Morrow Audio re-design announcement: No more Ag coated Cu; Increased numbers of runs.


Just got a notice in my Email about this. Seems like the new design went into production in June. It does have me scratching my head a bit. I’m wondering if any Morrow Audio cable users (old or new design) have comments. The link will take you to the announcement that provides details on the new cable design including instructions for determining whether someone has received old or new design cables.

http://morrowaudio.com/announcement


128x128ghosthouse
@fivechannelguy (and for @addyson815 ) - 

That's one of the things got me scratching my head; i.e., the move away from silver coated copper which I always thought was a key contributor to MA cable's "sound".  I'm also wondering about the quality of copper being used, not to mention economic drivers related to the re-design.



 


I've got the new SP4 speaker cables and love them. Don't know what the old SP4s sounded like but instead of just talking about it why not try them. If you don't like what you hear get a full refund.
ghosthouse

In addition to the issues you bring up, there is another I have been wondering about. 

If you look at the speaker cable old and new wire count for one channel (i.e. 1152, 1728 and so on), at what point would one thousand + solid core wires become a stranded wire - unless it is litz?

The above aside, it would be good to hear how the newer version sounds. 
@maxima95 
Bingo.  I've had a similar question.  The runs in all the various Morrow offerings ARE said to be individually isolated.  How many runs does it take to become "Litz" or is there more to it than number of strands? e.g., packing density & geometry??

@mazian  
I have a few MA3 & MA4 interconnects with ETI bullet plugs as well as a pair of SP4 speaker cables.  All original design.  The system changed and my "hearing preferences" too.  The Morrow wire got replaced.  Of particular note, Cardas' all copper Parsec speaker cable is sounding very very good.  While I know you can ALWAYS find something "better", am happy to report a complete lack of motivation for engaging in that search.  Glad the new design Morrow speaker cable is working for you.  Maybe one of these days I'll get the urge to try some.  

I thought I would post this to help clear up any questions. Note that we still use our SSI Technology, each wire strand is still individually insulated from the others.

You can see the full design change page at: http://morrowaudio.com/announcement

Our SSI Technology here: http://morrowaudio.com/about-us/ssi-technology

Reviews here: http://morrowaudio.com/reviews

Improvements Made to the Design:

1. Faster Production Time
Due to improved manufacturing processes, the time for orders will be much faster. Since making the public announcement about the new design, we expect a large amount of orders. Please check the time for orders page for an accurate order time during this period.

2. More Runs of Wire
We have added more runs of wire to each cable model. For instance, the MA1 interconnects, which previously had 2 runs of wire per channel, now has 8 runs of individually insulated wires per channel. The Anniversary speaker cables, which previously had 288 runs per channel, now have 1728 runs of individually insulated wires per channel! This provides amazing improvements in all areas of the sound: air, soundstage, musicality, realism, harmonic structure, etc. See Old & New Wire Counts

3. Progressive Smaller Gauge Individual Wires
As you move up the line, the gauge of the individual wires in the cable structure reduces. Smaller gauge individual wires result in less skin effect distortions.

4. Larger Total Gauge
The total combined wire gauge has increased for many models, providing lower impedance and improved signal transfer.

5. Improved Dielectric
We have greatly improved the dielectric (wire insulation) in the design by introducing cotton. Cotton has the lowest reflectivity of all dielectrics which reduces the "smearing" distortion found in others.

6. Lower Noise Floor
Our new manufacturing process insures a tighter, more uniform, internal wire weaving. The cables are quieter, rejecting more RFI than before. You hear deeper into the music, subtleties before unheard now come through with profound realism.

7. Solid Copper Instead of Silver Coated Copper
We no longer use silver coated copper wire, only solid copper wire for each individual SSI strand. The presentation is now smoother and more musical. You will re-discover recording after recording, hearing things you never heard before.

Mike Morrow