Investigating speaker wire: recommend two that sound obviously different

Edited: because if you have to explain it it's not funny.
 
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I use Supra speaker cable from Madisound it is tin plated cooper like the Deuland but is available in more gauges .
 
I changed from Monster 16awg that I had used for forever. I changed to a Blue Jeans 12awg. The sound seemed like there was more to the music -- if that makes sense.

These are both simple cables. My wife noticed a difference without knowing about the cable change.

I additionally changed from bare cable on a McIntosh terminal strip to a spade welded to one end of my speaker wire. This is a change I have to believe made some difference.
 
Cost means nothing with speaker cables. Honestly, most expensive spaker cables sound worse than simple home made cables.
1. A simple 14 awg. pure copper multi-strand cable with a rope lay twist. Beware of copper plated aluminum. The best conductors are pure copper with no plating. Stay away from plating, even silver plating.
2. 6 awg. 19 strand, cable. Twist two together, but not too tightly. May have to trim the wire down by a few strands to attach spades - don't worry about it.
3. Koncept makes some fine pure copper cables.

Try the above, and don't let anyone talk you out of it...let your ears be the judge!

Good listening...
 
1. Naim NACA5
2. DIY 0.5mm dia solid silver cores in Teflon tubes (Eleven tube+core for each of +ve and -ve plus +ve & -ve in separate cables)

Clearer 'more transparent' mid range with silver cores but not stereotypically bright. Admittedly the difference was not huge but quite noticeable once you know what to listen for. The coils of NACA 5 have remained under my workbench for the last 8 years, just in case.
 
I would have thought a simple (and cheap) test would be to use a 16 or 14 gauge extension cable (stranded) with the ends cut off, and some 12/2 or 14/2 Romex (solid core). Then, try some cheap thin bell wire, and some solid core Cat 5 cable.

Lee.
I totally agree with this, I have done this and from thick copper single strand to thick fine strand and everything in between incuding the cat 5 cable you will hear subtle but noticeable differences. Pick the one that gives you the sonic experience with your set up that you are looking for. After doing this from the end of each extreme I found cables sort of sound like they look which didn't surprise me. I see how one could fine tune their system with "any" of the different types.
 
I totally agree with this, I have done this and from thick copper single strand to thick fine strand and everything in between incuding the cat 5 cable you will hear subtle but noticeable differences. Pick the one that gives you the sonic experience with your set up that you are looking for. After doing this from the end of each extreme I found cables sort of sound like they look which didn't surprise me. I see how one could fine tune their system with "any" of the different types.
BTW I was bed ridden with Lyme disease for a long time which enabled me the time to do this using the same equipment same test music over and over
 
Just thought about this thread and wanted to drop a line. I still have not made a budget to demo different types of cables. I am finishing a full rebuild of a Thorens TD 124, and currently all of my interconnects and speaker cabling is Monoprice. Because I am running external crossovers to my Altec 604's, I will probably stick with speaker cabling that I can buy in 100ft runs and use as tinned bare wire.

If you think you have a cable that would convince me to upgrade from Monoprice, let's get together. I'm in Chicago.
 
Just thought about this thread and wanted to drop a line. I still have not made a budget to demo different types of cables. I am finishing a full rebuild of a Thorens TD 124, and currently all of my interconnects and speaker cabling is Monoprice. Because I am running external crossovers to my Altec 604's, I will probably stick with speaker cabling that I can buy in 100ft runs and use as tinned bare wire.

If you think you have a cable that would convince me to upgrade from Monoprice, let's get together. I'm in Chicago.
Are you thinking of heading to AXPONA in 2018? One ear-opening room to visit is Nordost, where the rep puts on demostrations of various audio tweaks, including cables and isolation cones. I heard the demo for their isolation cones in 2016--I came into the room feeling it was all a bunch of BS. No way cones could make a difference. I did not come in with the proverbial "open mind." So anyway, the cones were under a power strip on the floor. When the rep replayed the same passage of music after removing the strip from the cones, we could all hear a distinct difference. Back on the cones, the better sound came back. For lack of a better word, the music dulled and lost a slight amount of focus when it was off the cones.

Now, did I rush to the Marketplace and buy a bunch of the Nordost Sort Kones? No. (They were just too costly for me.) But it did make me think about doing something with isolation in my own system.

Lesson learned--a little change can make an unexpected difference. And maybe you will, or will not, hear a similar difference in your system when swapping cables around. I do like using heavier gauge speaker cable within reason (less resistance, less power loss over a longer run) but haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet. I've made my own interconnects (after sending back a set of flimsy Audioquest Evergreens that robbed my system of its bass and impact), but am looking to make better ones, this time with no silver. I have an ideal setup since my player has two sets of outputs--I can hook up two different cables and then switch the source at the preamp while the music is playing, no delay between them. Perfect for comparisons. :)
 
Lesson learned--a little change can make an unexpected difference. And maybe you will, or will not, hear a similar difference in your system when swapping cables around. I do like using heavier gauge speaker cable within reason (less resistance, less power loss over a longer run) but haven't gone down that rabbit hole yet. I've made my own interconnects (after sending back a set of flimsy Audioquest Evergreens that robbed my system of its bass and impact), but am looking to make better ones, this time with no silver. I have an ideal setup since my player has two sets of outputs--I can hook up two different cables and then switch the source at the preamp while the music is playing, no delay between them. Perfect for comparisons. :)

Although, unless the music is a test record with repeated, identical segments you'll be hearing 'different' music when you flip the a/b switch.

On the other matter, I bought a bunch of silver-plated OFC cable to make my home-mades and immediately sort of wished I hadn't. One, not convinced that the silver plating will make a difference--did it for fun--and two, after stripping silver wire you'd better get them connected and sealed straightaway else it starts interacting with the oxygen and sulphur in the air right quick.

FWIW, I've a bit of experience with silver in another (non-audio) arena and it's a remarkably volatile element in this regard. We actually use absorbent strips--within sealed compartments--which attract the sulphur in the air, leaving less to interact with the silver. Granted copper is a bit reactive as well--there's no easy way out. But sealing with heat-shrink tubing or your material of choice becomes pretty important no matter which you choose. Another reason I like crimping spade connectors.
 
On the other matter, I bought a bunch of silver-plated OFC cable to make my home-mades and immediately sort of wished I hadn't. One, not convinced that the silver plating will make a difference--did it for fun--and two, after stripping silver wire you'd better get them connected and sealed straightaway else it starts interacting with the oxygen and sulphur in the air right quick.

Even brass can tarnish--had a mailbox chute in our front door where I grew up, and we'd have to take it off once a year and polish it up. Many interconnects and possibly even some speaker cables are terminated in brass fittings--with brass's lower conductivity, it strikes me as not being a very good thing to have on my audio cables.

My next interconnects are going to use plated copper RCA plugs and RCA litz wire coax. Partially as an experiment, but also hopeful that it will change the sound to be a little warmer. Not totally sold on that aspect but at the very least, I will have another "flavor" to try, provided I hear the difference. The fun part will be dressing them up with the braiding and the heat shrink. I've never done that before.
 
Yeah the brass part didn't make much sense to me either. On the home-made cable front, I can report that the heat-shrink seals are a trial-and-effort deal, at least wtih me. Considering what they call 'trousers' now. Really. Okay, maybe they're called pants.

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Yeah the brass part didn't make much sense to me either. On the home-made cable front, I can report that the heat-shrink seals are a trial-and-effort deal, at least wtih me. Considering what they call 'trousers' now. Really. Okay, maybe they're called pants.
Pants, trousers, etc...I think I'll manufacture some made in a nice tartan plaid and call 'em Boxer Briefs. :D Those make sense for speaker cables, if they are bound together as a pair. I'll need to keep those skivvies in mind.
 
Me starting out: Woohoo, another cottage industry around here! Make money on the side! What shall I call my new business?!

Me a couple of hours later: Jesus F*ing Christ, what a mess. Why does everything have to be ten times harder than it looks??

Here's what happens when you don't have the proper pants. I used electrical tape. Amateur Hour.

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But I only used the tape between the big heat shrink on the braid and the little shrinks on the plugs. I needn't have used any--the regular wire insulation would be enough. Not sure what I was thinking. Just didn't want any air to get in and tarnish the silver! I'll post the new, improved one when I do it. Are pants even necessary, he asks.

PS: The braid is the fun part, seriously.
 
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