Yes - you wouldn't believe it, but the best speaker cables bar none - even the very highest price ones aren't a match for the Anti-Cables. Look at their website and believe the buzz. They are 4 dollars a foot, and I replaced all my high priced spread with these things. They are wonderful.
Best low cost speaker cables for my system?
I have Creek 5350, Rotel 1072, B&W 703's. Mated with Transparent Powerlink Plus and Guerrilla Audio silver IC's, the system sounds well balanced and emotionally engaging. Am looking for an affordable speaker cable to complete system. Am considering DH Labs Q10 ($185 per 6' pair). I need a 24' pair of speaker cables. Anyone have any other ideas? Thanks!
28 responses Add your response
With all due respect to Chatty1, the Speltz Anti-Cables were beaten badly in my system by the Xindak FS-1 cables. They're not easy to find, I believe www.nysound.com is one of the few places you can buy them, but they're worth it, IMHO. They sound glorious in my system, and they're very inexpensive. I took a chance on them and am absolutely thrilled with the results. OTOH, I was shocked at how "hifi-ish" the Anti cables sounded in my system (Nuforce Ref 9s, Shanling t100, Audible Illusions Mod3A, Audio Physic Virgos, VPI/Blackbird, Goertz MicroPurl ICs.) I was expecting big things after all the buzz. On the plus side the 10 ft Speltz cables have great detail, nice transparency and pretty good timbre, but on the minus side they provided almost zero space around instruments, everything was smashed together, there was little presence or sense of recording space, and absolutely no depth at all. Even my old Kimber 8TC outperformed them. Maybe it's the Nuforce's causing a mismatch, I don't know. But the Anti's are going back. And that's the good news - they have a 30 day return, will cost ya ten bucks and a little shipping, but at least you can try them in YOUR system. They did not work in mine. Again, if you feel like taking a chance as I did, hunt down the Xindak cable, spend your 200+ bucks, and revel in the great sound! |
I found the Goertz Veracity MI2 the best possible solution as far as speaker cable concerned. But still, I dont have the slightest idea how it would sound in your system to your ears. None the less, I heartily suggest to have a try. Pick upone used here, you could sell within a day if you dont like. |
24' is too long for any speaker cable, but with that in mind, you better look for something that is reasonably low in both capacitance and inductance, heavy in gauge, relatively low in nominal impedance and has some type of geometry that isn't overly sensitive to EM fields. Too much capacitance per foot, because of the long length required, and the amp could oscillate and / or shut down at random. Too much inductance per foot, because of the long length required, and the treble response can become rolled off and dull. Too small of a gauge of wire will increase series resistance, reducing the amount of control that the amp has over the driver. Too high of a nominal impedance and you'll decrease the power transfer characteristics of the amp. Without attention to EM fields, a long run of speaker cabling could act as an antenna. As such, the use of a 2 x 14 gauge or 2 x 12 gauge twisted pair or 4 x 16 gauge or 4 x 14 gauge spiral wrapped star quad would be best electrically and probably economically. No matter what you choose, you're never going to get "great" performance out of your system with speaker cables this length. Nor are you going to have an easy time selling such long length speaker cables on the used market, should you decide to reconfigure your system at a later date. Sean > |
I have used 30' runs of both Canare 4S11 and MAS Signature Hybrid speaker cable, and my system does not have rolled of highs or radio channels playing. None of my amps...SS or tube...have ever shut down unexpectedly. I think my system sounds great, and others have thought so, too. Try some inexpensive Canare 4S11 for $.69/foot from Markertek. If it doesn't do it for you, then consider auditioning MAS Signature Hybrid (sold by Audioparts, Inc on Audiogon) with no risk. |
Great choice of components. I really like your system. IMHO you might consider to devote the money to a beefier amp with higher damping factor and just go for ordinary speaker cables (wire from the hardware store) ... your speakers can probably handle at least 200 Watts. More headroom and damping is likely to give you an audible improvement. ( I am assuming that your budget is around $1000 which is enough to do an amp upgrade) |
Sean, Your remarks are way over my head, unfortunately. The DH Labs Q10 uses a pair of 12 guage wire and a pair of 14 guage wire within one jacket. I don't know how this compares with your suggestion of 4X14 guage "spiral wrapped star quad design". Tvad: thanks for once again offering suggestions for my system. I will look into the Canare cabling you suggest. |
The benefit of the 4x14 (or even the 2x12/2x14) is that for long runs, you can twist together two of the four leads for a combined gauge of 11...hence the 4S11 designation. Twisting together a 12 gauge and 14 gauge lead on the DH Labs Q10 would result in a larger gauge than 11, but I don't know what the gauge would be. |
Here's a second for Speltz Anti-Cables. Most assuredly not the best, but for the money a contender. My runs are 25' and Speltz shipped it to me as a 100' spool that I cut and terminated with the supplied spades. I think I spent much less than most commercial preterminated would. In my room, the cables do not pick up radio free Sacramento or any other nasties that my 96+dB speakers would surely spit out if they were there. As a plus, if they don't work for you, snip the terminations off and you can make your own ic's or sell it as bulk here on the 'gon. Enjoy. |
Tvad: Jeff At Value Audio states that the combined guage of the DH Q10 is 10, hence the designation, Q10. As I'm not a do-it-yourself-er, my tendency is to go with the Q10 rather than buying bulk cable and terminating it myself. The Q10 seems to address the concerns Sean brought up about long cable lengths, plus it's well reviewed and within my budget, and I trust Jeff. The salesman at AudioFX in Sacramento, where I bought my system, did not believe the lengths of speaker cable required by my room were inherently problematic, by the way. Many thanks to all for your suggestions-- Audiogon rules! |
06-23-06: StuartkThat's what I suspected. Ramelectronics.com sells terminated lengths of Canare 4S11 with spades, bananas, and with various grades of WBT connectors. Long lengths. Short lengths. It might be worth your time to look at the webpage and compare the prices. |
Stuartk, go with your gut. You'll be fine either way. FWIW, the Audioparts Inc. MAS Signature Hybrid is of similar starquad geometry, and comes with a 30 day MBG. Stu Wein offers exceptional customer service. I have read many good things about the Q10. The only question for me would be the silver wire vs. copper. I'd have to hear both to decide, though. |
Tvad:Yeah, I guess I figured that as the Q10 uses both copper and silver it would likely not push the sound of the system too far in either a dark or bright direction, but this is just a guess on my part. The reviews I've read of the Q10 state that it's pretty neutral (admittedly a relative term). Value Audio will lend me a 10" demo pair to try out. If I had more cash I would likely just upgrade my current Transparent "The Wall" speaker cable to Transparent Music Wave Plus because the current tonal balance is very good, but I don't have $ 1500 to spend on speaker wire! |
Good point. I did not know the Q10 used both metals. The MAS Signature Hybrid does, as well, and I prefer it to the Canare 4S11 as it has a smoother treble response. So, I imagine you might prefer the Q10 to the 4S11. |