constellation161 110 Posted February 2, 2015 Thinking of getting some proper speaker instead of the bell wire I've used for years, would welcome your opinions bearing in mind play mainly 60s and 70s and a few modern12s vinyl. Mick Perrins. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hornet 332 Posted February 2, 2015 The thicker the wire the more of an eyesore I it looks ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
constellation161 110 Posted February 3, 2015 Still waiting for some constructive opinions. Mick Perrins. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Ohara 394 Posted February 3, 2015 mick as a once true audiophile, I used to have all the top kit that was available - spiked feet on speakers, isolating table for turntable etc., pre-amp, power amp, bi-wired speakers etc. However when it came to speaker cable, I never felt the need I trialled different high end cables in my own home and in stores - and to this day I can say that I could hear practically no difference between any of them if you are talking about moving from the real cheap and nasty stuff at say 50p/1.00 a metre to an upgrade, then you will probably hear a difference - tighter base and crisper vocals mainly however I wouldn't go crazy and buy stuff at 15/20 quid per metre im out of touch with it all now so have no idea on makes/prices etc. but I would imagine if you were using the cheap stuff, then going up to 5/6 quid per metre would be enough google "best budget speaker cable" or check the recommendations in What Hi Fi hope this is helpful, but don't fall into the trap of spending too much on this - same goes for connectors between components you will be hard pushed to hear any difference in any of them jim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrsWoodsrules 2,421 Posted February 3, 2015 It's very easy to get carried away once you delve into the world of high end hifi. I would say don't, by all means improve & upgrade & you will most likely hear an audible difference, but after that, it wonders into the realm of placebo & clever marketing & some people spend fortunes, but there is not need because you can get some great cable for not a great deal of money. They do say put aside a % of the value of your system for cables but this is just the salesman talking. I use 'Chord' cable on my system (£20 per Meter), but I've upgraded to that over long periods of time to match upgraded equipment (Naim & B&W Nautilus speakers), but I would recommend you look at a brand called QED, I've had it in the past, it's really relatively cheap and a great place to start upgrading. Don't get sucked in, yes improve your cables, but don't spent a lot, you really don't need to starting out & you will still see 'some' audio improvement. But really there are lots of permeations & upgrades that can do this also, isolation etc etc, it's a salesmanship dream & billion dollar industry. For the record, I'll soon be going cable free if I move to the wireless speakers I've got my eyes on but that's a different story, but it's just a matter of time because the high end companies are all in that market now & will soon be the norm. Hope all that helps a bit. QED is great cheap starter cable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark R 921 Posted February 3, 2015 (edited) It's the law of diminishing returns, so I would basically agree with what's been said thus far. I'm no audiophile by the way! I can't remember where my cable came from, I suspect from a local hi-fi shop when I bought some new speakers years ago. So it should be 'proper' speaker cable but it wasn't expensive. It's effectively high gauge bell wire (I.e. it's thick, but looks like bell wire). You need a decent gauge so that you don't get any losses in the cable......particularly over long runs. Not sure of the other technicalities with it, but I'm not sure I buy all this oxygen free bobbins. Hell I've even seen oxygen free kettle leads advetised at £1k plus......just how does that work better! So, after spending not very much for your decent improvements you'll find that you have to start spending disproportionately to gain any further detectable improvement. As I say, I'm no audiophile, and one thing I have learned over the years is that you can end up listening for imperfections rather than enjoying the music, so don't get sucked into that as it will spoil things for you. Having said that, I wouldn't attempt to play down how good decent kit sounds. Cheers, Mark R Edited February 3, 2015 by Mark R Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony A 993 Posted February 3, 2015 I changed mine and went for a budget option from Maplin, my ears could tell a improvement especially on the Bass end, £4.99 a metre, was cheaper when I bought mine about 15 years ago · Shark Loudspeaker Connection Cable High Quality OFC S10 (priced per metre) Code: XS36P Product details Shark Loudspeaker Connection Cable High Quality OFC S10 (priced per metre = £4.99 An exceptionally high quality speaker connection wire. Each cable contains hundreds of extremely thin, single strands to improve electron flow at high frequencies. Each cable has a larger than normal overall diameter for absolute minimum impedance, thus ensuring good response at bass frequencies. The strands are made from 100% Oxygen Free Copper (OFC) for maximum sound purity. The extra-flexible, transparent, figure-of-8 sheathing has one side marked with ‘+’ symbols for polarity identification. I also changed the internal wiring on my speakers, had very nasty bell type wire from connectors to crossover then to drivers, changed this to 4mm solid copper cable all joints soldered to do away with push on spade connectors which can cause resistance in the circuit if they work loose from vibrations, which of course you get in loudspeakers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mark R 921 Posted February 3, 2015 That last post all seems sensible.....cable looks not dissimilar to mine. Regarding bass response, it's worth remembering that positioning of the speaker can play a big part in that, so you have to get that right too or you might be wasting your £5/metre!! Cheers, Mark R Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Northern Dan 99 Posted February 3, 2015 I once told a guy at work I was a bit of an audiophile and he derisively questioned my sexual preferences. Check the connection points at amp and speakers too. My old quad amp and Gale speakers struggle to fit fat cable in. Here's some reviews http://www.whathifi.com/products/accessories/speaker-cables?page=1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hornet 332 Posted February 4, 2015 how may people were juped into throwing away their hdmi cable when purchasing A new TV & spending £100 on a all singing one 4 fcuk all gain !!!! I baught 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve S 60 6,584 Posted February 4, 2015 QED 79 Strand is a good quality budget cable. Plenty of choice on Amazon. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted February 5, 2015 depending on how long the run is from amp to speaker! the more strands the is less resistance, mean no signal loss! hope this helps regards nigel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
