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Model: | VH Audio's UniCrystal™ 18 AWG OCC Wire |
Category: | Cable |
Suggested Retail Price: | $2.49/ft |
Description: | OCC (Ohno Continuous Cast) Solid Hookup Wire w/ FEP Teflon Insulation |
Manufacturer URL: | DIY by Chris VenHaus |
Review by oofer (A) on January 18, 2007 at 23:43:29 IP Address: 216.110.206.186 | Add Your Review for the VH Audio's UniCrystal™ 18 AWG OCC Wire |
Okay, this was a real shot in the dark. I have preferred using smaller gauge wires for several years now in my amp to speaker connections. Okay, actually in all my connections. All my IC's are 23 gauge wire of one sort or another, all from VH Audio. I had a set of double golden helix Mapleshade speaker wires. I have owned VH Audio's CHeLA's which left me flat, literally my music sounded flat. I know this isn't everyone's experience. Ihave had DH Lab's cables, Cardas cables, Element Cables. I have been around the block on speaker cables short of owning a set of Nordost Valhalla's.I noticed in the dreaded Stereophile's recommended components, in the speaker wire catagory, they always mention Rad Shack hookup wire as a possibility. I have also heard from various sources about using solid wire of different gauges, usually in the 17 to 20 AWG range both copper and silver. The theory, as I understand it, and this should be taken with a grain of salt, is that solid wire offers more coherence to the signal by virtue of the single conductor's surface area. Oh, hell, I am not explaining this correctly. Anyway, the idea boils down to single, solid conductor speaker wires might work for particular systems.
Include my system as one of them. While Mapleshade's wire got me 90% of the way there, it was a bit uneven to my ears through my system. I ended up in my search with a set of Guerilla Audio silver push/pull wires that really satisfied me. They were soft annealed silver, each pole having four 23 gauge wires each wrapped in a teflon dielectric then woven into a" litz-design" configuration. Whatever. I can say that Jason of Guerilla Audio was a pleasure to deal with, much like Chris at VH Audio is. And his product sounded good to me. Real good.
But when Chris at VH Audio started offering 18 gauge OCC solid copper with a telfon insulation hookup wire, I jumped. Every time I have used UPOCC wire it has had a positive effect on my system. I figured I would buy just enough Red and Green OCC wire to twist together for a stereo set of speaker wires.
I am very glad I did. These wires sound balanced, clean, coherent with wonderful bass extension and PRAT. I was never a fan of the whole Pace, Rhythm, and Timing definition before. Now I get it. Actually I though somehow I had hit a button that increased the speed of the SACD I was listening to. I noticed a clearer tempo, and cleaner, more balanced sound across the spectrum. I was a bit unnerved, to tell you the truth. All this expensive wire I had gone through, and these hookup wires were flat out better. At least for my system.
Now YMMV, to be sure. However, on the off-hand chance that my ears are correct, and within the criteria of my system--short speaker wire runs into fairly efficient speakers, I would recommend you at least give this little set up a try. At $2.49 per foot, given what you COULD spend, I think a trial would be a legitimate expense.
Yes, I know Pierre Sprey feels that speaker wire should be at least 8 feet per pole, and I know people who feel shorter is better. I am not going there. What I can say is that the two sets of four foot VH Audio UniCrystal(tm) I tightly twisted together have made my listening to music more enjoyable than it has ever been.
Product Weakness: | May not work for everyone |
Product Strengths: | Wonderful Sound, relatively inexpensive, easy to make |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | PS Audio HCA-2 (modified by Reference Audio Mods--way worth it) + DIY Neotech NEP-3001(UPOCC) Power Cord( from VH Audio) with FIM 302 & 303 UPOCC connectors |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | PS Audio PCA-2+HCPS + VH Audio DIY Flavor 1 (made in the flavor 4 fashion) with FIM 302 and 303 UPOCC connectors. |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | see oofer's system in Inmate Systems |
Speakers: | see oofer's system in Inmate Systems |
Cables/Interconnects: | see oofer's system in Inmate Systems |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Classical, Jazz, Folk, |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 15 x 20 x 16 |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | Two Weeks |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Follow Ups:
OCC, which IS single-crystal, with white (only) Teflon insulation. 70 cents, not $2.49, per foot.But after winding, you'd have to identify which conductor is which with an Ohmeter. Is that worth saving $3.58 (assuming a 2-conductor cable) per foot?
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Tin-eared audiofool and obsessed landscape fotografer.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr
No it isn't. Please ask next time, if you are uncertain...
Could you provide a url?
