differences, so that's the last of what I'll say about the matter.
Go crying to your moderator/principle again because someone suggested listening to music rather that changing speaker cables that may well have been fine to begin with.
Oh, and YOU were the one who suggested they weren't the best choice for speaker cables in any event.
But as it's you, I guess it's OK?
"I'm with Ivan" or "Duster, you're ridiculous".
Perhaps MikeK was a little rude in his suggestion but Duster's response is just so over-the-top that I think he went over and came back up again! And he wouldn't have got hungry on that journey because he took the biscuit with him!
13DoW
'he took the biscuit with him'
I'm getting T shirts with this!!
a primo example of genuine frontier gibberish
best regards,
is an expression from my British past of behavior that is especially ludicrous.
it's quite illustrative in context as well as apropos
I just lifted a line from Blazing Saddles as it seemed to fit, also in context
with regards,
and I was completely unfamiliar with at phrase.
I've already advocated to use this tightly twisted cable as heater and filament wire since it comes pre-twisted and can save considerable time. I wouldn't use it as a speaker cable though.
Tin-plated copper with a PVC dielectric is not an audiophile-quality design. In fact, a speaker cable such as that is why listeners tend to seek better sounding products for their wants/needs, KanedaK.
While there may be some improvement over a period of time, I wouldn't expect too much betterment due to burn-in.
Well, I know, but that particular cable is widely used (and advertised) by audiophiles owning very high sensitivity speakers, including in cost-no-object systems with Shindo or Kondo electronics.
But, I will see how it behaves after a few more days, and if it doesn't perform, I'll take it out.
I cannot account for why some listeners choose cables that sound a certain way rather than seeking signal purity, since from what I gather those who enjoy a metal plating that greatly affects signal transmission, along with a dielectric that stores energy and releases it more slowly in a manner that better materials and techniques do not, must find something they like about it. Perhaps you are one of the listeners who simply doesn't care for the particular sound of the cable in your system, KanedaK. Since you live in Europe, I suggest trying JANTZEN AUDIO 6N Solid Core Cable HP Polyethylene 2x1mm² Ø 7mm speaker cables for your low-pass and midrange drivers, and JANTZEN AUDIO 6N Solid Core Speaker cable Polyethylene 2x0,5mm² Ø 6.5mm for your tweeters.
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-hautparleur-conducteurs/jantzen-audio-6n-solid-core-cable-hp-polyethylene-2x1mm-o-7mm-p-8789.html
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-hautparleur-conducteurs/jantzen-audio-6n-solid-core-speaker-cable-polyethylene-2x05mm-o-65mm-p-8788.html
Well, the Belden starts to change towards the better. Almost all of the awful grittiness in the treble is now gone, and mids are impressively transparent.
still, there's a little something I don't like, it's still slightly grainy, we will see how / if it keeps improving.
While I'm fully aware of burn-in phenomenon in cables, this one here is an extreme example, starting from barely listenable to rather lovely.
What I've seen so far is that everyone that advocates using the Belden wire uses tube amplification.
It's very possible that there's some kind of synergy between tubes and the specific sound of this wire.
Thanks for your suggestions, the Jantzen cable certainly seems very interesting! If the Belden doesn't significantly change over the next few days, I'll seriously consider it :-)
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: