Switching speaker cables from silver to copper; first impressions.

Which AQ's did you get, Brett?

Yeah, definitely want to know which AQ's you got!

They are an old set of Audioquest Midnight 2 terminated with WBT-0681 Cu Nextgen spades.

quote and photo from a recent thread elsewhere:
"8 runs of solid-core copper per terminal; 16 per cable (...). Each one is individually insulated. There is a thick run of nylon separating the positive and negative for the length of each cable. AQ says they're 10AWG; I think they're more like 8 or 9, since each individual run of solid core seems to be 17-18AWG. "
`
attachment.php
The AQ Midnight 2, as I understand it, was a fairly pricy cable when it was new (about $500 for an 8' pair). Now, it seems that you can pick that same set up for $100.

What I have here is an externally bi-wired 12' pair; two separate cables per side (48 feet total), terminated together at the amp end. I'm just using one set at the amp end until I pay for them. After which I will separate and re-terminate and maybe eventually shorten. I'll either keep the superfluous set in storage or sell them off to offset the purchase.

The WBTs look like something special. Van Den Hul sells them for $70/pr and I've got 6 pr here.

Anyway..all this talk of prices. What matters is that they sound fuller and more balanced with deeper bass than the A+ Oval 12's. Maybe some of that has to do with gauge. But as we know, there's more to it than that.
 

Attachments

  • AQ Midnight.JPG
    AQ Midnight.JPG
    77.2 KB · Views: 184
  • AQ wbt_681.jpg
    AQ wbt_681.jpg
    28.4 KB · Views: 20
  • 070 Flash Spades.JPG
    070 Flash Spades.JPG
    84.4 KB · Views: 477
  • 078 tagging.JPG
    078 tagging.JPG
    102.2 KB · Views: 324
Last edited:
have i underwhelmed the community? you won't hurt my feelings.
 

Attachments

  • Outer Strip.jpg
    Outer Strip.jpg
    49.3 KB · Views: 121
  • 080_WBT flash.jpg
    080_WBT flash.jpg
    71.7 KB · Views: 117
  • 110_Done.jpg
    110_Done.jpg
    79.2 KB · Views: 122
  • 050_Fanned.jpg
    050_Fanned.jpg
    80.3 KB · Views: 608
Last edited:
No, they look like very nice cables. I don't think anyone else has experience with them so they are likely not piping up. I have connections to get AQ stuff so I may go that route for cables.
 
have i underwhelmed the community? you won't hurt my feelings.

I'm pretty quiet during the work week. Especially now that they (work) have clarified a rule about posting online. Rarely get time after work and just a few minutes before...I have to catch the highlights on the weekend and hope I can find all the threads and posts from the cool guys (you guys know who you are!).

I like some AQ cable quite a bit. Kind of hit and miss. The Colorado is fantastic...the Type 8 isn't bad for the money. Some of the lower end AQ cables can be kind of ho hum. Have to try them to know...you apparently found a good match for your setup.
 
have i underwhelmed the community? you won't hurt my feelings.

When I graduated from college and made enough money to buy some different stereo gear, my first purchase was a pair of Quicksilver Silver 90 amps and a Full Function pre-amp. Since teh amps were mono-blocks I bought a used 4 foot pair of AQ speaker wire for them. This was an all copper design, believe they were the Cobalt. They were a nicely balanced speaker wire, and certainly an improvement over the Straightwire Encore II I had at the time. I wouldn't mind hearing some of the current production AQ cables. These days I suspect that the established manufacturers, say AQ, MIT, Cardas, Straightwire...the elders of the wire companies....know plenty about building good cables and have done the science to make a quality product. Many of the smaller company offerings may sound different, but it doesn't mean they are better...or even as good.

Regards
Mister Pig
 
Just shortened these down to 8' from 12. Took some pictures along the way as I am wont to do.

I have proper heatshrink and cable pants on the way and will redo them with a neater finish later. The cool thing about these spades is their re-useability.

attachment.php


attachment.php



attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 080_WBT flash 2.jpg
    080_WBT flash 2.jpg
    60.2 KB · Views: 128
  • 080_WBT 3.jpg
    080_WBT 3.jpg
    62.2 KB · Views: 129
  • 060_Twist.jpg
    060_Twist.jpg
    41.4 KB · Views: 128
  • 040_Unwound.jpg
    040_Unwound.jpg
    50.2 KB · Views: 113
  • Cut end closeup.jpg
    Cut end closeup.jpg
    33.7 KB · Views: 596
Last edited:
Nice dude, that's a really interesting wire design with the ring shape. I guess I didn't realize how big they were. WBT's better be reuseable for that kinda money!!!

You still digging them?
 
Update

I bought some proper "cable pants" and heat shrink tubing and spent most of the morning re-terminating the AQs
attachment.php


attachment.php


...and before you get all in a tizzy about the "directionality" of these cables, it's not what you think. These are so stiff that I built them to be location-specific. Which is to say I made sure they went together in a way that they lay flat on the floor when hooked up. You just can't wrestle and twist these! You'll see I used red heat shrink on the right channel and black on the left.

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • 440_Pants_Pr.JPG
    440_Pants_Pr.JPG
    98.6 KB · Views: 87
  • 420_Pants_ends.jpg
    420_Pants_ends.jpg
    80.5 KB · Views: 87
  • 400_Pants_ends1.jpg
    400_Pants_ends1.jpg
    82.4 KB · Views: 8
  • 405_Pants_single.jpg
    405_Pants_single.jpg
    75.3 KB · Views: 74
  • 460_Pants_Spkr.jpg
    460_Pants_Spkr.jpg
    62.5 KB · Views: 85
Last edited:
just about 2 hours with the new-to-me Analys Plus Oval 12s and I'm totally digging them! just as promised, very rich and very clear at the same time.

i don't think I'll be missing the Silver Sonics after all.

Great choice Brett! I have been running A+ interconnect, Speaker cable, And phono cable for about three years. You know wire and cables are just like another component in your system. So we should choose them carefully. What phono cable are you using? The Analysis Plus phono cable is also an excellent choice.
 
I bought some proper "cable pants" and heat shrink tubing and spent most of the morning re-terminating the AQs
attachment.php


attachment.php


...and before you get all in a tizzy about the "directionality" of these cables, it's not what you think. These are so stiff that I built them to be location-specific. Which is to say I made sure they went together in a way that they lay flat on the floor when hooked up. You just can't wrestle and twist these! You'll see I used red heat shrink on the right channel and black on the left.

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php

The AQ cable looks good Brett. Glad its working for you.....Sorry that the A+ did not work for you. But if you should decide you want to try them again, I can get you pretty good deals on the A+.
 
Back
Top Bottom