...at 940/689-9800 or Elliot in the warehouse at 800/689-4434.SC also has Vampire Wire enameled ('magnet') wire in 20- and 26g. for 50 and 25 cents per foot. This also is OCC, super-hi-purity copper. I used a trio of this to make speaker cable and to wire my OB dipole linearrays.
It's net-15-1/2g. and fairly easy to make--I wound, in opposite directions, the 2 conductor bundles around a 4g. teflon tube I got from Percy, and anchored it all with Teflon plumber's tape. Included a dielectric-bias system--24g. insulated wires to each conductor bundle for the positive, and 18g. bare copper wrapped around the outside for the negative--and 'powered' that with 58VDC from 6 9V batteries.I'm a big fan of silver conductors and have lots of Audioquest Cheetah IC in my system, but the system sounded SO good with entry-level Audioquest copper as conductors, I decided to use high-quality copper in my final wiring and save $400 in the process.
I have more in-process pics if you're interested; e-mail me at jeffreybehr(at)cox(dot)net.
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Tin-eared audiofool and obsessed landscape fotografer.
http://community.webshots.com/user/jeffreybehr
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Well, I took two wires, of different colors red and green, wrapped one end of this stereo set with a small piece of rubber inner tube. I measured out a couple of inches to accomodate bare wire termination and put this end of the set in a vise gently. Bear in mind that I was only making two four foot sets.I took hold of the other end of each wire, extended my arms out fully and made large circles. When my arms locked, I reached under my right arm with my left arm and grabbed that end again. Made another big circle with my arms, and so on. It worked out to about two twists per inch. I am absolutely sure there is a better way, but I am not manufacturing just prototyping.
I left enough wire at the other end to accomodate the other bare wire termination.
Green and red twisted wire. Looks sort of nice actually. This fairly fine wire stock; so the whole construction looks sort of puny compared to most speaker wires, but it doesn't sound puny at all.
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JUST KIDDING!!!Actually I was considering using some of the very same wire for the speaker terminal-to-driver connections in my speakers. Thanks to your review, I'll likely use the same wire from the external x-o's to the speaker as well.
Thanks ;^)
Variable speed is best, but if you've got one of those old corded drills, just be careful you don't keep the trigger pressed for too long. Drills make for a nice, even twist. A lot faster too.Did you do anything to dampen the cables vibration-wise? They must be pretty susceptible to ringing.
No sense using good metal if you're going to use a drill, you'll beat the piss out of it with the twisting. The wire must be free to rotate around it's long axis while twisting to avoid this.
Very interesting and informative review! Great job. I am also interested in upgrading my speaker cables from a duel pair of DH Labs-14. I was thinking of going the large sized Mapleshade route. From what you descibed its pretty much the same concept except your using pure copper rather than the silver that Mapleshade uses. Any comments on that? Thanks :)
_______________________________________*Analog fans may be blind-but digital fans are deaf*
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82495693@N00/
Hey, StylinLP,
Once a long while back, I had conversation with Pierre Sprey about speaker wires. The gist was he felt that the best sounding speaker wires were between 18 and 19 gauge, and he has a preference for the 8 foot or longer speaker wires which he spent a good deal of time determining for himself. He's a really fine engineer, and I don't want to disagree with him, especially since the wires I made are just 4 feet long and I didn't try an eight foot set.My wires are indeed somewhat similar to the Mapleshade design, at least their Golden Helix. Tight twist of two wires. His wires are polyesterimide (I believe) insulated while the OCC copper wires I used are teflon. Telfon takes a bit more time to condition. And the Mapleshade wires are silver-plated while the VH Audio uses a high purity single crystal copper, OCC.
Mapleshade's double helix wires are basically the same functional wire gauge as their regular Helix wires, but have another wire twisted around each pole. The claim is that this increases the bass and overall clarity. Again, I won't get into a detailed counterpoint.
I will say, however, that my 18 gauge OCC set has more than enough bass for my system. More than I expected by a long shot. But it was the overall tonal balance that really slayed me.
I would say that Chris tends to be really picky about quality control. Smoothness of the wire, constant thickness of the dielectric, things like that. I think this attention to detail makes a difference in his products. Anyway, I really liked the sound coming out of my DIY set, even if I am using for a different purpose than they might be intended.
Pure high quality copper in Telfon sure does sound much more ideal than silverclad copper in pvc jacket. Looks like a better way to go. I feel like my DH Labs T-14 cables are bass shy. I guess I could try this and see if I like it. My Usher CP-6371 speakers have bi-wire terminals. Not sure if I should run two sets of speaker cables to them like I am doing with my DH Labs T-14's. I know that I do want more bass than I am getting now.
_______________________________________*Analog fans may be blind-but digital fans are deaf*
http://www.flickr.com/photos/82495693@N00/
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