Spearker cables..fact or fiction?

Why must a good topic go bad? Why clown it?

I'm gonna go on record with the following statements....if anyone is listening.

Wire makes a difference and I'm going to tell you why.
First off you need to figure out the job at hand. lets stick with the topic at hand, speaker wire. You need to figure out the spec's of the given speakers. the range which they work in. Are they full range? meaning 20hz to 20khz? Not many speakers can claim that! I'll use mine as a example I own the Definitive Technology Mythos ST for main speakers. They are rated at 14hz to 30khz which means they are full range. They cover the required frequencies that make a full range speaker. So in my settings I will run them Large.( The 14hz I don't believe , I will be testing that very soon, I'm thinking maybe 22hz or so we shall see).
My amp is a receiver which puts out 140 watts into a 8 ohm load. My speakers so happen to be 8 ohms. Nice. Ok they are also 93db but for speaker wire that does mean a little but not that much.
So now comes one of the most important parts , the length of the run. Mine are 8 feet long so I need to use the proper gauge which would be 16 gauge. I'm using 14 but I'm anal like that. Not that 16 wouldn't get it done, I prefer for no other reason then I like a fatter wire. There I said it.
I also choose a wire that is Silver plated. For no other reason I like the way it sounds. It's not a requirement to get the sound to the speakers. Cooper conductors do a fine job without hardly any loss(which is the goal by the way).
So I make sure I don't make antenna's out of my speaker wire and Away I go. I used to have much higher end wire , I still own some but I achieed the goal in getting the signal there the way I like it and I don't see the need to spend the extra money (That I don't have) on more wire.
So my advise it this, get it right and be cool with it. All those fancy wires don't Improve the sound quality over any speaker wire that is proper for that task. It's what I have learned over the years.

I will also add this , Different brands sound different but the difference's are so damn small it's questionable if it's worth the extra money. If you have extra money to throw at your system, then go have fun and spend the time like I did and money and find out the truth on your own. Once you figure it out , you will be at peace with it (like I think I am)

F1nut wrote: »

Dan speak for, I don't have a clue.

I like my MITs because they make me feel superior to people without boxes on their cables.

inspiredsports wrote: »

I second that.

Plus if you can handle the challenge MIT cable management presents, you could probably run a small country.

And Dan, it's hard to be serious 1.8 X 10 to the 2 in ! (yes, the post count has gotten so large I need sci. not. to keep track)

I think you mean 1.8x10^3. What you said would be 180.

seafire wrote: »

Yawwwwwn :d

Back from the dead, are you? Looks like this is the only thread of interest, right We all tought you were dead but your profile indicates you gets burst of life back each and every time this thread gets a new breath, right

shack wrote: »

Ok...maybe using an eq is somewhat humorous. Do they still make those things?

Tons of EQs are still being made as they are widely used in the proffessional area. We probably have 20 here in our Ottawa office (us and our sister company). Most of them are presently out on events as their seem to be only 3 lefts at the shop. However, I fully agree with you using an EQ as cable management in home isn't as appealing as high end cables but who knows, might be the least expensive of the 2 options in many cases (just depends on the $$$ value of the HE cables). EQs are fine for sound management in large venues where the soundproofing is somewhat not the best. I wonder if the corporate sector has ever tought of using HE cables for such? Probably not as the engeeneers probably tought it is more hobby like than efficient wise

SolidSqual wrote: »

Cables are a joke. In fact all speakers sound the same to me. Just buy whatever looks good in your living room.

SolidSqual wrote: »

Nope no wife. I just like to impress people with gear that looks outta this world. I don't think I've ever actually turned my system on for more than five minutes at a time. I usually just throw in a Master P track to impress them with sloppy bass.

Humm, some might be seeing the light

shack wrote: »

I keep hearing that...but I have never been able to figure out how to integrate one of these into my rig...

Looks like you are using the wrong type of coat hanger Maybe you ought to try the metal type

Again, "let it be or let it die?" As many, I tought this thread was dead for good but :eek::p Maybe a little pie for a change right Keiko

Cheers!
TK

treitz3 wrote: »

Some folks just don't get the humor.......... :rolleyes:

My post was also met to be funny (used the wrong face originally)

There are differences in " sound" from different hi-end cables. The problem is you will not know which one is to your liking. I spent some good money on the Harmonic Technology speaker cables and they sound "dead" / " non-musical" on my Krell 400xi. While a simple Kimber 8 TC makes me happy. Is it a hoax or is it not, only you can try them out and only you can answer. Not necessarily an improvement. Also just to mention that I tried the PS audio Power Cord on my Krell 400 xi, the first few days, it was amazing in details and clarity but after a week or so " where the hell is my treble"...Why? I dunno but a few guys over Audiogon having the same experience. So, as anything else, it's your listening skill, your equipments and your cables= system synergy= happy listening. I agree there is a lot of myth and rip-off about cables but the truth is it 's you and your own ears. If you do not hear an improvement then why bother but if the guy next to you can hear the difference then it's his money let him be.

