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Solid core Versus Stranded Speaker cables

Ok for starters I have never tried a solid core Speaker cable until recently. I was very skeptical of the solids performance but I'm glad I tried it. As a matter of fact I tried it and found it to be the best cable I have ever used to date. After much searching, getting opinions from fellow audio enthusiasts and trial and error I happened upon a seller here on Audiogon, JW Audio who offered a 30 day in home trial period with full money returned, no questions asked and took a shot in the dark. That shot hit the bullseye dead center. After receiving the Cryo Nova 12 foot long cables, I was somewhat stunned when I seen the cable, it was nothing like I expected but I connected it anyway. Holy S....t did it make an immediate difference and it keeps getting better. My entire system (Krell) opened up like peeling the skin off a banana. Highs, lows, detail, soundstage, depth, clarity and details that I was missing were revealed. ( and I thought what I had was really outstanding )

Which brings me to the point of this thread. Not knowing what makes a solid core or a stranded speaker cable more desirable aside from the obvious flexibility issues I'm curious to know what my fellow audiocrazies use and why they prefer one over the other or if they even tried both. Anyone willing to give up their opinions on the pros and cons of solid versus stranded speaker cable? I will start that I am a convert to at least this particular solid core speaker wire and unless someone can better it with the 30 day free trial period I do believe it is here to stay.

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hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,611 posts
 
Perhaps another way of looking at the cable issue is not only the stranded vs. solid core subject, but the purity of the conductors being used.  As I upgraded power cords, and interconnects in my system, I moved toward purer conductors with as much of an air type dielectric as possible so pure conductor has a greater influence on the sound than the dielectric surrounding it.  

Most of us have experienced the debate about well...silver is bright and copper is mellow  blah, blah, blah.  IMHO, silver, copper and gold or hybrids of those sound a certain way mainly due to conductor purity (lack of grain boundaries in the metal) and dielectric quality where the dielectric is predominantly air freeing the cable to direct the signal from component to component and then ultimately to the speakers.

If you want to experiment with this and minimize the financial impact of doing so, go to used cables.com.  They have an extensive lending library enabling you to listen, in your system to various cables.  Your ears get to be the arbiter of truth!

nutty
1,928 posts
 
IMHO, I still say cables are system dependant. So many variables. 

I do have a question, does anyone know if MIT is solid or stranded?

N
hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,611 posts
 
nutty,
Probably the best example of that was the near insistence of Wilson Audio dealers to  mate Wilsons with Transparent Cables.  That assertion was supported by the professional press as well.

In my case, as a long-term Vandersteen speaker owner I was motivated to go with Audioquest speaker cables as they were said to have a special synergy with Richard's designs.

gdhal's avatar
gdhal
1,641 posts
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_wire

note the paragraph:

The effect of speaker wire upon the signal it carries has been a much-debated topic in the audiophile and high fidelity worlds. The accuracy of many advertising claims on these points has been disputed by expert engineers who emphasize that simple electrical resistance is by far the most important characteristic of speaker wire.

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hifiman5's avatar
hifiman5
1,611 posts
 
In the end, as with all things audio, trust your ears!  If you are a cable skeptic, borrow several designs that lie within your wire budget, from The Cable Company library and hear what you hear.  Act on what your ears tell you to be the truth, not manufacture's advertising copy. 

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