Looking for additional cable ideas...


I am currently experimenting with a variety of speaker cables. My system consists of Cary 306, Kimber Hero, Cary SLP 2002 pre, Kimber Hero, Cary Rocket 88 push-pull triode mode driving Spendor SP 1/2. I own Cardas cross and Kimber 8TC, and have on loan Purist Elementa (soft and uninvolving), Discovery, Goertz MI 2 Python, and Nordost Solar Wind. The cable that comes closest to what I am looking for is the Goertz. It has glorious mids, it is open and natural, with plenty of detail. It is by no means bright, but does have some noticeable sibilance. By comparison, the Nordost has a far superior high end performance, with clarity, detail, focus and no sense of grain or harshness. Right now I have the Nordost on top and the Goertz on the bottom and am enjoying the best of both worlds. Naturally however, I would prefer to find one brand of bi-wire that can give me what I am looking for. I am looking for ideas. If I had to choose one or the other from what I have now, I would take the Goertz, as it gives me a better overall presentation. The leanness of the Nordost in the mid-bass/lower midrange robs piano and sax of their natural timbre.
mike7142
Sorry bout that. Forgot that you were running a tube amp. I don't see the Goertz cables creating a problem for you. As to "unstable designs", you would have to put Spectral, Pass Labs, etc.. into that category as Goertz WILL "play" with these amps.

I've not tried the newer Teflon series of flat cables. I had mentioned this to Scott just a while back and had wanted to contact Goertz about checking some out, but i just haven't gotten around to it.

As to the differences in MI-2 and MI-3, i happen to like the MI-2's better as a general rule. If you had mono-blocks, i could send you some "shorty" MI-3's to check out as my mono-blocks are currently getting a breather. Keep in mind that i've never tried any of my copper based Goertz with tubes. I've been told that tube based systems work much better with the AG ( silver ) series.

As far as jumpers go, i would talk to Goertz about what they would recommend. I don't see a problem with them making a set of bi-wires. Just keep in mind that their bi-wires are a little different from most others as they only use one conductor per polarity.

Most factory jumpers are crud to say the least. Try replacing the jumpers with a single strand of solid copper wire for each polarity. You can vary the gauge to suit how "hot" or "soft" you would like the treble to be. Heavier will present a softer approach with more midrange weight and thinner gauge will tend to highlight treble detail. I'm sure that you can find a happy medium if you've got the time and resources.

Philjolet, i've never experimented with the LAT speaker cables, so i can't make a comparison. If someone would like to send me a set of LAT's ( or any other cable for that matter ), i'd be glad to post my comparitive results : ) Sean
>
Another vote for Goertz MI 2's, I did a home audition and never sent them back. They have a coherence from top to bottom that is beautiful in my system. I am using between Classe amp and Thiel 3.6's, they add a slight bloom, or richness, but with perfect clarity and transparancy that the Thiels need. I am also using the factory terminated silver spades..Good luck, I bet you'll like em.
Just an "amen" - Philjolet's ears are dead-on re: the difference between the Nordost and the LATs - I heard the exact same thing in my system. The LATs do have narrower freq. response, but are much more harmonious, and overall were preferable to me.
Look no further than Kimber Monocle X, or XL (single-run) or BiFocal (bi-wire)X or XL --for the price. IC's try Kimber SELECT series and be done with it. Focus, clarity, definition, layering, staging combined with tonal hues/colors that makes music/voice sound like the real thing. These interconnects are excellent. If you can swing the extra bucks, Kimber's Silver/Copper (KS-21 series) or all pure Silver (KS-30 series) will leave you with a dropped jaw! Excruciating long burn-in time with silver series however....1,000+ hours. Cable cooker reduces time significantly.

peter jasz
Another vote for Goertz MI-2. Have upgraded recently to Silversmith but still think the Goertz MI-2 are the best bang for the buck speaker wire out there. I am not as fond of their interconnects. Definitely worth an audition.