It would be foolish for someone to pay high prices for cables if they cannot hear a difference. Lets face it, there are some cool "looking" cables out there for not much more than the standard grade cost. For that matter you could dress up something yourself for not much $$.
madmax

I can't believe this thread is up to 62 pages...

esowden wrote: »

I can't believe this thread is up to 62 pages...

I can't believe you just added...nothing...to a 62 page thread...

paragraphs, anyone

Where's Beuller ??

anhchungdoan wrote: »

I have to agree and disagree with both sides of the fence. First of all, if a person own a low-end or mid-end gear, it makes no sense to spend $$$ on ICs and speaker cables since there is not much to hear in improvement. You cannot har something it is not there from the first place no matter how much $$$ you spend on wires. Secondly, the hi-end ICs and speaker cables and power cables ( no I am not talking abt Monster, Mr. Lee) are designed differently and it is not necessary an improvement eventhought they do sound differently. For example, I have been toying with Kimber PBJ, Hero, Silver streak ICs for the last 5/ 10 years but I cannot say which designs are best suit my system. PBJ: high, clear in treble but will be harsh with bright recording, Hero is bloating in bass and mid-range but lacking the "spark" in the hi frequency, Siverstreak is very smooth and open but lacking of bass. I have been playing with Krell, Bryston gear and speakers are the Martin Logan Aeruis I and SL3, no sub involved. I have 2 Diana krall CDs and 2 Fourplay Cds that I have been listening to for the last 10 years almost not everyday but few days a week so I am familiar myself how the hi/mid/bass of certian track sound like among the thre Kimber Kable ICs. The difference as I said may be or may not be an improvement no matter how fancy or how much the cost is, it is a type of band-aid to the imperfect recordings that we inheritage from the industry recording. It took us over 50 years to get to the BlueRay technology and we cannot even get it to its perfection. How many HDMI version to upgrade and how may firmware ( 1.1/ 2.0...) to upgrade? So guys, enjoy what you hear within your mean and your budget. The improvement is very subtle but some consumers are willing to pay for that much improvement and some does not. YMMV. Cheer and happy listenning.

Interesting thoughts and experience. What's funny is I basically came to the same conclusion as you did with my experience. It's really a never ending battle. My will for perfection where none exists is pointless.
Don't get me started on HDMI. I have experienced every conceivable problem I just wanna jump out a window into a fiery pit with everything there is HDMI.
I so gotta agree with your comments on perfection or really just getting "IT" right. It's like "THEY" are only out to get our hard earned money and leach on all of us with a "taste".

There's a lot to be said on this topic, not just wire , everything to do with our hobby. Now I'm pissed:mad:

There's a lot to be said on this topic, not just wire , everything to do with our hobby.

+1! Just waiting for the su%ker that will bite and spend the extra money unduly!

TECHNOKID wrote: »

+1! Just waiting for the su%ker that will bite and spend the extra money unduly!

It happens every single day. Guys walk around looking for the sound they want in there system and are not getting it due to the poor quality of speakers they own. Poor placement. Poor calibration. Poor wire management. I could go on and on here. And it's not like they have poor quality speakers , it's they are asking more out of them then they aare capable of. There are sonic limits to all speakers and trying to get high end sound of a pair of RT series speakers is just not going to happen no matter what MIT wire you have or Sunfire amp you power them with. Lsi's have there limits although they benefit from higher end amps and other gear. You get more out of them because they offer more. It's simple really.

I have been watching people on this forum make mistake after mistake trying to get to a level of sonic perfection with so so speakers. Buying amps and separates , high end wire and all kinds of crazy things when the problem lays elsewhere.

I'm not hating on anyone's gear , I'm just point out that maybe the better sound you are looking for doesn't rest in MIT wires or that beautiful Sunfire monster amp. Maybe if you have a higher quality speaker and a good placement , you just might find what your ears are telling you to get. It's funny and I feel bad for some but you can only show them the path , you can't walk it for them.

End Rant. Carry on.

keiko wrote: »

behind me satan, get behind me!

. . . the little red thingy, . . . it looks kind of Satanic

I hear ya,I don't think I ever payed list for anything...ever. Try a MAC power cable,you could always re sell if you don't dig it.